AV Question

[oma53]

Hello,
First, my security/programs.

Linksys Router
AVG 8.5 (paid version)
ZoneAlarm Pro
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
Spybot (no tea timer)
Windows Defender (real time protection turned off)
SuperAntiSpyware

With the above security I have also ran the following just o check.
Panda online scan
Avira Rescue CD
AVAST AV (installed it once when I had to uninstall AVG just to check, only run 1 at a time)

I have never had anything show up on my system except cookies and F/P.

How can a person really be sure that the AV they have is doing a good job of preventing viruses?



Thank You.

[oma53]

Sorry, when I re-read my above message, I could see that I was not very clear as to my meaning.
I am concerned about what a person should do to verify that their security is working. AVG has always worked for me and I have not received any viruses that I know of, but I am aware of the comments concerning that the reason you do not get any viruses with it is because it cannot find any anyway.
This is the reason I tried the online scans and other resources. Just to verify that AVG is working.
Please understand, I am not trying to put down AVG. As I stated all I have ever found is cookies and F/P.
I was just trying to ask if my software and checking other resources like I have is sufficient to maintain security on a modern system.
Thank You.

[lodore]

Hello,
what OS do you use and what type of account do use use?

[oma53]

I have XP Pro and I run under a LUA while on the internet.

[Osaban]

-{ Quote: "
How can a person really be sure that the AV they have is doing a good job of preventing viruses?
" }-
You are doing the right thing to double check with other scanners. This is a very old debate, that an infection (see rootkits) can dwell on your system undetected without giving any sign of life except for connecting to a server on a particular day.

The best strategy IMO is to start with a "clean system", which means a freshly installed version of Windows, and to make sure that in any situation you have a contingency plan to cope with the problem without reinstalling everything from scratch.

We all have our own strategy, and IMO you need to get an imaging program (I think the most important application to have) and perhaps a virtualizer, keep your AV and firewall, and use the antispyware scanners on demand, but I can assure you with this combination you will never get infected, even if you want to!

[Zetelo]

Hey dude, it's totally enough to have ONE AV and One AS running, your security setup is a bit too heavy and don't forget what the aim of your computer actually is:

Doing its job, and not getting filled with security programs :argh:

[Macstorm]

-{ Quote: "Hey dude, it's totally enough to have ONE AV and One AS running" }-
Or, even better, to have only one AV with antispyware capabilities ;)

[oma53]

Thank you to everyone who responded to my question.
In my process of trying to learn how to secure a computer, I try to visit forums like this and I appreciate everyone’s opinion.
As I stated earlier, I did not write my original question in a clear and precise manner. Sorry for any confusion.
I only run one program with real time protection at a time. When I had to un-install AVG for an upgrade, I temporally installed AVAST just to check to see if I would pick up anything. After three scans, I uninstalled AVAST and re-installed AVG. I have also turned off any real time protection in my other security programs other than AVG.
Due to recent threads concerning AVG’s performance, I was concerned about how to really check any AV that a person may have.
Thanks again to everyone who took the time to respond to this.

[oma53]

I am trying to learn about computer security and have been trying out different programs.
I have only had alerts on cookies and F/P in the past.
Actually, this is what started me thinking about this question. Even though I am careful where I surf the net and what I do, I started to wonder why I have not been infected with something. And as I stated above, the recent threads concerning AVG just got me the thinking that maybe I have missed something.
Thank You.