AV/AS on a flash drive

Discussion in 'malware problems & news' started by ajcstr, Mar 18, 2009.

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  1. ajcstr

    ajcstr Registered Member

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    What AV/AS can be installed on and run from a flash drive? I would like to have I flash drive ready to go that I can just plug into someone's computer and run scans without having to install the software. Ones I am aware of are Dr Web, Avast Cleaner, Mcafee Stinger. Are there any others?
     
  2. XDD

    XDD Registered Member

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    I read that antivir can do eet. :D
     
  3. JRViejo

    JRViejo Super Moderator

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  4. ajcstr

    ajcstr Registered Member

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    Yeah, but is that worth it? Is it any good?
     
  5. ajcstr

    ajcstr Registered Member

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    I think that may just be to protect the drive from picking up a virus from someone else's PC
     
  6. JRViejo

    JRViejo Super Moderator

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    IMO I don't think that it is as bad as most people think. Take a look for yourself: Clam AntiVirus. Besides, this program will add another tool to your USB and that's all good.
     
  7. ajcstr

    ajcstr Registered Member

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    Avast has a 19.95 version that runs on a u3 smart drive
     
  8. jdd58

    jdd58 Registered Member

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  9. XDD

    XDD Registered Member

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    nope, you install it directly to the flash drive and can run it from any computer.
     
  10. XDD

    XDD Registered Member

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    not really lol its pretty far down the list for detection but I guess its better than nothing. I have been looking into this lately myself and there is another app that protects your usb, its drivesentry goanywhere. If you see this and want to try it I would really warn against that. It is known to crash the computer you plug it into about 1 out of 4 times, and it isn't free (albeit cheap) I am going to try A2 and see how that works...
     
  11. ajcstr

    ajcstr Registered Member

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    but my understanding is that its not a U3 install, you would have to fake the app out to think its running on a pc - looked like a bunch of files that need to be copied. For example, the registry entries are still put on the host pc.

    I am currently trying avast - they have a u3 version of the program
     
  12. EASTER

    EASTER Registered Member

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    You guys that are talking up whats seems a nice combo of a plug in USB Pen AV/AS i have to ask.

    Is there a life expectancy that we're not aware of from running apps directly via a tiny USB Pen because let's face it, it's not a hard drive and it doesn't suffer from that much extra activity if it was a DVD/CD drive, but can a USB Pen last if it's used consistently to run apps, especially AV/AS or other security apps.

    I ask because i use mine mainly for storage and the occasional update to the AV's i keep stored on it but i don't run them from it.
     
  13. JRViejo

    JRViejo Super Moderator

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    EASTER, perhaps this Corsair FAQ Flash Drive Wear Leveling and Life Span PDF will answer your questions.

    One of the reasons why I like the PortableApps.com platform is that it contains a backup feature, allowing me to keep an exact duplicate of the drive on my PC, to transfer to other drives.
     
  14. EASTER

    EASTER Registered Member

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    OK, thansk for the link.

    I always backup my USB Pen contents too because once they puke i dunno any way to get them back. Had it happen to me 2 years ago, the Pen Drive just simply "went out of business for good" with all my apps along with it. Argggg!
     
  15. ajcstr

    ajcstr Registered Member

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    I'm only talking about running the app on someone elses PC if I am helping them out not constantly on my own PC. Maybe only a few times a year.
     
  16. hawki

    hawki Registered Member

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  17. Searching_ _ _

    Searching_ _ _ Registered Member

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    Dr. Web cure it will run from anywhere.
     
  18. axial

    axial Registered Member

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    Extremely timely topic, ajcstr, thank you (heading over to rescue neighbor x3 time....)

    Not to re-hash previous threads, but do you treat the rescue flash drive as a "one-time-only use" throwaway (a donation to the rescued?), or do you incur the extra cost / effort in applying various security measures or buying flash drives with write protect switches, as per this earlier thread:

    USB flash drive write protection

    Are there any guidelines for how much free space should be available when running apps from a flash drive?
     
  19. TairikuOkami

    TairikuOkami Registered Member

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    Since I got infection from one of my friends, when I was cleaning his PC, I have made root of my USB read only using NTFS and it works just fine.
    You do not need much free space, just for config file to be created, because apps ussually use system resources like RAM or HDD (Temp), but it varies.
     
  20. ajcstr

    ajcstr Registered Member

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    I don't think you need to make it a throwaway but I would just use it for that purpose and not for transport of files.
     
  21. axial

    axial Registered Member

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