Well my dad uninstalled the anti virus program and almost every anti spyware program

on the family laptop. It has no firewall also except the windows firewall. I give up protecting my family. If they want a crappy slow computer that is infected with viruses and spyware then they can be my guests.

 

Re: Well my dad uninstalled the anti virus program and almost every anti spyware prog

Not good, but that's family, right? Sneak in and download some background security programs that they might not notice. Better yet, sandbox the whole thing.

 

Re: Well my dad uninstalled the anti virus program and almost every anti spyware prog

Hello,
Do you want a solution how to prevent them from doing it? Or, is this a general comment?
BTW, you don't have to get infected if you don't use AV / AS - all it takes is a bit of thinking.
Mrk

 

Do they need your permission to install programs?

-rich

 

That may be why he removed the anti-spyware and AV. One of them or an interaction between them may have been bogging down the system. What did you have installed, the items in your signature or is that for your own PC?
What are the performance specs of this laptop?
It would help to know exactly what it is that your dad didn't like, prompts, general slowness, slow loading, etc. This could be just a case of matching the security-ware to the user.
If nothing else, you might consider partitioning the hard drive, putting system files on one partition and user files on the other, then make a backup of the system partition that can be restored as needed.
Rick

 

Re: Well my dad uninstalled the anti virus program and almost every anti spyware prog

Well the computer is old and has like 5 user profiles on it. I think thats why it was slow.

 

Escalader - so we don't take this thread off-topic, I've moved your partition question to herbalist over into the Software & Services forum, along with re-titling it. You can find your new thread here: Partitioning for better management of computer

 

Re: Well my dad uninstalled the anti virus program and almost every anti spyware prog

cheater87,

Multiple profiles don't do it; slower speed and a RAM/disk space starved unit could.

You don't need a slew of armaments to keep a PC clean. Many items that used to readily get through are now filtered at the ISP level. Keeping your temp file locations, space consumption, and activity at bay (CCleaner), using Windows firewall (if needed), and a decent AV is plenty. You can get by with a lot less, I don't recommend it as generic advice, but you can, especially if you are PC aware and don't have an issue doing things manually or as a post-mortem if required. Also, on an older PC, software selection is very critical since they are generally not as highly spec'ed as current machines.

Blue

 

Re: Well my dad uninstalled the anti virus program and almost every anti spyware prog

One possible option if you don't think it will cause family strife or riff.

Password protected security set up. You set the password and don't tell.

My Outpost has it and my ZoneAlarm Pro did too. Never used the OutPost feature but ZA would not let me do anything without the password.

Just a thought.

 

Re: Well my dad uninstalled the anti virus program and almost every anti spyware prog

Luckily I remembered that Spyware Terminator has ClamAV so I enabled that in the shield. My dad said he didn't want any anti virus programs on it. So I enabled that so he won't know.

 

Re: Well my dad uninstalled the anti virus program and almost every anti spyware prog

If the owner of the PC [Your Dad] doesn't wish to have plethora security programs running, why are operating against the wishes of the PCs owner and your father? Not Cool

Having lurked her for some time, I see this is a common theme with you. Security isn't about running every app on the market, so perhaps you're the cause of the problem? Maybe if you took the time to investigate and understand 'security' you could better understand and define a SIMPLE security scheme for your family to adopt, understand and appreciate. What I can't understand is why you continually choose to blaze forward and run into the same wall. You don't seem to have learned from your past mistakes and don't seem to be willing understand and accept the needs of your family, nor understand that security isn't supposed to be obtrusive and/or the design of the PC experience. Considering those factors and putting forth an honest effort to achieve that, will go much further --- but as you have continually barraged your parents in the wrong way with the wrong things, it will take much longer to gain their confidence. If you continue down your current path, I can guarantee you'll never succeed.

The key to security is knowledge, it's time to invest some time into a little learning.

Q

 

I have a relative who has a laptop what only had the Windows XP firewall and an outdated Norton AV installed on it. After it got infected with a trojan program, my relative got fed up with the popup ads and browser hijacks and allowed me to install a ton of security software on it to get rid of the malware. The laptop is only used for surfing and photo editing so there is little other programs on the hard drive. I explained what each program that I was installing was doing so that it would be clear why I was using it.
I have several old computers that I would never install a lot of security software because they have old OS systems. Adding them would tax the limited resources and further slow down my system.

 

Re: Well my dad uninstalled the anti virus program and almost every anti spyware prog

You could download SpywareBlaster to sit in the background and block spyware, and delete the shortcut so he can't play with it. Then every few months you could check for updates.

 

Re: Well my dad uninstalled the anti virus program and almost every anti spyware prog

try a HOSTS file (like MVPS) for blocking bad sites. see if your family can "uninstall" it.

 

Re: Well my dad uninstalled the anti virus program and almost every anti spyware prog

SIG - I have Spybot S&D 1.4, Adaware SE, Spyware Blaster 3.5.1, Prevx, Spyware Terminator real time shield enabled no HIPS, AVG anti spyware, A Squared free, Avast free edition, Firefox 2.0 with Noscript, IE7, Opera, Comodo Personal Firewall, Mcafee Site Adviser and common sense.

Have you heard the joke about the man who wanted a fairly quick pc ?
He bought a fast one and installed a bunch of security programs. I do hope you didn't install that lot on your dad's old pc - if so no wonder he has had enough.

 

Just how old of a unit are we talking about here? Your use of the term "profiles" suggests Win98 or WinME. As BlueZannetti stated, on these units, your choice of security apps and how many are in use at once is very critical. Many of the security apps that claim to be 98 compatible are not usable with the hardware these operating systems came with, RAM, processor speed, etc.

Can you give a reason for this statement of his? What does he have against an AV? I'm reasonably sure that if we can determine just what it is that he doesn't like about AVs and security apps, we can come up with something he will be happy with.
Who actually owns this family laptop?

It's not that simple. It's much more that just saving them (or their PCs) from themselves. It's these unsecured PCs that get hunted down for use as spambots and other equally malicious uses. If anyone in that household uses this PC for any financial purposes, a malware infection can get very costly. I personally know several people who learned that lesson too late.
It isn't for any of us to decide whether it's proper or morally correct for cheater87 to install security-ware on the family PC. That part is his problem and decision. But if we can help him to determine just why his dad has a problem with security-ware and find a solution that satisfies both sides, the problem gets fixed, plus there's potentially one less PC spreading spam or virus infected e-mails on the net.
Cheater87, the better you can explain exactly why your dad doesn't like AVs and/or other security-ware, the better chance we have of finding something he'll be happy with.
Rick

 

Re: Well my dad uninstalled the anti virus program and almost every anti spyware prog

Oh no my sig is for my laptop. I only had adaware se, spybot spywareblaster and Spyware Terminator on the pc

 

My dad has an ancient pc, its always crashing and breaking, one day I just got fed up with it and sat him down and explained in idiot proof terms what was wrong with the pc, and what could be done, I assured him that no harm would come the pc. he was happy with that and now the contraption is working perfectly.

 

Re: Well my dad uninstalled the anti virus program and almost every anti spyware prog

Cheater87, your attitude is condemnable.

We are here on a security forum, and the main reason we are here is to protect us against sneeky acts like yours.
Your reputation on Wilders will be seriously damaged with such inadmissible behavior.

Grtz,

Smokey

 

Re: Well my dad uninstalled the anti virus program and almost every anti spyware prog

Well said Smokey

May our young friend learn the right way to do things.

It is sometimes hard to recognize wrongs and usually even harder to state them, especially when others don't have the same perspective. May your voice bare fruit with young Cheaters.

Q

 

Re: Well my dad uninstalled the anti virus program and almost every anti spyware prog

Ah!. One of my favorites - 'Morals'.

I've had this argument on another forum but from the opposite direction, that is the 'Parent' wanted to know what free 'Keylogger' software he could use to see what his children were doing on the computer. I explained to the parent that this was 'Morally Unexceptable', parent or not and that the best way to handle the situation would be to install parental control software and explain it to the kids up front and in the open that this software is in place and what is allowed and was isn't!. But the parent was only interested in 'Sneaking' around behind their backs

 

Re: Well my dad uninstalled the anti virus program and almost every anti spyware prog

The one thing I still don't see here is some explanation of why he doesn't want Avs or security-ware on his PC or what it is he doesn't like. People don't dislike security-ware for no reason. I still think that if you'd openly ask him and post his reasons, there's a good chance we could address his concerns in a way that would satisfy all parties.
Rick