I have lost faith in Microsoft Security Essentials and gone back to Avast on all of our PC's.
I changed them all over to MSE a couple of years ago and in that time two of them have developed virus problems which have taken a lot of sorting out.
The latest was my desktop earlier this week when MSE refused to update it's definitions. Simultaneously I lost the use of my mouse pointer and various icons dissapeared from the desktop.
Luckily I was trying to find time to replace it with Avast, so did so there and then.
Avast detected a rootkit attack and dealt with it immediately it was installed and thankfully no harm was done.
Unlike the time earlier this year when Ian's laptop (with MSE on it) got the System Check virus, and took ages to try and get rid of it completely.
Be warned!
Pat
|
After reading great things about MSE, I also have given it a decent trial.
I installed it on this desktop, after basically renewing the whole thing - it will be coming off at the weekend, as I am sick to the back teeth of it displaying orange or red icons - a 'nice' orange one as I type this....
.... because it says I haven't recently run a scan - NO! you stupid piece of software, I have set you to run - YOU refuse to run!!!!!
I have also used MSE on a laptop, I'm setting up for my son.
Again - useless.... as soon as I try the machine after installing MSE the laptop slows to a crawl.
I have given MSE as few days to 'settle' no better - I formatted the HDD and installed windows etc from scrach, perfect - until MSE again.
With the laptop I have loaded AVG, which is supposed to be process greedy.
Success - the laptop runs at a decent speed! And that was jusr removing MSE and loading AVG - no formatting....
Last edited by: swiss tony on Fri 6 Jul 12 at 06:12
|
Interesting, Pat.
On the PC I have run Avast for some years, with a brief swap to Avira when an Avast update rendered a program I use inoperable - a mistake that was quickly rectified.
In that time the computer has never to my knowledge been infected. From time to time I run the boot-time scan - have you done this, Pat?
Occasionally I also scan the whole computer with Malwarebytes and with SuperAntiSpyware. So far I am unscathed.
|
>> Avast detected a rootkit attack >>
>> Ian's laptop (with MSE on it) got the System Check virus >>
Are your household online activities a bit risqué? ;-)
MSE is designed to be lightweight and a default offering for most OOB buyers of PCs.
Microsoft dare not make it too good, otherwise the anti-competition EU lawyers will be on to them.
I use MSE on a low spec laptop, but have free Avast on all of the more "powerful" machines.
Last edited by: John H on Fri 6 Jul 12 at 11:30
|
I ran the boot scan as soon as I downloaded it on all the PC's FP.
John H.....my online activities are private:)
But probably acquired from checking spammers links on our(PDA) forums and deleting them!
Pat
|
MSE is not as good as it used to be, I tend to use offer either Kaspersky AV or Kaspersky Internet Security now depending on how much the client wants to pay.
I find MSE still has decent detection when it is too late, it doesn't actually stop you getting infected. I have not once come across a virus on a computer with Kaspersky installed.
Avast is ok but it was a bit of a nightmare to install for the free version in a workshop environment as it asks for a lot of personal details I obviously don't know.
For 95% of people MSE is fine but I do always try and push paid better alternatives. I offered a customer Kaspersky AV 2012 at £15 a year (about half the retail price but still some margin for me) and the customer thought that was pricey! I pointed out it is a lot cheaper than paying me £45 again to remove the bogus police lock out you risk again if you stick with MSE!.
One thing I always use is the Kaspersky boot CD, its not the most user friendly but it is brilliant for scanning machines suspected of having a rootkit.
Also after a year of only doing a few virus removals since the height last summer, I have had two machines since Monday with viruses so I think they are coming back.
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Fri 6 Jul 12 at 11:42
|
>> I tend to offer either Kaspersky AV or Kaspersky Internet Security now
...or "Kaspersky Internet Security Special Ferrari Edition" if they're wearing a gold medallion? :)
www.kaspersky.co.uk/kaspersky-internet-security-special-ferrari-edition
|
>> John H.....my online activities are private:)
>>
not so private:
www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2012/06/uk-government-publishes-details-draft-isp-internet-snooping-law.html
... The existing Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) and EU Data Retention Directive already requires broadband providers to maintain a very basic log of their customers internet and email accesses (times, dates and IP addresses) for 12 months
...
the new bill (aka – Communications Capabilities Development Programme) .... to expand this by requiring ISPs to develop real-time access for logs ...
Last edited by: John H on Fri 6 Jul 12 at 11:46
|
I must admit I`ve been a long-time fan of Avast, even the free version is very capable, so not really any advantage in upgrading to "Pro".
Some times vendors spoil a good product by bundling it up with their other (fairly useless) products in a "Suite", or making them too involved, I steer clear of them.
Avast shifts the Police lock-out virus as does Malwarebytes. I know of one chap who was on the verge of paying the £100 release fee!
|
Some of those police lock viruses actually lock out your PC completly. They encrypt all your data and completly modify the registry and everything. The lock out replaces the explorer shell and you cannot even get into even booting into command prompt mode.
Most of the lock virus though a combination of the scanners and a bit of manual removal usually sorts it.
|
>> Avast shifts the Police lock-out virus as does Malwarebytes. I know of one chap who
>> was on the verge of paying the £100 release fee!
>>
Depends on the flavour, my wife managed to pick that virus up on her machine which was running Avast. Still like Avast though, been using it for a few years now with few problems.
I have it installed on my Smartphone too.
|
>> John H.....my online activities are private:)
>>
>>not so private:
If you care at all about your privacy then we're getting ever nearer to the only solution being "don't use the internet at all".
Luckily for me, as I think I've posted before, if it vanished from my reach tomorrow I'd not care very much, as it doesn't offer much that I want or find useful, but I know that's not true of many.
Last edited by: Crankcase on Fri 6 Jul 12 at 13:22
|
MSE - swiss tony
