Korean Job Discussion Forums

[aloysha]

So my trial Norton AV has now expired on my new laptop.

Does anyone have experience with a good/topnotch AV program that is
stable with Vista ?

Does Zonelarm work well with it ?

[bassexpander]

I just spent several months evaluating programs.

If you want a free one, I suggest you download and install Avira. I've had good luck with it lately. It ranks at the very top. There is a free version that throws a splash screen ad up once a day or when it updates, or when you restart. If that bothers you, it can be disabled.

The free version is here: http://www.free-av.com/

You can disable the nag screen that pops up by following these directions (It works -- I did it):

http://www.elitekiller.com/files/disable_antivir_nag.htm

Zonealarm plays well with it, as well. Avira is the best, but it's free version does not scan your e-mail for viruses. If you use a provider (like hotmail) that scans anyway, then no problem. If you use some other service that doesn't scan the e-mail, then I suggest you use another excellent, but free version at www.avast.com . Avast has a built-in 1-way Firewall, but doesn't run well with Zonealarm unless you turn off its firewall functionality. It will warn you of this, and prompt what to do if you have ZA installed on your computer already.



If you want what is in my opinion the best all-included package with firewall built in (paid) in Korea, I suggest Kaspersky Internet Security 2009. Here is the link to a free 1-month trial:

http://www.kaspersky.com/kis_latest_versions

If you want to buy Kaspersky, you can get a great deal on a legal copy in Yongsan I-park mall's 3rd or 4th floor (I forget which). It cost about 30,000 or 35,000 for 2 years. The box is Korean, but the key code works with the English version you download. I've done it myself. That's a good price. I dealt him down to that price because it matched the internet price on www.enuri.com . Kaspersky is running flawlessly on my wife's Vista machine. Vista has been around long enough that all of these programs will run on it just fine, to tell you the truth.

I like Kaspersky better than Avira "free" for functionality, but you can't beat Avira for the price! What I like so much about Kaspersky is that it just works out of the box, and when I scan, I can tell it to shut down my computer.

Also, people like AVG anti-virus for a free one, but it no longer includes anti-rootkit technology on the free version -- so I avoid it for now.

[Drew345]

The above advice sounds top notch.

I use "AVG Free 8.0 Free edition" for anti virus

"Spyware blaster (Free)" for anti spyware

And on "Spybot Search and Destroy" I run the "immunize" button periodically that blocks known dangerous IP addresses (or something like that).

I'm no expert, these are just some other free options out there.

[aloysha]

cool, that was a really good reply. I appreciate it.

I think i will try to download a copy of kapersky from demonoid and if
that fails i will definitely give avira a go.

i have used the full suite edition of Zonealarm and I liked it, however
it was finicky with me, causing, I think stalls and what not.

i'm bare as a babies bottom right now, so i should get on it...

[bassexpander]

[Demophobe]

[cj1976]

Check out download.com for reviews and free downloads. Some are just trial packages but others are free.

[TheMeerkatLover]

AVG free 8.5 is absolutely excellent. Been using it for years with zero problems since it's far too good at what it does.

Meerkat

[aloysha]

So, I am having second thoughts about continuing my free Kaspersky
till August enabled AV program.

Are these hidden trojans able to pass scans from other programs ?

If my cracked AV program 'calls home' and appears to update on a regular basis, is this not an indication that it is a sophisticated crack and the program is good to go ?

I'm quite hesitant to leave myself vulnerable, AVIRA may be my first best bet.

Thanks for the advice, from everyone........

[Demophobe]

[bassexpander]

The concerns I've heard over the cracked virus programs are that they are modified in a way that gives the "cracker" access to your computer for exploiting later. Updates, I would assume, appear to work fine.

If I were the OP, I'd simply uninstall Kaspersky, and if he/she likes it, reinstall from Kaspersky's site using a paid key. Or, just uninstall it and add Avira Free plus Zonealarm.

[dc'79]

[bassexpander]

I liked AVG a lot, too. The only downer is that it isn't anti-rootkit. If you add another program on the side to detect them (something memory resident) then you're OK. AVG has gone from having anti-rootkit to not having anti-rootkit.

These anti-virus companies have to offer a free version to help them built their list of viruses in the wild. Having more computers out there helps them cast wider net to catch and discover them. They have to offer somewhat reduced functionality with the free versions, or the paid ones won't sell, but not so much of a reduction that they are useless.

AVG has bounced back and forth with their free version, sometimes going anti-rootkit and sometimes not. They lost a lot of users a while back when they disabled rootkit sensing technology in their free version. There was a bit of an outcry, so they added it back in. Now they've taken it back out. I wouldn't use an anti-virus without it, personally.

[dc'79]

Hmm didn't even realize that. Guess I should have read more into it. Thanks bassexpander...Avira it is then.

[bassexpander]