Anti virus

[Tim Lamb]

AVG has begun a countdown to the end of my *free* service. I have been ignoring their increasingly plaintive efforts to prise money out of my pockets.

Any thoughts?

[Andy Burns]

I forget whether you're running Win7 or Win10?

If the latter, I'd just un-install AVG and leave Microsoft Defender to get on with it, if the former then there are no longer virus definition updates since Win7 became unsupported, but I wouldn't pay for AVG or Avast (same thing).

[Tim Lamb]

W7 pro.

Ex college machine and I have been getting updates so far.

[Andy Burns]

I thought even educational editions of Win7 had to pay ($50 per machine, per year) to get extended updates after 2020, but if some college somewhere has forgotten they're funding them for you, try un-installing AVG, make sure that Windows Security Essentials kicks in and gets up-to date definitions. If so, I'd leave it at that, but updates will definitely stop Jan 2023.

[Andy Burns]

More than that, $50 in 2020, $100 in 2021, and $200 in 2022 :-)

[Tim Lamb]

OK.

First move is to see what AVG does at the end of their countdown! Makes a bit of a hole in their *free protection* adverts.

[newshound]

+1

Have you got MS "Ransomware Protection" enabled? I think that is worth having in Win 10. It will occasionally delay you when installing new stuff, but it's easy to click the "Allow this one" options.

[Tim Lamb]

Kindly don't tell Chelmsford:-)

[Cursitor Doom]

Get Linux.

[John Rumm]

It might be he has a trial version of the paid for product installed, and at the end it will allow him to revert to the "free" (i.e. ad supported) non pro product.

[Tim Lamb]

Maybe. I have been using AVG for around 3 years. Pushy popups have become increasingly frequent this year:-(

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[Tim Lamb]

W7 pro.

[Tim Lamb]

In message [e-mail], Cursitor Doom [e-mail] writes

Hmm.. I have ignored W8/10 offers on the basis I don't feel technically competent to end up with a workable system. W7 does all I need currently.

[Sysadmin]

I run Win10 with all the defender attributes turned off. I have not had a problem with virus attacks in 20 years of testing dodgy software. I do keep several system images available though just in case.

[Adrian Caspersz]

Find yourself a second 'internet' machine, and install Windows 10 on that. Use it for wibbling here, downloading and web surfing.

Limit your windows 7 machine to whatever it does best, with the long term plan to migrate your applications away.

[www.GymRatZ.co.uk]

W7 Pro on 3 machines (work and the home machine) here. Many years ago I found 3rd party AV software became far to invasive and bloated so ditched them all and simply leave everything up to MS Security Essentials.

Spybot S&D also does an occasional scan and should any PC start acting strangely I just download the latest Sophos virus detection/removal tool (free tool).

If everyone is virus aware and never clicks random links in unexpectedly worded e-mails from strangers, friends and aquaintences that's the biggest risk eliminated.

Never had a virus on any machine and after using the same e-mail addresses at work for well over 20 years they're on what must be on a great many 1000's of customers computers.

[Tim Lamb]

That was my intention. We were gifted a W8 laptop. Sadly the original owner came back for it after changing jobs:-(

I like to think my surfing activities are safe, mainly d-i-y type purchases but I have had a couple of occasions where AVG claimed a site was infected with something or other..

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[The Natural Philosopher]

17 years now on Linux and not caught a single virus yet. I think I had 5 on win98

[Michael Chare]

Natwest offer free Malwarebytes. Maybe other banks have similar offers

[newshound]

10 really isn't too bad, once you get used to it. Of course it was going to be the last version ever when it came out.

To my mind ransomware is the a bigger worry than ordinary viruses these days.