6 Things I don't get....

[technical.angel]

Someone with more experience with AVG will have to add, but you should be able to tell AVG to ignore WoW.

[Kyree]

I used AVG up until it decided that WoW was a virus. Not a file in WoW, but the game itself. I ended up having to delete both and reinstall WoW. Not fun.

[sld72382]

Ah, okay then. Makes more sense now, actually, on multiple fronts. Now, for my next question. And this one's a toughie.

Is it worth the cash?

AVG Internet Security is worth it, everything all-in-one with no system slowdown and a 2 year subscription for the same as Norton.

[Taurus52]

Free AV

Computers are my business. If you have a dialup connect AVG free is fine. It's update process is dialup friendly. If you have broadband Try Avira found at:

www.free-av.com

You can schedule weekly scans. The paid version is always top rated by av-comparatives.org. The free version uses the same engine.

Of course the real solution is to move to Linux, but that is another discussion

[Broomjockey]

When I built my PC in March of last year, it said right on Grisoft's site that the free AVG wasn't x64 aware, but the paid versions were. That's why I bought the paid edition. I just looked on Grisoft's site and the free AVG is now x64 aware, so I guess they recently updated it to make it work.

Ah, okay then. Makes more sense now, actually, on multiple fronts. Now, for my next question. And this one's a toughie.

Is it worth the cash?

[sld72382]

...Yeah it is. I can prove it. *goes to desktop* *checks anti-virus*. Yep. AVG Free. x64 Vista. There you go. Not sure what happened when you tried to install it, but I didn't have any issues other than actually *finding* it. I kept getting directed to trial versions and downloabable full versions.

When I built my PC in March of last year, it said right on Grisoft's site that the free AVG wasn't x64 aware, but the paid versions were. That's why I bought the paid edition. I just looked on Grisoft's site and the free AVG is now x64 aware, so I guess they recently updated it to make it work.

[Ree]

Hmmm...it definitely said she was using a "bootleg" version.

I even went to their site and downloaded the very latest free one again, but the message still came up.

It's possible she had something spyware related, because it took me ages to clean up her laptop after she got back from college.
I installed SpyBot and AdAware, as well as the Microsoft antispyware program, but who knows.

[trunks2k]

I used to use the free version of AVG, and I installed it on my daughter's old laptop.
I downloaded it right from their site.
I had used the free version for years and never had any issues, but about a year ago, she began to get a message every day saying she was using a bootleg version of their software, and telling her to go to their site and buy their original AVG software.

??? I wonder if she had some other non-viral spyware installed, as AVG has NEVER in the 6 years I've used it asked me to buy it. Maybe she was confusing the message it was saying a while back that they were no longer supporting a version and you had to go download the newest version (version 7 I believe). I remember my mom was telling me that her AVG was telling her that they will no longer support the Free Edition and you had to go buy it. But what the message said was something akin to "AVG Free Version 6 will no longer be supported as of date X and no more updates will be available for it. Please update to AVG 7"

The only issue I had with AVG didn't effect me. An update would accidentally result in the deletion of a certain system file when the virus scan was done. That deletion would cause an infinite reboot loop - deleting the file would cause the computer to reboot, on boot AVG would detect the file again and delete it, causing a reboot. Fortunately this issue didn't affect me, but AVG handled resolving the issue pretty poorly.

[technical.angel]

Cause the tubes are smaller, so less stuff can get through.

[HawaiianShirts]

After all this discussion of security programs, what I don't get is this:

I don't get why people insist that they don't need security software. I can understand them telling me they don't want my store's techs to install security. That's fine. But why do they claim they don't need it at all? Especially when they're buying a new computer because it's too expensive to clean out all the virus/spyware infections in their current computer.

It's also confusing when they realize that viruses can be a problem but tell me they don't need security because they'll be taking the computer to another country (I've posted about that before) like Mexico. Are there people who really believe that American internet is different from the internet in other countries and that virus/spyware infections can only be contracted in the USA?

[LostMyMind]

1. I don't get the aversion people have to installing Microsoft runtimes (example: .NET Framework 2.0) in order to make software they want to install work.

I have to admit I'm one of those people. I hate the NET runtimes (mostly because it not just runtime). Version 2.0 not bad, but still won't put 1.1 on my computer. But I know my reason for why, and I don't push my reason on to other people.

[technical.angel]

2. I don't get why people buy PCs that can barely run the OS that's installed on them, then bitch at me for saying that the PC only has enough memory to run the OS and if they want better performance they need to upgrade. Then they bitch at the manufacturer for making the PC underpowered and then bitch that the store sold them a piece of crap.

Wow, one straight out of my day.

Girl comes in complaining that she has a virus, and the virus scan wasn't picking it up. Since virus is the one word used to explain any issue on campus, C had her start up the laptop so she could show us the issue.

SS- Sucky Student

C - "It says you're out of hard drive space."
SS - "It said that before, but I cleaned it out!"
C - "You have 37kb free."
SS - "I told you, I ALREADY cleaned it out! I need this program to work!"

After a bit of back and forth, I gather that the program in question is a video editing software. I look at the laptop.

It has a 40gb harddrive. 40gb. C's still acting like she's going to troubleshoot this baby. The student is nearly hyperventilating. What is it about me and freaked out students lately??

It all started with "People are listening into my phone conversations" girl, I think.

So, I explain in very simple terms. Video editing bad. New hard drive good. Best Buy good, Helpdesk BAD.

She then figures she could move a gig of stuff onto her thumb drive and be good, so she starts quizzing me about backing up her iTUNES. HER FREAKING iTUNES.

I finally get her to go away.

She calls a little bit later, saying she couldn't remove a program.

Yep, folks, her laptop was so full, it couldn't write the necessary backup info TO REMOVE A PROGRAM.

So, once again, I told her she needed to move as many files as possible onto her thumb drive, then try again.

"Do I have to delete them off my computer after they're on the thumb drive?"

Only if you WANT THE DA..... RN thing to work!!!!!

She finally goes away... again.

Then, yes, she calls... AGAIN.

Now, our antivirus is throwing up errors, and once again, "YOU NEED TO REMOVE STUFF FROM THE LAPTOP".

I explain, she's going to have to get some space cleared up, uninstall the program, and get a disc from us and reinstall.

I get a frustrated "UGH!" and a click.

I was actually glad someone hung up on me.

Shocking.

[Broomjockey]

I have the paid edition of AVG Internet Security, mainly because I have Vista x64 and
the Free AVG isn't x64 compatible.

...Yeah it is. I can prove it. *goes to desktop* *checks anti-virus*. Yep. AVG Free. x64 Vista. There you go. Not sure what happened when you tried to install it, but I didn't have any issues other than actually *finding* it. I kept getting directed to trial versions and downloabable full versions.

[Ree]

I used to use the free version of AVG, and I installed it on my daughter's old laptop.
I downloaded it right from their site.
I had used the free version for years and never had any issues, but about a year ago, she began to get a message every day saying she was using a bootleg version of their software, and telling her to go to their site and buy their original AVG software.
(On my own old computer, I had used the free version for a long time, but then decided to pay for the full program. That computer died on me, and I lost the registration code to install the paid version on the other computer.)

[sld72382]

Norton is so fun. My father and I both, refuse to use it. And if were asked to fix a computer that has it. The VERY first thing we do is uninstall norton... sad thing is, 99% of the time, that fixes the problem.

I use AVG myself, too.

I have the paid edition of AVG Internet Security, mainly because I have Vista x64 and
the Free AVG isn't x64 compatible.

As far as removing Norton, I don't know why but 80% of my fellow techs seem to have an aversion to removing ANY security software to try and fix a problem (not just Norton). Mainly because I was told if the tech removed the software and the client did not replace it with anything, the client could very well go after us if he/she got a virus with "well the tech removed it and left me with nothing!" Which is why I perform an easy CYA move: have the client verbally acknowledge that they need to replace it with something, and put it in the case notes.

This aversion has caused me grief when I get clients that are upset that I'm the 5th or 6th tech and the issue hasn't been resolved yet, and all I have to do is remove the security software and all is well. It makes the other people look like idiots when I solved the issue in 30 minutes and the other techs wrung them around with fruitless scans for 2 hours.