Effectiveness of online scanners?

Because my McAfee VS 8 was disabled after detecting a trojan or worm I am not sure if the AV detection has been compromised. I have since ran Bitdefender and Panda Activeshield online scanners as a backup but both programmes while detecting some form of pest have failed to clean it. I have a feeling that these are probably just spyware cookies and it looks to me that online scanners aren't going to clean any problems, which is understandable from a commercial point of view.

Now I am wondering about installing a software back up AV as an on demand scanner only. This isn't a step I want to take lightly because McAfee doesn't really take well to other AV products on the same system. Any McAfee people out there successfully running another back up AV on their pc? I tried to install a trial version of F-Secure a while back but forgot to disable McAfee starting on re-boot and almost had a disaster with two AV's slugging it out at the same time

Any advice which AV might work alongside McAfee without too many problems?

Regards
Ashak

 

I have used Bitdefender free and Clamwin (also free) which are on-demand only, plus the on-demand scanner of AntiVir PE (free) along side McAfee 9.0 with no problems. Disable McAfee resident thru a right-click on the M icon before scanning with the others. If you decide to use AntiVir, don't install the resident guard when you set it up. Should be no problemo.

 

I have Avast! installed as backup scanner... Just don't install the shields, only the on-demand scanner... works without problem for me...

[edit]
I don't trust online scanners looking on your system... Better use a local installation
[/edit]

 

Grumble,

sounds like very good advice, I get the impression both Bitdefender and Panda are very good products but these companies obviously want to give over the goodies lock stock and barrel to non-customers with a fully dunctioning online product! Is Bitdefender Free a good enough scanner as a backup in your opinion? I certainly don't want to pay for another premium AV on top of McAfee.

StyleWarz,

I have installed Avast! on my kids machine and have heard only good stuff about it. I know it's a free product even so it seems to be holding it's own looking at the latest VB100% awards. I agree 100% about trusting online systems. They will 'find' all sorts in order to sell the product

 

Ashak011,
Yes bd free is a very good scanner, the downside is that it has some processes loaded in memory even when you're not using it, so if resources are an issue...
another one to consider is the escan free kav-based scanner, which I don't have much experience with but many others here do.

 

Well my machine is a Pentium 4 and a few years old now although I have 500 RAM on it. It can handle most stuff chucked at it but I don't really want to bog it down if I can help it. Escan sounds like an interesting alternative, as a former KAV man I would have no problem making that a solution. McAfee and a KAV based AV would be a pretty hardcore combination.

 

I do trust online scanners, they are not compromised by malware, and allways up to date.

doesn't harm once in a while and sure keeps the wallet healthy

 

I have been on the website and there's no free version on there. The on demand scanner starts at $25 I think. Maybe they've discontinued the free option?

 

I'm sure they do a great job at picking up virii, but the two I have used so far don't want to clean or delete them!

 

download those apps, they are free and should be on everyones computer.

free adaware link

free spybot link

microsoft antispyware

install them and let them update.

then reboot and before login menu begins/appears, press F8 several times till you get the option safe boot, choose safe boot and let everything load.

then let spybot, adaware and m asw run and fix what they find.

AFTER THAT, LET YOUR ANTIVIRUS RUN.

report what they find, will clean it further.

cheers.

 

Thanks INFINTY, sounds like a very thorough process. I had Spybot installed but then it stopped updating so assumed the programme had been discontinued and un-installed it. Is it really necessary to have three seperate spyware programmes running? I have ewido free edition installed before I had the problem with my McAfee being disabled, won't that do the job?

Thanks for the advice regardless, I will do what you suggested assuming ewido isn't the solution.


Regards
Ashak

 

...no prbs (BS)

anyway, that isn't a torough process, it should be a standard given (or common sense) to scan once in a while in safe mode. sometimes malware cannot be deleted cause they are in use with another process (like sometimes you cannot delete a file cause it is in process) that is basicly the same thing as with malware. that is why safe mode allways is better.

regarding the three programs, they complement eachother, find malware the other won't find. and you shouldn't have deleted spybot. they update once in two weeks but the program still works and imho it does a very good job.

tell us how you go.

 

The free version seems to now be scan only but not clean:
http://www.mwti.net/antivirus/mwav.asp

And Infinity gave some really good advice for getting spyware/adware/crapware out of your machine, which virus/trojan scanners often don't find.

 

Spybot didn't update for months on my pc so I can only assume the software got corrupted, otherwise I was very reluctant to uninstall. In truth I assumed as a free programme maybe it had been discontinued.

Your advice to scan in safe mode has been noted. Will definitely do that and get back to you with the results. Thanks.

 

They are charging $9.95 a month to clean the virus as against just spotting it which seems like an outrageous fee to me.

 

thank you Ashak, good luck on your quest

free software isn't allways spyware

just kiddin , they had some issues some months ago regarding updates and upgrades but all is well now for two months...-knocking some wood at the moment-

Inf.

 

true, don't do it, stay with the free bitdefender antivirus or antivir or avg.

install ewido for antitrojans and the three for antispyware.

install a firewall and use common sense and all should be swell till you decide to move on learn a few bits regarding extra security measures you could take.

take your time, it is a big world but soooo interesting.


Inf;

 

Good to hear Spybot is up and running again though. It was a super programme for the time it was running on my pc.

 

McAfee VirusScan just updated and after a re-boot McAfee VirusScan is no longer being disabled on re-start and web pages are loading much faster. Not sure what that means exactly but it's an improvement.

 

Here is a recent thread regarding the escan/mwav scanner.
https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=67183

It gives a link to the last free version that will scan and clean. You might have to do some things to get the clean option, and that is the reason that I am referring you to the thread.

I an now using it as an additional scanner, and am very pleased with it. It took a lot of help to get me to understand what to do, but if you will go to the last three pages of the thread it will be well explained.

I recommend that you give it a try. I am using it in conjuction with Bit Defender 8.0.

Jerry

 

Thanks Jerry, looks like quite a complicated procedure for a non-techie but I will give it a go. This comment by Firecat threw me at first:

but then I realised that Escan cleans only viruses and not spyware. At first I thought Escan did what so many other free programmes do and that is identify threats and not clean them.

 

Just to let you know that i have downloaded those three programmes and have run them in safe mode. I am currently doing an ewido scan, and will follow with a McAfee scan all in safe mode before reporting back. (I am on my kids pc right now). Will let you know how it went. BTW, Microsoft Anti-spyware looks a very slick programme, I don't think it will be free once the Beta's been thoroughly tested which is the end of July I think. Well worth a download while it's free methinks. Thanks for the pointer INFINITY.

 

Ashak,
It does appear complicated, and I also am not very good at this computer stuff. However, by putting the program in the bases folder it simplifies things. If you do not get the clean option you can go through the procedures I did to get it. It won't be hard, and Firecat and others will assist you.

Give it a try, and I think you will find it advantageous.

Jerry

 

One on-line scanner that does tend to get neglected in the shuffle is the mks_vir 2005 on-line scanner. At some point, the Arcavir equivalent should be up, right now that part of the site is listed as coming soon. You need to access this scanner with Internet Explorer, but it looks to be a good option.

Blue

 

That link opens to a foreign site which I can't understand unfortunately. Anyway I ran all those programmes in safe mode and uncovered loads of cookies as usual, but also a dialer, some Alexa pest and C2.lop which I'm familiar with as it's impossible to get rid of from my system completely.

I will try and download the Escanner as I think a back up scanner is necessary now as there's no way of knowing whether McAfee has been compromised, though I suspect not. Thanks everyone.