Help Finding AVs For Old PCs

I restore old PCs and give them to people who can't afford PCs. Does anyone know which FREE AVs would be best for a Pentium 1 133 MHZ, 24 MB RAM, Pentium 2 350 MHz, 256 MB RAM, and Pentium 3 600 MHz 128 MB RAM. I've tried them all, and each is TOO MUCH in RAM and in resources. Thanks.


Dave

 

I guess the pcs are running w95 98 98SE OR ME?.If so AVG should be compatible for the last two anyway and isnt that bad on resources (im using teh firewall edition right now on w98se p3 256 ram....
..................................
Minimal hardware configuration which can be used for AVG installation is a PC with 486, 32 MB RAM memory and 30 MB free space on the hard drive.
AVG is fully compatible with these operating systems:
Windows95; Windows98; WindowsME; WindowsNT4; Windows2000; WindowsXP
and also with these server operating systems:
Windows NT4 Server; Windows2000 Server; Windows2003 Server
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and maybe fprot for dos on the first (and other two if u preferred)
http://www.f-prot.com/products/corporate_users/dos/

EDIT ...its been a long time since i used fprot for dos and cant remember if it has a resident scaner or is only on demand so you may need to check
ellison

 

AntiVir Personal Edition Classic works well on older computers, & on all Win OS except 3.11.

I agree with Ellison as to AVG. I also agree with him as to F-Prot for DOS. It is a superb AV, but be aware -- it is on-demand only.

Ergo, either AVG + F-Prot for DOS or AntiVir-PEC + F-Prot for DOS will afford excellent & NO-cost security.

The other freebie AV is Avast. It is also quite good (free or not) but is a bit heavier than either AVG or AntiVir-PEC.

 

You are limiting yourself with 'FREE AV'. AntiVir is definately the lightest out of the lot of free ones. I think the Pentium 133 is past its sell by date though.

 

Thanks! I forgot AVG. It works at 24 MB with a runtime update for Win 95 and an installer update, as I've found from experience. Thanks again. You'll be making one little kid very happy as soon as I downoad that on his PC!

Dave.

 

PS I forgot to thank the rest of you for you help.

Dave

 

I still hope you will also install F-Prot for DOS. IMO, FP's heuristic scanner is superior to that of AVG.

 

Definitely! That and a free Dr. Web CureIT, SpywareBlaster, SpyBot, Ad-Aware, a good Hosts file plus some other low resource fellows with real time protection. Hopefully I can find an old Opera or Netscape that will work on the Pentium 1 at 24 MEGS, because that old gold lead 70 ns Standard, which has to be loaded in identical pairs, is expensive and hard to locate. A limited budget - well I do the best I can.

Thanks,
Dave

 

Don't forget a firewall, i can recommend ZoneAlarm free. Especially some of the previous models which are still secure and a Lot lighter. I use v5.5.062.000 on 98SE and never had any problems with it. A selection can still be downloaded from here http://download.zonelabs.com/bin/free/information/znalm/zaReleaseHistory.html

An even earlier and lighter one which is still recommended by many is v2.6 (2.8 MB) Some of these are still available from http://www.oldversion.com/program.php?n=zalarm

Al the best with your commendable efforts,


StevieO

 

And a popup blocker and WinPatrol, because enough protection is never enough, when your fixing up a PC for a kid age 12. You know that he shall be searching for MUCH mor than skin for his SpyBot and WinAmp!

Thanks again,
Dave

 

Check HERE -- it has Netscape versions going all the way back to those for Win 3.1.

 

I will second this If you try installing all of what has been suggested on this machine, it will be practically non functional. You would be better off to drop it off at a facility that recycles old computers.

Best Regards...

 

Well, the Pentium 1 may be an old nag horse, but it's running 98 SE with a fair amount of security software. It may not fly as as an SR 71, but it surely doesn't walk that slowly through the net.

Dave

 

I run AntiVir on my backup Dell Latitude LM p133 w/72MB RAM and Win98 and it works great.

A whole lot better than it did with Norton 2000.

AntiVir will not support Win95 though.

 

Hi Dave...

What do you have installed on it?

 

I think AVG is a good choice, they even have the manual to help you setup AVG Anti-virus on older computers.

http://www.grisoft.cz/softw/70/file...VG_on_older_computers/avg_old_rcm_en_71_4.pdf

 

Couple items to add on installing AntiVir.

Unlike version 6, they have different versions now for 9x/ME than NT/Win2k/XP and when I first installed Version 7,
a mirror download was bugged (think it downloaded an older Premium version).

Get the topmost '9x/ME' from http://www.free-av.com/
and be sure to have a complete, clean removal of any old AV including Registry.

Some Win98 users were complaining of problems with latest Update and it was solved by upgrading from IE5 to IE6.
I have Win98 (not 'SE') still running install from 1998, MS Updates but never re-installed, but do have IE6 and Firefox.

My Pentium 133MHz w/ 72MB never had any problem with the build 151 with its increased use of RAM and
current build 163 has reduced that RAM use by Avgnt by a factor of four.

 

I must admit that im not completly happy with antivir premium 7 (ohh to have version 6 again) on my 98se at present.I have had some issues with it so much so that i cant trust it to operate as it should and ive taken it off.Sometimes clicking update from the gui presents me with a kernel32 error (clicking update from sys tray doesnt).Sometimes the mail scanner loads ,sometimes it doesnt.Sometimes i get errors after downloading updates ..sometimes i dont.It has gotten really hit and miss latley.I have been tempted to try the classic instead of the premium to see if that is more reliable ,but the thought of the nag notifier just isnt worth it.I wish i could have more confidence in antivir on my machine ,but latley its just not there.Im not knocking it as im sure some folks have no problems at all using it.Im now using AVG plus firewall edition(even though i have licences for a few other avs far better at detection).Its not as good by far at detection but it works flawlessly and i dont have to wonder when my next error or crash/freeze is gonna occur.Its funny but with a little layered security and safe surfing practices ,plus the added bonus of an average av/firewall that doesnt give me any problems ,im almost relaxing and not looking for that "perfect" av anymore.
ellison

 

Hi ellison64...

I've migrated to AVG for similar reasons. I got tired of always having to put up with the notifier and the constant bugs and issues. AVG may not have the best detection rate but it has worked flawlessly on my system, something I can't say for any of the others.

Perhaps AntiVir will improve with the next updates.

Best Regards...

 

Yes.... i hope it does too,though if AVG were to incorporate the ewido ad/spyware detections in an update id be quite happy too,as its these malwares that bother me most these days.Antivir premium is pretty good at those detections and it was one of the main reasons why i choose it.However as i mentioned ,the uncertainty (IMO) of stability performance on a pre xp machines has prompted me to look at other solutions.Currently AVG (for me anyway ) is no1 for stability and less headaches
ellison

 

AVG is not that bad as most people think (I think they just simply conclude from detection rates that are shown on comparative websites only). In fact, detection rates are not all about, there're many aspects to consider the right AV solution for each/particular system. While AVG may not on top by detection-wise (it may not catch all zoo malware from any tests but I believe AVG can protect you from dangerous malware that are spreading) but it has many other advantanges that can make it "the excellent AV solution" for some one, e.g. its rock-solid stable, problem free, extremely light on system resource, practical management tools, reliable update mechanism, price, etc.

Do you know what AV solution that such company like "Microsoft" uses to protect its network? Microsoft uses solution from CA eTrust Antivirus, do you think that eTrust Antivirus has the best overall detection rates or it can catch 99% of new-unknown viruses by its super heuristics? No!

I think CA eTrust Antivirus's detection-wise is not better than AVG.

 

There can be no doubt that the most popular of the free antivirus is AVG and that a lot of 'gamer' types will prefer Avast,
('gamer' types would likely be the most computer savey of Any large 'general group').

I was drawn to AntiVir initially for its superior detection and have been amongst the majority of users
without any of the problems that seem to be often reported in forums.

Also, although I did not care too much about the interface of version 6,
version 7 for me has been ideal, Pentium 1 0r centrino 2GHz, Win98 or WinXP.

As I have only researched but never tried AVG or Avast it is unfair for me to make any negative judgement on their use.
I have used AntiVir now for six months, upgrading from Norton to AVPE Free on both systems and never looked back.

AntiVir Free (along with ZA free and several free AntiSpy's) suites my needs completely with no desire for any 'Premium' upgrades.

On our third system, she upgraded from McAfee to Norton to EZ-Trust and as was mentioned in this thread,
detection scores notwithstanding, it has been ideal for her. (She used to 'consult' under contract for IBM.)

EZ-Trust is not 'free' but it has a 12 month free trial and two years for less than most AV's get for one year.

You mention "...each is TOO MUCH in RAM and in resources. ..." All I can tell you for sure is that even
the RAM Heavy AntiVir build 151 was no problem for my P1 133MHz w/72MB and build 163
has fixed the "RAM Heavy" but I don't know what can be run on 24MB, I went from 4 to 8 to 40 to 72 to 768 etc.
and missed 24 completely

My P1/133MHz is very fast online for dial-up with an up-to-date modem and also does ethernet pretty well
through a pre-cardbus 16bit card. I run several anti-spywares in addition to AntiVir, but no firewall.

As far as the PopUp Nag Screen, it was easy to block on my often updating WinXP system and I have not
bothered to try and block it on my Win98 system as I would not want to be trying to be doing other things while it was updating,
WinXP will update itself while I am working, often without my even noticing,
but thought it might strain a Win98.

Whatever protection you can find to install on these systems that you are going to give to people,
likely the most important factor in their protection will be the knowledge you can provide about
'Safe Surfing Habits' as well as backup habits and free online scanning options.

Thank you Dave, for your work in helping needy people to enjoy a higher quality of life.

 

Wow!

And here I heard they were NOD32 users...

 

No. Microsoft uses CA eTrust Antivirus to protect their network on all desktop computers
and fully managed servers but this may change in the near future when Microsoft Antivirus solution is ready for the prime time. NOD32 and other AV's are used in their software release lab only.

 

Hi TAP...

See, you really do learn somthing new everyday