Anti Virus Test Results

[EMatheson]

I will also say that limited edition free versions of McAfee also used about 256 Mbs of my RAM and slowed my computer to a crawl by hogging CPU time - and that last result is with my current system as can be found in my sig! AVG runs rather leaner, such that I can allow it to run a scan even as I run FS without loss of FPS. And, once again, AVG consistently finds junk McAfee missed - this with a firewall and a new computer that have never been heavily infected before...
sorry if I sound rather partisan - that is not my intent. I only want to note my experiences with the programs listed...

 

[Tango_Romeo]

Wierd....

I will also say that limited edition free versions of McAfee also used about 256 Mbs of my RAM and slowed my computer to a crawl by hogging CPU time - and that last result is with my current system as can be found in my sig! AVG runs rather leaner, such that I can allow it to run a scan even as I run FS without loss of FPS. And, once again, AVG consistently finds junk McAfee missed - this with a firewall and a new computer that have never been heavily infected before...
sorry if I sound rather partisan - that is not my intent. I only want to note my experiences with the programs listed...

I don't understand. I'm running the full McAfee suite with all features activated on four computers. The slowest and lowest RAM of the bunch is this laptop with a 1.8G Single-Core Celeron and 512M of RAM. According to Task Mgr the total RAM being used by McAfee is 27MB(5 separate processes)...and it has not slowed this system down noticiably....which is also loaded down with the full M$ Office Pro suite and a whole lot more software than a little computer like this should be asked to handle.

I suppose it's senseless to continue the back and forth.....as everyone has his own favorite. :d

 

[Dirtman]

Today's Rant: The Natives Are Restless.......

G'day All;

I seem to have stirred up a bit of a hornets nest here. Let's please get our feet back down on the ground and remember what the reason of this thread is.

My purpose here in testing these security applications is so that we may all compare, learn and hopefully become safer when using the internet.

There are no winners & losers here, just a deeper understanding of how things work, what they look for & how we all might be better protecting ourselves.

In any discussion there will be varying opinions; this is the cornerstone of freedom & democracy. But in order to learn; we must first open our minds and listen closely, (without prejudice) and then ask the correct questions in order to obtain the correct answers.

The first question I found was in regard to McAfee. (low file scan count) I have found TR's answers & explanations to be extremely interesting & enlightening. I have learned allot as I hope everyone else has too.

TR & I are personal friends. (I pay him 50 cents per month) I know he uses McAfee. I also know he has built & maintains a number of websites. Therefore: I do trust what he says.

He has also proven himself to be pretty crafty around the computer. (which is why I pay him 50 cents per month :costumes: )
I now feel we all have a better understanding of the method employed by McAfee.
WOW! we've learned something and it didn't hurt at all!!

We'll try harder for you next time Collin :costumes:


The point I'm trying to make is that we need to listen to what each person says. Accept or reject whatever you please & draw your own conclusions.
Everyone has their own personal preferences; but let's not degrade this discussion with the: "my Chevy is better than your Ford" attitude.

Every piece of equipment or software has it's virtues & pitfalls. Understanding the differences will allow everyone to make an informed decision of which one they want to use.

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More Data: In regard to RAM usage.

Thanks Guys!!! I hadn't thought of comparing spec. DUH.. :isadizzy:

EMatheson mentioned 256MB of RAM used by McAfee Free.
This does seem I bit high. Are you sure this figure is correct Sir?
Was this the basic amount of RAM used or the amount used during a scan?

I had tested: McAfee VirusScan 10 which is the "full-on" free trial version with all the "bells & whistles"; but I never checked the RAM usage.
(Please don't think poorly of me. I'm Kanadian & of Irish decent .... my brain-damage is therefore hereditary :d)

BUT... I can supply the RAM usage spec's for the 2 current apps:

AVG Free 8.0 = 61.9MB (4 processes)
- AVG Free uses the WinXP SP2 firewall unless to get the "payware version"

PC Tools Anti Virus Free Edition 5 = 5.6MB (2 pro's)
PC Tools Firewall 4 = 16.9MB (2 pro's)
Total = 22.5MB
- this kinda looks like the saying: "A strong offense is the best defense" don't it???

TR: Does the 27MB used by McAfee include the firewall?

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Email Scanner

All of the apps tested have email scanners. Unfortunately they were not tested as I no longer use the test rig ("UNIVAC") as my main box.

But in 4 years; the AVG Free email scanner has only missed one bug. (that I know of)

I use Outlook Express for email. Many people say: "Oh that's dangerous!!"
No it's not. Actualy using an "in-house" email proggy affords two levels of protection.

#1 My email carrier scans all emails (at the box) before forwarding them to Outlook Express.
#2 AVG scans all received emails (scans out-going too)

Had an buggy email in June 07. Slipped past "Trend Micro" (owned & used by M$ Hotmail) and was missed by AVG too.

I noticed it had a ".dat" file attached (which made it suspicious) so I forwarded it to my other email boxes to see if anything would be detected.
(each email carrier seems to use a different A/V)

Of the 4 boxes; only Yahoo tagged it as viral. Yahoo scans with Norton.

It turned out to be a brand new bug, only Norton had discovered it at that time.

So you see my friends; nothing in this world is 100% except for death & taxes!!!

:costumes: :costumes:

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Two Slick Apps:

The first is something to measure your RAM usage.
It's called: FreeRAM XP Pro - see screenie below
Sits in the tray & shows the amount of free RAM on your machine.
It can be configured to display a number (percent of free RAM) plus a bar graph.
- it will also "auto-defrag" the RAM if the free space falls below a predetermined level.
I've used it for the past 3 weeks & found it very easy to read.
- uses about 1.66MB of RAM

Find it here:
homepage info: http://www.yourwaresolutions.com/software.html#framxpro

download: http://www.download.com/FreeRAM-XP-...-FreeRAMXP&subj=dl&tag=button&cdlPid=10516960

******

The other is called: SHAPlus Bandwidth Meter
This app displays your bandwidth for: now, today & total for the calender month (auto resets on the 1st)
- uses about 4.16MB of RAM

Homepage & download: http://www.shaplus.com/bandwidth-meter/


I hope many of you will find these useful.
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[Collin]

We'll try harder for you next time Collin

Promises, promises, but don't worry, Tango Doenitz still luvs ya and will be sending you some lupins. :costumes::costumes:

regards Collin:ernae:

 

[Tango_Romeo]

In a dastardly....

.... and blatant act of highwaymanship, Collin has extracted 54 of my precious lupins as ransom for my safe passage on the low road. And in a shocking gesture of charity has decreed that they be sent to Dirt. The lupins are presently tied-up in Canadian Customs....and I hope none of the inspectors are lupin fans. All surviving lupins should be immediately installed in the main directory of your C drive, as no malware can survive exposure to the omnipotent lupin. (Each lupin requires only 8KB of space and uses only 16KB of RAM, but kills all the badies. It's FM, simply F***ing Magic.) :costumes::costumes::costumes:

 

[Dirtman]

Oh NO!!!

.... and blatant act of highwaymanship, Collin has extracted 54 of my precious lupins as ransom for my safe passage on the low road. And in a shocking gesture of charity has decreed that they be sent to Dirt. The lupins are presently tied-up in Canadian Customs....and I hope none of the inspectors are lupin fans. All surviving lupins should be immediately installed in the main directory of your C drive, as no malware can survive exposure to the omnipotent lupin. (Each lupin requires only 8KB of space and uses only 16KB of RAM, but kills all the badies. It's FM, simply F***ing Magic.) :costumes::costumes::costumes:

URGENT MESSAGE:

I have just been informed by Canada Post that the entire shipment of lupins has been smoked by those darn Canadian Customs Inspectors!!!

oh the colours....the colours....

:isadizzy: :isadizzy: :isadizzy:
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