Hi,

When I get my new replacement laptop, I'm going to be installing AVG Anti-Spyware Free and probably just turning off the real-time protection from the start and just using it as a scanner (to save myself needing to remember to do it and in case the real-time stuff causes me any problems/conflicts/etc. -- I'd rather avoid it). I have the instructions on how to do this from here:
http://www.castlecops.com/t137442-AVG_ANTI...structions.html
(thanks, quietman7!)

1. Does it matter when I turn off the real-time protection and turn it into a scanner, in relation to when I'm installing other programs, etc.? (I'll install ZA first, then AVG A/V Free, then probably this (turning off the real-time protection), then Ad-Aware and Spybot.)

2. Reading the instructions for AVG Antispyware Free, I see that part of the program has settings to turn off various things or change settings in Windows through the program itself. Some of these things are things that I normally do on my own in Windows.

2a. If the program is turning off something in Windows or changing a setting, will Windows actually reflect that change when you look at the setting in Windows (or will it still look like it's turned on -- and then turning it off there would actually be turning it on because it's turned off in the AVG program?).

2b. Is this part of the program that allows you to do this (I think it's in the advanced settings) disabled once you turn it into a stand-alone scanner (and turn off the real-time stuff)?

3. If you keep on the real-time stuff and the 30-days runs out, what happens if you leave the "Guard Service" running after the 30-day trial period, and don't do the instructions in the link above to change the program to only a stand-alone scanner? Does that part still work?

3a. What is that? Why would you want to turn that part off after the trail-period?

4. Anything else I should know about this program?

Thanks!

1. No. I might suggest leaving it on until the free period expires, though. You can make the change at your convenience.
2. I think it is a very good idea to have ONE place or ONE application that you use to control Windows (for example, start up applications) rather than use a bunch of applications for making changes, and then have to remember where you made the change. I have not touched the "Tools" section, if that is what you are referring to.
2a. I am not sure.
2b. No.
3. Yes, the stand alone service continues to work, and you can perform a manual scan at any time.
3.a What do you mean by "what is that."
4. Keep it updated.
Cheers,
John

Thanks for the replies! A few more follow-up questions:

No. I might suggest leaving it on until the free period expires, though. You can make the change at your convenience.

5. Leaving it on doesn't have any conflict or weird setting issue with Zone Alarm 6.5.737, does it? (That's the ZA I'll be using...) Is there anything "special" you need to do/set in ZA if you have AVG Antispyware doing its realtime monitoring?

I think it is a very good idea to have ONE place or ONE application that you use to control Windows (for example, start up applications) rather than use a bunch of applications for making changes, and then have to remember where you made the change. I have not touched the "Tools" section, if that is what you are referring to.

6. So then it doesn't automatically turn off/on anything in Windows by just installing the program? All Windows settings would still be however you have them set prior to installing the program?

6a. So if I'm going to make any changes to Windows (via msconfig or anyplace else), is it better to do those things before or after installing AVG Antispyware?

6b. Is it better to do those before installing any programs? Before creating my two logons? Before the initial Windows updates? Or does it not matter?

Yes, the stand alone service continues to work, and you can perform a manual scan at any time.

7. What I'm asking here is, in the instructions you posted at that link, it tells you to turn off the "Guard Service" when you turn the program into a stand-alone scanner, is that right? It says that after the trail period, or after you turn off the real-time stuff yourself:



7a. So what is the "Guard Service" and why do you turn it off? Especially if it still works? That's the part I don't understand... I'm probably just misunderstanding something...

Thanks! Looking forward to hearing back!

Actually, I didn't mean to say the instructions "you" posted at that link, but the ones that quietman7 did.

So any more info on any of this stuff? (And I answered your question you asked above as well...)

Thanks again!

The newest version of AVGAS requires guard.exe to be running at all times. After the trial period guard.exe will no longer provide real-time protection but it will still be running and provide the necessary functionality for AVGAS scan and update. In previous versions, this was not the case and the Guard Service could be disabled to save resources.

peter.ewido wrote:


I will update the instructions first chance I get. In the meantime, to disable real-time protection and use AVG Anti-Spyware as a stand-alone scanner before or after the trial period ends, do this:

• Launch AVG Anti-Spyware.
• From the "Status" menu, select "Change state" to inactivate 'Resident Shield' and 'Automatic Updates'.
• Then right click on AVG Anti-Spyware in the system tray and uncheck "Start with Windows".

Note: If the trial period has already expired, the Resident Shield and Automatic Updates will automatically be inactivated and the program will no longer run at startup.

Thanks, quietman! Leave the guard service on -- gotcha!

Do you happen to know the answers to the questions in my second post? (Questions #5 through #7?)

jgweed, are you still around?

Thanks again!

5. I'm not aware of any reported conflicts with ZA. There should not be anything "special" which you need to do with ZA while AVGAS is running.

6. Installing AVGAS does not affect normal Windows settings.

6a. You can make changes before or after installation.

Note: MSConfig is a troubleshooting utility used to diagnose system configuration issues. Although it works as a basic startup manager which allows you to enable/disable auto-start programs, msconfig should not be used routinely to disable startup programs. Further, msconfig does not allow you to completely remove an entry from the list. You should not use msconfig to disable startup applications related to a running service. Doing so alters the registry and there are services that are essential for hardware and booting. When you uncheck a service in msconfig, you completely disable it. If you uncheck the wrong one, you may not be able to restart your computer. You should only disable services using Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services.

A better alternative is to use a startup manager like Startup Control Panel, Autoruns or Starter by CodeStuff.
If you untick an entry it will no longer run at startup. This will allow you to experiment and see how your system performs with any of them disabled. Note: some startup programs are necessary so be careful what you disable.

7 and 7a. Already answered in my previous reply.

These are the things I have disabled currently on my laptop (which will be getting replaced, but I was originally planning on disabling these things on the new one as well).



I looked up each of these and read that none of them are needed and just use up resources that don't need to be, so I turned them off in msconfig, as shown. I haven't run into any issues that I know of (but that doesn't mean there might be something I don't know of).

So what I've turned off here is bad to do?

I realize this is a bit off-topic, but I hope we can continue to discuss this... Thanks! Looking forward to hearing back!

I think quietman7 stated it quite well:


If you want to disable programs from running at startup, use the Options menu of the program, if available, and if not, use a third party startup manager, such as the ones he suggested.
Spybot also contains a startup manager.

Also as started by quietman7, to disable Services, use "Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services."

Thanks for the reply. I don't think any of these things can be turned off in the program, because I'm almost positive I checked that first.

Are any of these services then? What I show above are all in the startup tab. I don't have anything turned off in msconfig in the services tab.

Which of those three programs suggested to you think would be best for me (i.e. easiest to use and not to mess something up). I looked at the screenshots, and it seems a little daunting...

I also see that Startup Control Panel has an installed version and an stand-alone version. What's the difference? It seems one would prefer to have something that didn't have to install, so then why two different versions? What's the advantage of one over the other?

Thanks for the help! Looking forward to hearing back!

quietman7 & tg1911 -- any more thoughts/answers on this stuff? Any further assistance/information is appreciated, as always! Thanks!

If you are unsure what any of the startup entries are or if they are safe to disable, then search one of the following Startup Databases:
Startup Programs Database
StartupList Index

The standalone version can be extracted and used from any location you choose. The setup version will install itself in Control Panel. Of the three startup managers, this is the most basic but probably easiest for you.

Those are the lists I looked at when deciding to turn off that stuff in msconfig.

I'm confused about things listed in startup in msconfig not being programs but services. Are some of the things I show in msconfig/startup as being turned off above actually "services" and should be turned off as services instead?

Or are they all startup programs that should be turned off in startup like I have them, but just not doing so with msconfig but with one of the programs you suggested instead...?



Gotcha. But what are the advantages/disadvantages of the standalone vs. the installed version? Why would anybody want to install the program when they can just use the standalone? Do both work the same exact way?

If the program is turning stuff off in Windows for you, how is that kept track of if, say, you turn startup stuff off with the standalone version, then remove the standalone version from your computer. Are the things still turned off in startup? Yet it's still different than just turning them off in msconfig like I did? How?

(I hope that question makes sense! )

Thanks!

Sounds like you need to read an MSConfig Tutorial.

They both work the same. Each tab represents a place where a program can be registered to run at system startup in the registry. A disabled program will not run at system startup. MSConfig does the same thing but it was not intended to be routinely used as a startup manager.

As I said, the setup version installs in Control Panel so it can easily be located and used from there like other Control Panel entries. The standalone could be accidentially deleted or you may forget where you put it.

Thanks for the link. Just read it -- but it was all standard stuff I knew already. Unless I missed something, I don't think it really answered my questions...?

It also seemed to imply that it's okay to use msconfig to turn off startup stuff unless you have a lot, then it suggests using the startup manager they have available for download. But that goes against what you're saying, doesn't it?



So when you uncheck (i.e. turn something off) in a Startup Manager, if you then look at startup in msconfig, will that item be unchecked (meaning, if I used a startup manager and unchecked the same things I have unchecked in the image above, after rechecking them in msconfig, and then looked at startup in msconfig again, would it look the same exact way as it does above?).

Thanks!

In all this discussion (which I find very difficult to follow, I'm afraid), I haven't seen a single good reason for NOT using msconfig to disable startups (I mean programs, not services), even though the advice is printed in bold italics. My computer has been running with a bunch of startups disabled in msconfig for nearly two years now, with no ill effects that I can see.

I once tried using the 'software explorer' section of Windows Defender to disable a startup, and the item disappeared from the list never to be seen again. I have no idea how I'd re-establish it as a startup item after that disappearance if I needed to, and will certainly not repeat the experiment.

However, if I use msconfig all the disabled items are still there with unticked boxes that can be ticked, later, if need be.

Alan D's post brings up some good points -- I hope the experts kindly posting on this thread can address those...?

I'm also hoping you folks can let me know about my questions in my last post here:
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/ind...mp;#entry583335

...as well as the following:

Is there anything that AVG Anti-Spyware Real-Time Monitor does when you do Windows Updates that I should be aware of? Do you need to allow or ignore any kind of warning when the updates are being downloaded or applied (especially when Windows is "changing" due to the updates)?

So now that it's been established that the Resident Shield does not get turned off at any point -- if you plan to use the real-time monitor, is there any reason to turn anything off at any point before the 30 days runs out? Or do you end up with the same exact results/status if you just let it run out without turning anything off as compared to turning it off early (or even after the 30 days) per those instructions? Meaning, can I install it, use the real-time update for the 30 days, then let it run out and become a stand-alone scanner "on its own" without ever doing anything mentioned in those instructions?

Looking forward to hearing back -- thanks!

He is entitled to his opinion but as I said, although msconfig works as a basic startup manager, IMO it should not be used routinely to disable startup programs. Msconfig does not list all applications loaded in all possible startup locations (some entry points are hidden and unknown to the user) and does not allow the complete removal of disabled entries from its list. Thus, I prefer and recommend any of the third party replacements I already mentioned.

Not that I am aware of.

No, unless you don't want to use it.

When the trial period expires, the Resident Shield and Automatic Updates will automatically be inactivated and the program will no longer run at startup. At that point you can continue to use it as a stand-alone scan. The detailed instructions are primarily intended to advise how to properly perform a scan.

Just a few thoughts (going back on topic) about the AVG solution.

AVG antispyware is based on the Ewido program, which was always very highly-regarded I believe, as a standalone antispyware system. But these days, when the boundaries between virus/spyware/malware are rather blurred, it seems to me that the important thing is to get an integrated solution of some kind in place as a solid base for security.

If you're going to go down the AVG route (as I have, also), then it seems to me that having both AVG antivirus and AVG antispyware together makes eminent sense. Whatever decisions AVG make about where to put what type of protection, it won't really matter in principle, because in total all the weaknesses should be covered, by one or the other. (AVG AV plus Windows Defender would be a less attractive combination, for instance, because although both offer real-time protection, you don't know what's happening in that blurry area between AV and AS protection.)

The purely free AVG route has a disadvantage, though, because AVG AS won't offer real-time monitoring after the trial period expires, and that would leave you with antivirus real-time protection, but no antispyware real-time protection. An integrated solution is available in the form of AVG Antimalware (or in my case the AVG Internet Security suite), which covers all the bases but of course does cost a bit of cash (even so it seems very good value to me compared with the competition).

Bearing all this in mind, I opted for that integrated (paid for) AVG solution as a backbone, together with the MVPS hosts file, Spywareblaster, and a selection of on-demand free scanners (Superantispyware, a-squared, Defender, AdAware SE, Spybot, and AVG Antirootkit).

Gotcha. So:

1. There are other things that don't show up in msconfig/startup that actually do start up -- and you can turn these things off with one of those startup managers?

2. Why would you want to completely remove one of the startup items after you disable it? What is the benefit?

3. Once a startup item is removed, what if you want to have it start up again? Are you out of luck? (And if so, then maybe it's better to not completely remove a startup item?)

Thanks!

That's true... but I only use dial-up, so I'm guessing I don't need antispyware real-time protection as much as someone with high-speed internet, right? And if I use the AVG Antispyware Free Scanner once a week (after the real-time protection ends), shouldn't I be covered...? What do you think?

On my replacement laptop (still will only be using dial-up), I plan to use AVG A/V Free, AVG Antispyware Free, Zone Alarm Free 6.5.737, AVG Anti-Rootkit Scanner Free, Lavasoft Ad-Aware 6.0 Free, and SpyBot S&D. (That's what I've got now as well, except I don't have AVG Antispyware... I'm waiting for the new laptop to install that.)

Does that seem pretty good for dial-up?

And do you have any advice/comments on anything I should be aware of when I install/use all that on my replacement laptop, since it sounds like you're using a very similar setup?

Thanks!

I would get SpywareGuard and SpywareBlaster for real time spyware protection. They are both completely free and work well with each other. I got AVG Anti-Spyware and after I realized the real time is only a trial I turned it off. What is the point in getting used to something only for it not to work after a month (That and I try to get the most out of my internet security for free ;) ) I would also advise you stray away from Zonealarm unless you currently use it and have no problems. I would suggest Comodo as a firewall and it's BoDemon. That is perfect for real time trojan protection. About the dial up, I would like to point out that using a constant internet source does up your chances of getting malware just as constantly driving a car increases the chance of getting in an accident. Your firewall is supposed to stop this threat by closing open ports but everything else you do (on broadband or dial-up) increases your chances of malware infection (especially if you have poor browsing habits). Once again I'm no expert but I like to tinker around with my internet security and would like to share my input with others. Hope I semi-helped.

Autoruns and Starter both offer more versatility.

It could be an orphaned entry left behind that is not needed any longer or results in an error during boot up, a malware related entry pointing to a file that was removed, an entry you are sure you will never want to use again or is an available option directly within the program itself.

Just relaunch the program and place a check next to the program you want to run at startup again.

SpywareBlaster is a program that blocks spyware tracking cookies in Internet Explorer and Mozilla/Firefox. It also restricts the actions of potentially dangerous sites in Internet Explorer by adding a list of sites and domains associated with known spyware, advertisers and marketers to Internet Explorer's Restricted Sites Zone. SB does not run in the background. Instead it only requires installation and then enabling of all protection. After that you only have to check periodically for database updates and then enable all protection again.

I don't think it will make much difference, actually. A high-speed internet connection in conjunction with a router may even be less at risk than a simple dialup connection, because the router will provide very secure firewall protection. If you're just surfing, I can't see any difference: if you hit a bad website, you'll still get the bad file downloaded onto your machine whether you're on dial-up or not.


No, I don't think this is the same at all. It's one thing to try to remove malware once it's embedded in your machine, and quite another to intercept it before it has the chance to install. Let me give you an example. A few months ago I Googled a website that ought to have been perfectly harmless but which actually quickly redirected me to somewhere that clearly wasn't. Instantly AVG Resident Shield flashed up a warning to tell me that a bad file (in this case it was an exploit.ani file but it could have been anything) had just been placed in my temporary internet files, and offered to quarantine it. Of course I said yes, and then I deleted it, and that was the end of the matter.

Now suppose I hadn't had the AS real time protection running (as you're proposing), and suppose the malware had been a file that the AV wouldn't detect, but the AS would. The file would have lurked there undetected until either (worst scenario) it was activated, or I deleted my temporary internet files, or until I ran a scan. I could easily have found myself with an infected computer with all the problems of removing the infection and then the uncertainty about knowing whether all traces had really been removed. Far, far better to have the file removed before it could do anything. That's the importance of real time protection.


There's no antispyware real-time protection in this list (unless you use Spybot's tea-timer? I've never used that myself so I don't know just how effective it is, but it does give a measure of protection). That's a serious omission, as I've explained above. If you have to use only free software then why not install Windows Defender? It may not be the best antispyware program around but it DOES offer real-time protection and must surely be a whole lot better than no r.t.p at all. As a matter of fact, I run both AVG Antimalware and Defender in real-time and they work very well together.

The best approach is a layered one, where you do your utmost to prevent the malware getting installed in the first place. DO use Spybot's immunization facility. And also use Spybot's hosts file (I believe the MVPS hosts file is more effective, but not so simple to install). And also install SpywareBlaster. These will all substantially reduce the likelihood of you getting infected in the first place. No protection is perfect, but that doesn't mean you can't stack the odds in your favour.

I also have a great deal of confidence in SuperAntispyware as an on-demand scanner. People whose opinions I regard very highly often speak of how effective it is at removing stubborn infections that other programs can't remove.

I couldn't agree more with everything you said.
Spybot S&D allows you to merge its own items into the hosts file, and the result is very neat in that S&D labels their own section which helps updates from both S&D and MVPS. yes, maintenance is a bit of a busy work.

Bloomcounty:
I would add alternative browsers such as Firefox or Opera as a safety net. Opera has superb site-by-site protection, url filter and cache separate from IE, so nothing makes it through to the OS.

LinkScanner Lite, or SiteAdvisor are handy in that they mark possibly suspicious sites right on the google results page.

Between Spybot and SpywareBlaster a lot of ground is covered. Yes, use TeaTimer, so long as it does not interfere with another protection when it comes to registry changes.

Dialup is more subject to trouble. It has nothing to do with slow speed/high speed. It has to do with the fact that you can add a router with broadband. Dial-up throws you from place to place to place and you never know where you're going next behind the scenes.

Spybot has an excellent Startup list where it shows you the details of the program. And you can turn things off from startup, and if it doesn't work, back on - all easy and very reliable. Do not, as quietman7 said to you over and over, use msconfig.

Thanks for the posts everyone! Unfortunately the reply I just spent the last 1.5 hours typing just got erased, so I'm starting from scratch again. Curses!

Your posts have definitely got me thinking, so that's a good thing. But it also brings up a bunch of new questions, so I hope you don't mind!

First, some info:

*My replacement laptop will have XP Pro
*I use Firefox for all internet browsing, except for Windows Updates and the occasional Office Updates
*I have dial-up (as stated)

Questions:

1. Re: Comodo Free Firewallversion 2.4 vs. Zonealarm Free 6.5.737 vs. AVG Internet Security Firewall -- Firewall stuff tends to make my head spin. I've been using ZA Free 7.0.302, but due to the size of it (since the Pro stuff is just turned off) and it possibly acting weird (you may have seen my long thread on this), I was going to use ZA Free 6.5.737 on my replacement laptop coming up instead. Then Maabsta recommended Comodo, so I looked at their site -- but then I saw that it supposedly has a vulnerability that won't be fixed until the next version (if that even) -- although I don't know what any of that actually means in that thread. Alan D has me considering just bying teh AVG Internet Security, which includes a firewall -- but how does that one measure up? Alan D, which do you use?

I actually started a thread about this since it's off-topic a bit, if anybody would prefer to post about this item there instead:
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic102528.html

2. Re: SpyBot Startup List -- I looked at this and I noticed that some things listed in it are things I have unchecked in msconfig/startup and they are listed in SpyBot/startup as "Startup (disabled)". However, there are many things that I have unchecked in msconfig/startup that are NOT listed at all in SpyBot/startup. Why is this? Does it have something to do with the fact that maybe they are related to services? Or perhaps that I never downloaded the "Updated Startup Entry Descriptions" (since it's not marked as priority)? Regardless, if these items are not listed in SpyBot/startup, and I'm not supposed to turn them off with msconfig/startup, then how would I turn them off?

3. Re: SpyBot Hosts File -- How do I use this and/or turn it on? I use the immunize -- is it the same thing? The other day I searched for a hosts file on my computer and the thing I found was blank (well, it actually just showed an example of an entry if I were using it -- which seems to imply I'm not). So if that's the case, how do I turn on the SpyBot hosts file? Or should it be on already and something is wrong here...?

4. Re: SpyBot Teatimer -- Years ago, when I first started using SpyBot, I read that this causes conflicts or something, so I've never used it. I'm hoping that with the rest of the programs I'll be using, this won't be necessary...?

5. Re: SpywareBlaster -- Lots of recommendations for this here. Guess I'll add it to the arsenal, as long as there are no conflicts with anything else we're discussing?

6. Re: SpywareGuard -- It's own site says it could cause conflicts, so I think I'd rather skip it, just to be safe...

7. Re: Comodo BOClean Anti-Malware Version 4.24 -- I noticed this while looking at the Comodo site. Should I add this to the arsenal as well, or are there any conflicts with anything else we're discussing?

8. Re: SuperAntiSpyware -- I knew someone who installed this and it crashed their computer. But I kept reading that it's good too. So my thought is that it's not something I need, but can download/install it if/when the time comes that I have an infection (especially since the free version isn't a real-time protection thing anyways). Sound good?

9. Re: AVG Internet Security vs. AVG A/V Free & AVG Antispyware Pro -- Alan D, you said you have the full paid AVG package, so do you use the firewall as well? It looks like the Firewall is the only difference between these two options here, right? I'm considering paying for something from AVG, so is the whole package worth it, even if you don't use the firewall? Or is it best/easiest just to us the whole thing?

10. So, tentitively, I plan to use either AVG Internet Security (with it's firewall) or AVG A/V Free & AVG Antispyware Pro together with either Zone Alarm Free 6.5.737 or Comodo Free Firewallversion 2.4, along with AVG Anti-Rootkit Scanner Free, Lavasoft Ad-Aware 6.0 Free, SpyBot S&D, SpywareBlaster, and (maybe) Comodo BOClean Anti-Malware Version 4.24.

10a. To reiterate a bit -- Any conflicts between any of this stuff?

10b. I'm I correct in saying that even with all those things, the only real-time malware protection is if I buy either the AVG Internet Security Suite or the AVG Antispyware Pro?

Whew! Typed it all in again from memory!

Thanks again for the help! Looking forward to hearing back!

I have the full AVG Internet Security suite, which includes the firewall. I'm used to it and it suits me quite well, but many people don't like all-inclusive suites and you may be one of them. It really doesn't matter whether the package includes a firewall or not (as long as you have one). The REALLY important thing is to get the integrated approach to real-time AV/AS detection and protection.


You have to actively choose it. Open Spybot and switch to advanced mode. At bottom left of screen choose 'Tools'. Look down the list on the left hand side and choose 'Hosts file'. At top of screen click 'Add Spybot-S&D Hosts list' and you're done.


I've never used it, but it would be a long way down my list of options. I'd install Defender instead.


I've never heard of SpywareBlaster conflicting with anything. There is some interaction between it, and Spybot's immunisation (because they're both making effectively the same kind of changes to the registry), so if you uninstalled one of them, you'd affect the protection offered by the other; but that's a minor point. Together they offer better protection than they do individually.


It doesn't matter what program is mentioned, there will always be someone who has had a bad experience with it. Your story is the first time I've ever heard of a problem of this kind with Superantispyware. A scan with Superantispyware at least once a week is a regular part of my security maintenance routine, because it's not just a good removal tool; it also has an impressive reputation for finding stuff as well. I know of one occasion where it was the only scanner to flag up a bad file on someone's computer; all the other onboard scanners showed nothing; but further testing proved it wasn't a false positive - it really was malware, and SAS was the only scanner that found it. I'd never be without it, myself.


If you go down the AVG route, you have basically three choices for a 1 year subscription:
AVG Antispyware $29.95
AVG Antimalware $33.95
AVG Internet Security suite $52.95

If you have a free firewall you're happy with, why pay more to get a different one? I don't think there's anything particularly marvellous about the AVG firewall - I just like having everything controlled from a single control centre, as it is in the suite. If that's not important to you, save the money.

You can just buy AVG Antispyware alone, but for another $4 you can get the fully integrated Antimalware - and along with that the full personal support by email, and the daily updates, that AVG offer. That's worth thinking about.


Not quite. You can also get AVG Antimalware as I explained above, which combines the AV and AS scanners.

And remember, there's also Windows Defender, which is free, and which does offer real time protection. It will run in real time very happily alongside AVG, adding yet another barrier to the malware. At a pinch, you could use Defender alone, but I'd feel vulnerable if it were me.

No, you are not correct.

The freeware version of AVG Anti-virus has real-time virus protection in that it scans as files are opened and programs are run.

Spybot's TeaTimer is real-time protection in that it can detect known malicious processes wanting to start and terminate them. It also detects when something wants to change critical registry keys letting you block the changes if you want.

SpywareBlaster is real time protection in that it prevents the installation of ActiveX-based spyware, adware, browser hijackers, dialers, and other potentially unwanted software and restricts the actions of potentially unwanted sites in Internet Explorer.

If you use Firefox you can install the NoScript extension, which allows JavaScript and Java execution only for trusted domains of your choice.

I think Bloomcounty was aware of this. We were actually focusing on putting in place the kind of real-time Anti-spyware protection that (say) the AVG Resident Shield provides, but this thread has wandered around quite a bit en route, so that point may have got lost along the way.

I was aware that the discussion was primarily focussed on spyware protection; however, bloomcounty specifically asked about real-time malware protection, and I wanted to clarify that AVG Anti-virus (freeware) offers such protection.

In my opinion, there is no need to purchase any security software as perfectly adequate protection can be achieved with freeware applications.

I'm sorry, I don't follow this.

Leaving aside the AVG Security suite, there are three distinct AVG options: the Antivirus; the Antispyware; and the Antimalware (which combines both). My concern in the whole of this discussion has been what happens in the rather blurred boundary region between the coverage of an antivirus program, and the coverage of an antispyware program. Hence the need for a properly integrated solution.

Certainly you can get AVG free which offers real-time protection; but the free version of the Antispyware does not (after the trial period expires). I don't see how you can get a properly integrated real time protection out of that combination without spending some money to maintain the real time protection of the Antispyware component. (To avoid confusion, I'm using AVG's own terminology here - virus/spyware/malware).

Of course you can add OTHER free antispyware programs to AVG free, like Defender, and get some realtime antispyware protection that way. But that isn't the kind of integrated solution I was talking about.

Thanks for the replies! Some more follow-ups:

tos, quietman7 & tg1911 -- Question #2 is more for you. I will refrain from using msconfig/startup to disable stuff on my replacement laptop -- but I need to know why all those items don't show up in the SpyBot/startup list and how you'd turn them off if they're not on the list (but do show up in msconfig/startup). Thanks!

3. Re: SpyBot Hosts File -- Okay, I turned that on and the stuff is listed in the Hosts file now. I do notice that the internet is a bit slower here at bleepingcomputer.com now (seems to hang a bit), but maybe that's just the nature of the beast? I guess better to be more secure.

3a. However, the Hosts option wasn't even listed in SpyBot for me at first. I had to check the box for it under the main Tools options, then it appeared (so I never even knew about it). There are some other things that are unchecked here (so they don't show up on the menu on the left). They are: Bug Report, ActiveX, BHOs, Browser Pages, Opt Out, and Process List. Should I check any of these and thus add them to the menu at the left? If so, then what? Anything?

7. Re: Comodo BOClean Anti-Malware Version 4.24 -- Alan D, so you don't use this as part of your arsenal? Any reason?

9. Re: AVG Internet Security vs. AVG A/V Free & AVG Antispyware Pro -- Alan D, you wrote:

You can just buy AVG Antispyware alone, but for another $4 you can get the fully integrated Antimalware - and along with that the full personal support by email, and the daily updates, that AVG offer. That's worth thinking about.

9a. I'm not understanding the difference between using AVG A/V Free & AVG Antispyware Pro and using AVG Antimalware Pro? Is it essentially the same thing? Or is it that if I went with the first choice, I'd only have tech support for the Antimalware but not the A/V? And/or is the first choice actually used as two separate programs and the second choice (Antimalware Pro) is actually used as one program?

9b. Does AVG A/V Free work fine with AVG Antispyware Pro?

9c. If I started off with just AVG A/V Free and AVG Antispyware Free (with the real-time for the first 30 days) and at some point after, I decided to get Antimalware Pro -- is it problematic going to that? Do you have to uninstall and reinstall (with potential issues), or would it just copy over what I'd already have?

10a. Just want to verify -- so no conflicts with any of this stuff between each other, nor with either ZA Free 6.5.737 or Comodo Firewall Pro Free? What about Windows Defender? (I guess you wouldn't use that with another real-time anti-spyware, because it would system hog or conflict?)

11. So is AVG Free A/V antimalware protection? I didn't think so, but it sounds like Budapest is saying that? Or am I misunderstanding? Maybe we need to define a/v, spyware, and malware? So AVG Free A/V protects against malware (because a virus would be considered malware?) but not spyware?

12. What's the best/safest links to download this stuff from (other than the AVG and ZA)? Their own sites? Or is it all available on Softpedia?

Thanks again! Looking forward to hearing back!

Some people do notice a certain sluggishness when they use a hosts file, though I haven't, myself. I'd suggest you see if you can live with it for now. There is a better solution, but at the moment you seem to have rather a lot on your plate. Why not give this a try and ask later about the 'Hostsman' alternative if it bugs you.


It's up to you. If you tick 'BHO's for instance it will tell you about the browser helper objects loaded in Internet Explorer. If that information is helpful for you, go ahead and tick the box. You can't do any harm just by looking, and you'll get to know your way around Spybot (and learn a bit more about parts of your system).


No, and no. I just haven't got around to investigating it. However, I already have a good battery of on-demand scanners that I trust, so I don't feel that's something I need to act on urgently.


I have no experience of using the two separate programs. AVG AS may offer a few additional tools (like Ewido used to, on which it's based) but I don't know about that. What I DO know (because I asked Grisoft specifically about this before buying the Internet Security suite) is that the level of protection offered by AVG Antimalware is basically the same as you would get by using the two separate (paid) programs (AVG AV & AS) together.


Never tried it. But I suspect Grisoft would lose all credibility if they didn't work perfectly together!


I have no experience of doing that, so I can't say.


I've been running Defender with real time protection alongside AVG Antimalware (the security suite version which is essentially the same) for many, many months with no problems at all. Startup from cold takes a bit longer with Defender switched on, but that doesn't bother me, and I feel it's a small price to pay for the extra security. But I've been using Defender right through its beta stages so have grown to feel comfortable with it. Some people don't.


I was puzzled by Budapest's comment too, because AVG Free offers real-time antivirus protection but does NOT include antispyware protection of any kind. Here's Grisoft's own table showing what it does:
http://www.grisoft.com/doc/products-avg-an...dition/us/crp/2
Let's not get distracted by what the words 'might' mean - let's stick to what AVG means by them: they make a broad division into 'viruses' (covered by AVG AV, including the free version) and 'spyware' (covered by AVG AS); then they group all these together and call them 'malware' (covered by AVG AM). In these terms (which is what I mean by them), AVG Free does not offer full antimalware real-time protection. If you want to cover all the bases with real-time protection using AVG in a coherent way, you have to pay a bit of cash.

The whole point of my argument is that there is (we are told) an increasingly grey area between what an antivirus program would be expected to detect, and what an antispyware program would be expected to detect. One designer might include 'systemwrecker.exe' in his antivirus software; another might include it in his antispyware component. The important thing from the user's point of view is that he needs to know that somewhere on his system, he has something that is capable of detecting systemwrecker.exe. He doesn't care which bit of his security system detects it, as long as it's detected. That's why I keep advocating (to the point of tedium) an integrated solution. Anything else is likely to leave some doors open, and maybe let systemwrecker.exe get in by default.

3. Re: SpyBot Hosts File -- I'll live with it for now, especially since it's still my old laptop that will be replaced soon. Once I try it on the new laptop and if it's problematic, I'll let you know! Thanks!

9. Re: AVG Internet Security vs. AVG A/V Free & AVG Antispyware Pro -- That all makes sense and I understand what you're saying about an integrated solution. It sounds like the AVG Antimalware Pro (for the four extra bucks) is probably the way to go (though I lose trying out the Antispyware part of it first; however, since I now have my current laptop and my replacement laptop and a couple weeks to kill until I switch over, I may just download AVG Antispyware Free for my current laptop and see what it's like).

9d. Does AVG Antimalware Pro "looks/works" like AVG A/V Free (which is what I have now)?

9e. I'm also curious if AVG Antimalware Pro is the same exact program as AVG Internet Security but just with the firewall and antispam stuff turned off? (Meaning, do you actually have that stuff on your computer taking up space and its just turned off, the same way ZA Free 7.x is huge because it has the Pro stuff as part of it, but just turned off?)

9f. It looks like a two-year subscription is only $11 more... So wouldn't it be better to do that? If you just get a one-year subscription, do you have to pay another 33.95 for another year after it's over? What happens to the program after the paid subscription runs out? What exactly is the "subscription" part?

9g. Do you actually get software in the mail? Or is the Pro stuff just downloads as well?

Thanks!

I've never used AVG Free so I can't say. But my impression is that it will be very, very similar (with that horrible ugly clunky AVG look!)


Very possibly! But I don't know.


The subscription entitles you to free email support and definition updates every day. When your subscription expires, you lose the daily updates and email support. If you know for sure that you want to stick with AVG for two years, get the 2 year sub. I would prefer to try it for a year, myself, in case after a year I wanted to try out the competition: - but that's your decision.


They once sent me some software by email in response to an enquiry from me - the software performed a diagnostic test which allowed them to figure out what the problem was that I'd been having. I can't remember now what it was - but this was in the early days - I bought the suite only a few days after its launch, so there were a few rough edges, then.

Now this I don't understand... You lose the daily updates when the subscription expires, but if you have AVG A/V Free and (AVG Antispyware Free, even after the real-time stuff expires) you can get updates every day all the time. So if you take out the email support, why are you paying for daily subscriptions that you can't get after a year when you can get them for free continuously with the free version?

The only real thing you're getting by paying for AVG Antimalware Pro (other than the email support) is the ability to keep the AVG Antispyware real-time scanner going longer than 30-days, is that right? Or am I looking at this wrong?

And if that's the case, then I'm starting to think I'd be better off with AVG A/V Free and AVG Antimalware Pro (if I like the real-time part after 30 days).

Thoughts?

Thanks!

I don't think you're seeing the whole picture clearly, for three reasons:

1. First, let's get this in perspective. We're talking about a mere extra $4 for the anti-malware, as opposed to the antispyware. For me, that $4 would be worth paying for the email technical support alone (I've already had more than my money's worth in that way). Their technical support is excellent. Every email is replied to, often in detail, and with genuinely helpful help, usually within 24 hours and always within 48 hours in my experience. I'm not sure how limiting it would be to have support only for the antispyware component.

2. For your extra $4 you also get the convenience of having just one program, instead of two. One updating process covers everything. One scan scans for everything. Again, I would pay $4 for that convenience, because I want to send LESS time fiddling with security programs, not more (that's why I have the whole security suite.)

3. The differences are not so cut-and dried, because the free version is less versatile. This is the list of limitations of the free edition, as given by Grisoft (these are their words, not mine). These may or may not be important to you.

Limitations
Less protection — AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition does not detect potentially unwanted programs.
No server support — AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition cannot be installed on server operating systems (such as Windows Server 2003), nor can it be used for the scanning of network drives.
No customization — Scheduling options in the AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition are very limited (only one scheduled update per day, one scheduled scan per day etc.). Also the Resident Shield configuration is limited with no exclusion settings. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition does not offer advanced testing options, password-protected archives reporting, adjustment of scan process priority and many other features.
Slower updates — AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition receives updates via a lower priority service. Priority updating via high-speed servers is only available for commercial versions.
No technical support!


Surely this is a typo, and you mean Anti SPYware Pro?
Well, if that's what will suit you, go ahead. You'll save $4 on a 1 year subscription; but to set against that you'll have two programs to look after instead of one, and you'll have technical support only for the spyware component. That wouldn't suit me, but happily, we're all different.....

[Afterthought: it occurs to me that I don't actually know the details of what happens when the subscription expires, because I've never been in that position, nor even thought seriously about it, really - I presume it depends on what version (suite/malware/av/spyware) you've been running. I presume you'd lose the AS real time protection, but maybe the updates continue? I simply don't know. It doesn't bother me because at the end of the year, either I'll be renewing my subscription (most likely), or I'll be trying some other (paid) security product. I think you'll have to ask Grisoft about that if you really need to know.]

Alan D -- Thanks for laying that out and putting it into perspective! I certainly agree with what you're saying (especially now that I see in detail the limitations of the free versions). The clincher would be to find out what *does* happen after the subscription service ends -- whether or not you get to still get updates. If anybody here knows that, please let me know (I'm not sure how to contact Grisoft, and I can't post on their board.) Alan D -- If it's not too much trouble, could you email them and ask that question? If not, I totally understand... Either way, thanks!

But I'm definitely leading towards the Antimalware Pro now (and, yes, that was a typo).

And if anybody has answers to these still:

tos, quietman7 & tg1911 -- Question #2 is more for you (or anybody who knows). I will refrain from using msconfig/startup to disable stuff on my replacement laptop -- but I need to know why all those items don't show up in the SpyBot/startup list and how you'd turn them off if they're not on the list (but do show up in msconfig/startup). Thanks!

12. What's the best/safest links to download this stuff from (other than the AVG and ZA)? Their own sites? Or is it all available on Softpedia?

Thanks again!

You can contact their sales department yourself here:
http://www.grisoft.com/doc/support-sales/us/crp/0
(For the three boxes, select 'nothing'; 'general product information'; and 'I need help selecting a product that's right for me'. Then click 'continue'; then on the next page 'contact sales support' and ask your question.)

Yes, you can still get updates. You have to do the update manually: that is, you have to open the program and click "Update now".

Good point. DNS serivce needs to be disabled and computer rebooted for the HOSTS file to take effect alone, without Windows doing it and getting all confused. When I failed to disable DNS service, boy, was things slow. then I read instructions MVPS provided as well as a Tutorial on this site.

Here is a link to the hosts file tutorial:

The Hosts File and what it can do for you

I use Hostsman to look after the hosts file, which includes the (recommended) option for disabling the DNS client in its UI. The Spybot hosts facility is designed deliberately to make the implementation of a hosts file as simple as possible, so I assumed it silently looked after the disabling of the DNS client too, when its hosts file is added. But I don't actually know if it does. Does anyone?

3. Re: SpyBot Hosts File -- I read the tutorial link and found it kind of confusing... I'm not really noticing any slow-down on my dial-up now (as I've restarted my computer since installing the hosts file at this point). I did check, and my DNS Client Service is still active (so SpyBot doesn't turn it off).

3a. It says that if I stop this service, "the computer will not be able to resolve DNS names and locate Active Directory domain controllers. If this service is disabled, and services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start." So that sounds a bit scary for disabling and/or stopping this... Why wouldn't I need this? Note that I only have the SpyBot stuff in the hosts file, which are the "bad sites", right? Not any "good sites" -- and I didn't want to try adding "good sites" -- so wouldn't it be bad to stop this service?

3b. What's the difference between disabling and stopping? And do you do them differently?

3c. I didn't backup the original hosts file (which only had an explanation of what it is in it and a sample line). That text is still in there, followed by the stuff SpyBot added. So I guess that's okay I didn't do that? (I didn't know I was supposed to...)

9. Re: AVG Anti-Malware Pro, etc. (con't) --



That's good to know!

9h. So with the license it would just download the updates itself each day when I connected to the internet (dial-up)? I actually have the auto-update turned off on my AVG A/V Free because I prefer to do it manually (I thought I read that having auto update is just one more thing running at startup and continuously that doesn't need to be?). (Hmm... so actually, on the free A/V you can set it to check on it's own -- so what's the difference?)

9i. Is there a tutorial here (or elsewhere) for setting up and using AVG Antimalware Pro?

9j. How do you purchase it and how quick is the process? (I'll need to do all my downloading and setting up at a friend's house with high-speed internet.) Do you just pay with credit card at the AVG site then the download starts right then? Then double-click the .exe and install (like with the free versions)?

9k. Do you also get a downloaded manual when you buy AVG Antimalware Pro?

9l. Is it worth paying the extra $11 for the back-up disk?

Thanks again! I really appreciate all the help, and you folks sticking with me. Looking forward to hearing back!

Ah! Thanks for resolving that question.


I'm at the edge of my knowledge here so I think you may need better advice than mine. My understanding is that the DNS Client caches information about previously visited websites in order to speed up the business of resolving DNS names; if it's disabled, that means the cache won't be used, but the names can still be resolved. I use a program called Hostsman to control my hosts file, and it disables the DNS Client service by default. I haven't noticed any adverse effect.

However, the only reason I'm aware of for disabling the DNS Client is to prevent any slowing down of your browsing by a large hosts file. I didn't notice any slowing down with the Spybot hosts file either (when I used to use it), and it seems that neither do you. So it sounds to me as if the whole business of whether or not you disable the DNS Client is irrelevant to you. Maybe there's a security issue that I don't know about? Do please check all this out with others. I'm not entirely sure of my ground.


It's a while since I last did this myself. But there's a button to 'Remove Spybot S&D's hosts file'. If you click on that it will take all those web addresses out and leave just your single original entry. I presume you can then back that up if you want.


If I recall correctly, you can download and install the trial version and actually get it up and running before paying. Then pay for the product. I can't remember the exact procedure. I think they send you a purchase key by email that allows you to register the product, after which they send you a licence key which releases the trial restriction. However, I'm trying to recall details from doing this last October, so I can't be sure it's exactly as I describe.


I think you can download any of the manuals at any time - now, if you like.


I doubt it. Once you've downloaded it, you can back it up onto disc yourself.

3d. Do you mean a security issue with having the SpyBoy hosts file in there and having the DNS Client Service *active*? What could that be? (Should I "turn off" the SpyBot hosts file if that's the case then?) Or do you mean possibly just if I were to deactivate it? (I'm guessing I'll probably just leave it on...)



Gotcha. I'll have to think about whether or not I want to just buy it outright from the start or do the trial version thing first...

9m. I noticed at this link:
http://www5.grisoft.com/doc/downloads-prod...s/crp/2?prd=amw

...there are a bunch of updates listed towards the bottom. When you download the program, do you need to download these updates as well before running it? Or will the program install these updates within the program itself when you run it?

9n. I also noticed that it says:

Anti-Spyware on-access scanner is available only on Windows 2000 SP4 + Update Rollup 1, Windows XP SP2, Windows XP Pro x64 Edition SP1 and Windows Vista.

I don't know what this means, but I do know my replacement laptop has XP Pro SP2 on it -- so does that mean the Anti-Spyware scanner is not even going to work on that? Am I back to square one now...?! (I hope that's not the case!)

Thanks again!

I don't think it matters one way or the other. I used the Spybot hosts file for months without disabling the DNS client and it was fine. That's all I can say. I just don't want to mislead you, because I have only limited experience in this area.


My AVG security suite is simply brilliant at updating itself with everything it needs without ever troubling me. I'm sure the Antimalware will be just as efficient.


I don't know. Ask Grisoft using the link I gave you and they'll give you a definitive answer.

I'll start a new thread about the SpyBot hosts file thing (since it's technically off-topic here) and ask those questions.

And I just contacted AVG about that other stuff -- I'll let you know what I hear back.

Thanks!

(And hopefully the other expert folks will stop back by to answer those other questions when they get a chance. )

Thanks again, everybody!

Still waiting to hear back from Grisoft... But I was told elsewhere that if it says it works for XP SP2, then that means it works for Pro as well. So I guess maybe the "Windows XP Pro x64 Edition SP1" is something entirely different (and just makes me think that it's referring to regular XP Pro, which I guess it isn't). I'll still post for sure what Grisoft tells me.

So if/when I do purchase it, can I do so from a different computer and then download and save it to disc, then put it on my own laptop before connecting to the internet? Or do you have to install it on-line?

I can't think of a reason why it can't be installed offline. Of course it's no use to you without properly updated definitions, and you'll need to go online to get those definitions, and to register it, etc.