Hello, I'm intrested in forum users opinions, I have notebook, HP/Compaq nc6000 specs: Intel Pentium 1.7GHz(Dothan, 2mb l2) 1GB DDR333 RAM 40GB HDD ATI 9600 32MB VGA(tweaked to 287MB) OS: Thin PC I'm running Avira Internet Security Premium 2012, maybe there are better solutions? cause it uses a lot of ram, in idle ~150MB, I need AV that mot much using CPU and RAM, what do I need from AV? Realtime protection(what writes to disk and when I'm browsing the internet) and Firewall.
If you're not going to be connected to the internet then you wouldn't get infected in the first place, that is unless you're running untrusted executables all of the time in which case you should use Sandboxie. Google Chrome's built in sandbox will help protect your system when browsing Sandboxie can run your untrusted executables, but you can also scan them online via Virus Total ClamAV portable + Malwarebytes run manually will be fine Keep Windows updated and if you're using XP then make sure you get the update to disable autorun
In most, I'm connected to the internet, but sometimes not, and then I need some AV for untrusted USB sticks at most, and from stupid autorun.inf viruses. I'm using windows 7 Thin PC, I think have written that already in the first post.
In that case Windows 7 has autorun disabled anyway so USB's can't infect you If you download torrents or use P2P applications then you may want to have a scanner, but you don't need something active all of the time if you're using a browser such as Chrome. People tend to think that they need an anti-virus but if you make a habit of checking your executables before you run them then you probably won't get infected. Also don't allow others to use your laptop, at least not under your account which is an administrator. If you tend to browse "odd websites" then Firefox with NoScript inside Sandboxie is very secure. It's also going to use far less resources than an anti-virus.
I'm using Firefox with Adblock Plus + AV, I want AV cause I'm using P2P networks, and sometimes browsing unknown websites(I'm student, so I need info for some presentantions that I'm searching via google). I'm downloading only from trusted P2P sites, so that's not a problem, but sometimes I need to launch unknown executables from friends usb stick and so on, had viruses from that. had Jeefo(infects all .exe files on local disks, well 75% of files were repaired that time, had viruses that ran out my disk out of space... and when disk C: has no free space it's a problem. I said what I need, Realtime scanner and firewall, it can be free or paid(in our times every paid software is free, for testing purposes it's O.K. ) and what's the most important - low CPU/RAM usage.
Well as I said, Sandboxie can do everything you need. If you're browsing some odd sites then you launch a sandboxed browser and if you're running some unknown exe's then you can sandbox them too. The sandbox will prevent any infected files from damaging your system and it uses far less resources than any anti-virus will. Also it has an advantage in that your anti-virus may not detect that the files infected and allow it to run, but running it in a sandbox in the first place won't infect your system. If you feel you must use an anti-virus then try Nod32. It's well known for not using a lot of resources and still having a good detection rate.
I run Win7 Ultimate 32 bit, and find combination of eset smart security v5 and sandboxie v3.62 suits my needs very well. not heavy on resources, and adequate protection. I do not advise cracked version of sandboxie, as hacked driver can cause BSOD occurences, I use the "paid for" version to unlock the options I like best, although free version is very good.
@ searchengine Exactly. The free version of Sandboxie runs great and while things are running in your sandbox you don't need an anti-virus constantly scanning everything. If a user was to install google Chrome then again, they don't need an anti-virus running 24/7 as chrome is sandboxed from the system. However, files you download in Chrome can then infect you only if you click on them. That'd be where I then launch any odd looking downloads in Sandboxie and if they infect the sandbox then you can simply press delete As the saying goes, "the problem exists between keyboard and chair". @ gabris[LT] Avast is another suggestion. It may or may not use less resources than Avira.
If you like to play with VM's then you won't even need sandboxie, you can run suspicious files in a vm
Personally I use VM's sometimes, but keep in mind that his system probably won't run VM's fast enough.
sandboxie gives me a pain in the neck....... nice thread anyway, for myself, i would rather rely on a scanner......... you can`t keep on using resources for any old proggie if your machine is low on resources to begin with......
I've tried to launch XP SP3 in M$ virtual PC, system specs were: Pentium 4 HT 2.6GHz, 1GB RAM, it was unusable windows was loading for about 15minutes. after that control panel ~2minutes.... so on this oldie it's not the best solution cause it's running on ThinPC with Aero. and CPU is only 1.7GHz, I've read statistics of AV resources usage, and Avira is in top 3 of normal AV.... and in my opinion Avira uses a lot resources if to compare with AV in past 3-4 years, but old AV won't do any good, because its engine outdated, and its no longer supported.