NOD

[Baz]

any one else using this,I know there used to be.

I got my renewal through for the anti virus and wondered if any one uses the Smart Security software they sell.

Ive never had any bother with the AV so may be renewing but will think about other options if any ideas come up

[pctech]

I quite like Prevx myself http://www.prevx.com

No definitions to update, it will query any suspicious files with its servers if necessary.

[sobranie]

Have used since last November and am quite pleased with it. Got it at an excellent price from Amazon (3 user) but see here now;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/ESET-Smart-Security-User-Year/dp/B005NPFOBM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1337633663&sr=8-2

They're out of stock at the mo. though stock is due shortly.

[Gary]

From what I have read Eset are not as good as they were back in the days of V3 there are better products to be had that have better detection rates, and also that clean up the mess more efficiently.

[Simon]

What's Kaspersky like these days, Gary?  I've seen some pretty cheap licences for the suite recently. 

[Gary]

What's Kaspersky like these days, Gary?  I've seen some pretty cheap licences for the suite recently. 

I really went off Kaspersky years back on the laptop, it just created so many problems and conficts. I also don't like Eugene Kaspersky pushing the scare tactics to sell his product either. Bitdefender have been pretty good recently with good detection ratings.

The way I see it is if your AV/suite is working ok with minimal conflict something like Prevx running next to it works well and saves the grief of a new AV tripping up over an old AV's remains. I noticed on Windows 8 that Windows defender and Microsoft security essentials is all rolled into one, so everyone is protected out of the box. If you are still using F Secure  Simon I would stay with that.

[Simon]

I recently had a problem with F-Secure conflicting with iTunes, so I had Bitdefender installed while FS were working on a patch.  Aside from the occasional annoyance, like it blocking apps by default, rather than asking, I found it ran quite well. 

[Gary]

I recently had a problem with F-Secure conflicting with iTunes, so I had Bitdefender installed while FS were working on a patch.  Aside from the occasional annoyance, like it blocking apps by default, rather than asking, I found it ran quite well. 

I imagine there are settings to sort that out maybe, I quite like Bitefenders 2012 line up, if it works stick with it, as you know swapping about to much causes issues so best to find something that suits your needs and use that  No AV is ever 100% and they all go up and down in the Comparative ratings over time as well, its like getting a new PC, if you keep waiting for technical innovation and the 'next best thing' you will never get pc and will be always left wanting.

[Simon]

That's why I went back to FSIS, when they'd sent me a fix.  Used BD uninstallation tool, and that seems to have removed it all.  Wouldn't hesitate to use it again or recommend it, though I have to say, FS support was very good during the iTunes issue. 

[Gary]

That's why I went back to FSIS, when they'd sent me a fix.  Used BD uninstallation tool, and that seems to have removed it all.  Wouldn't hesitate to use it again or recommend it, though I have to say, FS support was very good during the iTunes issue. 

Oops, wrong thread.

[Simon]

 

[Gary]

Maybe I should just have a lay down 

[Baz]

Have used since last November and am quite pleased with it. Got it at an excellent price from Amazon (3 user) but see here now;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/ESET-Smart-Security-User-Year/dp/B005NPFOBM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1337633663&sr=8-2

They're out of stock at the mo. though stock is due shortly.

that is a good price 

heres where I get confused though, is a software firewall really needed if your router has one/two firewalls

[Rik]

Router firewalls only tend to look outwards, Baz, software look both ways.

[Baz]

so best to have one running then? may be on a laptop when taking it outside, work maybe?  I dont know 

Ive never had one for ages since using Outpost Pro,think thats what it was called, started conflicting with stuff.

[Baz]

was just looking at the renewal price for NOD I can get, usually a bit cheaper as a sweetener I think , and I can up grade to the Smart Security but to match the one in Sobranies link would cost me £41...so yes it is a good deal, if they get more stock in

[Rik]

so best to have one running then? may be on a laptop when taking it outside, work maybe?  I dont know 

I don't bother, but purists say we should rub one, Baz.

[Gary]

I don't bother, but purists say we should rub one, Baz.

I'm not sure Baz wants to know about rubbing one, Rik. 

[Rik]

Bloody iPad.

[Ray]

 

[Gary]

so best to have one running then? may be on a laptop when taking it outside, work maybe?  I dont know 

Ive never had one for ages since using Outpost Pro,think thats what it was called, started conflicting with stuff.

Windows firewall does just fine and should cause no issue behind a router, tbh Esets firewall is horrible, no need for it, just use the AV if you want and the inbuilt firewall of your OS. You should always use a firewall when out and about anyway and away from your home network.

[armadillo]

I do not use ESET's Smart Security but I do use their NOD32 (AV). I like it a lot. AV Comparatives point out that the difference in detection rate between the top 10 AV products is not statistically significant. This is because a detection rate of, say, 98% is no different from a detection rate of 99% on any practicable sample size and will depend on exactly what viruses are in the sample set. What one AV misses, another one will catch.

Also, they say that we should not attach too much weight to detection rate in the on-demand virus scan sample. That is what is detected when the AV database definitions are up to date. Retrospectives are also important. Those are when a current sample is run through an AV whose database is weeks or months out of date. Good AVs should detect and block virus-like behaviour of zero-day exploits which have not yet reached any AV definitions database.

Thirdly, false positives cause as much problem as failure to detect. Some AVs get a very high detection rate by blocking uninfected objects too.

Finally, the AV should be easy to configure and have minimal impact on system performance.

Hence, AV Comparatives say that, given that there is no statistically significant difference between the top products, the important thing is to consider the other factors and, especially, whether the product runs well on your particular machine. We should ignore reports which pretend that a difference between 98% and 99% means anything at all. We should also ignore anecdotal claims that some particular AV missed a virus which a second AV trapped, hence suggesting the second AV is better than the first. Such anecdotal claims are nonsense. Given that each AV is likely to miss different viruses, it follows that whatever virus is missed by one AV is likely to be trapped by another.

In that context, I have always been happy with NOD32. It has a high detection rate, like BitDefender, Kaspersky, Bullguard, Avira, Avast, Symantec, Sophos and a few I have probably forgotten. If you look on the support forums of any of those, they are all full of horror stories of the AV locking up PCs, deleting required files, causing repeated BSODs etc. I have just been plagued by NOD32 intermittently causing my system to freeze up completely on connection of an external hard drive. The NOD32 forum has a 9 page thread about it but they seem to have solved it after about four months. Nevertheless, I still like NOD because it otherwise runs smoothly on my system. Kaspersky made my system very slow and it kept crashing with BSODs. But Kaspersky might run like dream on someone else's machine.

I do not feel a third party software firewall is necessary, so I would say an AV is a better option than an internet security option. If you are away from your router, the Windows firewall is adequate as it filters incoming connections. Filtering outbound connections only matters if you have already picked up malware and want to be alerted when the malware transmits out. I think this is overkill. Internet security apps add a degree of complexity which leads to more problems of compatibility and conflict.

Once you have found an AV which runs well on your machine, you should not ditch it for a different one whenever the Comparatives figures change slightly, nor if your AV happens to miss something. Changing to a different AV may well cause more problems than it cures.

[FritzBox]

I find MSE quite reasonably priced

[Baz]

Nice reply Armadillo thanks 

just to put some thing else in the equation, I said I havent used a software firewall for ages, I do not have windows firewall enabled too. What are your views on that


another one for  Sobranie, back to the offer of Smart Security deal in the link,if you use that are you able to just install the AV alone or do you have to fully install the full package and if so is it the same AV version as the stand alone one

[Simon]

If it's like other suites, and you install the whole package, then turn half if it off, it will probably nag you that you're not fully protected.