Grisoft Free Anti Virus Software

Question

Does anyone have any experience or opinions about the free antivirus software GRISOFT, www.free.grisoft.com. Windows XP Sherr Message Edited by Sherr on 02-27-2007 07:39 PM

chast · Answer

It has worked great for me. Used it on two computers for the past year and a half. one xp pro and one with media center xp 2005. I also use it in conjunction with zonealarm and 'host' file. Haven't had any problems

tele2 · Answer

Grisoft Free Anti Virus was suggested to me by a forum member. I've had it on for a week or so, And have had no problems. They Suggested I also installed Windows Defender. They get along  great together and seem to be doing a fine job. Grisoft scans my e-mail as it comes in, So I feel much safer now. Hope this helps. Tele2

Sherr · Answer

It seems to me that if Grisoft scans your incoming E-Mail it slows down your receipt of mail. They probably also scan your outgoing mail which slows that down. Especially if photos are going both ways. I had that problem with PC-cillin. Can you disable that feature. All I want is a good anti virus. No other features.  Sherr

tele2 · Answer

I Don't notice a slow down with e- mail scanner, However I am on a very slow Dial-up. But Yes there is a box marked ( e-mail scanner ) Just remove the check mark. Enjoy the day. Tele2

joe53 · Answer

It's been a while since I use AVG, but I believe that a custom install (rather than a typical) allows you not to install the email module scanner during the program installation.   Email scanning can slow or even prevent some users' email from working, and there are reports of damaged Outlook Express files as well. It is a redundent scan in any event- if your resident AV scan doesn't pick up the virus as it is written to disk, your email scanner won't either. It is perfectly safe to disable it.

Sherr · Answer

So what Anti Virus do you use as I regard your input highly. Sherr

joe53 · Answer

Currently I am trialling the 30 day free version of Eset's Nod32, based on recommendations of the experts I trust. And I like what I see so far.   But it is not free- about $60 for 2 year subscription.   If cost is a factor, I can recommend Avira's AntiVir, Alwil's Avast! 4 Home Edition, and  Grisoft's AVG Free- in that order. All are free, and reputable.

Doromachi · Answer

Scanning email is part of the function of this anti-virus.  Why would you not want to scan it?  Many Virus grabs come through email.  Since reading this first post I've sent myself and email with a 2MB attachment.  Took 14 seconds, give or take, and that is a small price to be sure of a clean mail.   I'm used this AVG program for more than 2 years and never has a virus gotten through the mail.  Probably have had 5 or 6 try.  It rates as high as any freebie.

joe53 · Answer

@Doromachi:

If email scanners make you feel better, and cause no problems, then use them. But they really don't provide any extra protection, and can cause several problems. Here is what several experts say (emphasis added):

" Email scanning is promoted by vendors simply because it makes users "feel good."
It has no other useful purpose and instead creates problems for users by
creating timeouts with ISP's while waiting for the proxy to do its
uneccesary and useless job. Since you discuss your practices, it's fine for
you if you can live with it. Other users get tired of being disconnected
from the servers while the program does its useless function...

Antivirus [email] screeners in fact, create problems for users. Many have a long
history (McAffee in particular) of damaging users stored messages and in
many cases deleting them without possibility of ever being retrieved.
Screen a few thousand messages on these Outlook Express newsgroups and you
might change your mind." ...
--
Jim Pickering, MVP-Outlook Express
(excerpted from a long thread here:

http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:8NggvDUMx3cJ:www.mcse.ms/message485194.html+%22Do+not+turn+off+email+scanning%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1)

"When encountering the symptoms of DBX corruption, many people immediately fear that their computer is infected with a virus. As surprising and ironic as it may seem though, the most common cause of DBX corruption is not a virus, but rather anti-virus programs that are configured to scan incoming or outgoing e-mail. Even the most well-known anti-virus programs have exhibited this problem from time to time. To lessen the risk of such corruption you should disable the e-mail scanning module in your anti-virus program... It is not at all necessary to scan e-mail for viruses to protect your computer.

Now before you dismiss me as mad, let me explain why e-mail scanning is unnecessary. Almost every anti-virus program for Windows installs by default a system scan that runs in the background every time Windows starts. This scan is necessary to protect your computer. If you receive a virus in an e-mail attachment, the virus cannot do anything at all until you actually open the attachment. At that time Outlook Express extracts the attachment from the message and saves it to the Temporary Internet Files folder on your hard disk and attempts to open the file. And it is precisely at that moment that a background system scan will detect the virus, provided it is able to do so, and stop the virus from executing. The system scan will usually delete the infected file from the Temporary Internet Files folder, or else move it to quarantine. To remove the infected e-mail message in Outlook Express, simply hold the Shift key while you press the Delete key. That's all it takes to keep your computer safe, both from e-mail viruses and e-mail anti-virus scanners. Scanning e-mail as it arrives therefore adds nothing to your level of protection. It might indeed make you feel more protected, but that feeling is an illusion. If the system scan is unable to detect the virus, the e-mail scan will fail to do so also."
- Tom Koch, MVP-Outlook Expresss
(excerpt from http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE/community/columns/filecorruption.mspx#EOAAC )

" Turn off email scanning in your antivirus software.

... Because of the fragility of the OE message store structure and its propensity for destruction, this applies to just about any antivirus program that touches the OE message store. So its best to follow these instructions regardless of what antivirus program you use."
-Stephen L. Cochran, Ph.D., MS-MVP
(excerpt from http://www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#3 )

Sherr · Answer

I use PC-cillin internet Security 2007. Other than the reasons outlined  in your message PC-cillin does not permit you to select which updates they will download. On a DSL connection I find their download time unacceptable. At least ten to fifteen minutes. I use Microsoft Firewall and Defender. All PC-cillin E-mail options are turnerd off and disabled. I assume that when they download that they download all security options. Since my PC-cillin subscription is running out I will install an anti virus ONLY program. Sherr

Dave Lyle · Answer

^^-- sounds more like a problem with OE than the email scanning software.

joe53 · Answer

ddeerrff wrote:
^^-- sounds more like a problem with OE than the email scanning software.

Can't argue with you on that point, when OE's message store structure is described as "fragile" with a "propensity for destruction".

On the other hand, I can't understand why anyone using OE would risk slowing, disabling or damaging it by using extra scanners with no known benefits.

Even Symantec admits such scanning is unnecessary:
"Disabling Email Scanning does not leave you unprotected against viruses that are distributed as email attachments. Norton AntiVirus Auto-Protect scans incoming files as they are saved to your hard drive, including email and email attachments."
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/nav.nsf/docid/2002111812533106

Windows General

Grisoft Free Anti Virus Software

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