Antivirus Help

Right, Etrust/AVG Free/Avast won't work 100% well on my PC. I have ordered Noton Suite 2006, but in the meantime I would like to find another antivirus that i can rely on, because if I can, that means I can refund Norton.

I am currently using Sygate Personal firewall, which works brilliantly.

What free programns are there left out there, that real scan (i.e scan what you are looking at/downloading), and system scan?

I have been looking at AntiVir, whats that like? Any others?

If avg, etrust, and avast arent working there is something up with your pc. I know had norton before did you completely get rid of it? Are there any remnants of it that you see in add remove programs?

Also what errors or problems did the other avs give you?

I've never had Norton before, I had F-Secure that came with my internet connection. there are still remanants left on my PC that I can't get rid of, they are copyright protected, even in safe mode they won't be deleted.

Etrust/AVG Free - Wouldn't update, said internet wasn't connected even though it was, stange considering that all my other updates work.

Avast - Wouldn't even load up my page properly, said my pages could not be displayed.

Are there still parts of f-secure loading at start up?

No, I phoned up the compay, I am clean, all services deleted amongst others, the undeletable files are comppresed so they're almost not there.

I did post a HijackThis log up, but there were no problems in that, so I don't know what to do. From what I have seen Etrust/AVG Free/Avast are the only one's with a real scanner, and I only want anti-virus programns that have real-scanners.

I might, just might try Avast again, but I'm not sure.

What kind of net connection do you have?

I tried Avast again, same problems as before, Page Would Not Be Displayed, and failed to update.

I am currently on tesco broadband.

Hi Ultimate Predator

I have been using Avast fo over a year with no hassles and i am on dial-up.

I have no idea what is causing your problem but if you go to thier forum they will be able to Assist you.

You have to register to post I think?

Avast

Hope the link works should take you to the Avast forums

Cheers :)

Etrust/AVG Free - Wouldn't update, said internet wasn't connected even though it was, stange considering that all my other updates work.

I'd have to guess that is the cause of having Sygate Personal Firewall ("SPF") installed. The final nail in SPF's coffin for me was it wouldn't allow all programs to update via the Internet.

If you're using Windows XP completely disable SPF, then turn on the Windows Firewall and try one of the free antivirus products that you liked and see if it will update. If the antivirus product updates with SPF disabled you'll know the cause is because of SPF. If it's SPF's fault uninstall it and download another free firewall such as ZoneAlarm version 5.5.094.000 (don't get any newer version they're very buggy).

By the way those left-over remnants of F-Secure that won't delete can be removed using Unlocker, or in the HijackThis "Misc Tools Section->Delete a file on reboot".

I hadn't heard about any problems like this with Sygate. Just another reason I will stick with my nice old(literally :D ) copy of Zone Alarm.

I hadn't heard about any problems like this with Sygate.

I dealt with that behavior of it for over a year with Apple QuickTime (now using QuickTime Alt), when trying to access the Apple website, and some other websites such as Staples Rebates website.

I had originally thought it was just a problem on my WinXP system until I dusted off my old Win98 system, installed AVG and found via SPF's logs that it was blocking AVG from updating, so I removed SPF and put good ole ZoneAlarm on the system for an instant cure.

That unlocker did the job, deleted the bits left. Will try later to turn off all firewalls and see if they will update, if they don't....

Will try later to turn off all firewalls and see if they will update, if they don't....

I'm thinking it's just Sygate -- if it isn't well then it's something else that's the cause. No other firewall I've tried has ever had such a behavior which was present on both of my systems.

If you're using Windows XP make sure you enable the Windows Firewall for testing purposes to see if the updates will work, it's too risky to be unprotected without firewall protection.

O.K will do, but I have tried before without Sygate and just Windows Firewall and it didn't work, I think it was the bits left behind from my old anti-virus software because that caused a lot of problems on my PC, but it would update.

Anyway the bits are gon, I will try and update when I finish work.

Also, are you saying that Sygate is a bad firewall? I need a decent firewall that isn't buggy like ZoneAlarm, I'm not touching their products again.

Also on EZ, I have sent different emails to different email address's, and have basically installed and uninstalled the product twice with different trial keys that come with the email, does that matter? I assume as soon as you get past the part of typing in the key and it starts installing you're fine?

Also, are you saying that Sygate is a bad firewall? I need a decent firewall that isn't buggy like ZoneAlarm, I'm not touching their products again.

Also on EZ, I have sent different emails to different email address's, and have basically installed and uninstalled the product twice with different trial keys that come with the email, does that matter? I assume as soon as you get past the part of typing in the key and it starts installing you're fine?

I'm saying it has some bugs that make it rather difficult to put up with on a daily basis, whatsmore I watched it slowly rot and reveal even more bugs on my WinXP system and Win98 system. ZoneAlarm isn't perfect, it does contain bugs of its own however if you use ZoneAlarm version 5.5.094.000 (forget version 6.x) the bugs it has aren't as annoying as those in Sygate.

Well to install eTrust EZ Antivirus you must first have an open Internet connection because parts of the program and the signature files have to be downloaded during setup. I'm not sure about having two trial licenses, I don't know if that would cause you any grief or not.

About them not answering your emails, well I'm in the same boat they never replied to a support question I had. "Possibly they're bailing out of their support" for the free one year trial, so they can deal with actual paying customers.

I'm saying it has some bugs that make it rather difficult to put up with on a daily basis, whatsmore I watched it slowly rot and reveal even more bugs on my WinXP system and Win98 system. ZoneAlarm isn't perfect, it does contain bugs of its own however if you use ZoneAlarm version 5.5.094.000 (forget version 6.x) the bugs it has aren't as annoying as those in Sygate.

So gfar its been fine, as soon as I see something wrong I'll change, but not ZoneAl;arm, I think I used an old version and it still screwed up my PC.

Well to install eTrust EZ Antivirus you must first have an open Internet connection because parts of the program and the signature files have to be downloaded during setup. I'm not sure about having two trial licenses, I don't know if that would cause you any grief or not.

Yeah, well, i'll wait till I get home, se what happens. I am calling up some pro's tomorrow if it still doesn't work, if there's still a problem I'll use Norton.

It just seems to much of a coincedence that its anti-virus programns that aren't connecting to their servers for updates, everything else is fine.

That is strange that it's only antivirus products that won't update. Are you sure your system is currently clean without any hidden malware infection stopping the updating process?

What version of Sygate are you using?

I ask because for many months they had a very buggy v5.6 available which many people couldn't install because the installer would fail (according to their forums).

Hmm something strange, just noticed the last version of Sygate I used was v5.5 now it's the same with ZoneAlarm again another v5.5, all due to bugs though.

Sygate 5.6. I've had this problem for ages and it hasn't been an infection, I had this problem when I put up my HijackThis log and there was nothing in there.

Right, nothings changed. I phoned up a (reliable) PC shop and ran a few things but he says I'll have to take it into his shop to fix it, it isn't a proxy thats redirecting and it isn't a host, its something else.

Problem is that somewhere in my PC there is a setting thats redirecting or something antivirus updates so they won't update. It sounds like a virus, but he says its the bad uninstaller from the F-Secure Internet Suite software, so it likes I'm going to have to take it into them, no ue phoning up the people who supply the software, they are basically a bunch of twats.

So, back to how it was. I'm not going to install Norton at all, just hopefully get this working and keep EZ Anti-Virus.

Been costing a fortune for all this, it really has.