[loblo]

AVZ Antiviral Toolkit 4.35 is well worth having I guess:

http://www.softpedia...l-Toolkit.shtml

[dencorso]

How come you forgot to include our very own Unofficial ClamWin patch for Win98SE by aru?
I'm begining to think the best way to get something totally unnoticed is to stickify it!

That said, thanks for your hard work! You rock!

[Multibooter]

Just yesterday I updated under Win98 Kaspersky Anti-virus v6.0.2.261 from their server, Signatures published: 5/8/11, 5371038 signatures.Great scanner and works fine under Win98. The only difficulty is where to purchase a valid key for this old version. Kaspersky will probably provide updates for v6 for another year. In any case I bought me a spare key for v6, with which I should be fine until March 2013, if Kaspersky Lab should decide to extend the updates for v6.

In any case, after each signature update I make a backup of the Update Folder (in a rar file of currently 170MB) which can be used in the years to come to update a fresh installation of Kaspersky 6. In this way I will be able in 2015, for example, to install Kaspersky 6 under Win98 and update it to a close-to-the-last signature database, e.g. April xx, 2012, from the Update folder, instead of their server. A license key file with the date of validity beyond the date of the last signature update should allow Kaspersky to run indefinitely, with the close-to-the-last signature database.

BTW, the Kaspersky license key file is not the same as the registration code. A registration code is useless if the Kaspersky server doesn't give you a license key file for it. This happened to me a few years back when Kaspersky Lab dropped support for Kaspersky Internet Security v6, and I couldn't update from the server anymore, even if I had a valid license/registration code.

This post has been edited by Multibooter: 10 May 2011 - 01:36 AM

[loblo]

AlteredAaron, on 10 May 2011 - 12:37 AM, said:

Loblo, I just used AVZ and had no viruses! I guess ClamWin was doing it's job!

I guess you didn't find anything with Clamwin either or am I wrong?

[M()zart]

What about Spybot Search & Destroy? http://www.safer-networking.org/
I think, it is worth mentioning here.
Personally I don't use any security software neither on my Windows 98 PC, which I connect to the Internet very rarely through dial-up, nor on my main Windows 7 PC. I just use its Windows firewall, and very carefully run any suspicious executables. I tried Kaspersky, and my PC worked very slowly with it. Then I tried NOD - works well, but slows down my torrent downloads greatly. When I tried Outpost - it just crashed occasionally into BSOD couple of times a week. After all I uninstalled all the security software. Three years with Windows firewall and no AV. Infected three times only. Every time detected and cleaned infection myself without system reinstalling. Spent less brain cells then with this irritating security software. Each time before running suspicious executables I test them on VirusTotal and sometimes on virtual machines. Sometimes check my PC with Cure-it.

[TmEE]

I install Norton 2005 and update it form time to time, so I can get virus signatures to be used in its DOS component NAVDX. Works wonders and has saved me lot of headache in past.

I usually run no protection measures whatsoever, only scan the HDD few times a year. AVG is something I strongly advise against using... I'd rather have viruses than AVG... in both cases you lose performance, and AVG is probably even more annoying than viruses are..... lot of bad experience with it that still carries on at my work where I see virus ridden machines running AVG...

[CharlesF]

NO AV for years, but:

* Update every component.
For IE6 and OE6 (even if you don't use them), don't forget Maximus Decim InternetExplorer 6.0sp1 Component Update 3.4

* I use SpywareBlaster 4.4 for years: prevent the installation of spyware and other potentially unwanted software.

* Use a up-to-date Hosts file. For instance Mvps Hosts File

* There is also this old stuff, but it has not been updated for years : BugOff

* I run HijackThis from to time, to see if anything has changed.

* The main threat nowadays is from USB keys (or players, ...) IMO,
and I use to avoid them the excellent Autorun Eater 2.5 beta, with KernelEx. See here: #1067.

HTH
Charles.

[loblo]

Timely topic as my system just got hit by a W32.Polipos.A virus which has infected about hundred executables or so.

I have so far cleaned it up to the point it doesn't seem to be spreading anymore but I'll take me another day or two for doing a full cleanup I guess as I have got to reinstall a lot of commercial software packages as well as finding on the net again quite a few freebies freebies that also got infected .

After that one I am kinda considering running again a resident virus scanner.

[loblo]

wsxedcrfv, AFAIK (but you'll tell me if I am wrong) a router won't block outgoing traffic so a decent firewall is still necessary IMHO in case one gets hit by an online browser/flash/java exploit downloading and executing code on one's machine.

[loblo]

BitDefender 8 still gets updated with the latest virus definitions and there are currently 6.902.664 signatures in the database. The free edition doesn't have a resident shield protection and, if relevant, KernelEx must be disabled on the file BDSS.EXE located in PROGRAM FILES\COMMON FILES\SOFTWIN\BITDEFENDER SCAN SERVER otherwise it won't work or crash.

http://www.filehippo...itdefender/577/

This post has been edited by loblo: 11 May 2011 - 01:47 PM

[Multibooter]

loblo, on 10 May 2011 - 09:40 PM, said:

Timely topic as my system just got hit by a W32.Polipos.A virus which has infected about hundred executables or so.

A year ago my laptop got a .exe infection http://www.msfn.org/...h-tengaa-virus/ which infected USB archives and across operating systems. I eventually wiped the whole disk on the infected laptop and restored from backups. Most of the stuff on the infected 1TB USB HDD I have deleted, but I have not yet wiped the HDD. 1 year on there is still some stuff on the infected external HDD, and I have been emptying it slowly, as I have time, with binary compares against a clean older archive HDD, with Beyond Compare v2.9.3. Maybe in a year from now I will have finished deleting the last leftover stuff on the infected 1TB HDD.

Quote

I have so far cleaned it up to the point it doesn't seem to be spreading anymore but I'll take me another day or two for doing a full cleanup

If I remember right, my system got re-infected twice.

Quote

I guess as I have got to reinstall a lot of commercial software packages as well as finding on the net again quite a few freebies freebies that also got infected .

If this is the case you need to work on your backup strategy. I have the opposite problem: I am swamped with backups.

My problem with the .exe infection last year was that at the time of the infection I was in Europe for several months, while many of my backups were in the US. I still have no clear ideas about how to back up new stuff added during extended travels, maybe on DL DVDs or on Blu-ray disks (write-once), they won't be compromised by .exe infectors.

Quote

After that one I am kinda considering running again a resident virus scanner.

I doubt that real-time scanning by my anti-virus software would have protected me from the blazingly fast exe infector Tenga.a. Kaspersky AV a year ago was able to identify etc the malware output, the Tenga-infected .exe files. But apparently Kaspersky AV was not able to identify the original agents causing the infection because I always scan my downloads.

[Steven W]

Some might have an aversion to it, but I still use Tiny Personal Firewall (2.0.15A). If I recall correctly, it has some issue with a Norton defrag utility. McAfee's Stinger Tool still works (I don't believe it requires KernelEx).

This post has been edited by Steven W: 11 May 2011 - 07:40 PM

[erpdude8]

M()zart, on 10 May 2011 - 05:50 AM, said:

What about Spybot Search & Destroy? http://www.safer-networking.org/
I think, it is worth mentioning here.

speaking of Spybot S&D, version 2.0 beta has just been released today.
http://www.safer-net...2011-05-11.html

can you guys check to see if Spybot S&D 2.0 beta works under Win98/ME? I know its help file still mentions Win9x/ME.

[Multibooter]

Steven W, on 11 May 2011 - 04:55 PM, said:

Some might have an aversion to it, but I still use Tiny Personal Firewall (2.0.15A). If I recall correctly, it has some issue with a Norton defrag utility.

I am using Tiny Personal Firewall v2.0.14 under Win98 and Kerio Personal Firewall v2.1.5 under WinXP. The defragger VoptXP v7.22 [this is a misnomer, it runs fine under Win98] has no issues with Tiny or Kerio. Under WinXP I have installed VoptXP v7.22 and Vopt v9.21.

Tiny v2.0.14 has worked fine for me under Win98, but eventually I will replace it with Kerio v2.1.5 under Win98 so that I have the same firewall software on all computers of a mixed Win98/WinXP peer-to-peer network.

Here some old postings of mine regarding Tiny/Kerio:
http://www.msfn.org/...post__p__766929
http://www.msfn.org/...der-windows-xp/
http://www.msfn.org/...post__p__855331

Regarding Vopt/defragging under Win98:
http://www.msfn.org/...ware-for-win9x/

This post has been edited by Multibooter: 11 May 2011 - 05:55 PM

[TmEE]

I once got W32.Funlove.4099 virus from a computer repair shop, I infected every single windows executable (EXE, DLL, OCX, SCR etc.) on all the drives I had on the PC... Norton 2005 DOS part saved my machine, and managed to clean every single file form the virus, that was in ~2005, and since then I have not had any virus outbreaks. I don't run any protection software, but I do scan my drives couple times a year at work, and so far I have not found anything.

[Lipper]

Thanks, all. I didn't know of many of these programs and tips.

Some programs I use that haven't been mentioned yet:

Clam Sentinel 1.15 by member 'Aru'. Real time front end for ClamWin AV with additional configurable system monitor (heuristic). I'm running a portable pre-release version 1.16 which is expected to be released this month.

Multi Virus Cleaner 2011 Last version : v11.3.1 - March 29th, 2011 - scanner, updated every 1-2 months, installed.

SmartCOP Virus Scanner - updated frequently, portable, disposable, requires name and email for registration.

RootAlyzer - Portable rootkit scanner by Safer - also incorporated into Spybot Search & Destroy.

All programs are free for personal use and compatible with Win98/ME without KernelEx.

[loblo]

Multibooter, on 11 May 2011 - 03:56 PM, said:

I doubt that real-time scanning by my anti-virus software would have protected me from the blazingly fast exe infector Tenga.a. Kaspersky AV a year ago was able to identify etc the malware output, the Tenga-infected .exe files. But apparently Kaspersky AV was not able to identify the original agents causing the infection because I always scan my downloads.

Well, it is very possible that the original source of infection had been skillfully hexed as to escape signature detection while still working, (something which is much easier to achieve than writing a new malware from scratch) but I think real time protection would have blocked execution of the infected files which you run routinely everyday and were responsible for the bulk of your massive infection.