The laptop I use for checking out SZ, picked up a Trojan in the system 32 area....My "protection" picked it up and I removed it....It asked to re boot to finish the job...after reboot, a warning came up after scan, saying I lost 38 percent of my hard drive and data..the laptop boots up but will not operate efficiently anymore...Be Careful

Fran,

May I ask which anti-virus software you use?

AVG Free

Yes I have used AVG forever on all my computers...I placed the trojan in the vault..I didn't remove it..apparently being in system32, the trojan requested reboot...and destroyed sectors on the hard drive..I will replace the drive and reinstall the OS (XP Professional)..

This is my knock a round Compaq 2570us laptop and nothing on it that I can't replace , other than email and a few pics..

If AVG let it actually cause that much damage then it isn't doing a very good job. Nowadays I would suggest using Microsoft's free Security Essentials malware and virus protection http://www.microsoft.com/security/pc-security/mse.aspx It is free also and most probably has a lot more money behind it to keep it up to date.

That totally sux Fran. It's a big debate on which Anti-virus protection software is the most effective. Everyone has their favorites (much like arrangers).

I've been using Norton 360/ Symantec for 15 years or more and I have never been hit with any type of virus or Trojan; and I push the limits by downloading lots of software. I pay $129 a year to protect 5 computers in my house and it seems a pretty good investment. It also protects me from Internet phishing and suspicious web sites.

Do you have any type of protection installed on your Mediastation? And now we have to worry about our Tablet PC's as well.

Microsoft Security Essentials vs Avira vs avast! vs AVG: A comprehensive comparison to help you decide which (free) anti-malware security software you should use.

This article from a respected techie site was updated about 6 months ago.

See the comparisons
Click Here

Eddie

Al.

Like you I have been using Norton for the who knows how may years as long as Nortons been around.

Never had any problems, as for free software, at 67 I learned nothings free, not even fresh air!

Tony

Great information Eddie. The local radio station has a computer tech show on every Sunday, and the guests have repeatedly stated that there is no such thing as a perfect, antivirus program. Your antivirus program is as good as the last virus detected, reported and updated. New virus' often take up to a month to show up to the level where program updates are created to combat them. The same guests agreed that AVG and AVG-Free were the best of all the antivirus programs--better in most instances than those you must pay an annual fee to use.

Virus', worms, variants, etc.., primarily are picked up from emails, and more often than not they are in emails that have been forwarded dozens, if not hundreds, of times. The ones that you should be particularly aware of are those that say you must forward this to everyone on your mail list or something bad, or good, will happen to you.

Another nasty one that recently rose it's ugly head as a big-time scam that a lot of folks have fallen for. It's a pop-up that states you have a worm, or virus, it was detected by Norten, AVG, etc.., but could not be repaired. To repair this you must click on a link, one that sells a fix for this nasty worm (that you do not have, but soon will), and all you have to do is pay them $10. Next, it will ask for you to pay with a credit card, and tell you it's a secure site. Now they not only have your credit card number to go shopping with, at the end of the message your screen will go black and your hard drive is trashed. Lovely bastards they are.

The irony of this is my wife got the message the same day we were listening to the computer tech program, she followed their instructions, which was to turn off the computer by holding down the On/Off button and let the computer reboot using scan disk. It worked and she has not seen the message again.

Like Eddie, I also use a couple other programs to keep the computer clean, they're free, they work great, and they provide a bit of an edge against some of the Internet nasties. Among the best is Advanced System Care, which I highly recommend.

Thanks again, Eddie,

Gary

I guess its worth it to buy a Mac?

Fran,

A virus is not going to physically harm your hard disk in such a way that you would need to replace it.

Viruses impact only the software installed on your machine and software can be fixed.

Your disk may have bad sectors, probably because it's wearing out. Before replacing the hard drive, I would use malwarebytes, then windows disk check. If you still have problems and can't boot to windows, then perhaps a fresh install will work. If after all that and your computer is not running correct, then a new hard drive is the answer.

Then again, hard drives are cheap, and you may just want to start with a brand new one...or a new computer. Windows 7 is awesome, and IMO as good as a MAC, at a much much lower price

Hi Fran

1. Not all threats detected are real, there will always be some false identifications thus causing you to delete a file that is fine, normally this is a minor inconvenience however if it is a system file it can cause the problems you experienced.
Always transfer the file to the vault, and then type the virus name that has been identified into Google to see what comes up about it before deciding whether to delete it or not.

2. Be wary of any files sent from anyone that uses a Mac or the Linux OS, as they can easily be infected due to most not having antivirus software. As most viruses are written for Windows, it will not affect the operation of a Mac or Linux machine, but it does mean that these users can unknowingly pass the virus on to a Windows user.

3. The big boys constantly monitor the internet from secure centres (Usually old nuclear bunkers) so that a new virus can be identified within hours or less, allowing the antivirus writers to produce a fix almost as quick.

4. Most paid for versions usually have an active update system that allows the manufacture to implement updates (And virus ids) as soon as a fix becomes available, (They can also be set to ask first) whereas free ones just check for updates at pre-set times, thus (Depending on how the update settings are configured) they have an open window which can cause compromises to the system. (It’s not that often that this occurs, but it is always best to be aware of it)

5. Always make sure you do daily backups, as if your system does get screwed up, you can get it back up and running relatively painlessly.

6. The more popular something is, the more likely it is to get targeted, and AVG Free is one of (If not the) most popular out there.

Hope this helps

Bill

Hey Fran

Sorry about your problem, seems like a lot to deal with Like I told you last week on the phone, get a Mac. I get spam but have never had a virus problem (Fingers crossed) But then again Roland is all PC based so you need two computers.
Hope to see you next week. Waiting on the Podiums