I don't run active antivirus but i do have a regular scan run once a week just in case.

My main reason for giving up is that I haven't had a virus warning in years and I don't use a desktop email client on my PC. Most webmail services scan already and most types of virus can't run from the webmail interface. I really think it's the fact that current webmail services offer so much more protection that it's just become harder to get infected since most virus infections in the home come through via email.

I still advise having active antivirus for any casual computer user, but if you haven't gotten a warning in ages you're probably okay with just running a scan regularly. Of course - a decent firewall and not using IE is a big part of that as well.

Insomnic

I do not run virus scanners either. I trust my own judgement, and so far have had no issues other than the occasional spyware - and that comes from websites. I've taken so much spyware off of my sister's computer that I have little fear of it.

Yes, I also don't have a firewall, except for the router. Zone Alarm cured me of that.

elsifer

It slows down system performance. Also, if I do get an infection it's a really bad/obscure one. So all the virus program does is notifies me I've picked up the virus, without any valid removal option. Which i've usually figured out on my own at that point.

Glamdering

NOD32 yet constant checking disabled, not worth the inconvenience of the loss of speed, I prefer just being careful.

Bobly

Wow, I thought I was fairly unique by not running anti virus for the last 6 years and reaping the reward of better performance. I use TrenMicro's housecall and one or two others, have yet to find a piece of malware on my 5 machines or my wife's laptop.

Now, for my teenage daughters? Locked down tighter than a drum and run AVG.

vermonter

It's a simple case of user education. Know the what/where/ and hows of networking, applications and what malicious apps aim to do and you can easily avoid them.

If you are prone to infections then you have bad computer habits. Even linux and mac users aren't safe from themselves. Infections 90% human error.

I see lots of torrent comments also with users flagging files as having a trojan or something with their lame Norton/Symantec/AVG suite, mostly infections flag up because something else is already infected or those sneaky developers are helping to justify you installing and/or paying for their "protection" software.

Very VERY rarely is there ever a case of somebody getting a virus without them being a catalyst for infection.

teatime

I hate virus scanners. They are usually more intrusive and annoying than any virus I've ever had (last virus I had was about six years ago). They infest your installation and make themselves virtually impossible to uninstall in the event you decide to change scanners. They use up more resources than all of the other ridiculous software (every single manufacturer's tray icon / readystart / monitor for updates crap, a thousand or so desktop searches, ) you could ever install combined. They don't usually find the virus you might actually have because they don't have a definition for it yet. I find it much easier to periodically use a web based scanner and try not to do anything too stupid on the internet (like leave your firewall wide open or click on every link you see). Also, it's a good idea to separate your day to day surfing machine and your machine with all of your finance information as much as possible. Oh, and if possible, stop using Windows.

warped2049

I use Linux, and try to avoid shady sites. There is almost no chance I could get a virus. Then, if I did, ther wouldn't be anything for it do. Delete my backed up files? Big deal.

No Anti-Virus for me.

Daniel

I haven't run real-time virus protection in about six years. I run occasional on-demand scans, and haven't found a single piece of malware beyond the odd tracking cookie in all that time.

I'm just not scared any more.

Harfleur

AVG, but I wish Windows would shut up and let me turn off their stupid firewall without putting a perpetual little red alarm in the system tray.

liku

I would never advocate going without anti-virus, especially for regular people. It's one of those things that some of us might do... but don't necessarily recommend to others.

I do scan files using ClamWin mentioned above before I recommend them to anybody, and I do almost all of my downloading from Linux, especially of any suspect files. Testing in a virtual machine further prevents any problems from occurring.

I've never once had a virus or spyware on a computer that I own (I do scan once a year just out of curiousity)

The How-To Geek

i like to surf around and check things out. i ran anti virus programs and they rarely caught anything. i installed kaspersky and it seemed to catch things out of thin cyber air while i wasn't even doing anything. but there was still that anti virus slow down. so i removed it. but i didn't feel safe so i tried eset smart security. i'm 100% impressed, there's no slowing down, i'm protected (i hope)and i even set the firewall to interactive. i'm not being bombed with security pop ups. i like that i can get web pages coming in, my stuff is working like theres no anti virus/security on here. but i did have a question, i use firefox on a flashdrive and get online with portable apps. i just need to clear my cache every now and then and my computer seems to remain clean of online activity. is this really possible? is it a safe way to surf?

rand0mCreep

Firefox + NoScript = The internet Condom.

gakera

People still worry about viruses? Ha. Linux ftw.

Jarek

I dont run a virus scanner.

I occasionally use ccleaner and spybot on my pc, and on my mac, well no viruses to worry aboot.

balls187++

I use Linux at home, and it feels good to be naked at home...by that I mean not have to run any anti-virus program.

Friends who use Windoze often ask for help when 'the computer gets all slow...I think it has viruses or something.' I install ClamWin (from ClamAV) for them and see what it comes up with. It's a solid AV program with a Linux version as well called...because...some day I will stop running around the house naked.

death_hacker

If you don't like anti-virus, you have 9 hours 23 minutes to get Returnil for free at [www.giveawayoftheday.com]

I installed it because most of the comments were laudatory. Sounds like a good program:

"The Returnil Virtual System Premium Edition is a powerful virtualization technology that completely mirrors your actual computer setup and it can create a virtual storage disk within your PC where you can save documents, data, and files while using the System Protection feature.

Returnil virtualization technology clones a computer's System Partition and boots the PC into this system rather than native Windows, allowing you run your applications in a completely isolated environment. Hence the session and all activity, malicious or otherwise, will happen in the virtual environment, not in the real PC environment. If the PC is attacked or gets infected, all you need to do is to simply reboot the PC to erase all changes. After reboot, the system will be restored to its original state, as if nothing ever happened. All of this without sacrificing computer performance or usability while helping to reduce technical support intervention and the need for routine maintenance."

Capone

I always have an AV running, It's like house insurance, you may never need it but as soon as you're robbed you wished you had some.

fourte3n

I've been running anti-virus programs for 10 years, and I've never found a virus. I recently uninstalled Avira from my laptop, but I left ThreatFire running for some heuristic protection. I haven't noticed any performance differences, so maybe "better safe then sorry" is appropriate when the cost is so minimal.

That said, having some kind of firewall (software or hardware) and keeping your OS up-do-date are much more important.

joelena

There really aren't any viruses in the wild for OSX or Linux. So, no- I don't run a virus scanner. Of course, the only virus I've ever had was ANTICMOS-A. It was a bios virus that could be transmitted by floppy disks.

I killed it with a screwdriver- really! I didn't have a spare jumper handy to close the "flash the bios" jumper, so I did it manually.

t3knomanser

I use a Mac so I dont have a full time Anti Virus. I have ClamXav to scan attachments and other things that will be moved onto windows.

TetraUK

I've always used AVG, can't imagine not having an A/V on my computer. Maybe I'm a little over-protective since I also use AdBlockPlus, CookieSafe, and Quick Java add-ons ... ya know, for those dodgy sites ;)

Lynnie

@teebee I haven't had a virus in at least 4 years either, and two weeks ago avast!4 picked up a rootkit on my system which I have not been able to get rid of. My system is being wiped and reinstalled Monday.

Seeing as viruses are on an upswing and their techniques are getting nastier (more of them out there, new obfuscation techniques, attacking people who fight back), it's making a strong case to switch to linux. I do almost all of my at home work in Ubuntu now- its the best antivirus software out there. It is great not having to worry about a download or link you click on giving you a virus.

jharris0221

@jharbert: In my above mentioned example where my client had a hacker make it so their site opened an invisible window that installed a trojan on your computer without providing you with any prompts, how would you go about keeping yourself safe?

What The Geek

I've always been careful what I run, I hide behind a good firewall, run anti-virus and anti-spyware scans on a regular basis, and have locked down every browser feature that I don't need. A nice, lean and mean PC.

Just last month I tried a new background virus scanner. After 3 sudden reboots in the course of one evening, I gave up on it. I lost more work to that virus scanner than I ever have lost to a virus.

The performance hit was terrible, too.

A good background virus scanner can be one more line of defense, if that will put your mind at ease, but in my case, it just aint worth the headache.

taodude

@CyberCowboy: If you run linux, you're the exception to the rule. There are almost no pieces of malware programmed to run on linux. Also, trend micro won't find much if you're running linux anyway - it's set up for windows file types. It'll find some stuff, but not all. Like I said though, Linus is fairly safe all on it's own.

What The Geek

I haven't run antivirus software in about five years. Knowing how to avoid dangers, rather than fixing problems after the fact, is the best way to keep your computer safe.

If you don't know how to keep your computer safe, you should absolutely be using antivirus software.

jharbert

@bachcottage:

You're partially right - viruses as you imagine them are dying out - and what I mean by that is the viruses that crash your computer, and delete all of your data are almost non existent. However, just because you browse safely, and never get any sort of errors, it doesn't mean you are virus free. Like I said above, I have a business client whose website was giving people a trojan for a while because it got hacked - and guess what? if you didn't have an AV running, you'd never know that it happened. It would just sit on your computer sending your data off to who knows where silently. Just because it doesn't give you a big skull and crossbones on the screen doesn't mean it isn't there.

What The Geek

I don't have anti-virus on my computer at all now, which I know is bad. Norton slowed down my system heaps and the updater refused to work when I first installed it (even after talking with Norton 2 or 3 times) so eventually I just uninstalled it. Occasionally I'll run one of the free ones if it seems something is up with my system (that Kaspersky eScan one is good but the free one is hard to find now) and I have that anti-spyware thing installed from GooglePack.

As I said, I know it's not good.

da5id_nz

I run Linux, but still do an occasional housecall.trendmicro.com scan just to be sure, no RTM though....

CyberCowboy

I use the free version of McAffee provided by AOL. It works pretty well, and makes no noticeable impact on my system performance. I have yet to have a virus even show up because I browse carefully, but it is nice to have since it cleans up tracking cookies and the like. I would never use a computer that doesn't have anti-virus software. That's just asking for trouble, no matter how savvy of an internet browser you are. I would also, however, never install anything by Norton. I hate how their programs practically take over your system.

NewPerfection

I have a challenge for all of you who think you're clever enough to not get any sort of malware without the help of an antivirus:

Go here

[housecall.trendmicro.com]

and run the online virus scan. It's free, and will be done with inside of an hour. If nothing comes up, give yourself a pat on the back. I can almost guarantee that everyone will have at least one piece of malicious software on their computer.

What The Geek

Prior to making the switch to Ubuntu, I ran Windows XP. On Windows, I was running Norton Antivirus and Webroot Spysweeper. Both of these applications did a full scan of my computer daily. I've been running Ubuntu for a little over 1.5 years now, and I have never had an antivirus application installed. Even without the daily scans, my computer continues to function better than when I ran Windows XP.

Cheater

I had a contract job during which they gave me a ratty old computer, which could not handle their super-new antivirus, so I turned it off. Never got a virus, even when a virus was going around the network.

I've been saying for sometime that the golden age for Windows computer viruses is over. ISP's are blocking those silly mass emailing and worms too; these viruses cut into their product, network bandwidth.

Previous commenter is correct, don't go to those bogus websites and do silly stuff on the Internet, and you don't get viruses.

bachcottage

Alright, I'm sorry if any of this comes off as harsh, but I absolutely can not believe that people just try and go about their business w/o an antivirus running.

I'm a freelance computer repair technician, and the number one reason people come to me with broken computers is neglect. They didn't bother to install or update an antivirus, they didn't bother running windows update, and then they went to some website that installed a trojan on their pc w/o giving them any prompts - that's right, you may not be notified that a website is doing something shady to your computer - and then their computer slows down, and/or stops working correctly. Most of the time, this could have been avoided by running an antivirus (there's a free version of AVG that works nicely) and letting windows xp run automatic updates.

@teebee: You might feel safe, but you're not. I have a business client who shall remain nameless whose website got hacked to include an invisible link that automatically starts the installation of some nasty malware - if you're running an antivirus, it you'll get a prompt telling you whats going on and asking you what to do about it - if not, you just get some free spyware on your computer.

There are completely free antivirus solutions out there - there's no excuse not to be running one. Save yourself some trouble down the line, and grab an antivirus, and set windows to autoupdate. that won't avoid every problem, but it'll avoid most of 'em.

What The Geek

I use Avast, but it only ever detects the cracks I download... Is that good or bad?

Shai

I have been running virus scanners in Windows for years now (first AVG, now Avast), and I have yet to get a single virus. I still like the security of a virus scanner, though, and to me its worth a few spare megabytes to keep one running at all times.

eeefresh

I still run it (AVG- nice and light, free for home use).

I haven't had one detected in years, but you just never know if someone out there will develop a virus before the anti-virus companies can catch up.

EVERYTHING is vulnerable. Macs, Linux, your browser, everything. Its just a matter of someone building the virus and you happening to get caught in it.

downstairs

i only run Spy Sweeper with Anti-Virus. small footprint. i wouldn't mind running anything at all except i'm not the only one using the computer. i don't trust others.

mrhammerstein

I know of too many people who've lost everything because their virus scanner was out of date. I'm working on a laptop at this very moment which crashed due to viral activity, so I'd have to say a good AV program is a necessity.

On the other hand, I am personally very careful with unknown files, and I've never had a virus on my main computer. I've trapped quite a few on my test computer while working on customers' systems, but not on my own system.

pdok

After 4 years have having zero viruses detected - I decided that my family got smart enough to skip it. Don't install or run random crap off the internet (or mail - duh).

teebee

I use AVG. I need to have virus protection, because I connect clients and other people's drives to computer quite often. About 20% of the time they have viruses. I don't know why people don't use AV especially if they are not super technical people.
There have been a few instances where they have had over 500 viruses/trojans. WTF?!?
It is irresponsible IMHO not to have AV, especially if you have sensitive data (like SSN's, Tax Info)

cowholio4

Haven't used any AV software for a few years now. Nothing found to date.

For those asking how we AV-free people know we're virus free, every so often I'll pop in UBCD for Windows and scan the HDD. (LH editors: have you done an article on this? DO IT! =D )

To spin the problem, if the problem is your system is infected, how can you trust that system when it scans itself?

AndyMan1

I haven't used any AV software in a few years.

My computers are behind a firewall with only SSH (cygwin) port open.

I only use web mail (which does virus scans).

I use firefox, which makes web pages relatively safe.

My only vulnerability is the rare "keygen", and there are sandbox tools you can use to isolate such things.

ahawks

Haha, no - i havent run a virus scan for a good while...

my reasoning is that id rather have a virus than have to wait for an anti virus to scan my HDD for hours to find 0 - 1 viruses.

it takes too long, it eats up resources and chances are that in 99/100 cases it wont find anything =P

possumboy

I use Firefox, so no worries, but I still have the Free avast installed just in case.

nman

You don't "need" a virus checker if you 1) have a hardware firewall or ZoneAlarm, 2) don't ever open spam mail or mail from people/companies you don't know, and 3) you run Firefox with NoScript to block JavaScript execution (it lets you allow specific websites you trust). I use run Avast and after installing NoScript, I stopped getting warnings from Avast.

salient1

I run ClamXav on my downloads folder, and that's it. It's only ever caught windows programs that I downloaded to run in WINE.

DoubleFelix

AV programs are like a gun. Better to have one and not need it, than need one and not have it. I download a huge amount of items each month and everything gets a scan before it is used. I find 3 or 4 viruses a month. Nothing serious, usually keyloggers.

Ex_EA_Slave

@teatime: That's just not the whole story. Yes user education is very important, but boring, everyday websites get hacked to drop malware on your computer. I'm a freelance IT technician, and I've seen it happen to boring, mundane, everyday websites - there's no place on the internet that's one hundred percent safe.

What The Geek

I've used Avast! for a while now. It's the best one I've found and I love it. It's all I need.

Geoff

Windows users: If you aren't running AV, how do you know you haven't had a virus in five years?
For those of you who don't run AV, you should. The one time you get a virus, you'll pass it on, thus perpetuating that virus. AV on your machine protects US ALL!

Linux users (of which I am one): You, too, should run AV! No, you won't get infected, but that attachment you forwarded to your Windows running buddy will.

If everyone ran protection, cases of computer failure due to viruses would decline sharply.

Something to think about while you're being all high and mighty about being safe. (I could use an analogy, but I might offend.)

nobodyzhome

I stopped running AV on my main personal machine about 7 or 8 years ago. I agree with other comments they caused me far more grief then they ever prevented; bloated, slow down the whole machine and miss more then they find. I lost a lot of important data about 10 years ago to a virus, most due to an mistakes on my part and lake of knowledge at the time of dealing with NTFS.

All that said for general users I still recommend and install AV on their machines. To much random clicking and clicking ok without knowledge of what they are clicking on.

Bedpan4u

No, and I more or less never have. Intelligence is the best protection. And the recent switch to Linux doesn't hurt either. ;)

sceo

Currently run AVG Free....probably will keep doing that on any personal Windows PC. But I'm thinking of trying the new Ubuntu, so I won't plan on doing anything then!

edmicman

@What The Geek: I just completed running that on three systems. The results are as follows:

Macbook Pro w/ Vista: nothing
Macbook w/ Windows XP: nothing
PC Desktop w/ Vista: nothing

I have no antivirus or anything else installed and these systems are on and used nearly all day. Uses include everything from "stupid sites I shouldn't go to" to nonstupid sites.

Then again, I and my wife are fairly intuitive about what looks like something we should or sould not do - and if one of us does mess up, I remove whatever comes up manually - or do run a test like that.

I find that the antivirus software out there causes more problems for my systems than the viruses themselves. Bah!

maztec

@liku: Control Panel > Security Center > Change the Way Security Center Alerts Me, turn off firewall nag.

I use AVG too, but it never finds a thing. I'm happy with it taking up the modest amount of RAM to keep me from wasting time cleaning up any messes a potential virus would create.

My exposure is limited, of course. Spybot's Immunization database, Ad-Muncher (best adblocking program ever), and a well-stocked hosts file do a good job keeping me safe.

hicks

My University gives me Trend Micro Officescan for my Windows XP based machine. Basic but theoretically only 85% effective so I occasionally run ClamWin Portable (from portableapps.com) right from the desktop. Usually, if it catches something, Trend gets rid of it, even if it's just some wirelesskeyview.exe file I've stored around. I've got McAfee Viruscan 8.6 on my Mac, just because the University requires it. Nothing on my two Xubuntu boxes.

Chris

crafty184

Avast puts my mind at ease and CCleaner greatly reduces my risk.

gpzbc

I remember back in high school when I taught an basic internet/computers class to a bunch of senior citizens. Back then I could look them squarely in the eye and tell them that if they didn't open an attachment or download a program, they couldn't get a virus. That was about ten years ago and things have changed. Just being connected to a network puts you at risk. If you are connecting to an insecure network (ie you don't have your own router) you better have a firewall and all and the latest windows updates or you can be in some serious trouble without even opening a web browser. Sniff your network traffic sometime (or even more fun, connected to free public wi-fi or a dorm) you will be surprised what you see. Careful browsing dosen't cut it either. Legitimate sites get compromised all the time allowing them to silently install a virus or spyware.

The days of carefree computing are over. It just like safe sex, you have to protect yourself EVERYTIME you are connected to a network (even if you run Linux).

9house

@liku: You can!
Control Panel - Security Center - Left pane - "Change the way Securiyt Center Alerts Me"

Mofoo

This thread makes me laugh.
As though you could tell if your average webserver was compromised just by the address...

Slashdot's [it.slashdot.org] got an article today on 500,000 compromised IIS servers due to a SQL injection, including government sites in the UK and sites for the United Nations.

But, sure, go on believing that you're smart enough to stay away from those "shady" sites. Your computer's probably already part of a botnet, so what's the big deal?

TheFlamingoKing

While good Windows hygiene can generally keep you from getting viruses (worms are another matter), I've used Linux on my desktops/laptops exclusively for nearly 8 years.

chrylis

@Shai: They usually come with virus in another file, which is usually without an icon.

Unrar only the right file and it'll be OK.

Victor V.

When I first switched to Ubuntu I used ClamAV because I was just so used to needing an AV program in Windoze. The last few months I've been AV free and still virus free. Linux ftw.

Jason

After twenty years in the IT biz, I use AV software. McAfee 8.5i at work (it's forced on me), AVG on my home PCs running Windows, VirusBarrier X5 on my Macs, and Kaspersky Internet Security in my virtual machines on that mac.

I trust I will not open something malicious; but someone, someday will use one of my machines - and I breathe easier knowing it'll be safer because I've installed (and set to auto-update).

sbossinger

I'm the same way as a lot of the other people. I think AV software is necessary just as health insurance is necessary. You hope you never need to use it, but it helps a lot in the event something goes wrong.

wakeboarderal05

All of my computers, Linux and WinXP have anti-virus installed. I would rather have that installed, than take the 1 in 1,000,000 chance of loosing my data.

Duane

I only used Clamwin or AVG and only run it when I feel like something fishy is on my computer, I also have a girl friend who isn't very computer smart and is a myspace freak so I tell her too not to open any thing malicious but she doesn't know that. Its good to use every now and then. Plus it helps to have a layer 2 firewall router that does DPI but doesn't protect anything that is downloaded.

nakedm0s3s

I use AVG, small footprint, and it's caught me a few pieces a few times a year, all my fault. nothing big.

greasypigstudios

Oh, and what I meant: ClamXav has a setting where you can set it to passively scan all new items added to a certain directory. I have that set up for my downloads folder. It uses a minimal amount of resources, and provides good security.

Also I use NoScript.

DoubleFelix

I use NOD32 3.0. I almost never get any files that are infected with malware, but there are some web sites that try to inject some malware onto my system from time to time, which NOD32 detects and blocks those attempts.

ModemGod

I use Avira Antivirus because all it does is detect viruses and that's all I need it to do. I don't like AVG, McAfee or Norton because they do so much extra stuff like startup scans, shutdown scans, etc that use up system resources and are unnecessary if they do their job in keeping viruses from getting on your system in the first place.

tinkernut

As my computer contains the main network hard drive, all my brothers dodgy downloads from websites go into that, and that is the only reason I need a AV..because the one on his PC somehow always doesnt work.. odd? :P

Recoding

In my opinion, for more people than you'd think, virus scanners are a waste of RAM. I haven't run an antivirus in years, and I've yet to have any sort of issue.

Having said that, on my parents' PC, I have them running a solid anti-virus in the background.

A business PC is a different matter, too. Employees will not take the care with a work computer that they would at home.

TsuKata

@salient1: Bingo.

One more informative tool is a good registry monitor - Spybot S&D has one built-in (Tea Timer). It can be annoying to have verification boxes popping up when you're installing new software, but at least you'll know when important registry keys are changed.

But yeah, lock down any PC that's being used by non-computer types (and those being used by would-be PC-types; i.e. anyone who uses l33t-sp33k, or haunts warez boards and other "drive-by" infectors).

taodude

I've used linux for years, so I always forget when setting up windows machines to install anti-virus.

When abroad my laptop was old and had no internet, so I saved the resources and ran it anti-virus free.

The only possible vector was through a flash drive, but I always scanned it on other machines before I put it in mine.

I only use Windows now in virtual machines, so again, no anti-virus.

when I set up win machines for others, I install AVG free.

Jon

All I can say is that it's obvious that some of the people posting here and NOT running an anti-virus program must not have kids under 14. Because, they'll run ANYTHING! Yes, I know, I could restrict their access, but that's more of an inconvenience to me to have to install everything for them.

If it wasn't for a decent anti-virus program, my computers would have all crapped out ages ago.

brain-dead-idiot

I haven't used AV software on any of my machines since the late 80's. Yep, you read that right. I avoid getting viruses by avoiding Microsoft software and being very careful about what I download and install. Internet Explorer and Outlook are virus magnets. Avoid them like the plague.

And besides even if I got infected, which has never happened, it's just a frapping computer! You could put a bullet through my PC and I'd be back up and running in 24 hours. Nothing on my system that would hurt me if you got, and nothing about using a computer that I couldn't do without.

People tend to forget that a computer is just a toaster with more moving parts. Go ahead and erase my hard drive, see if it changes my life at all.

More people need to remember that.

wrecklass

+1 for ClamWin -- I run it on my server. Our laptops are AV free though and have been for 5+ years.

stever

I trusted symantec corporate edition for 3 years...Then I noticed suspicious pc behavior...oh oh. A reformat (nice excuse for vista) fixed that.

Now I run Kaspersky Antivirus, $50 a year and it updates its databases every hour. Its resource usage is very very low so I am a happy camper.

I'm a safe guy on the net, not stupid with downloads - but the last virus came in via usb...simply from plugging it into a bad computer (damn uni).

simmo

I used to run clamwin but now since I reformatted my Vista machine ... 3 weeks ago ... I just realized I have no anti-virus protection ... yeah ... I guess I am not too worried about it.

mysticgeek.htg

I turned off antivirus a few weeks ago, and it's been wonderful.

DmitriKaramazov

Antivirus scans = good.
All time (active protection) = good for the public, but overkill for the geek.

Remember, there is a difference between viruses and worms. Responsible computing can protect you from viruses but not from worms.

Personally, I'm on a mac, so I don't have any active scanning soft. I backup frequently and do semiannual scans.

dwroth

I run Zonealarm Pro with Spybot S&D on a modified version of XP.
I also downloaded HiJackThis 1.99, which I use monthly just to check.
(Yes, I'm aware 2.00 and higher has been released.) I've had maybe ten instances of malware in two years, with nothing major.

dasverlangen

@maztec: I'm sincerely glad to hear the scan turned up nothing. Like I said before, viruses and other malware can get in without any noticeable signs of infection, and can come from sites that you trust, so run the trend housecall scan from time to time just for safety's sake if you're not going to run an AV. I understand the concern that antivgirus programs can slow down your pc, or cause problems with your system. Should you decide to install an antivirus, try AVG 7.5. It's free, and has a very light footprint - in other words, it doesn't take up a lot of system resources, and it is also very good at catching stuff other AV's miss.

What The Geek

I use Avast free on my desktop, and AVG free on my laptop. Hopefully, one will catch what the other misses. Prefer Avast free, it updates sometimes twice a day, whereas AVG free only updates once.

Never had a virus on my machine, the AV software always caught the stuff coming in from my friends/acquaintances.

Oh, and I run the bedroom laptop, only used for wifi internet music, without an AV. Only surf a couple of clean streaming music sites.

xoted

My anti-virus has detected something once or twice, but I'm pretty sure both times was a false positive. Still I think people are too hard on a nice safety blanket, whats wrong with a little sense of security if it doesn't hurt anyone. The key is to go with a good one. I've used Nod32 and AVG with much success, although nod32 3.0 works poorly on my pc but well on my gf's, on my computer I switched back to 2.7. Just stay away from Norton, it is really one of the worst products ever.

portezbie

@ShadyPghGuy:

AVG let me down, days after installing it. It let a virus right through. I kept thinking that it was their bloated AV software, so I uninstalled it and re-installed avast!. It immediately found 17 instances! Needless to say, I continue to use avast! I am constantly testing new software and researching tons of stuff online, so it is imperative.

AVG let in a virus from a bit torrent that came recommended from a friend of mine. He was using AVG, too. He didn't know he had a problem until I told him what happened to me. He, too, runs avast!

avast! is the absolute best!!!

dtaschler

You'd need to be a moron not to run AV software, no matter how 'smart' you think you are.

Kaspersky 7.0 here.

YachiraG

Nope, I run Linux :)

Jack

I recently upgraded to AVG 8 and I hate it because of its bloat and am in the process of finding a good alternative. Currently I have ThreatFire installed for real time monitoring and ClamWin for on demand scanning. I have not had any virus troubles but its not worth the risk to not run anti virus software.

ShadyPghGuy

Even though I am careful when I handle email attachments, foreign usb sticks that have been on public computers, etc., I like to use an AV software just as a second line of defense.

Esp. when I foray into the dark side (cracks etc.), it is always useful not to go commando.

anithinks

I used Symantec corporate edition for many years, but it really slowed down the speed of starting up. I then switched to the free antivirus software. - Avira, because it's lightweight on system resource.

wildeny

Since our home computer is used by my not so net savvy wife for electronic bill paying and she does lots of "shopping" and she'll open anything that has "Cute" in the title, I'm running AV behind a firewall. I do weekly CC & AdAware scans & occasionally just sit for a while & watch what's running & who its talking to whom. All of this has netted a very small number of infections, so I guess you could say all of it is needless overhead. But honestly, the only time I see unacceptable performance hits is when I'm trying to render a video at the same time a scan is running.

I personally seldom go to random web sites unless they are recommended by sites like LH.

It's interesting seeing other peoples perspective on this subject.

BlogsOfSteel

I dont use AV (i think this should have been a poll question) on my mac or my virtual PC. I also use FireFox with all these great Add-in's in both systems, and I never open email's if i don't know the sender; go g-mail spam for that. If i have to recommend a product, it's always the corporate version of Symantec. It's small and gets the job done!

zimzima69

mcafee virusscan enterprise 8.5i w/ Spyware Module

kz26

Frankly I'm too lazy.

BaseVilliN

I have to concur that AVG 8.0 is making everything very slow. Any site with a modicum of javascript or Ajax stalls for at least 5 seconds with every click. They have something in their FAQ for Vista users that they need to install the update to resolve this, however I already have this update installed. I emailed them about it earlier today and am waiting for a response.

I may switch back to Avast which I was happy with for a couple years there on my old XP machine. And this is even taking into account that I have a professional version of AVG installed.

Kevinpalooza

First up, I used to not run AV for a while because I guess at the time my impression was that it was just slowing down my PC without any benefits (security conundrum number 1). After becoming aware of just how blended threats and malicious software was becoming (spyware/phishware/trojan/keyloggers/greyware/the numerous browser based channels!!) I started using AV and am now currently using AVG Free (i'm also a huge NoScript fan).

But recently I think the decision to run AV (or anti-malware) is starting to get a little larger than "does it slow my PC down? is it worth it?" In particular, there are some changes that are occuring within the UK Banking Act, which include statements such as "If you act without reasonable care, and this causes losses, you may be responsible for them" and "This may apply, for example, if you do not follow section 12.5 or 12.9.". Where 12.5 and 12.9 talk about ensuring you are running a personal firewall and up-to-date AV/Anti-Spy/Anti-Phish/etc.

So if I was in a spot where I noticed money missing from my account, and a fraudie from my bank called me up and asked if I had AV and I said "no", and there was a chance I might not get re-imbursed. I can tell you it wouldn't be the most pleasant feeling.

I think it's a no-brainer. AV has changed a lot over the last 6 years, and smart browsing habits and not opening email attachments and personal firewalls are not enough. I guess the only benefit is that with the improvements in virus' also comes the improvements with AV software. I don't notice any performance hits with AVG.

xntrik

I never actually got a virus before but the protection lets me feel comfortable. I have nod32 and zonealarm installed for just in case situations. I used to skip the antivirus and firewall. Used to just use a standalone virus scanner every now and then still no problems.

wwilsonxp

ZoneAlarm Suite (uses Kaspersky) as main
ClamWin Portable as backup

OtakuboyT

I love avast, switched from avg myself. avg looks like they are behind, from the UI to the virus dbase it uses.

qrius

I've never had a virus, but I continue to run a virus scanner.

Perhaps, you could make a post comparing free virus scanners. I'm using Symantec from my university, and it's quite the memory hog, so I'm looking for some alternatives.

NikP

@downstairs: I'm pretty sure AVG is going to cost, not be free, in the next year or two, they already went to version 8.0 and when they went from 7 to 7.5 they forced you to update around the beginning of summer, so you may be left on the curb here soon, leaving the only free antivirus program clamwin

Swizzler121

I used Panda Internet Security... worth the price but also covers all the suspicious activity that LOOKS like a Virus. Even without updates this is 10x better than that of any other virus scanner I've worked with plus its like having ZoneAlarm, Anti-Virus, Windows Defender all in one product.

Only product I've used so far that touts its ability to stop viruses it doesn't have signatures for... and it really doesn't impact my resources from what I've seen.

jerimiahf

I always had Norton on my mac and pc. With e-mail unless there family or friends I never open attachments.

bdk184

I tried Trend housecall and it won't run :O I must have a virus that's blocking it! (Vista 64bit SP1 IE7, anyone else have problems?)
Well, I'm running BitDefender Online Scan now, we'll see what that turns up.
[www.bitdefender.com]
But seriously, Firefox with NoScript puts me greatly at ease.
My experience with AV software is exactly mirrored by many of the comments already in place - more trouble than it's worth.

I just noticed that the BitDefender scan estimates around 15 hours left o_O

gakera

@YachiraG: Not necessarily. As correctly mentioned, e.g., there are no Linux viruses in the wild. And before someone comes up with the "it's just because Windows is more popular" claim, if security breaches were based only on market share, Apache would have twice as many as worms as IIS (it doesn't).

Nevertheless, it's not theoretically impossible for a virus to infect a Linux machine, though in a typical installation it would only be able to be annoying and not to damage the system itself. Some researchers (including myself) are working on OS designs that can keep a program (including a virus) from even damaging a single user's documents if it manages to get loaded on a machine, but it'll be a few years yet before they're ready for general use.

chrylis

I've never had a virus in recent years, none on Vista for sure, but I still use Avast! because it's free and it's a good idea to have even though I'll probably never need it. It's like insurance. Plus, if somehow a virus does manage to get on my PC I'd feel might stupid if I didn't have anti-virus software to stop it.

Jenkinsm

Im running Avast in conjunction with Threatfire. Avast relies on signature definitions (traditional AV products do), whilst Threatfire uses behavioural analysis. I would recommend a combination of two products that use different approaches to protect you from the nasties.

Of course, I would never leave home without NoScript. The exploits these days are far more web-based, with i-Frame and Cross Scripting attacks on the rise (XSS). pdf exploits have only just begun and will be used more and more in the future as the file format is so ubiquitous and we push the format to deliver more and more content.

MannyTwoCans

I'm another avast! lover - I have 1 person in my house who isn't extremely computer literate, and is likely to download some suspect things without realizing she is doing it. I find it generally safer, and no less convenient to use a compact, capable program like avast. In 3 years of using it on all computers on my home network, I've had no major infections, and it has always caught anything that I *have* gotten.

ladypoetess

I do run AVG on all my Windows machines, however I have not received any viruses in years. However the software is there for peace of mind. All goes back to your browsing habits, you keep it clean your system will be clean. I'm a fairly new mac user too, so of course I don't run any AV apps. Security by obscurity I guess.

QBall15j

Avast, Windows Defender (yes, the one from Microsoft), Black Ice, Mamutu, and Ad Block Plus (lots of virii come in through ads). The only thing that has ever gotten by was literally brand new -- picked up off a mainstream ecommerce Web site I visit regularly -- and Mamutu's heuristics picked its activity up by its behavior, so I was able to shut it down immediately. Avast had a patch out to kill it that same afternoon; buhbye virus...the only thing it ate was all of the custom settings on my Firefox toolbar.

Keter

Hahaha
Is there even Anti-Virus software for Linux?

chensamurai

I run a lightweight anti virus but thats just to scan files that I download, otherwise I don't need one. Iv had a lot of experience of when I first started out with computers, constantly crashing my moms computer with so much viruses & spyware. I have learned what to open, and all that sorts. I'm very careful on what I open these days.

ma5t3rw1tt

Right now I use Avira.
It's pretty excellent.

I think it's prudent to run some kind of anti-virus..

You know what really nice, except for the nagging? Comodo's new firewall, it has DEFENSE+ does all the resident protections (registry, spyware and firewall). But in addition it has an on-demand virus scannner which I like better than their own separate AV program.

radio1

IMO, paying for software, no matter what it is, is stupid. Didn't you already buy the hardware? The software to run that hardware should already be in there, not just the OS. Besides, only n00bs and non-tech-savvy people (over half the world population) don't know how to keep themselves away from the evils lurking in the depths of the Internet.

nintendude

I've always used AVG Free. I have never gotten a single virus, but AVG is light and free so I always keep it running. I would feel perfectly comfortable to not run any antivirus program at all though.

josh_fest

@nintendude:

nintendude...is the webscape so simple anymore? Dirty payloads can come from a legitimate website, no problems.
You don't even need to be redirected to a false URL via an email link - thats old school.
This is the big deal right now in nasties - find a way of exploiting a code weakness in a legitimate webpage that lets you crossscript to another site, and/or perhaps implement a payload within a hidden iframe on that genuine webpage.
This will be the next big genuine security issue, particularly if a financial house or ecommerce site gets hit.

MannyTwoCans

I use my virus scanner to scan files I download. ...I think I've never actually done a full system scan with it on this computer. Then again I've had it back for a week.

Definitely run the anti spyware stuff regularly though.

Ajh

I run avast! home edition, but I haven't gotten a virus in years. Think the last time I did was when I was running Windows 98.....

DarthDie

I haven't used an antivirus in FOREVER! I use www.winpatrol.com and it alerts me of suspicious activity.

tamushrek

I always recommend people run antivirus software, and I used to myself.

I've never gotten a virus that I know of, and my computer has been in some "high-risk" situations such as LAN parties where people on the same network are known to have viruses.

I stopped running antivirus software (such as nod32, symantec, etc.). I have run various online scans and the worst thing they come up with is some tracking cookies which I clear from time to time. No actual malicious software of any kind.

Worst case scenario: I get a virus. It would most likely come from some zero-day attack on a software bug that hadn't been patched yet. Antivirus software probably wouldn't have protected me from it anyway. A format/reinstall would get me back up and running in no time. Of course, I back up regularly.

Frankly, having a backup of everything gives me much more piece of mind than running anti-virus software. Even the best anti-virus software isn't fool proof. It's not a 100% guarantee that your computer / data is safe.

That said, I would still recommend using antivirus software. Stop downloading software from untrusted sources. Don't open email attachments. Keep your software up-to-date. As always, backup, backup, and then backup some more.

Jeff Lundberg

I've been using PCs for over 18 years and have never used an anti-virus program. I've never gotten a virus either. I don't download random stuff off of webpages though, and I don't download randam crap from emails. I don't download random commercial software from p2p either. That always seems like a really stupid thing to do, you are just inviting your computer to join a bot network.

I also keep my computers up to date with the latest security patches. I think that is the most important thing to do.. I also have been running linux for the last five years, so that drastically reduced my exposure to viruses.

reflous

I used to run AVG before. Now I've abandoned it altogether. I know when something is not right with my computer and with the aid of UAC and with my own knowledge, I am pretty much able to deter the malwares before they get a chance to attack me.

kzapth245

I have avg. It never caught anything, but then, I also have used online emails since forever (currently gmail). These are great because they not only scan your attachments with their own av software, they also filter out most of the spam that would likely drop a virus on you in the first place.

You people who say you don't use av software, do your email hosts use them? You may be surviving only by the grace of google.

Daniel Macintyre

I've gotten ridiculously good at spotting viruses, It's always pretty glaringly obvious to me. Probably since I used to toy around with making them (for educational purposes only, NEVER spread them around, I'm not an asshole.) I even get my software through unconventional methods more often than not and I haven't had a virus infection since...well ever, Last time I opened a virus I was probably like 7 years old and Norton stopped it. Nowadays I run NOD32 just in case. Say someone burns me a disc or plugs in their flash drive, it's nice to have anti-virus because not everyone can spot viruses.

shibathedog

i connect too many devices to my laptop not to run antivirus scanner. Dr. Web is the best i've ever used and the most useful one.

hrsa

Aside from testing a new version of an AV program here and there, i haven't actively ran an AV for probably 3 years.

Reasoning? I spend all day on the internet for work... when i come home i have a few sites i hit (doggdot.us, lifehacker, and myminicity) i check my forum, my three primary email accounts and that about does it. I dont open attachments, i dont open email unless i know who it is (or generally trust the domain), i dont click ads, i have alias's setup for the sites i do go to... so i dont mis-type. Most importantly, I do not let others use my computer... i have older laptops or dormant computers for guests.

Yes, i'm aware that it does leave me open to vulnerabilities in windows. But won't most of those sneak past most AV's anyway? My data does not get stored on my computer... stays on flash drives, NAS, and ftp.

But most of all? I havent found one that is consistent enough for me to justify it.

abzolutxero

I keep only OS and programs on my 'C' drive while data rests on another partition. I threw the AV out and have been using PowerShadow or Returnil for about 2 years. A simple reboot puts my PC back in pristine condition. These so-called "Security Suites" are memory/cpu hogs and are a general pain in the rear. Learn how to protect your computer, make clean images or make a clean partition and turn on Returnil. It's truly as simple as that.

Gerard Sorme

I don't understand why people tout their alternative OS's as safe and unhackable. No OS is unhackable, they're just obscure enough to be left alone. If you don't like Windows and think your system of choice is better, that's your business. But it seems to me the day some hackers decide to take on macs or linux, a lot of people are going to be in trouble.

grey_fox24

I run Norton on my Mac. I used to have all PCs so I got used to the viruses on those and my university gives it to me for free, so why not?

mlhoward516

Nod32 and Avast! are the best, and I always use them depending on my system. Low footprint, there really isn't a reason not to run it.

malnourish

@What The Geek - I also don't use Internet Explorer. IE allows ActiveX controls and scripts to run which can compromise your computer. Firefox and Netscape don't.

The vast majority of viruses and spyware come from using Internet Explorer and not knowing that you shouldn't trust "your computer is at risk" ads on the internet. I know better.

Say what you want about not running AV software, but some of us can obviously do so quite safely. Five years and counting for me.

jharbert

No.

I use Ubuntu.

exp

Yes you can call me stupid for having for Norton since in the 4 years I've had it, it's not caught a single virus. Even so, it's really unobtrusive (I have the corporate edition ... nothing like the consumer edition which seems to be bloatware++). It updates once a day, scans once a week. I scan for spyware once a month. Nice and simple. I'm pretty much impossible to infect, too. All my network shares are protected. I use Firefox, not IE, don't download stuff that isn't 100% trusted and never click the "Standard" option on installs in case something horrible is bundled.

CWW

i don't use any anti virus software whatsoever. the remote chance that i would download a virus is far outweighed by the bloated nature of most AV programs.

an anti-virus program is basically like a virus itself: it takes up inordinate amounts of resources doing nothing, and is difficult or impossible to turn of normally. i've stopped using them because they are useless and greedy.

ampoliros

I love running Linux. It's just easier to not have to worry. I've noticed that when I switched my mother over to it, there were less phone calls home.

rubbsdecvik

Hi. I've tried many of them. The fact is that every 6 months, the antivir you are using is no more the best for you (your PC configuration has changed, or installed software have changed too...). Also every 6 months another antivir software is better than the one you (bought &) install.

But for the first time, I'm running an antivir for more than 6 months : Avira Suite.
I think that the next antivir I'm gonna use is COMODO. I've already tried it 4 month ago. this last version of Comodo was a little young, but very impressive.
Regards. C.Matias

cmatias

I had kaspersky for a long time, Reformatted multiple times, Saw a big startup time increase, Havent had AV software for over 2 months, i browse safely, dont download random software, im downloading hitmanpro right now (hitmanpro.nl) and ill update this comment thread with those results and the Housecall results. I keep all my systems up to date, they all are running Windows vista. Xp has 1000x as many viruses as vista right now, With XP i have no doubt that my system would be filled with viruses, but i doubt that housecall will find one actual virus (im not including cookies and little cleanup items)

ivealwaysgotmail10

I use free Avira AntiVir. It doesn't consume much resources - I am not going to uninstall it.

The last virus I saw was a month ago - on a friend's USB stick. He was surprised...

Sanja

I'll ask my friend if he thinks running with out AV is a good idea. Oh wait he appears to be reloading windows just now. He is one of those people that thought he knew what he was doing until one day after about 3 years he got it wrong. He told me it was like the porn storms of old. I think he'll be using avg from now on.

nakedcode

I was thinking about uninstalling AVG Free 7.5 but it found 2 trojan horses in the C:\WINDOWS folder :S

dota175

I use Avira Antivir for years and recently actually paid for it because I decided it was actually good enough to buy. (You can use the personal edition for free)
It's saved my butt quite a few times, mostly because I download quite a bunch of stuff from the internet, some of which are quite shady in origin.

I've tried various others before, like McAfee, Norton, and even AVG. Liked none of those, they were all too bloaty. The first two were a serious drain on my system resources. AVG was not exactly 'good' as many would believe, I found it to be quite lacking.

Then a buddy suggested Avira Antivir, and I tried it.. had to get used at it at first, but then actually fell in love with it since I noticed it just did what it was supposed to do: Being an antivirus software and ward off viruses.

Trinsec

Yes I normally use NOD32 on my PC to keep me safe if I get caught out. Using AVG now because of Uni network not liking NOD32.

MarcLister

Avast + ZoneAlarm + a little tweaking = One clean machine...

On Ubuntu all I can say is: "Are you kidding me?"

Cheers

reg4c

I guess I'm an idiot because I don't run AV either. I just do a ClamAV scan on my computers a couple times a year.

As far as these mythical sites that silently infect your comptuer; stop using IE6 and most of that will go away. NoScript+FireFox will keep any site from running anything you don't want.

Because of my job, I'm on the web 10 hours a day going to hundreds of sites. I've never had a virus/worm/trojan infection. Ever.

FruitSmack

avg av, sygate fw, spybot w/ teatimer. All free. I have total control over my downloads and communications. They don't hog resources either.

cisengineer

I have Norton on my sole Windows machine mainly because my wife uses it and she's not overly net-savvy and because I hate re-installing Windows. All my other machines (including the one I am using now) are on Linux so I dont have AV or anti-spyware or anything. But all in all, if you dont browse to dodgy sites and know not to open an email attachment from a name you cannot pronounce, then odds are you could live without av but probably not anti-spyware (plug spybot here!).

cbiggins

Yes I do. I like Nod32 it's lite, functional and doesn't slow my machine like the "Big" names do.

TravelingMan

The last virus I had was Friday 13th in the early 90s. Since I stopped swapping disks with boot-sector-virii on the schoolyard I consider myself smart enough not getting anymore of those nasty things ;)

Here is my 3-step process for getting rid of virii and worms:
1. Be aware of what you are doing with your computer and of possible risks.
2. Get rid of Outlook/OE and Internet Explorer
3. Switch to Linux or Mac (you still need to apply #1 there, though)

That said: a virus-free environment with WinXP is possible.

rawfan

Personally I have AVG for Linux installed because you have to have anti-virus and a firewall installed to comply with IT services' acceptable use policy. However I never bothered on my desktop at home. My parents' computer has had Norton Internet Security on it as long as I remember because I a) don't trust them to read what they're downloading and b) don't trust my mum's friends not to forward her viruses. They've moved onto McAffee now because they get that free from their ISP.

I think it's a matter of trust and competence. Personally, I can see the benefit of having a standalone scanner to run now and then, but on access scanning seems a bit excessive.

blackheart-uk

Linux user here. No AV.

Alejandro

I use Avast on my one Win box. Before I changed my daily driver over to Fedora, I used Kaspersky on it.

I never had a virus on any of my machines until I plugged in a flash drive that I used at work. On that one tiny drive (an old 128MB one) there were 18 viruses and a half dozen various trojans. That's when I found out there was A) no functional AV at work (subscription was 2 years out of date) B) everyone but me used IE 6 and C) Windows Update hadn't been run in so long, the machines were still on SP1. I think they had turned off the built in firewall as well. Needless to say, I burned a Ubuntu CD that evening and that's what I use at work when I need to create tests and such. I just email the files to myself and download them to finish at home.

KSMarksPsych

I haven't been to the hospital in six years, so does that mean I can get by without Health Insurance? Does it really take up so much effort to run an AV? I've never caught a virus, but I still have an AV just in case.

oldredhat

I don't understand why anyone would voluntarily run their machine WITHOUT antivirus software. Even computers that are several years old are powerful enough to run the latest software. Running your computer without anti-virus is like driving without a seatbelt. Just because you've never been in an accident doesn't mean you never will be in one. You might say, "Well, I'm a safe driver, so I don't need a seatbelt." The seatbelt isn't only to protect you from your own bad driving. It's there to protect you from OTHER PEOPLE who aren't paying attention to that red light.
Now, I've never personally been infected by a virus. However, the only reason I've never been infected is because I've had antivirus software that has warned me about infected files I've downloaded. Because of those warnings, I never ran the infected file and therefore never got infected myself.
And don't think that the only web sites that will infect you are sketchy .ru warez and porn sites. My girlfriend barely uses her computer and she got infected. In fact, just yesterday, I spent 6 hours wiping, reformatting, and reinstalling Windows because she got a nasty infection on her machine.
I love how people on here are saying that they don't visit sketchy web sites or they don't download sketchy files from the web, so they're completely safe. There are viruses out there that will infect your neighbor and then scan for open ports on nearby machines. If it finds an open port or service, it'll install itself. You don't have to do anything on your computer to be infected. Again, the seatbelt isn't only protection from your bad driving, but also to help protect you from the other person. Anyone who takes the time to educate themselves on how nasty and sneaky modern viruses are will never run their machine without anti-virus software.

msisaac

I have not had a virus or bug in years. Even when trouble shooting computers for other people, i never leave virus scan software on the computer, i value my RAM and boot time to waste it on insurance. i back up more then is needed. Why bother.

sacornwell

It is interesting to see the people that are so confident about NOT running AV software. I was there once and learned the hard way... I thought I was the most cautions PC user.

I must say that the mainstream programs have disappointed me, and AVG is not very good from my experience.

Avast works absolutely great.

DasLife

@jharbert:
If you've gone five years w/o any problems, and no AV, you've been fortunate. Spyware and other malware can make its way onto your computer even when you practice safe browsing habits as you've described. I'm a computer repair technician, and I know how to browse safely (probably better than most people), and every rare once in a while, something still finds it's way onto my system. Don't get cocky just because you've been fortunate so far. If you're not going to run an AV at all times, at least take the time once every couple of weeks to run an online virus scan like trend micro's housecall. It's free, and completes in less than an hour. If you can't spare an hour every couple of weeks to be certain your personal information and computer are safe, then you probably need to rethink your priorities. This is nothing personal - I'm not trying to be harsh or a jerk about it - but like I said, I'm a computer repair technician, and the two things that cause a lot of problems for many of my customers are not having an antivirus, and not running windows update. Better safe than sorry - just my two cents.

What The Geek

Like with a car, we're on for ourselves but not only : for others as well. A PC is not a TV, it's "alive", and if it gets sick, it may as well get others computers sick.

I know, sounds so scholar!

Don't become a zombie, protect yourself, you'll protect others as well!

DonDiego

Once you upgrade to Ubuntu, all this issues are gone!

whiskey

We have shared computers here at work. Someone turned off the firewall software (ZoneAlarm). I'm happier having a virus scanning software around for days like that.

sciencegeek