that is all stupid! KAV has the best detection on earth (it has great team but his heuristic is poor... But they hawe good network and in most cases they caught all viruses) according to tests! McAfee patches their mistakes very fast and is ok av! EZ truist is so poor av (please do not argue with me ... i know why i'm telling this!). AVG is vulnerable and avast leaks for some advanced technologies! in last version NOD32 is shaking system and it's have some bugs so it slows system. Trend Micro is my old love but it has so big updates and he can scan oly 6 sub archives (in v2005)! Panda is good but there is some things: update is not small, trupervent is need and it can slow down sysem sometimes (aldo i scan my PC with Panda Ti 204 and watch DVD in same time!!!)!
Antispywares are second thing: they are not nessesary! Pepolpe think that is critical to have anti adware and spyware program! Why? Why just dont read the EULA and see what is in instalation? And release notes? And read me? That is very important and stick to this things. AdAware is ok but it's more for adware! He detects spyware "djene-djene" (50-50) and its to glamurose! Spybot is much better tool! he detects keylogers and other things and exploits and worms (some big ones) and great Spyware dettection is having! Also there is Bazooka! good spyware scanner but he scans system only and for remove you must visit their page with description woh to remove that spyware/keyloger/adware/worm/exploit! Im now getting Arovax and we will see is it good! For MS antispyware i can sad only this: GREAT! It uses Giant engine and who used Giant he known what im talking about!
by other hand very high percentage of spyware/keylogers/adwares/dialers are detected by BitDefender, KAV, F-Secure, Dr.Web, avast!... So why use antispyware anyway? Just use head and do not go to every link that comes on screen! Crypt your mails and do not use p2p! It's full of viruses and cracks and some other bad things! Use torrent from your friends only! And use well setted up firewall!
this is most inportant:
well setted up firewall blocks ports worms (they copy them selves apsolitely alone with no help! so you no need to start some exe file for starting the malicious code (this are used bu Trojans but they are going now level up... )! worm do that all by them self) and hacker attacks! YOu cant be 100% secure on net! but you can raise you security! Firewall is need more than AV (by my opinion) for expirienced users! I love Look 'n' Stop becuase you must order him to do that and this but you must set up all rules (@ my look 'n' stop it's about 60 rules maybe more... I dont use it (any firewall) but when i must use some firewall this is my choice!
restrict explorer.exe and do not give him right to go on net (you should manualy restrict this)! Use simple IM clients and watch for users and do not accept unknown names and so on (remember: ICQ has some worm taht spreaded arround as Murphy or something like that and he infected soo many PC-s! It send it selves arround as user murphy to users ... and so on)! in IRC disable DCC send (usualy is this command: /fsend off). If you can use jabber! It has encryptiopn! Get rid of MSN messenger! MSN live chat is ok but MSN messenger is full of flaws and it has some spyware things (not in program but it spread sometimes) so use other IM client for msn chat!
Configure your browser! Use resrtictions and use some rules... If you are IE user use IE-Spyad and enhanced HOSTS file ( http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm )! There are things from adaware and spyware blaster and they use their own list of restricted sites! Of course get rid of MS java virtual machine and use SUN JAVA (MS java has bugs and vulnerabilities and SUn is today well developed aldo it has some vulnerabilities (every great program does it!))! Scan your system 2 times a week and do not lead yourself with this:
Im okay im not gona get virus and spyware!
this is stupid! Today there are so many hackers and kids who dont like school like me writes worms and other things ! See at summer! Every summer is hot on virus scene (remember extra hot 2003... Blaster, Welchia (i think this is the name), Mimail...) Every kid today use some program to break into another computer just for fun! they not aware the damage that they are cousing! last thing:
scan your system only in safe mode! there is much more chanses that av will find virus so use the safe mode (press F8 before boot screen (in WIndows))!
sorry for bad english but this was stronger than me... If you want to ask something ask me but without fight...
be protected
m.p. This post is too long! do not quote it please
[note] this is just my point of view and i'm not right in all but in most cases i 'm right