OT: Question for the computer experts...
I know next to nothing about this computer...so i need some help.
I have an anti-virus thingy installed (its called Trend-Micro) and it cost about $55 a year.
Its due to expire on 2/27 and i need to know if its worth keeping. Since the first day of this month it has run a scan every time i have booted up and it tells me what (if anything) it has detected and deleted from my computer. In all the other months it never did this. Not even once. It was there....but it never popped up and told me what it was doing and why.
Is this just a marketing thing now because its going to expire and they want me to re-new?
Is it worth the $55?
Any advice would be appreciated...
Edit:
Thank you all for the responses. I sure wish i had half the computer savvy you folks do.
February 15th, 2011 at 2:00 PM ^
http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/
Free and minimal.
February 15th, 2011 at 2:10 PM ^
Thank God for Microsoft. Apple = Satan's computer company. This thread should get entertaining shortly...
February 15th, 2011 at 2:23 PM ^
when invoking holy wars.
February 15th, 2011 at 2:53 PM ^
Even I'm not with you on this one...
February 15th, 2011 at 7:13 PM ^
No, but your cheerleader is. You may possess her likeness but I possess her soul.
February 15th, 2011 at 2:15 PM ^
February 15th, 2011 at 2:34 PM ^
This. I've tried AVG and Avast. You could tell when they began scanning because your computer suddenly felt like it had a virus on it. You won't even know MSE is running unless it suggests that you update your definitions because you haven't done it in over a week.
February 15th, 2011 at 2:48 PM ^
dude if any anti- virus program slows down your computer nowadays your computer sucks.. or you have other issues with your computer..
February 15th, 2011 at 2:41 PM ^
I downloaded AVG a while back, and it's great. It does everything that Norton Security does, and it doesn't cost anything. It kept me virus free during the MGoBlog Malware-a-thon, so it has been tested and does work. Some people above seem to think it slows down the computer, but mine continues to run at full speed when using any aspect of it.
Rather than paying for Norton or something like that, I would recommend going the AVG route.
February 15th, 2011 at 2:14 PM ^
For the win. I downloaded it and have not had any problems. I had Mcafee and that was terrible and costs $100.
Now, i have a question about The official M-Den helmets, are they worth the $270? I know they have a bar in the middle and would like to know if it can be removed or if there is another route to go?
GO BLUE!!
February 15th, 2011 at 2:33 PM ^
I like Avast! for free anti-virus. It's small, yet thorough and it's updated frequently.
5 stars on cnet.
http://download.cnet.com/Avast-Free-Antivirus/3000-2239_4-10019223.html
Edit:
I just noticed I've been beaten to this.
February 15th, 2011 at 2:17 PM ^
Other good free options I've used in the past:
Avast (http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download)
Avira (http://www.avira.com/en/avira-free-antivirus)
I used Avira for a few years but it was more of a resource hog than Avast seems to be (I've been using it for 8 months or so). Never had any problems with either.
February 15th, 2011 at 2:18 PM ^
I use avast, and i've never had any problems. During the great Burn All avast blocked malware from being installed on my comp from this site 10-15 times. Its free, only requiring you to register it once a year.
February 15th, 2011 at 2:24 PM ^
Avast is pretty great.
If you're UM student/alum/faculty/staff you get a free McAfee installation from ITS (formerly ITCS)
February 15th, 2011 at 2:31 PM ^
I think there are better options than the McAfee, see those free ones mentioned above. The McAfee available for download at ITCS was rarely updated in the four years that I was there.
February 15th, 2011 at 2:45 PM ^
It's an option. It's not the greatest piece of software, but for the majority of (read: casual) computer users it's better than nothing.
February 15th, 2011 at 2:47 PM ^
ITS has a well paid engineer, Bruce Burrell, who has one job only: to update McAffee virus definitions. I used to work for housing IT and this guy is probably one of the hardest workers at UM, no I don't know him personally.
I used it my entire college career and I would get updates at least once a week.
February 15th, 2011 at 2:31 PM ^
I love it. It's fully automated, costs me $60 per year, I've never had a problem, it's very low maintenance, does everything automatically, etc.
I used a free program (I think it was AVG) on an old laptop and had problems. What I like about McAfee is it's a comprehensive solution, not just antir-virus, but, anti-spyware, firewall, etc.
Having the peace of mind that comes with knowing I'll never have a problem with my computer, and the hassle-free nature of not having to deal with it because it does everything automatically is well worth $60 per year for me.
February 15th, 2011 at 2:52 PM ^
Kapersky is one of the best if not the best out of all these programs..
Some people have had problems with AVG, more recently one of their last releases several months ago had problems nad caused a lot of people's computers to crash.
It is fixed now, but i prefer kapersky as it hardly takes up any resources, and of all the different programs, it works the best. But everyone has their own opinion so it's really up to you
February 15th, 2011 at 3:08 PM ^
but Security Essentials, AVG, or AVAST are all good options. Right now I'm using Security Essentials, and I supplement it by running Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (another great, free program) every now and then.
February 15th, 2011 at 3:48 PM ^
I know this doesn't help the OPs situation but it's the best advice I can give. Same Mac Pro for 5+ years with no problems (knock on wood).
February 15th, 2011 at 4:13 PM ^
I hate Mac people for this ^ reason.
Even if he continues to pay for his anti virus it would take 15 years for him to be able to afford a 13in Macbook that is equal to 2005 PC performance numbers.
Apples poop stinks just like everyone elses ok? You and your machine are not gods gift to us and no I will not worship at the altar of Steve "Jesus" Jobs.
In 20 years of PC computing I have had exactly 1 virus (FXSasser) and I have not once paid for an antivirus program.
Dont neg to much as I do like Apple (AAPL: $359.00 FTW) but honestly saying get a Mac b/c they dont get viruses makes you an emo hipster.
February 15th, 2011 at 4:28 PM ^
saying get a Mac b/c they dont get viruses makes you an emo hipsterit's also just plain not true
February 15th, 2011 at 5:09 PM ^
...saying get a Mac because they don't get viruses just makes him a bad salesman who's been listening to other bad salesmen.
On the other hand, your lumping "Mac people" into one category that's easy to hate just means you enjoy generalizing. There are lots of us Mac people who know better than to trumpet the imaginary immunity of Macs.
February 15th, 2011 at 6:05 PM ^
cool story bro, but Microsoft's own stats put infections of XP machines at nearly 25%. 25% of all computers running XP have a virus!
February 15th, 2011 at 7:15 PM ^
Probably because they're using IE 6. Firefox is where it's at yo.
February 15th, 2011 at 9:16 PM ^
Chrome is faster yo.
February 15th, 2011 at 9:25 PM ^
Is it free?
February 15th, 2011 at 11:36 PM ^
and it's made by google aka 'the future'
February 15th, 2011 at 5:46 PM ^
Low market share = not worth targeting FTW!
February 15th, 2011 at 3:57 PM ^
MSE is the best.
February 15th, 2011 at 4:06 PM ^
I'm assuming the OP is running Windows. If so, what version?
My experiences with Microsoft Security Essentials have been generally good, so that's probably what I'd recommend.
I'd suggest doing more:
* Run a browser other than Internet Explorer.
* If you choose Firefox, install the Adblock Plus and NoScript add-ons. The latter will make browsing visually unappealing at times, but it will save you some grief, too.
* Run as a non-privileged user whenever possible. Malware often assumes that the user has administrative privileges.
February 15th, 2011 at 4:53 PM ^
i am running Vista on a Toshiba lap-top.
I have no idea if what i did was right....but i did go to the MSE site and followed the instructions there. Uninstalled the Trend Micro....and installed the MSE stuff.
Seems to be running fine even though i still have this very irritating problem with the whole thing "locking up" ( nothing happens...the mouse wont click...especially in Yahoo mail...have to restart all the time).
I hope all is well. I honestly have no idea if what i did was correct.
February 15th, 2011 at 6:32 PM ^
I had two machines running Vista. One of them eventually refused to boot up. Not as a result of a virus but I think a flawed update. I did a system restore and got it to work again but the problem kept happening. I finally got sick of it and did a clean reinstall with Windows 7. So much better. The other Vista machine is used for emergencies only. I still use XP Pro on my work laptop. It's significantly superior to piece of shit Vista.
By the way, get Malwarebytes too.
February 15th, 2011 at 4:09 PM ^
Use avast as AV and malwarebytes as a periodic scanning utility. But the best AV is a smart user
February 15th, 2011 at 4:21 PM ^
If you originally paid for trend-micro you should verify if the renewal is automatic. Sometimes you have to go opt-out of renewals specifically, or they will charge your card again.
~rlc
February 15th, 2011 at 4:55 PM ^
and you are right, they were going to automatically bill my CC again on 2/26.
Good catch.
February 15th, 2011 at 4:32 PM ^
i have to agree with those above advocating for Microsoft Security Essentials.
was a long time avast user and switched to MSE on my home PC shortly before the the great MgoVirus scare of last month. It alerted me to something trying to infect my PC on the 2nd or 3rd day of MgoInfection.
was still using avast on my work PC, and it never alerted me to anything even though i spend vast amounts of time on this site when i should be working.
the settings in MSE are pretty simple and basic. it updates itself quietly, the scheduled scan settings are simple, and i haven't run into any issues using it. it's also found a couple viruses lurking in some downloaded files that avast never discovered.
@ Maizedout1982 - i was given a replica helmet a couple years ago as a gift, and the bar in the middle can be removed. the screws are "stripped" so that any screwdriver you try to use can't get any torque? grip? on the screws, but if you try hard enough, you can unscrew them in about 5-10 minutes and remove the bar. then, after half a bottle of johnny walker black, you can put the helmet on your head and run around in your underpants, flailing your arms and legs about in celebration when the defense wins the game vs. Illinois...
or, that's what i've heard other people do with the replica helmets.
February 15th, 2011 at 7:17 PM ^
I just added "buying a replica Michigan helmet and running around in my underwear wearing it" to my master list of things to do before I die. +1 for brilliance.
February 15th, 2011 at 5:45 PM ^
Used to have the Trend Micro suite, let it expire. Now I'm using Avira and Spybot Search & Destroy.
February 15th, 2011 at 8:10 PM ^
If you have comcast internet you have free access to Symanetc's Norton Internet Security.
I have it right now and it works great. It's low on system resources and has additional computer optimizing add-ons such as a registry cleaner, hdd optimizer, and file-clean up.