PC Security - Viruses, Spyware, Malware and Trojans.

[Dave]

There have been a few topics over the past few days asking for help due to having some sort of virus in people's systems.

Most anti-viruses, mainly ones like NOD32, AVG(Even though how good people say it is), Panda and many other "smaller" companies that claim their anti virus to be able to fly to the moon and back 20 times destroying viruses wth ease are not as good as they are made out to be. these anti-viruses are for use for safe browsing and SECURE downloads from a TRUSTED and SECURE website they are not for any sort of illegal downloads which can contain harmful viruses and many other things wich conatin such viruses. Yes , I know most of the websites are deemed, "trustworthy" but they are not as secure as they might lead you to think.

Personally, I would recommend these three to someone who is in need of or is thinking of upgrading to a better antivirus.

Norton

McAfee

Spybot Search and Destroy

There are many more that can do the same job as these three, but I find them the best in my opinion.

Norton - Yes, It does slow your PC, but that should not be a bad thing. Norton scans everything you do, every file and webpage you open and every folder you open or create. It is one of the best anti-virus programs out there and is well worth the price. Norton 360 has a good deal , protecting three PC's with one purchase. I would recommend Norton 360 or 2009 as they are the most up to date versions and include identity protection, webpage identificationa dn security check and many other features.

McAfee - Has many of the features Norton has and does exactly the same job. McAfee also has an option to send a sample of a virus to their technical team and they will get back to you with support or updates.

Spybot - A brilliant bit of freeware. It is slow and can slow your PC down alot during scans, but it is vigirous and scans everywhere in your computer detecting anything or destroying anything the anti virus can't get at.

AVG - Ye, I know I said it wasn't that great, but it's scans are amazing, anyone who has used it can tell you that, but it is limited. It is a good program and all but I feel it has let me down on a few occasion, especially with my old Dell PC that got ravanged by many many viruses and trojans.

I am not saying "Upgrade to these anti-virus programs now and spend $60 on licenses." all I am saying is these are always there if you cannot get rid of a virus and do not want to pay to get your PC rolled back months by a guy claiming he knows how to get rid of a virus, when all he clearly does is take your money, rolls back the PC and then uses one of the above to get rid of the virus. This is nothing you cannot do at home if you are computer wise, but please, please, if you are unsure, ask for help. Either on a technical suport forum or here. If you want to give your PC into a trusted computer superstore, the closest to me for example would be PC World, then do so. You can also compare prices for different stores and pick the cheapest with the best reputation.

In no way am I trying to change anyone's opinion on an anti-virus, but only trying to give a little bit of help to those who have some problems, or those considering buying a new anti-virus