Does everyone use anti-virus?

I hate them, and havn't used anti-virus in the last 10 years, and have never got one single virus/trojen/popup span software,,, ANYTHING...

Except for 1 single occassion, when I stupidly downloaded a .zip file from a P2P program, that I had a bad feeling about, and knew the second I had extracted it that I was fucked... I then went through at least 10 anti-virus programs to get rid of the virus, but they were never successful.

But I entirely blame myself 100% for being stupid enough to download a suspect file... If I had been more on the ball, my 10 year record with no Anti-virus would be absolutely blemish free....


I guess the argeument is, well even so, it doesn't hurt to be safe just in case?

Well, every experience i've had with virus software has been bad.

1. No anti-virus software is perfect.. If having 2 anti-virus software programs is "better" than having 1, then you may as well have 10 running.
2. They slow down your computer and drive you nuts! If you really want to be protected properly, you have set the security high, and you can't make a move or fart without it popping up asking you if you actually meant to fart, or if you would like to block it...
3. The ones i've had on my dads PC constantly report that they've found 700 errors/possible virus for cleaning.... Personally I expect that to be just a little bit of crap... My computer has run completely seamlessly for 10 years, and if it's running with 700 virus on it, so be it.. They are doing absolutely nothing!

Here is where my main hatred of virus software comes from... My dad is obsessed with them.. Every computer he has, he constantly collects virus software because when you get reading up on the whole "virus fear",,, it's like a disease in itself.. You may as well have 7 running at once then your completely protected...
That's what he does.. Whenever i've had to get onto his computer, it takes at least 2 minutes before you can do anything on the desktop, as it loads up all the virus stuff. It makes the entire computer run SOOOOOOOOOOO Slow.. And I know his hardware is not slow, because he just upgraded it all, and it ran like a fucking dream before he filled it with shit.
The task bar at the bottom right goes almost half way across the bottom of the screen with shitty programs that monitor this and protect that..

I present this arguement to him.... You're computer is SLOW!!! MEGA SLOW... You've upgraded all the hardware, and it runs 10x slower than my 10 year old laptop.... I keep my laptop clean, don't have any programs running in the background other than a download manager or my internet browser.. And it runs like brand new..
When he originally gave it to me years and years back, I said to him that I didn't want it because it's old and runs like crap.. I took it anyway, and once i'd cleaned all his crap off that he had running, it runs like brand new... I have no need for a new laptop one bit..

I just can't understand how he thinks he's getting benifit from having all these anti-virus things running, when it making his computer run like it already HAS a virus on it... In fact, he'd have been better of running NO virus software all these years, and enjoyed his computer usage 10x more.. Even if he got a virus every now and then, it's a fair trade of compared to having to wait & wait & wait for EVERYTHING to load.. Every webpage has a 15 second delay before loading up.

He complains at me when i'm on the net because it slows his down.. NO,, It's your fucking anti-virus arsenal that's slowing it down! He constantly tells me he's got the new version of this or that, or I should check out this anti virus, or that one... I just ignore...

I am careful, my laptop has ran like a dream endlessly, it is 10 times faster than a new computer with upgraded hardware, and I have never ever had a virus except when I did it myself... And 99% chance that the virus software wouldn't have picked it up anyway before it was too late...


No!!! No one will convince me to get anti-virus software.. 10 years of bliss, compared to my experience with a computer that has to much virus protection... My mind had been completely made up!

Anti-virus free... Virus free!

Ive only ever used 2, Norton and AVG. Norton is a hungry application and will slow down your system. Ive never had a problem with AVG and will use it until I do.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Memphis

Ive only ever used 2, Norton and AVG. Norton is a hungry application and will slow down your system. Ive never had a problem with AVG and will use it until I do.

---

Norton is a curse!

AVG is a good system

Yep - others just slowed my pc down so i swear by AVG now

AVG free edition has never let me down - anyone use the one that you pay for ? What extra does it give you ??

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mark TKO

Yep - others just slowed my pc down so i swear by AVG now

AVG free edition has never let me down - anyone use the one that you pay for ? What extra does it give you ??

---

We've got AVG on the PC, but I'm stuck with Norton on the laptop.
How do I go about downloading AVG for the laptop?

AVG Free - Download antivirus and antispyware software for Windows XP and Vista

I always use a firewall and anti virus but I only use free ones.

Window's own firewall in Vista is fine for me and for anti virus I use Avast as it's free and autoupdates.

I was a longtime AVG user but switched to Avast when AV started misidentifying loads of files as viruses and it got on my tits.

The best thing about Avast is that it autoupdates about 10 times a day.

Every couple hours I'll hear some American bloke telling me 'your virus database has been updated'

Makes me think he clearly knows what he's doing so I can just browse away happily :D

AVG and Avast are not really that effective in detecting viruses. I like Kaspersky more.


If you don't want any anti virus and viruses at the same time, use LINUX, OpenBSD, Ubunto, etc.Am using Mandrake Linux for the 15 computers I am handling. Never encountered a virus this year.:cool:

I use Webroot. It blocks 2 to 3 unknown craps everyweek.

I got a computer for the first time this January and so got the best anti virus on the market Norton 360. I was scared:-\

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bilbo

Every couple hours I'll hear some American bloke telling me 'your virus database has been updated'

Makes me think he clearly knows what he's doing so I can just browse away happily :D

---

hahahaha ;D

Hang on its not Bushes voice is it?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Andre

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bilbo

Every couple hours I'll hear some American bloke telling me 'your virus database has been updated'

Makes me think he clearly knows what he's doing so I can just browse away happily :D

---

hahahaha ;D

Hang on its not Bushes voice is it?

---

That would be more like "your data updated base update has been de-viruseded... uuuh, de-viresded.. virused..? *pause*

"You're computer doesn't have no virus"

I don't know crap about computers, Danny has hooked me up with everything, he has me using NOD32 anti-virus, and Outpost firewall, and I haven't had any problems, and it hasn't slowed me down one bit.

Trojan Magnum.......best Anti-Virus Ive ever known......:)

I used AVG for couple months in automatic daily check-up mode but since it didn't find any virus, I decided to switch to manual mode and just check when I feel like it. The AVG is ok but it's kinda slow. I read there is faster one but I forgot the name.