Norton

[Original Wally]

Norton is generally ineffective against the Kramden virus, so multiple layers of protection are advisable.

Ya, I was expecting Ed too.

 

[Peter]

Does doing a system restore, to some previous non-infected state, remove viruses?

 

[target2019]

It might restore the system. But it might not. Some malware creates a restore point after the system is infected.

 

[RE2Boys]

Funny, several folks gave good review for MS Security Essentials, but the one time in last 8 years that I had to rebuild a computer, it was the one running MSE. Had been using AVG free for years but recently went to AVAST. AVG, when updating, brought my computer to its knees for about 5 minutes.

 

[rbmrtn]

Does doing a system restore, to some previous non-infected state, remove viruses?

Depends where it is. If it has infected systems files it will probably fix it but sometimes they damage the restore points as well. If the virus is hiding in personal user files then it would not fix it.

 

[BigNick]

I've spent $0 on security software in decades of computing.

I'm not saying Macs are invulnerable, just that while viruses and malware are technically possible, there haven't been widespread attacks, like there have been on Windows.

I ran a network of 1500-2000 DOS/Windows 3.1/NT4/XP PCs for 18 years and we never spent a cent on anti-virus software. It doesn't work and the threat is vastly operhyped by anti-virus manufacturers, especially compared to the more mundane threats posed by systematic hard drive failure (ask anyone who knows why Fujitsu withdrew from the HD business) or underpaid outsourced network management people taking revenge on their boss/customer by trashing every PC on the network (it can be done with a single command line statement).

Sure, we had the occasional virus/trojan, but our homebrew remedies caught them and we never lost any serious data in all that time. (An exception was one of the early-2000s worms that exploited a Windows bug and no A/V software could stop. We recovered quicker than most, precisely because we were set up to handle unexpected security issues.)

 

[Lsbcal]

I too use Microsoft Security Essentials + Malwarebytes (the purchased edition which regularly updates and tests for viruses). Once there was a Trojan a few months ago that Malwarebytes caught and quarantined.

I've been running under administrator for years on Windows 7 without any real issue. Is this really a security problem or is it just a feeling others have that it is unwise? Switching over to an administrator account user and going back to run as a non-admin user sounds like a hassle.

 

[rbmrtn]

Yes it is a problem

Critical Control 12: Controlled Use of Administrative Privileges

There is no reason to be running as an admin unless you need to admin something. Use the "Run As" if you need to temporarily upgrade your rights. It's one of many design flaws with windows to even allow this.

 

[Koolau]

Symantec bought Peter Norton Computing in 1990. While the company has phased out the Peter Norton name in a number of its products, it still pays $.01 for every product sold with the Norton name on it. You have helped Peter with a tune of about 10 cents if you have used it for 10 years. I wish I could market my name like that. Its all about how a product is advertised. I could tell you to save your money and of course you would not listen to me and continue spending that $50. That's just the way life works. oldtrig

oldtrig are you saying "save your money" so that I won't help Peter Norton or because you don't believe the products are effective? I ask because I'm very interested in relatively cheap (Norton), effective (?) security software. I'm NOT particularly interested in whether Peter Norton gets a penny whenever I buy a Norton product.

I would indeed listen to any advice since I'm a complete dolt when it comes to computers. I've used Mac and PCs and prefer the Mac, but I went Mac because it was supposedly less vulnerable to security issues. Everything I've read suggests using virus protection - just because. Norton has at least some reputation for being valuable. Whether that's earned is something I don't know.

I would never PROMISE to take someone's advice, but I would certainly listen to those who know more than I. Naturally, YMMV.

 

[Lsbcal]

Yes it is a problem

Critical Control 12: Controlled Use of Administrative Privileges

There is no reason to be running as an admin unless you need to admin something. Use the "Run As" if you need to temporarily upgrade your rights. It's one of many design flaws with windows to even allow this.

What I have right now is one user (call it Lsbcal) set up as admin and I do all my work and have all my files in that user account. Another non-admin user account is for my DW. I suppose I could (1) create another account which has admin privileges and then (2) switch my current Lsbcal user account to not have admin privileges.

Then in the Lsbcal account I could use the "run as administrator" command (by right clicking in Windows 7 machine on an icon) to do some admin stuff without leaving my non-admin user account. I am probably beating this to death with such a detailed description but does this sound correct?

 

[oldtrig]

Koolau, I only give advice from past experience. Like I said I have been doing computer work for 16 years so I know a little about what goes on. Save your money and download one of the free programs. I have tried them all. One year one seems better and the next the other one. My personal vote goes to Avira first and Microsoft second right now. I've just found both to be more consistent in my own experience. I would highly suggest buying the pro version of malwarebytes. I bought a person this software from newegg this week for $19.95 (lifetime version)
Newegg.com - Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Lifetime
I can tell you it will block a bad website as it runs in the background. It updates automatically and runs a scan at certain times during the day. You can change that to run when you want it to. With Avira or Microsoft free and malwarebytes pro you should be well protected. Do not run more than one antivirus on a computer though.
Avira Antivirus for private users | Antivirus Software Comparison
scroll down to you see the green box that says download now. Just make sure you get the free. If you do not want to try this then Microsoft's version will work but again I urge you to buy the malwarebytes lifetime version. I have worked on computers with Norton that had many infections just like any other paid version. Why pay for something when these companies supply it free and it is just as good as long as you run the malwarebytes along with it. If you want to try the Microsoft software the go here
Microsoft Security Essentials - Microsoft Windows

I am only trying to save you money. Go to some of these malware forums and read if you do not believe me.
Am I infected? What do I do? - BleepingComputer.com is one of many I belong to and have for years.

Save that $50 and put some gas in your car. oldtrig

 

[FIREd]

I wish I had known about Microsoft Security Essentials before renewing my McAfee subscription last month! Thanks for the tip.

 

[Dawg52]

Koolau, I only give advice from past experience. Like I said I have been doing computer work for 16 years so I know a little about what goes on. Save your money and download one of the free programs. I have tried them all. One year one seems better and the next the other one. My personal vote goes to Avira first and Microsoft second right now. I've just found both to be more consistent in my own experience. I would highly suggest buying the pro version of malwarebytes. I bought a person this software from newegg this week for $19.95 (lifetime version)

Good tips. I have been using the free version of Malwarebytes along with Avast and have been pleased. I run scans once a week with Mal and twice a week with Avast. But for just $19.95, might as well upgrade for the additional security.

 

[oldtrig]

It should be against the law for the major computer companies to install the 90 day version of McAfee, Norton and a few more. Sometimes it is very hard just to remove one and that makes people just renew them. What a dirty trick.

I guess I could pay Dell or maybe HP enough money to install software I write and trick people into using it. All you have to do is make it next to impossible for the everyday user to remove and you have them. Heck, I have had customers give their credit card to buy one of these trojans to where they can continue using the computer. A scam is what they are and there are many out there. They look like the real thing and when a computer boots they tell you your computer is infected with thousands of viruses. A SCAM. I tell them these scammers just want their credit card numbers to begin with.

Most come from other countries and find their way into home computers. Some are next to impossible to remove. The FBI trojan is one I have seen in the last few months. Just be careful what you click on and watch for fake alerts. If you see one of these scam programs all of sudden start scanning your PC then just push the power button until your PC goes off. Most of the time they are only in memory and will some will be gone when computer reboots. If not you are in trouble. Did your Norton stop these most of the time NO. OLDTRIG

 

[MichaelB]

It should be against the law for the major computer companies to install the 90 day version of McAfee, Norton and a few more. Sometimes it is very hard just to remove one and that makes people just renew them. What a dirty trick.

OLDTRIG

+1

You can thank Microsoft for inventing the pre-install of unwanted SW. Also for designing the operating system that lets other programs install stuff on your computer without your knowledge.

 

[bUU]

It should be against the law for the major computer companies to install the 90 day version of McAfee, Norton and a few more.

I believe some of the companies will agree to that if you pay them more.

The commercial marketplace is structured deliberately to foster commerce, facilitate profits, etc., unfortunately not to kowtow to what's best for consumers. Even consumer protection, itself, is not something that everyone buys into to the same extent. If you really want something your way, you often do have to pay a lot more than how it is offered to the mass market.

 

[oldtrig]

When I set up a new computer like Dell or HP that comes pre-loaded with all the bloatware I use this
Download Revo Uninstaller Freeware - Free and Full Download - Uninstall software, remove programs, solve uninstall problems
Just read the page good and make sure you download the free version only. I then used the advanced method when removing software. That way it leaves nothing in the system registry. Norton also used to have a tool to completely remove the software
https://support.norton.com/sp/en/us...20080710133834EN_EndUserProfile_en_us?src=nrt
Again the best tool out today is a good image program. I have a 1 terabyte backup drive , also I have my hard drive partitioned and have images on it. Never can tell which drive might go bad first. I make an image about once a month. I use Acronis. On older computers I use Norton Ghost. That way if I happen to get infected it takes only a few minutes to get it removed. I have only had a few viruses in the years I have used a computer. I just watch where I surf. I also use Open DNS which will stop your computer from ever entering a bad site if you set the security setting high enough. I have mine set high because I have grandchildren who visit with their laptops. I used the Open DNS setting in the router. oldtrig

 

[CoolChange]

...
Again the best tool out today is a good image program. I have a 1 terabyte backup drive , also I have my hard drive partitioned and have images on it....

I agree and do something similar with Clonezilla, an open source (free) alternative to Ghost, etc. I have been using Clonezilla on PC's running both Windows and Unix flavors for years with no issues/complaints. I have an old laptop used for trying out questionable software; after playing a bit, it is quite easy to restore to original state.

 

[BTravlin]

Depends how it was installed. But yes, in general MS finally wised up and disabled the admin account. The reason they disabled it is most malware knows that the majority of admin accounts don't even have passwords. That creates some other issues as sometimes you need to login in as admin to work on something. For most you can use the "Run as" command to do something with administrator rights. But YOUR account may have admin rights when it was setup ( you need this for instance when you install new software).

If you run with admin rights, even if you have antivirus software, it's the same as having an alarm system but leaving your front door wide open.

I normally enable the admin account and use a good password. Create a standard user account with just normal user rights, Use that for normal everyday usage. You only need to switch to admin when installing/repairing something.

In further checking I've found that I was indeed running as administrator. I set up a new standard account and now all my customized settings are gone. Also, I had previously set Chrome as my default browser and now, under the standard account, the computer acts as if Chrome has not even been downloaded and installed. Any way to copy all the user defined settings from the Admin acct to the new Std account?

 

[Lsbcal]

In further checking I've found that I was indeed running as administrator. I set up a new standard account and now all my customized settings are gone. Also, I had previously set Chrome as my default browser and now, under the standard account, the computer acts as if Chrome has not even been downloaded and installed. Any way to copy all the user defined settings from the Admin acct to the new Std account?

Could you just do this:
1) go to the Admin account and give the Std account admin privileges, now we'll call it Admin2
2) Then go to the Admin2 and take away the admin privileges from Admin, we'll call it Std2

Now do your standard stuff in Std2. That's what I was wondering about doing in my previous post. Does this work?

 

[BTravlin]

Could you just do this:
1) go to the Admin account and give the Std account admin privileges, now we'll call it Admin2
2) Then go to the Admin2 and take away the admin privileges from Admin, we'll call it Std2

Now do your standard stuff in Std2. That's what I was wondering about doing in my previous post. Does this work?

After you, sir!

 

[misanman]

Also using Acronis - incrementals every night and a full backup on Sunday.

 

[Lsbcal]

After you, sir!

And here I thought I had a guinea pig.

 

[bld999]

"Ya, I was expecting Ed too."


Get the bag Norton, we're rich

 

[scrabbler1]

On my current PC, the one I have had for one year (Windows 7), I have Microsoft Security Essentials which has saved me a few times from catching a pest. I also run Malwarebytes (free edition) and Spybot S&D every so often. On my previous PC, one I used when I was working from home 10 years ago, I had Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition (a requirement for working from home; my office gave it to me for free).

I also had, briefly, Webroot, for free as part of my ISP. It, along with Spybot, got rid of a lot of spyware which had attacked my old PC 9 years ago.

A friend of mine had many attacks from spyware over the years and I had to get rid of them. They often disabled his anti-spyware programs so to get them to run I had to reboot into Safe Mode just to do a System Restore to an earlier point. Then I was able to run the aforementioned anti-spyware programs and together they got rid of the pests. It usually took multiple scans over a few hours to finally get rid of all the bad stuff.