Working safely - without anti-virus software.

[elwoodblues1969]

Kara,

I installed the Bit Defender as a Mozilla Firefox add on,but apart from that,I don't know what else to do.I'm going to try Oren's suggestions now.......

[elwoodblues1969]

Well...with this "Little Cleaner" program,it is telling me that I have 548 errors,but at least this program works(with the exception of 4 errors that were unable to be fixed,for some reason...)


Thanks Oren.

[elwoodblues1969]

You can also download the free Microsoft Security Essentials, which as I've heard have a good reputation and seem to run without any problems on my DAW. If you encounter any problems when using critical applications like a DAW, most virus scanners allow you to disable their version of 'real time detection' which scans every file that is openened and which can sometimes problems. But I'm always glad to have such a real time scanner open when browsing. I should also repeat a warning for the autorun feature, which was already mentioned a few posts ago. The autorun is a very easy way for viruses to spread as they can be triggered automatically just by inserting a usb drive into a computer which has the autorun on. This is why a realtime scanner is VERY important (and/or disabling the autorun).

I should add that any system can be hacked, any system can be screwed up by choosing the wrong option or allowing the wrong program to do strange stuff to your settings.

I have heard that real time protection is better,but there is a fee & thus far,my A-Vast has done right by me(which by the way,is up & running again with no problems).

Thanks Marc

[Oren]

Well...with this "Little Cleaner" program, it is telling me that I have 548 errors,but at least this program works(with the exception of 4 errors that were unable to be fixed,for some reason...)
Thanks Oren.

Nice going, hoser!
(Don't be too concerned about varying results in the number of errors detected, or errors that are determined to be non-repairable. Windows has so many unresolved quirks that it is difficult for third party software to accurately assess the damage.)

[folderol]

Good to hear it's sorted.
Hmmm, is there anything the KM crowd-source can't do?

[MarioD]

Thom, forget those free register scans.  They will report many problems only to try to sell you something.  The free Ccleaner has a very good register cleaner IF you need or want one.

I would try the Security Tango, http://securitytango.com/, first.  Be Sure to follow the instructions exactly as they are written. These are all free products and whenever I have had to use it on other’s computers I have had a 100% success rate.  After you have cleaned your computer I would DL and use Microsoft Security Essentials, http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/
And the free version of Malwarebytes’ anti-Malware, http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php

MS Essentials is always running, however I double check with the Anti-Malware once a month.  So far the Anti-Malware has found nothing, indicating that Essentials is catching everything.

After you are free of all bugs I strongly suggest you get an image-backing program, I use Acronis, and an external HD.  If you back up your computer frequently with an image-backing program and you do get a bad virus you will be back up and running in a couple of hours.

Good luck and I hope this helps - MarioD

[elwoodblues1969]

Mario,

Can you be more specific about which free registry cleaners I should avoid?Are you referring to the ones that Kara & Oren mentioned?The one that you mentioned is free,so what's the difference?
The one Oren mentioned seemed to work when I ran it.It seems that all of these companies have both free and paid versions.
As for the anti-virus issue,well...my A-Vast program crashed again this morning....so I had no choice but to try a Microsoft product,so I downloaded Security Essentials with much apprehension.
Despite the good recommendations I received here,I still can't place my implicit trust in Microsoft,especially since Microsoft have never given away any software program for free that actually works correctly.
I won't believe this program for myself until I've had a successful trial run myself,so I will keep my fingers crossed.I am utterly shocked that Microsoft would actually offer a real time anti-virus program for free....huh???

The only sense I can make out of all this,is that all of these other free versions of anti-virus programs have put pressure on Microsoft,forcing them to curb their enormous greedy nature & actually care for their customers for once.

By the way,I finally got Malwarebytes to successfully run on my PC without it being blocked & when I ran a scan,I had 17 adware infections,that have since been eliminated.

Who ever thought Microsoft would come through for it's customers?...wonders never cease.I have to ask,how in the heck did you & Marc find Security Essentials and what gave you guys the faith to try it?

My profound thanks to you & everyone else for saving my hide through this ordeal,as if it wasn't for the folks here at K-M,I would have never been capable of stepping up to the PC audio production world!


-Thom

[MarioD]

Thom, I was using AVG anti-virus for quite a while, however it became a real resource hog.  I read many good things about Essentials so I tried it on my small notebook first because like you I had no faith in MS producing a quality free anything. After a successful trial on the notebook, note that I tried to infect it by going to some risky site but Essentials caught everything, I put it on my internet computer.  I have since installed it on my family’s computers as well as on many of my friends.  Thus far no complaints.

I have used a few registry cleaners in the past but I’ve only used Ccleaner for the last 3-5 years or so.  I’m not up to date on any others.  I have heard that you should not use a lot of different registry cleaners on the same machine as they all can take out different things.  I have also heard you should not use any registry cleaners. I chose Ccleaner because it is easy to set up and the fact I use it to clean out all of my temp files.  You can view the files that will be deleted and pick and chose which you want to delete.  You can also make a backup of your registry within the program, actually it asks you if you want to do a backup prior to cleaning. I always carefully look to see what is going to be deleted and most of the time it is crap that is left off of a program delete or web site.

I hope this helps

[Oren]

Here is some advice from a veteran Windows user and programmer from France (http://superuser.com/users/9872/altherac) ( - http://www.altherac.fr/ - ) :

"The most-efficient replacement to an anti-virus is to use a Windows account without administrative privileges on a daily basis. Most malware can't and won't work properly if they have a restricted access to system files and the registry.

I've been using Windows for years with no anti-virus software and I haven't been harmed. Theses are the rules I recommend:

    * Use a limited user account on Windows daily
    * Use a separate administrative account for software installs and maintenance
    * If you don't want to use a separate account, try tools like DropMyRights or suDown
    * Keep your OS up-to-date
    * Keep your browser up-to-date
    * Keep your browser plugins up-to-date (Flash is regularly a malware vector due to security holes)
    * Restrict JavaScript and ads on your browser with tools like NoScript and Adblock
    * Act responsibly: avoid dubious sites, executable attachments and other common malware sources"