virus protection software– do I have it? How do I get it?

3 thoughts on “virus protection software– do I have it? How do I get it?”

1. acaykath says:

   February 3, 2011 at 12:48 am

   I can’t be sure based on the information you have provided.

   I am making the following assumptions:
   -You purchased your computer from a major manufacturer and have not re-installed your operating system.
   -You are using a windows computer, if it is a mac then you don’t really need anti-virus protection at this time, and if it was a linux machine you’d not need me to answer the question.

   First check the system tray icons beside the clock. If you have an anti-virus program installed, it will place an icon there. The most common ones that come with computers are McAfee and Norton.

   If you find an anti-virus icon there, then double click on it. Some sort of control center will probably appear. There will be an updates section. This section will warn you if you are not up to date and give you an option to download updates. If it is not up to date, download updates – if it succeeds, check the update settings and set it to automatically update. If it fails, either it is unable to connect for some reason, in which case you should wait a day and try again, otherwise it will tell you that your subscription has expired.

   If there was no icon, then there are two possibilities. The first is that you have no anti-virus. The second is that you have one, but its not working. In this case, check the add/remove programs control from the control panel(you should be able to access the control panel prom the start menu). If you do not find an anti-virus application in the list, then skip to the end where I tell you where you can get a free anti-virus application.

   If you find an anti-virus progam in the list, then check your start menu and programs folder for the anti-virus’s exe file and run it to open the anti-virus’s. control center. Check the preferences and make sure that on-access scanning is enabled and that the anti-virus program is set to start up automatically. If these values are already set, then your anti-virus is most likely already compromised by a virus and you should uninstall the application and run an external anti-virus application to try and find it like Trend Micro’s Housecall (http://housecall.trendmicro.com/) before installing a new anti-virus.

   You can get free anti-virus applications at the following places:

   Avast Anti-Virus (http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html)
   Uses more resources, but has the best detection rates and largest feature set of all the free anti virus applications. Passes the vb100 test.

   AVG Free (http://free.avg.com/download-avg-anti-virus-free-edition)
   Fast and well integrated, but no method for ignoring false positives.

   Avira AntiVir (http://www.free-av.com/en/download/1/avira_antivir_personal__free_antivirus.html)
   A balance between features and detection rates, but annoying pop ups about upgrading to paid version.

2. Maximus says:

   February 3, 2011 at 12:48 am

   I would bet you currently don’t have anti-virus protection because you’re questioning it. Check the lower-right area of your taskbar and move your mouse over the icons. This should tell you what programs you currently hav running. If you see any saying Antivirus or something similar (ex. Norton or Mcafee), you currently have AV protection running.

   To get AV software, you either have to buy it or use the free options available. If you want paid software, I would suggest taking a good look at Kaspersky AV & Eset’s Nod32 as they overall offer the best virus protection.

   Kaspersky——>http://www.kaspersky.com
   Eset’s Nod32—–>http://www.eset.com

   If you want free options, the two best are AVG Free Edition & Avira AntiVir Personal. There’s also Avast Home, but AVG and Avira have better detection ratings.

   AVG Free Edition—–>http://free.avg.com/
   Avira AntiVir Personal—->http://www.free-av.com/

   When installing & using AV software, make sure you read the user manual to learn how to use your software properly. Also remember to update your anti-virus software on a daily basics. Two critical things to do to provide proper protection against viruses.

   Before choosing which AV software you need, take a look at the site below.

   Comparative detection capability tests of various popular antivirus products——->http://www.av-comparatives.org/

3. Cosmin M says:

   February 3, 2011 at 12:48 am

   First check your computer if you have any anti-virus.
   If you don’t have any, you should buy one.
   Kaspersky and BitDefender are great, but they cost money.
   A free and good antivirus is Avira Free antivirus. 😛
   If you only got 1 file to scan for viruses, i recommand Virus Total

   —————————————————————————————-

   Check out:
   http://www.free-av.com/
   http://www.kaspersky.com/globalstore?
   http://www.bitdefender.com
   http://www.virustotal.com/

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