Running my PC without an antivirus?

[Compman55]

I have my server running 1 year 4 months without antivirus. Its perfect still, and the reason is becuase I **NEVER** browse the net with it.

 

[Ketchup]

I have my server running 1 year 4 months without antivirus. Its perfect still, and the reason is becuase I **NEVER** browse the net with it.

Some here. I actually disabled access to the Internet on it, local network only.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Some here. I actually disabled access to the Internet on it, local network only.

Is there a setting for that? Does it work on Windows 7 or Vista client PCs?

I have a laptop with the opposite problem, it connects to the FIOS Rev I router, but only has "Local Only" access for some reason.

 

[Ketchup]

Is there a setting for that? Does it work on Windows 7 or Vista client PCs?

I have a laptop with the opposite problem, it connects to the FIOS Rev I router, but only has "Local Only" access for some reason.

For IPv4, I have it set with Static IP address, correct subnet mask, no default gateway (I don't use v6). This is on server 2003, but all the others would work the same of course.

So if your default gateway isn't being detected (or is blocked by a firewall), I could see that causing your grief. What does ipconfig /all tell you?

 

[inf1nity]

hey guys so i just updated MSE to the latest definitions. Now do i need to install something like malware bytes too or is MSE enogh?

 

[Ketchup]

hey guys so i just updated MSE to the latest definitions. Now do i need to install something like malware bytes too or is MSE enogh?

Depends who you ask. Judging by the direction of this thread, I'll just leave it at that.

 

[pyonir]

hey guys so i just updated MSE to the latest definitions. Now do i need to install something like malware bytes too or is MSE enogh?

I'd say depends on your browser and browsing habits. Like I mentioned earlier, I use MSE, FF with add-ons AdblockPlus, NoScript (among others not worth noting). Every time I scan with Malwarebytes, about 3 times a year, it comes up empty.

 

[Matt1970]

If you know what not to click and don't just go installing random software from ad's you'll be fine without A/V. Windows 8 comes with built in A/V that's turned on by default but I personally turn it off.

This is bad advice since many normally harmless sites like Disney are getting infected. It's like saying we don't need police because I have never been broken into or saying you don't need airbags or seatbelts because you have never been in a wreck.

 

[taq8ojh]

If a site is so it's getting infected, I would say it's far from harmless




No profanity allowed on the tech forums.


esquared
Anandtech Forum Director

 

[pyonir]

Hell, the ads on THIS site were even infected once (that I know of).

 

[Berryracer]

This is bad advice since many normally harmless sites like Disney are getting infected. It's like saying we don't need police because I have never been broken into or saying you don't need airbags or seatbelts because you have never been in a wreck.

very well said from a professional IT guy!

cheers Matt

 

[pcslookout]

Hell, the ads on THIS site were even infected once (that I know of).

That is why I use Ad Muncher.

 

[John Connor]

Another thing you can do is install Adblock for Firefox. It now has a malware block list. If you already have Adblock uninstall it and reinstall to get the lists.

 

[pcslookout]

Another thing you can do is install Adblock for Firefox. It now has a malware block list. If you already have Adblock uninstall it and reinstall to get the lists.

Ad Muncher does too!

With it you don't even need NoScript but you can still run it if you want.

 

[John Connor]

But that costs.

 

[pcslookout]

But that costs.

True but it will always be updated, supported, and is more powerful than Ad Blocker.

It gets two updates per a day.

I am not saying you got to use Ad Muncher on every PC you own.

 

[John Connor]

Adblock is always updated too. It's supported here: https://adblockplus.org/en/firefox

 

[pcslookout]

Adblock is always updated too. It's supported here: https://adblockplus.org/en/firefox

Yes though sometimes it causes problems and slowdowns.

 

[techietechnics]

This is bad advice since many normally harmless sites like Disney are getting infected. It's like saying we don't need police because I have never been broken into or saying you don't need airbags or seatbelts because you have never been in a wreck.

I agree! Better to be safe than sorry i guess! No one is safe so be vigilant! haha! So, what's an all-around anti virus that you guys might recommend? is bitdefender ok?

 

[John Connor]

Bitdefender is good and has better virus removing capabilities.

 

[Matt1970]

I have seen computers with the best rated AV come in heavily infected so I typically rank them all about the sam. Lately I might lean towards Free AVG since it doesn't seem to nag as much to pay for the pro version.

 

[Berryracer]

I have seen computers with the best rated AV come in heavily infected so I typically rank them all about the sam. Lately I might lean towards Free AVG since it doesn't seem to nag as much to pay for the pro version.

yup that's my fav. free AV

NOD32 on my personal computers though

 

[rgallant]

-I don't care for AV - but if I have to reload my games ,with no game saves, I'd be pissed so good or bad I pay for McAfee every year.
-sits in the back ground updates every DAY, plays nice with every thing I do, only software I pay for except for 4-10 games a year so good av vs a $60.00 x[4-10]games so no big investment.
also the fire wall seems to work so worth the price for me.
-and if something go's bad I have a recourse.[rant]
-free av is like free hooker and not using a condom to save a few $.02.

 

[nemesismk2]

Bitdefender is good and has better virus removing capabilities.

i bought bitdefender 2013 for 3 pcs and i used it with windows 7 and windows xp. bitdefender 2013 for me was slow and used lots of resources so i undeleted it and reinstalled windows security essentials. i then requested a refund from amazon because bitdefender was no good and was buggy.

 

[balloonshark]

-I don't care for AV - but if I have to reload my games ,with no game saves, I'd be pissed so good or bad I pay for McAfee every year.
-sits in the back ground updates every DAY, plays nice with every thing I do, only software I pay for except for 4-10 games a year so good av vs a $60.00 x[4-10]games so no big investment.
also the fire wall seems to work so worth the price for me.
-and if something go's bad I have a recourse.[rant]
-free av is like free hooker and not using a condom to save a few $.02.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with using a free AV. I've used Avira or Avast with no problems.

I would never pay for an AV and expect it to protect my PC or remove malware. There are other types of security programs that protect you much better than an AV. Imaging programs are also better at "cleaning" your PC after an infection.

I always run an anti-virus or anti-malware but I don't rely on it for protection. With my setup they do a nice job of scanning programs I download (from a reliable source) before I execute the program. As a matter of fact, I scan the file with my AV and at least two other reputable "on-demand" anti-malware programs. If the file is small enough it also gets uploaded to virustotal or jotti for scanning with multiple engines. Notice how I don't rely on only one scanning technology?

With that said some AVs / AMs / suites are adding features like behaivor blocking, sandboxes, etc. These should help protect much better than a plain AV. This can also make the suite a "Jack of all trades and master of none". This is why I like to roll my own suite and cherry pick from the best of the individual programs.