Eset NOD32 AntiVirus System 2.51 Configuration Effectiveness

Greetings All,

I have a question regarding the effectiveness of Eset NOD32 AntiVirus System's detection capabilities. I have recently formatted my Hard Disk and currently am using Eset NOD32 AntiVirus System 2.51 alongside Webroot Spy Sweeper 5.0.7.1680 with no issues whatsoever between the two programs. I use Eset NOD32 AntiVirus System 2.51 as my dedicated AntiVirus & AntiTrojan detection tool and Webroot Spy Sweeper 5.0.7.1680 as my dedicated AntiAdware / AntiSpyware tool - I may be one of forgiven few given the recent issues Webroot Users are encountering, I certainly have encountered any problems although Eset NOD32 AntiVirus System quarantined temporary files during an install of Webroot Spy Sweeper 5.0 a fortnight ago during an install after a format, it's defintions were 5 months out-of-date and it detected it as an unknown threat. Now that is Heuristic Detection!
I'm currently browsing via a NETGEAR DG834 ADSL Hardware Firewall Router with the latest Firmware and use Windows Firewall. I also surf under the User Group and do not run with Administrative priviledges. I set up Eset NOD32 AntiVirus System via the "Typical" settings that Eset Recommend; this is a depature from my usual "Expert" configuration settings and I would like to know if this at all makes a difference in the scanning ability of the engine on a day-to-day basis, taking into consideration safe-surfing and suchlike - I'm very confident in the program's ability to detect known and unknown threats so perhaps it's paranoia because I'm used to the "optimum" configuration.

I usually configure the client using the settings detailed on this Forum but I thought I would use the default settings for a change and all me to run through the guide online to tighten said e-screws if I so wished. One change I noticed was that the AMON module has the "Start" button greyed and I thought there had been an error, but looking through the dedicated configuration thread I can see that this isn't a problem. I have Eset NOD32 AntiVirus System scheduled for week-in week-out scans of my system using the default settings although is there any way i can use the default settings daily and use a newly-created profile to use a more in-depth scan for my weekly scanning schedule?
I also have a question regarding Microsoft Updates for the Windows Operating System in that does Microsoft submit the readied files to AntiMalware Vendors to enable their programs to scan said files before they are released to the public? I would have thought this would have reduced the possibility of false positives when installing the hotfixes on clients machines therefore abating the possibility of an error upon installation be it manual or through Microsoft Update. Assuming you're using Microsoft Update that is, and besides, there's no excuse not to upgrade Windows Update to Microsoft Update!

Regards,

Scott Sutton

[NOD32 user]

Hi Scott,

Originally Posted by Scott-Sutton

...I would like to know if this at all makes a difference in the scanning ability of the engine on a day-to-day basis...

The default configuration brovided by ESET provides for a high level of detection and compatability.
The settings in Blackspears Extra Settings guide provide for maximum detection and automation as well as the opportunity to be shown through most of the possible configuration options.

Originally Posted by Scott-Sutton

...One change I noticed was that the AMON module has the "Start" button greyed and I thought there had been an error, but looking through the dedicated configuration thread I can see that this isn't a problem....

This relates to the 'Allow manual stopping' checkbox being checked or cleared. You will find it at AMON-->Setup-->Security tab.

Originally Posted by Scott-Sutton

...I have Eset NOD32 AntiVirus System scheduled for week-in week-out scans of my system using the default settings although is there any way i can use the default settings daily and use a newly-created profile to use a more in-depth scan for my weekly scanning schedule?...

Certainly. Using the method Blackspear has described here or here you may schedule many scans with any settings you should desire.

Originally Posted by Scott-Sutton

...does Microsoft submit the readied files to AntiMalware Vendors to enable their programs to scan said files before they are released to the public?...

I believe Microsoft uses NOD32 (and others) as part of their pre-release process.

Cheers

Greetings NOD32 User,

Thank you very much for your reply, it's exactly what I was looking for in terms of answers. I'm quite certain after re-reading my initial post that I hadn't made my questions clear enough. Obviously I was wrong. Either way, thank you once again for you reply, it's much appreciated and I'm confident enough that Eset NOD32 AntiVirus System will keep my system protected with ease. I know this is off-topic but I can't help feeling the need to resort to a third-party Personal Firewall to replace Windows Firewall. I know it doesn't filter Outbound Connections at all effectively and is somewhat selective on applications it does alert me to. Either Microsoft implement bi-directional functionality in Windows XP Service Pack 3 else I'm going to replace it. I've considered Eset's suite but going by advice I was given, I may wait for reviews of their upgrade suite, especially concercing their Personal Firewall solution. I don't doubt Eset's ability in this area but I'd rather look to a vendor that has specialisation in such a field, I'm currently considering Kaspersky Anti-Hacker but I'll resort to another Forum for my thoughts on this. Either way, it's not as though I wouldn't purchase an upgrade to the suite, I'd simply like to see exactly how Eset lay their egg in the e-hay before making my decision.

Regards,

Scott Sutton

[NOD32 user]

No worries

I'm quite certian I'll be using any ESET provided firewall as soon as it is available to me.
In the interim I'll continue using the Sygate solution I've come to trust over a long period of time and recently posted about here.
You may wish to consider this or some other solution if outbound control at application and/or protocol level is something you beleive to be important, and then have the inbuilt Windows firewall disabled.

Cheers