Why I don't use McAfee virus software:

[nikimcbee]

Which is worse? The virus or the virus software?

McAfee had a bad hairday today. For those of who have haven't heard, McAfee released a "bad software update" that made the virus program think a peticular windows file is a virus, thus causing the computer to crash then a re-boot loop.

The problem, the company I work for relys on XP and has a corperate account w/ McAfee. So, this morning when the update hit, ALL computers in the company crashed!

cAfee DAT 5958 Update Issues
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Published: 2010-04-21,
Last Updated: 2010-04-21 21:08:19 UTC
by Guy Bruneau (Version: 3)
11 comment(s)
McAfee's "DAT" file version 5958 is causing widespread problems with Windows XP SP3. The affected systems will enter a reboot loop and loose all network access. We have individual reports of other versions of Windows being affected as well. However, only particular configurations of these versions appear affected. The bad DAT file may infect individual workstations as well as workstations connected to a domain. The use of "ePolicyOrchestrator", which is used to update virus definitions across a network, appears to have lead to a faster spread of the bad DAT file. The ePolicyOrchestrator is used to update "DAT" files throughout enterprises. It can not be used to undo this bad signature because affected system will lose network connectivity.
The problem is a false positive which identifies a regular Windows binary, "svchost.exe", as "W32/Wecorl.a", a virus. If you are affected, you will see a message like:

I had a similar problem with norton anti-virus, and that was the last time norton was on my computer.

I think it's a plot by microsoft to get you to dump XP and switch to the current flavo(u)r of windows.

[Weiss Pinguin]

Last update made my security center go bonkers - now it comes up as a blank screen. McAfee works when it works, but when it gets screwed up, boy does it screw up

[jumpy]

Norton.... urk!

I used the bundled norton AV when I first got a computer. It worked fine for a year or so. But when it came to the endless updates that would just hang and then crash the machine and also its habit of treating my cpu like its own unlimited resource provider....
Since then I've used AVG, NOD32 (was great) but now I'm a cheapskate using Avast (free) which seems to do a good job.

At work I've had the misfortune to experience Mcaffe and Panda. Panda was clunky and used to take about 10 hours to scan (automatic set by the IT department) so I couldn't do any work whilst it was running because AutoCAD needed more resources than the scan would allow.
All of the 'business AV solutions' seemed to be somewhat difficult to use and proved more of an inconvenience than they were worth.

But saying that, one company I worked at for several years had no antivirus protection at all. When I started there, the 'hand-me-down' computer was slower than it should have been. So I DL avg, spybot and adaware. Almost a day later of scanning and the lot of 'em removed thousands of nasty things that a previous user had acquired. From 'helpful browser toolbars' to worms and trojans and general malware, it was all there. I was quite nonplussed to learn of such a lax attitude to that stuff; it was a reasonably big company too.

Gotta say that it's a bit of a faux-pas to release an update that kills everyone's computer though. Companies like microsoft and Mcaffe should know better really... I refused to install XP SP2 for almost 18 months at work because of the trouble it caused upon its initial release.

[conus00]

I've been using Kaspersky antivirus for past year. I liked it but it has its own quirks. I need to renew my license in couple days but I'mactually tempted to switch to full version AVG.

What is in your opinion the best and most solid antivirus on the market novadays?

[nikimcbee]

Originally Posted by conus00

I've been using Kaspersky antivirus for past year. I liked it but it has its own quirks. I need to renew my license in couple days but I'mactually tempted to switch to full version AVG.

What is in your opinion the best and most solid antivirus on the market novadays?

I have AVG and love it. It caught things norton didn't.

[jumpy]

I really liked NOD32.
Of all of the av software I've used, the version I had was the most unobtrusive of the lot. iirc there's a 30day trial then you have to pay. I'd say it's not for the novice pc user; it had lots of settings and features you could mess about with (unlike AVG or Zone Alarm).
Avast comes close to how you can adjust the settings, but looks like it uses a little more system resources, but avast was free so I'm not going to complain when it asks me to reboot for an update once every now and then.

[krashkart]

I currently use a suite made by Computer Associates for antivirus/spyware and firewall. It works well, doesn't hog gargantuan amounts of system resources, and has the option of temporarily turning some features off when I need a little extra horsepower. The update process is a snap, and it hasn't crashed my computer once. A couple of downsides might be the learning curve, and the extra amount of processing that has to be done by Internet Explorer after installing the optional website inspector.

[Feuer Frei!]

I use Avast Free, doesn't use much resources, 4,164k's to be exact, works fine for me.
I've used all sorts of AV's, from Norton's many many years ago, Zone Alarm Pro, AVG more recently, and now Avast.
Out of all of them, Avast seems to do it's job better then the ones i've used, scanning is quick and easy, regular updates (automated and notified to user), good detection settings, using very little resources, i guess a few things are dependent on how well a AV works:
Your system specs, what sort of online activity you perform, other utils/tools which may conflict with each other, it all makes a big difference in the way you "allow" the AV to work for you. Or not.

[TarJak]

LOL apparently the update caused about 10% of a major supermarket chain's cash registers to go bonkers over here.

[Feuer Frei!]

Originally Posted by TarJak

LOL apparently the update caused about 10% of a major supermarket chain's cash registers to go bonkers over here.

Which one? I'm in Oz.

[antikristuseke]

I have been using kaspersky for a while, but have been thinking of moving to NOD32 for a while now.

[HunterICX]

I recently moved from Norton Internet Security to Avast Internet Security
talk about a stress relief from your system resources

HunterICX

[Jimbuna]

I've probably used the majority of the popular ones and my choices would be:

Retail
1st NOD32
2nd Kaspersky

Free
1st AVG
2nd Avira

[Feuer Frei!]

I heard by a techie friend of mine that AVG is not being supported anymore? Since last year sometime?
Edit: just checked out their website, seems not supporting 98, me and nt was the case, version 9 is newest, with 8.5 not being supported anymore.
Anyone use AVG Internet Security 9?
If so, good? Bad?

[Feuer Frei!]

Now these are the kind of reviews i like,
an overview of all products with features and ratings, prices, ahh, cool.
Seriously though, check it out:
http://internet-security-suite-revie...enreviews.com/

i like the layout, not pages upon pages of words...
Interesting that McAfee isn't there!