Running Windows with no anti-virus?

[Hodge]

@D_Odds

AVG will no longer support it’s free edition come January. As I’m a cheap bastard, this probably means I will have to use McAfee, which is offered as part of my ISP’s package. This is not my preferred choice.

I think you’ve mis-interpreted AVG’s recent notice. They’ll be discontinuing support for the current free version, AVG 7.1, but a new free version, AVG 7.5, will replace it. See the notice on this page.

[control-z]

@Hodge

I think you’ve mis-interpreted AVG’s recent notice. They’ll be discontinuing support for the current free version, AVG 7.1, but a new free version, AVG 7.5, will replace it. See the notice on this page.

Yeah they did this at least once before. Not sure why, maybe they think people will just buy the program while they’re going to the trouble of upgrading.

[Really_Not_All_That_Bright]

@TimeWinder

Actually, I don’t care nearly as much about “spyware” as I do viruses, primarily because the definition isn’t very clear-cut. I run spyware detectors occasionally, and they whine about cookies, javascripts, and plugins that are safe and performing their intended (by me) function. In fact, usually they list so many false positives that I just roll my eyes and turn off the detector again.

AdAware makes a clear disctinction between malware and more prosaic data miners and such.

I use the XP firewall, AVG, and I’m using a Linksys wireless router which acts as a hardware firewall from what I understand.

[D_Odds]

@Hodge

I think you’ve mis-interpreted AVG’s recent notice. They’ll be discontinuing support for the current free version, AVG 7.1, but a new free version, AVG 7.5, will replace it. See the notice on this page.

Thanks. Like control-z said, what their pushing to users of AVG 7.1 didn’t indicate AVG 7.5 would have a free edition also (or at least, I couldn’t find it, which may say more about me than about AVG). Nice to know they still will have a free version, and that I won’t have to suffer McAfee or Norton or CA.