Posted on 04/15/2009 8:08:49 PM PDT by girlangler
Can any freepers give me some advice on how to get rid of the Rapid Antivirus that appartently has infected my laptop?
I am desperate. I have some deadlines and even my Internet Explorer, Firefox won't operate. FRUSTRATING!!
Thanks in advance for any advice.
IF Winders can't develop another OS as reliable as XP and leave out their peekaboo stuff I'll likely change to the Penguin when I'm forced to. In the mean time I have an old machine with 98/2 stil on it I might put the Penguin in to learn on.
The avast scan depends on the computer, on my 2002 pentium 4 the deep scan only takes about 150 minutes on my other really cheap $199.00 2003 computer it takes about 5 hours.
I only do deep scans and I do them a lot, once you get in the habit it is no problem, when I am leaving the computer I flip on a scan based on what I am doing, if I’m going to work I do a avast scan, if I’m watching a DVD or going to the store I do a antispyware scan.
I guess with newer, better computers that you can do your scans while you are on the computer with out noticing it.
Thanks all you freepers responding to this.
I was up till about 2 a.m. downloading and trying several of the solutions suggested, and something apparently worked (knock on wood). I ran several scans.
I awoke this morning, started up my computer, and was able to get on here without any problem (knocking on wood again).
I can’t thank you all enough.
Free Agent: Linux Firewalls and Antivirus--Needed or Not?
*******************************EXCERPT*****************************
Here's another reason Linux tends to deflect spyware: By default, most Linux distributions wisely set you up as a lower-privilege user, with a type of account that generally can't allow malicious code to take over the system. Were you to somehow permit a Linux virus or worm to run on your computer, the fact that you are not logged in on the all-powerful root account prevents the malware from attacking the system's (and other users') files. That's why you typically have to log in as root (with the root password) to change Linux system configurations. In contrast, the default Windows XP user account is the full-privilege administrator, which gives viruses and other threats greater leeway to infect and damage the PC.
So simply by not disabling the existing firewall, and by not logging in as root for your day-to-day Web browsing and e-mail, you'll avoid the vast majority of threats. Keep yourself even safer by updating your software regularly to close the inevitable security holes that expose your machine to worms, rootkits, and other exploits.
However, should someone you know lose their head and log in as root, and then run a program that happens to be infected with one of the few Linux viruses known to exist in the wild, that virus could definitely destroy or steal user data. And even if you think you're smart enough to avoid infection, the files moving through your mailbox, Samba file shares (shared files mounted as drives), and other storage mechanisms could still contain viruses destined to infect other systems. These are valid reasons why you might want to use antivirus software on your Linux computer.
Although commercial Linux antivirus products exist, save your money and start with one of several excellent free utilities instead. Even better, pick one that is not only free but open source: the delightfully named Clam AntiVirus. In addition to binary packages (no compiling necessary) for most major Linux distributions, ClamAV is also available for Windows and Mac OS X.
If you'd prefer antivirus software with a commercial track record, try the Linux version of Grisoft's renowned AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition. Because of Linux's inherent safety, the system you save may not be your own, but you'll be doing your part to curb malware altogether.
PC World Contributing Editor Scott Spanbauer is sitting in for Free Agent author Matthew Newton this month.
In 10 years I've had maybe 2-3 minor viruses and a lot of false hits especially when I had Trend Micro on this one. It had a conflict with one of my spy ware programs too IIRC. When the trial time was up I went to Avast.
Worse computers I saw was one three my cousin gave me because they wouldn't work anymore. They all had Blubster on them and about 180 Trojans. He didn't believe in anti-virus programs or updates. I got plenty of spare parts though :>}
Glad it worked out.
Today I loaded up a stick memory with all the goodies, worked on someones computer for five hours and I think we won.
I removed over a 100 nasties, put him on auto updates and installed service pack 3 and dozens of other windows updates, installed avast and windows defender, and the windows firewall, and I tried to show him how to update and use the malwarebytes and superantispyware which he may never do but I put them on there for my rescue scans and I hope that he will come to try them.
My minimum that I leave people with that I know won’t ever become proactive is auto windows update, auto update and full scan windows defender and malicious malware remover, auto update avast with the toughest settings, and auto update windows firewall.
I think those minimums will keep them functioning for a long time even if they won’t scan.
Some good suggestions here, but I did not see one important item.
Make SURE you clear all previous restoration points that have been created and then do a disk clean up to clear your temp files. These nasty programs will install themselves in multiple locations and the restoration files are a favorite place.
Avast, SpyBot Search and Destroy 1.6.2 and Malwarebytes will do the job of getting rid of the pest and running the programs once a week will keep it clean.
I spent yesterday fighting with my computer too! I haven’t fixed mine yet though.
(*sigh) Guess I’ll need to be nicer to my tech guy.
;-)
What is going on with yours?
I woke up to find my AVG had been removed from the computer! Then I couldn’t get on the internet. Mr G. is my tech guy and has had a number of emails with the AVG support people. We have been through at least 3 rounds of what doesn’t work, have a 4th we need to try.
HA!!
Can't tell you how many times I've suspected the same thing, myself.
I haven't put the 230 plus MB update on the laptop yet though. Last I heard some doing so were having problems from it on laptops only for some reason or another. Whatever glitch there was should be worked out by now though I'd think. I might as well give it a try pretty soon.
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