How often do you run a virus scan?

[Vendetta]

What program do you use too?

I run a virus scan almost every night with Ad-Aware, Spybot, Norton Anti-Virus and Microsoft Anti-spyware. I like to keep my comp healthy :D

[XCNuse]

never :p i've only run adaware twice since i got firefox, and never found a thing

however, i did find this great free program called ccleaner which seems to keep all that nasty stuff out too, it has whats called an immunization feature

now before all those people that are start posting about how much of an idiot i am for not having anything well.. owell lol say all you want, but i dont have any virus's or anything, i promise you that

[JTbo]

I do have Avast antivirus, it is free and much better than most of commercial products. Then I use Firefox 1.0.7 (1.5 sucks) so practically I don't get any spyware, I do check them with Ewido, Lavasoft Adaware, Spybot, Spysweeper, mostly byt rather rarely now compared to when I still used Internet explorer.

My computer does automatic runs every now and then too so I feel like being safe, oh yes I have hardware firewall too, that is one great thing.

[Lautsprecher[NOR]]

Never - Got NOD32 running all the time.

[Tweaker]

I scan at random. I really am just very careful at what I get my hands on. I used to get some viruses quite often just from opening files or browsing some crappy sites with IE. But since then, Firefox has rarely shown any signs on spyware, if I scan with Microsoft's AntiSpyware, Adaware, and Spybot. Those are the only programs I will occassionally scan with. But I don't use them often. I never liked having Virus programs installed on my system, I do notice a performance difference, and everytime I thought I would have a virus and installed AV, I never had a virus. So basically all I use to scan for viruses is the TrendMicro Online Virus Scan (http://housecall.trendmicro.com/). It is very good, and all I really need. :shrug:

[JTbo]

I scan at random. I really am just very careful at what I get my hands on. I used to get some viruses quite often just from opening files or browsing some crappy sites with IE. But since then, Firefox has rarely shown any signs on spyware, if I scan with Microsoft's AntiSpyware, Adaware, and Spybot. Those are the only programs I will occassionally scan with. But I don't use them often. I never liked having Virus programs installed on my system, I do notice a performance difference, and everytime I thought I would have a virus and installed AV, I never had a virus. So basically all I use to scan for viruses is the TrendMicro Online Virus Scan (http://housecall.trendmicro.com/). It is very good, and all I really need. :shrug:

Have you tested Avast (http://www.avast.com) ?

It is very very light, imo. Also very effective.

[Shotglass]

practically never ... it maybe adds up to about once a year ... never had a virus in some 10 years

[NotAnIllusion]

Never.. I have Avast but it's disbled all the time. Still updates more than once a day on occasions :S

[mrodgers]

I voted random, because I only scan when I think I have a problem. I've never gotten a virus (* knock's on wood:smash:), but I have had spyware and hijacker problems before. I'm only dialup, so I don't have an always on connection. I don't have anything running realtime, but I have PestPatrol, Spybot-Search and Destory, Spyhunter, SpywareBlaster, cwshredder, System Mechanic, and the free AGV or whatever that free antivirus program is, all in my arsenal. Really, the only 3 things I have on the PC that I do anything with is LFS, MSFS9 and now I'm testing Racer out. I have an 80 gig drive partitioned separately for Windows, installed software, games, and downloads/data. So if anything real nasty would happen, I'd just wack windows and reinstall it. Simple and I don't have much that would need to be reinstalled as far as software is concerned.

[DR3W]

Well i did have free AVG but i went to install Norton to day and it made me deleat AVG. Then Norton got annoing cus i blocked are loptop and all.
But wen i hade AVG i did a scan evry other night be for i hit the sack.

Im geting ready to Install Webroot Spy Sweeper. We got it free and Norton 06 with laptop!

[ORION]

Scanning about once a week, sometimes less (only my C:\ drive which contains only Windows). Using AntiVir and updating the reference files a few times a week, mostly just after booting, when Im going to bring my breakfast to the computer :D

[JamesF1]

I do a quick system scan with AVG Pro every Monday morning. Every few months I leave it on to do a detailed system scan. I now only run AdAware maybe once or twice a year, and it never finds anything.

[keiran]

Since I've owned my own computer I've never had a virus :) I run random scans when my computers on and its not doing anything.

I'm behind a firewall in my router. I also have that symantec security package which is great and microsoft antispyware. Symantec probaly does clog up the system but I can't afford to lose any of my work on here so it's best to be safe than sorry :tilt:

Keiran

[bo-kristiansen]

Norton - automatic scan every monday at 12
... if my pc is turned on at that time that is. :scratchch

[Bob Smith]

I used to have NAV running, but after 18 months I realised I only ever got virii from email, so I just turn on my spam filter and haven't used anti-virus software since. I just seem to be slowing down my system for no practical reason.

However I would never go on the net without a firewall, ZoneAlarm has blocked a whopping 10 thousand access attempts since I reinstalled windows LAST WEEK. I can practically watch the counter ticking up...

[Shotglass]

However I would never go on the net without a firewall, ZoneAlarm has blocked a whopping 10 thousand access attempts since I reinstalled windows LAST WEEK. I can practically watch the counter ticking up...

and i bet youve got no idea what that number actually means or you would have uninstalled zone alarm a long time ago

[Bob Smith]

and i bet youve got no idea what that number actually means or you would have uninstalled zone alarm a long time ago
Well, not really, no, but the numbers never used to be high at all until I moved back in with my parents... :shrug:

[ajp71]

MacAfee firewall + antivirus (ignore privacy + spam bit, they're useless, time consuming and slow your computer down)

Scan approx once a month and every file I don't trust (unfortunatley this includes LFS addons as it has been evident not all of them can be trusted).

[Shotglass]

Well, not really, no, but the numbers never used to be high at all until I moved back in with my parents... :shrug:

anyway a desktop firewall will never rescue you from a real attack since it runs on a far too high osi level ... and nobody would ever put the amount of work a real attack costs into attacking some random internetuser ... so all of those are most likely simple port scans

maybe your parents use a more popular isp with a more widely used ip range ?

[Bob Smith]

maybe your parents use a more popular isp with a more widely used ip range ?
Yep, seems entirely feasable. I'd still rather have something running than nothing at all though.

[X-Ter]

ZoneAlarm - Best and easiest firewall there is
Avast antivirus - Has never let me down
Ad Aware - Just to be sure

This protection doesn't cost a thing when it's for personal use. It's also very system friendly and doesn't eat up resources like those other heavy products on the market.

[zorrofox]

I use - Avast! anti-virus
SP2 built-in firewall
Ad-aware
Spybot S&D
Spywareblaster

I scan for virii twice a week and run Ad-aware and Spybot every night before bed.

I use Firefox 1.5 (MUCH better than 1.0.7) and Thunderbird 1.0.6

[tailing]

I virtually never do a virus scan, don't have any anti-virus software on my system. If you know what your doing things like Norton are just pointless resource hogs.

[Shotglass]

I scan for virii twice a week and run Ad-aware and Spybot every night before bed.

sweet jesus ! why would you go through all this hassle ? anytime i ran one of those two they never found anything except alexa and a few cookies (except that one time i was in a tired yeah yeah just shut the hell up mood and accidentally clicked on yes while closing a whole bunch of popups)

[the_angry_angel]

Depends on the box tbh. My server gets an on-demand scan at 3am (clamav), followed by chkrootkit, rkhunter, etc. whilst the desktop gets scanned randomly.

[zorrofox]

sweet jesus ! why would you go through all this hassle ? anytime i ran one of those two they never found anything except alexa and a few cookies (except that one time i was in a tired yeah yeah just shut the hell up mood and accidentally clicked on yes while closing a whole bunch of popups)

I'm a moody git.

[kel64]

Avast user here too. Why would I need to run a scan when its active in the background? :shy:

[Lible]

One time a year. 2 viruses so long.

[mr_x]

once a week just to be safe:
AVG Free Edition AntiVirus
Adaware SE
Spybot search and destroy

also got a Netgear router/firewall seems to keep all the nasties out!

[dave_w11]

I just check when I notice something out of the ordinary like a drop in performance. There's nothing private or unretrievable on my computer so I don't worry too much.

[JTbo]

My work is to fix computers and usually it is indeed the user that is to blame from having spyware on his machine, using IE and going to sites that has lot of ads usually brings shit in.

Then there is this other group, they don't have much spyware, but more viruses, their antivirus is outdated or they have none, viruses have come usually from e-mail, they have used usually outlook express.

I have not had a virus, but Avast! has few times blocked spyware from ad, even I do use firefox and adblock, drivingitalia.it was where it stopped spyware last time.

Avast is good, it is not resource hog and updates are very quick and don't disturb my working.

[Tweaker]

Heh, my friend just got this new low-price Dell and was browsing online with IE. Man-o-man.... he browsed this one site that gave him 4 viruses or something... just from pop-ups and javascript or something. He had to get to this site too. (He could see that he got viruses because he had some McAffee live detect thing or something). Well... he could have those viruses removed, then tried Firefox. No viruses were found when he re-visited. A shame IE is so blatantly unsecure.

[DR3W]

Heh, my friend just got this new low-price Dell and was browsing online with IE. Man-o-man.... he browsed this one site that gave him 4 viruses or something... just from pop-ups and javascript or something. He had to get to this site too. (He could see that he got viruses because he had some McAffee live detect thing or something). Well... he could have those viruses removed, then tried Firefox. No viruses were found when he re-visited. A shame IE is so blatantly unsecure.
Ya thats the thang, seinc i got firefox it cut my viruses/spywear ect. down alot.
And when evryone wes like uoi need firefox blah blah, i wes like whatever its no diffrent then i got it and i realy liked it.
People that dont have firefox need it in blows IE out of the water!