Windows 7 question plus decent free virus scanner

JonathanRyan

JonathanRyan

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My wife has a PC running Windows 7. If she leaves it on then I can hear the hard drive chattering all day which doesn't seem good.

1. Is this normal?

2. What's the current recommendation for a free virus scanner? We never got round to installing one and I'm wondering if it is somehow infected.
 
1. Can't answer

2. Microsoft Security Essentials / Windows Defender. Always worked for me and updates itself a couple of times a day.
 
Could be a noisy cheap harddrive, could be that windows is indexing everything or that there is some software running that is constantly checking/reading/writing the hdd. Without seeing the laptop it's hard to say but in my experience it's nothing to really be concerned about unless it is always at 100%.

I don't bother with antivirus, windows is fine. Free antivirus isn't the greatest, if you're going to bother, pay £30 for a decent one.
 
kennysarmy said:
Replace your mechanical drive with an SSD - they're pretty cheap these days, not only will you get a big performance boost, you'll get rid of the noise issue and also get a back drive just in case.
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Thanks - I'm not worried about the noise - if I was, I'd turn it off :) And we only use it for web and accounts so it doesn't need to be any faster.

neil_g said:
1) what does task manager / perf monitor say is doing it?
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It claims the CPU is at 0% (which seems unlikely...). Top memory processes are Dropbox, Google Drive sync and then there are a bunch of Chrome processes.

neil_g said:
2) avast all day every day.
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Is that still good? I heard rumours of it chewing up lots of CPU.
 
JonathanRyan said:
It claims the CPU is at 0% (which seems unlikely...). Top memory processes are Dropbox, Google Drive sync and then there are a bunch of Chrome processes.



Is that still good? I heard rumours of it chewing up lots of CPU.
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load up performance monitor it has a disk activity option.

ive been using it for years, never had it using a lot of CPU personally.
 
I run Windows 7 and the only time I get those sort of noises is when it is doing a Windows backup in the background.
 
For your accounts, are you using Sage? Make sure you go and add Sage to the exceptions list in Avast, I've seen a couple of instances where it's quarantined Sage exe files!
 
andy1868 said:
For your accounts, are you using Sage? Make sure you go and add Sage to the exceptions list in Avast, I've seen a couple of instances where it's quarantined Sage exe files!
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Nope. We are using Quicken 2002. Ain't nobody gonna write malware for a 14 year old piece of s/w :D
 
1, Microsoft Security Essentials / Windows Defender. Always worked for me and updates itself a couple of times a day.
2.Avast
3.AVG
have these on different machines with no problems over the years. :)

I would look at getting a ssd tbh most HDs have a limited life !
 
Harvey_nikon said:
I don't bother with antivirus, windows is fine. Free antivirus isn't the greatest, if you're going to bother, pay £30 for a decent one.
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Sorry but that has to be some of the worst advice.

a) Windows is a prime target for virus writers and you will get viruses without some protection

b) Microsoft Security Essentials is FREE and it is produced by Microsoft who know a thing or two about their own operating system. It might not win awards but it works and keeps out of the way whereas commercial products are always nagging you about things to prove that they are doing their job.
 
Well that was amusing.

Avast found nothing and I found its constant "buy this - upgrade that" screens a bit tiresome so I thought I'd also give Microsoft Security Essentials a spin. It refused to install it....because it is already running on the PC :) Running a full scan but I'm not expecting it to find much.

I think I'll just turn off the PC when we're not using it. That has all kinds of benefits.
 
sirch said:
Sorry but that has to be some of the worst advice.

a) Windows is a prime target for virus writers and you will get viruses without some protection

b) Microsoft Security Essentials is FREE and it is produced by Microsoft who know a thing or two about their own operating system. It might not win awards but it works and keeps out of the way whereas commercial products are always nagging you about things to prove that they are doing their job.
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Firstly Windows Security Essentials isn't free, it's covered under all the windows Licences that are sold, you may not pay for it directly, but it isn't free. Lots of rumours going around about free anti-virus companies being slow to update, or selling details on. Most free ones have a paid version where you get updates sooner, so they know there could be an issue however hold back on providing it for the free version. WSE also installs and runs as standard so windows is covered automatically unless you turn it off. No need to run another free AV.

You can and will get viruses even with protection, I was running Kaspersky several years ago and still managed to get one from an install, like a condom, they aren't 100% effective. It comes down to thinking, don't go to dodgy websites, don't follow suspicious links, don't open dodgy emails or attachments. Make sure browsers and other software is up to date so that there is less chance of someone using a known exploit to get in. Don't download dodgy software.

The only thing I run AV on is my Linux pen testing laptop, everything else gets a once over once a month with Malwarebytes.
 
Lol in that case it may have been security essentials doing background scans :)

I thinking is absolutely fine for a free product. For a paid one I really like eset, it seemed to work best for me with proper email integration as well before I access an email.
 
JonathanRyan said:
Well that was amusing.

Avast found nothing and I found its constant "buy this - upgrade that" screens a bit tiresome so I thought I'd also give Microsoft Security Essentials a spin. It refused to install it....because it is already running on the PC :) Running a full scan but I'm not expecting it to find much.

I think I'll just turn off the PC when we're not using it. That has all kinds of benefits.
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Go to the start menu and type in "resmon" in to the search bar and hit enter.

Click on the DISK tab, it'll show what is reading and writing to the drive.
 
Ah and to round it all off, eBuyer just emailed me to say an SSD is a perfect Valentine's gift.
 
I have windows 7 and defender is doing an excellent job for the last 4 years I have used it.
 
nero said:
I have windows 7 and defender is doing an excellent job for the last 4 years I have used it.
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How do you know ;) :p
 
I use Win 7 64 bit with all updates etc turned off.

I use free Avast but only set for file checking as I found that anything else really slows down my surfing, which is via a dongle (cheap but slow).

I use my router as a firewall (checked by GRC.com - "Shield's Up") and use a VPN, and have set Windows firewall to stop a lot of crap.

All my surfing is done inside VMs and I have NEVER had a virus.

I only use one PC for surfing with nothing important on it.

All my editing is done on a separate i7 PC which is hardly ever connected to the net, but all important data, photos, films etc are backed up to external files which are never left connected.

And all my photos are copied to several free cloud accounts (One drive etc).

It seems these days that hackers are more concerned with hacking large corporations, banks etc which really are almost unprotected in many cases.

I have worked this way for years and as I said, have never had any problems at all.
 
Independent tests: http://www.av-comparatives.org

Running machines without updates and relying on soho routers for security is the way of fools.

AV software is all pants to a degree. To do its jobs it has to run as a privileged process and break many of the rules set for other programs. If an attacker can exploit an AV product, they can exploit the machine.
 
Cont'd...

Nothing is truly free. Esp not free antivirus. Scrutinise the products privacy policy before you install it.

AVG is incredibly naggy, tries to install additional toolbars and even after its removed, somehow manages to change the browser homepage back to AVG search.

Avast is better but seems to be getting naggier. The tune up offers to tweak a considerable numberof settings if you pay for it. Some of the settings I wouldn't personally touch and others were inconsequential.

I personally run a periodic scan with the free version of Malwarebytes. As other people now use my main PC, I have installed Avast for now. At work we have used BitDefender and that was okay. We switched to Panda because that could be deployed by Group Policy. Caused issues with the one user we had relying one OneDrive.

YMMV. Do your own research, dont rely on hearsay.

Oh and just because you don't think you have beencompromised doesn't mean you haven't. There's possibly a key logger discretely sending your on-line credentials and card details to a third party every time you use them!
 
afasoas said:
?.........

Oh and just because you don't think you have beencompromised doesn't mean you haven't. There's possibly a key logger discretely sending your on-line credentials and card details to a third party every time you use them!
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I think he would have noticed a wee dip in his bank accounts in the years he has been using that setup:rolleyes:

I too went more than a few years without MS updates, in my early computing days, without problems.
 
Mikesphotaes said:
I think he would have noticed a wee dip in his bank accounts in the years he has been using that setup:rolleyes:

I too went more than a few years without MS updates, in my early computing days, without problems.
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It doesn't have to be your bank account ;) a compromised machine can be used for all sorts.
 
afasoas said:
Cont'd...
Avast is better but seems to be getting naggier.
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It certainly is.
My Avast subscription runs out in a couple of weeks and I don't think I'll renew it because of the constant pop-ups.

A few years ago I used Eset NOD32, which was one of the least intrusive AV programs I've come across, and for a while was highly recommended.
I don't know how it compares now, but I'm thinking of going back to it.
 
I'm using eset on my Windows machines. Least intrusive, very low footprint and during my own personal test of all the names it was the only one picking up on viruses on email attachments before I open and save them.
 
dejongj said:
I'm using eset on my Windows machines. Least intrusive, very low footprint and during my own personal test of all the names it was the only one picking up on viruses on email attachments before I open and save them.
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Thanks for that.
I can't remember why I stopped using NOD32, possibly because on one of the discussion sites (not this one) others were more highly recommended.
I'll certainly take a look at it again.
One of the things that annoys me about paid for AV programs is that they lure you in for the first year at a really good price, and then that jumps up when it's time to renew.
 
I use Kaspersky Internet Security, have done for years

I have to say though I am finding the latest version somewhat a PITA
 
afasoas said:
YMMV. Do your own research, dont rely on hearsay.
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That's a good point, but I honestly don't care enough to do that. Asking a wide cross section of people in a forum is about as much effort as I'm prepared to put in ;)

That's based on the premise that if we got hit with ransomeware on this PC I'd probably just nuke it and/or get a new hard drive and reinstall everything which would take about 4 - 5 hours of machine time. Loss of personal data doesn't bother me on this machine because there isn't any. Keyloggers don't worry me because the security systems used by my bank look like they should be immune to key loggers (keycard with one time generated pass keys in addition to other security). If they start using credit card details for something then I'll spot it, raise hell with the bank and get the money back. Accounts data is backed up in a couple of clouds. I guess it could be stolen from there (which would allow you to find out how much I spend on stamps if you manage to find a working copy of Quicken 2002 so you can read the files) but not stolen in the sense that I would lose it. I'm somewhat opposed to hackers using my computer as part of a botnet - but not really bothered enough to spend any money stopping them. It's an Acer i5 with minimal spec everything. If they need that for bitcoin mining or whatever people do these days then good luck to them.

As for nothing being free, I pay the Microsoft Tax whenever I buy a PC (so, every 5 years or so) and it appears this now includes a decent virus scanner that I didn't know I had :D Life is good.
 
Is it definitely the HDD making the noise and not the fan? Sometimes when you get dust in the fan it can make a lot of noise. If the HDD is making noise then I would make sure I have a backup of everything fairly quickly before it bids adieu.

All the free anti viruses are much of muchness. I use 360 Security and it does what it says on the tin with little fuss.
 
Ballyman said:
Is it definitely the HDD making the noise and not the fan? Sometimes when you get dust in the fan it can make a lot of noise.
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Yeah it's the thoughtful click of a stepping motor not the dull whine of a fan ;)
 
One that has not been mentioned is " malwarebytes" there is a free download or a purchase version and a trial version. I have the full version on my computer

Tip

Get rid of any dust in the computer and the fan areas, computers run better the cooler they are
 
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JonathanRyan said:
That's a good point, but I honestly don't care enough to do that. Asking a wide cross section of people in a forum is about as much effort as I'm prepared to put in ;)

That's based on the premise that if we got hit with ransomeware on this PC I'd probably just nuke it and/or get a new hard drive and reinstall everything which would take about 4 - 5 hours of machine time. Loss of personal data doesn't bother me on this machine because there isn't any. Keyloggers don't worry me because the security systems used by my bank look like they should be immune to key loggers (keycard with one time generated pass keys in addition to other security). If they start using credit card details for something then I'll spot it, raise hell with the bank and get the money back. Accounts data is backed up in a couple of clouds. I guess it could be stolen from there (which would allow you to find out how much I spend on stamps if you manage to find a working copy of Quicken 2002 so you can read the files) but not stolen in the sense that I would lose it. I'm somewhat opposed to hackers using my computer as part of a botnet - but not really bothered enough to spend any money stopping them. It's an Acer i5 with minimal spec everything. If they need that for bitcoin mining or whatever people do these days then good luck to them.

As for nothing being free, I pay the Microsoft Tax whenever I buy a PC (so, every 5 years or so) and it appears this now includes a decent virus scanner that I didn't know I had :D Life is good.
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There's a lot I could add in view of your response. Save to say that I'd doubt I'd need a copy of Quicken to snoop into your lurid stamp purchasing and Windows Defender is far from decent. If you check the link I shared with you, you'd see it provides an accurate, impartial and up to date picture on the most effective/performant AV products. It's nicely summarised in a few easily digestible charts.

More generally, there is an argument that states there are plenty of good reasons for all of us to be vigilant when it comes to detecting and preventing malicious computer activity. To an extent, we pay as a society for the misdeeds of miscreants who are looking to exploit Internet connected devices for their own misdeeds.
 
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afasoas said:
There's a lot I could add in view of your response. Save to say that I'd doubt I'd need a copy of Quicken to snoop into your lurid stamp purchasing and Windows Defender is far from decent. If you check the link I shared with you, you'd see it provides an accurate, impartial and up to date picture on the most effective/performant AV products. It's nicely summarised in a few easily digestible charts.
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Thanks. I fought my way through their PDFs. 2 things I learned

1. Windows Defender under Windows 7 is not an antivirus. I'm not sure I understand what it is actually. I do know that there's a distinction between malware and viruses which is useful for computer techs. I'm not certain it's useful for the average user (though I've used Macs for over a decade so what would I know about this kind of stuff?).

2. The combination of Windows Defender and Avast that I have accidentally arrived at seems like it will do a good job. Apparently they play nicely together and short of paying for Kapersky it seems I won't get a higher rated product.

afasoas said:
More generally, there is an argument that states there are plenty of good reasons for all of us to be vigilant when it comes to detecting and preventing malicious computer activity. To an extent, we pay as a society for the misdeeds of miscreants who are looking to exploit Internet connected devices for their own misdeeds.
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There are many things I will do in the name of altruism. Buying marginally better anti virus for a computer that doesn't really need protecting isn't one of them ;)
 
Whatever virus software you get, clicking to authorise installation of something will tend to tell the software you think it's ok, even though it may have adware piggybacked onto it.

Agree with previous posters about using Malwarebytes periodically in addition to an antivirus program.
 
JonathanRyan said:
Thanks. I fought my way through their PDFs. 2 things I learned

1. Windows Defender under Windows 7 is not an antivirus.
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Good point. I think the confusion stems from the names used. Windows 7 is after all rather old now. In Windows 7 you had to add Microsoft Security Essentials for anti-virus or another product in addition to Defender, or if it was a multi-use product it can disable defender fully.

From Windows 8 onwards Defender became all encompassing including anti-virus. On Windows 10 it seemed to be no worse than Kaspersky etc....Only ESET picked out the various e-mail viruses for me...
 
@JonathanRyan last year i would have recommended Avast, however, late last year i discovered that Avast had been causing a decrease in my broadband speed. It was 8mb when it should have been 20mb!!! I hadnt noticed as i obviously didnt need the high speeds, but when i got a new virgin router, for 50mb, and speed tested it once it was installed, it was as 1mb!! With the engineers helped, we figured out it was Avast affecting the speed, as it was 50mb with it turned off, but took it back down if i switched it back on. i am using F secure at the moment which is free with virgin account for a year.

so thats my little story about avast :)
 
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