Please recommend AV (free???) for Vista Business

[Muse]

I have a number of computers. All have some kind of AV installed. I have only one computer that stays off site. I have it at home ATM because it had some major issues I had to resolve, which I did yesterday.

It's running Vista Business. I bought it 3 years ago off a guy in these forums used. I use it chiefly to run a database application I need at my volunteer gig. 3 years ago it ran MS Security Essentials but nowadays I get messages that it won't anymore, that the OS is no longer supported.

I really don't much need internet support at the gig but I do Google searches sometimes. Maybe I shouldn't. The crucial aspect is running my personal app with it's data. However, internet connectivity is nice to have and it logs on (with variable consistency!) to an open guest wifi system (it's at a university), and I have been using that.

So, is there a decent free AV I can use with this thing, hopefully with updates? TIA!

 

[mdram]

OS is so outdated i doubt anything will be supported well.

 

[sdifox]

time to upgrade to 7 at least?

 

[UsandThem]

Since Microsoft isn't providing any security patches for that OS anymore, an antivirus program isn't going to do you much good (even if you could find one that still works with Vista). It would be about as safe as connecting a Windows XP machine to the internet.

 

[Muse]

time to upgrade to 7 at least?

Dang, well I think that will cost me more than the $95 I paid for that lappy. I'm thinking it would be cheaper to buy another used laptop than buy Win7 for it! I do have a couple of cheap tablets running W10 and I could use one of those, I guess, not sure how I'd like the ergonomics. They suck without mouse support. I could bring a mouse too, have to see how that goes.

 

[sdifox]

Dang, well I think that will cost me more than the $95 I paid for that lappy. I'm thinking it would be cheaper to buy another used laptop than buy Win7 for it! I do have a couple of cheap tablets running W10 and I could use one of those, I guess, not sure how I'd like the ergonomics. They suck without mouse support. I could bring a mouse too, have to see how that goes.

https://www.avast.com/windows-vista-antivirus


don't know if it is any good now.

 

[Muse]

https://www.avast.com/windows-vista-antivirus


don't know if it is any good now.

Thanks, I'll check it out, gotta be better than nothing (one would hope!).

 

[Muse]

https://www.avast.com/windows-vista-antivirus


don't know if it is any good now.

I download and run it, the scan. It comes up with a list of things, has you click through them and then to address the issues it wants you to either sign up for 1 or 2 years or go for a 60 day free trial. But to activate the free trial you have to give them your credit card number and agree that if you don't cancel by the 60 day limit they will bill your card for double the yearly rate! I say screw that, I'm not giving them my credit card number or going for their arm twisting. I am updating two "vulnerable" outdated programs that they cited. The broken registry items ("507") I will have to live with and the other stuff.

"Free" should be free. It's a free trial at best with a twist that if you don't cancel in time, you pay them $50/year.

 

[sdifox]

I download and run it, the scan. It comes up with a list of things, has you click through them and then to address the issues it wants you to either sign up for 1 or 2 years or go for a 60 day free trial. But to activate the free trial you have to give them your credit card number and agree that if you don't cancel by the 60 day limit they will bill your card for double the yearly rate! I say screw that, I'm not giving them my credit card number or going for their arm twisting. I am updating two "vulnerable" outdated programs that they cited. The broken registry items ("507") I will have to live with and the other stuff.

"Free" should be free. It's a free trial at best with a twist that if you don't cancel in time, you pay them $50/year.

So it's not free huh. Liars.

 

[Muse]

So it's not free huh. Liars.

It's really a trial version, worse actually, because you have to give them your CC # before they will do one thing for you, and that's after stringing you along.

To me free is free. I use a lot of free utilities. Some of them have professional or higher level versions but their developers don't squeeze money out of you. These Avast guys lure you with "free" but after you go through all the hoops they say look, you have a bunch of problems. Now, if you want us to help you with them, either pay up now or promise to pay double that rate in 60 days if you forget to cancel. I'm ditching them now. A-Vast-Scam is what I call them.

I looked at another one earlier in the day, TotalAV. Searching on best AV for Vista the first Google hit was a website that ranked the 10 best AVs and TotalAV was at the top. But before installing I did a search on them and there were some hits calling them a scam. They said that top 10 site was a criminal affair shilling TotalAV. Nowadays if I have any suspicions I do internet searches to find out if companies are legit and if some people are feeling scammed, underserved or whatever.

 

[sdifox]

maybe just run malwarebytes?


maybe one of these?

https://windowsreport.com/open-source-antivirus/

 

[Muse]

maybe just run malwarebytes?


maybe one of these?

https://windowsreport.com/open-source-antivirus/

I've run malwarebytes before, free version. Think that adequate? I've also fun Superantispyware, free version. Ran it around a week ago on a different system, seemed to cure a problem I had. I was thinking of running it on this machine. I installed the trial pro version, which updates automatically and scans automatically, but it's period ran out and I uninstalled it and then installed the free version a couple days ago.

 

[sdifox]

I've run malwarebytes before, free version. Think that adequate? I've also fun Superantispyware, free version. Ran it around a week ago on a different system, seemed to cure a problem I had. I was thinking of running it on this machine. I installed the trial pro version, which updates automatically and scans automatically, but it's period ran out and I uninstalled it and then installed the free version a couple days ago.

I don't get virus or malware so :shrug: I do have security essentials and malwarebytes

 

[Lanyap]

I'm using Panda AV free on an old XP system. Should work for Vista Business.

 

[Muse]

I'm using Panda AV free on an old XP system. Should work for Vista Business.

I'll try it. Thanks!

ATM I'm running SuperAntiSpyware trial pro version. It's been running over 8 hours. Seems very slow and I'm not confident it would finish in a week. I can cancel, of course, but then it forgets the 72 tracking cookies and one trojan it's found. May have to cancel anyway. I first tried installing the free version but there was an error about a DLL. Figure to run SFC Scan now but can't ATM.

 

[sdifox]

I'll try it. Thanks!

ATM I'm running SuperAntiSpyware trial pro version. It's been running over 8 hours. Seems very slow and I'm not confident it would finish in a week. I can cancel, of course, but then it forgets the 72 tracking cookies and one trojan it's found. May have to cancel anyway. I first tried installing the free version but there was an error about a DLL. Figure to run SFC Scan now but can't ATM.

normal people run a firewall to stop all that getting into your house in the first place.

 

[Muse]

I don't get virus or malware so :shrug: I do have security essentials and malwarebytes

You paid for the pro version? I'm pretty naive about this stuff. No, not new, but understanding this stuff is a challenge.

 

[sdifox]

You paid for the pro version? I'm pretty naive about this stuff. No, not new, but understanding this stuff is a challenge.

no, just the free one. I just run it once in a while. I don't find anything anyway. Mind you I am behind pfsense with pfblockerng.

 

[Muse]

normal people run a firewall to stop all that getting into your house in the first place.

I think I have firewalls in place on my PCs.

 

[sdifox]

I think I have firewalls in place on my PCs.

there is firewall, and then there is firewall.

https://www.pfsense.org/

a lot of people prefer Sophos for ease of use.

 

[Muse]

I am not systematic. I should, I think, run ccleaner, superantispyware, malwarebytes... the free versions as well as an AV. I run MS Security Essentials on my two Win10 PCs. It no longer works for Vista.

 

[sdifox]

I am not systematic. I should, I think, run ccleaner, superantispyware, malwarebytes... the free versions as well as an AV. I run MS Security Essentials on my two Win10 PCs. It no longer works for Vista.

and have a boot flashdrive with malwarebyte etc and do clean boot scan once in a while.

It's just another vm for me, but you can run it off an old pc with 2 nic. other than initial install, it's all webserver driven.

 

[Muse]

and have a boot flashdrive with malwarebyte etc and do clean boot scan once in a while.

It's just another vm for me, but you can run it off an old pc with 2 nic. other than initial install, it's all webserver driven.

Boy, I don't comprehend that stuff. I've never run analytical/cleanup stuff off a flash drive or whatever. Or webserver driven things. You run a webserver? I suppose I can with my router and NAS but I haven't looked into it.

 

[sdifox]

Boy, I don't comprehend that stuff. I've never run analytical/cleanup stuff off a flash drive or whatever. Or webserver driven things. You run a webserver? I suppose I can with my router and NAS but I haven't looked into it.

Pfsense is an appliance software, as in it is self contained and meant to run off a dedicated pc. I just run it in a virtual machine.

I run a vm host, so a server that hosts many virtual servers. I think I have about a dozen active virtual servers.

 

[Muse]

Pfsense is an appliance software, as in it is self contained and meant to run off a dedicated pc. I just run it in a virtual machine.

I run a vm host, so a server that hosts many virtual servers. I think I have about a dozen active virtual servers.

Interesting. Way over my head. I ran a VM once, I think, on a 64 bit machine to emulate a 32 bit machine so I could run a program. I abandoned it because it was too much trouble. Just ran it on a 32 bit machine instead. I hope I'm right about that.

Do you run all this stuff on a single machine?