The best

Plus they will nickel and dime you to death for every little thing they can. But they are good and I've had them for years without ever getting a virus and I often go off the beaten path where you can get your boots muddy.

then I bought a Mac...zero troubles since...

I have a Mac without any virus protector right now but have been considering it.
If you have one what do you have?

for macs.

the guy at the computer store, he told me that Macs get virus too, but that since the Mac Users are only about 10% of PC users, the folks who write program virus do so to go after the 90% rather than the 10%. It might be a lie, but it sounded convincing and when I asked a computer repair guy about that, he said it wasn't true, but that he hears it all the time from Mac users, and everytime he works on one, he finds virus's in them. But again, they are far fewer of them because Macs are only 10% of the market. It sounded convincing.

I think the premium (paid) version is worth its weight in gold, frankly, but you can get bare bones benefit from the free version too.

and I can never remember it finding anything on my computers using either one. So, I'll stick with the free version.

Malwarebytes and CCleaner are all you need

I use them to remotely network new HP products at my office.

For the longest time I have used free programs. Mainly AVG and Malwarebytes. I rarely ever had an issue. I’m not as familiar with the programs today as I haven’t used them in a little bit. When I was, most of it was passive. That’s what I didn’t like.

I now use Norton 360. I pay for ten slots. None of my computers have gone down with it and I put zero limitits on employee usage. I don’t think you want it running on a computer without solid processing specs.

Balderdash. I use windows security that is free with windows and it works great.

If you're running a current version of Windows - meaning 7, 8 or 10, using the regular Windows anti-virus should be fine.

As somebody else recommended, I would also install Malwarebytes.

As for doing a cleanup, I would first download Malwarebytes on a different computer and put the installer on a usb drive. Then I'd boot your computer up into safe mode. When the computer is booting, hit F11 (your individual model may vary but it will be something like F11 or F12 or F8) and selecting safe mode with networking. From there install Malwarebytes and run the updates and then do a custom scan of your computer so you can include rootkits.

With computers in areas that don't have good power line grounding in homes (local construction standards), transients can come down the power line during violent lightning storms if everything is plugged into wall outlets, those transients can affect a router and computers and cause them to flake out. A high wattage rated surge protector works wonders, plug the surge protector into the wall, then plug computers and routers and other computer related hardware that require power (like external high density storage drives) into the surge protector.

My oldest brother had his cable box fried during a lightning storm, even though he had a habit of turning his tv off during lightening storms. Took me a day to figure out what happened and that happened only after I found his cable box instructions and started the cable box install from ground zero.

my perifial equipment in addition to my PC, (i.e. my router, my phone line, my printer lines and anything that had a line running to my computer or else they could re-infect my computer. I had never heard that before and it sounded strange. Others here thought it sounded like a scam, as I thought as well because I had never heard that before.

But modern home printers do have a lot more features that require memory and allow them to recognize computers. As far as routers, never had an issue with one, not to say there can't be something that I simply never experienced. I am very phone intensive now, only occasionally put my computer online, so I would not make a prime candidate for someone wanting to propagate a virus. I write documents on my computer because the screen is larger and the keys less flakey, but I do all of that offline and only go on for transmission.

I buy my computers at Best Buy and have the Geek Squad protection. Recently I got Webroot installed on both my desktop and laptop. It was done remotely by the Geek Squad.

It is distressingly easy to get malware and viruses on a computer. However, the people wjp supposedly cleaned up your computer last December are clearly incompetent.

And I don't think a Router or a phone line or a printer needs to be cleaned up. That makes no sense, even with my limited knowledge of technology.

before when I've had problems with either my computer or my printer and that was the first time someone asked to take over my computer, and then tried to shake me down for $499. I'm going to report it. I was skeptical about the router, phone line and printer being infected also. I guess PT Barnum was correct about there being a sucker being born every minute. But at least I didn't fall for it.

for home and work computers as well as my mother in law’s machine. I believe I pay $70 for three computers per year. It’s a great deal. The software is easy peazy to use and it is really effective. I also use Malwarebytes in addition to the AVG on my work machine. I’ve never had a virus or malware at work. Fingers crossed...😏

This is a UK outfit that mostly sells to professionals but offers several free or low-cost softwares for home use. I have not used this Windows virus remover since I use a Mac, but their pro product was used at a tech-savvy company I worked at, and for 10 years I have used three of their Mac products, recently going from a free antivirus to a paid one that is supposed to prevent ransomware. The Windows software is at

https://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/free-tools/virus-removal-tool.aspx

won't use the full 16 GB installed memory for some unknown reason.

Other than that, I've been perfectly safe for years with just Windows Defender and Malwarebytes. Never had an infection and never lost data. I have three external drives for data, one of which is a 2TB Western Digital that automatically backs up everything. Good thing, too.

Which brings me to... why all these infections you say you have? Or others say you have. Are they really infections, or are they false alarms? I occasionally see some perfectly legitimate software doing hinky things for some reason that sets off alarms with no real damage. I get alerts on perfectly safe emails that include some weird html coding that sets off Thunderbird to giving me dire warnings.

If they are real, maybe look closer into what you're doing.

I visit on a daily basis. The next most frequent website is my 401K account which I check about every other day since Trump started saying stupid things to upset the market starting back in January. Prior to that, I'd check it once a month. I check my bank account eca few times a month; two real estate websites a couple times a week, and some links usually news websites that DU'ers provide links to in their posts. My bills have been on auto pay for years now. So I can't understand where all this malware is coming from. I'm going to try the Malwarebytes though and I'm taking my computer into the computer shop that fixed it in December and give them a chance to to clean up the problem they were supposed to have fixed back then and find out what is the name of the virus protector they did installed when they uninstalled mine and installed theirs; and ask them why is there malware that predates December 22, 2017 the day they were supposed to have cleaned it up. But thanks for the suggestions.

And malwarebytes

Happy with both. Virus free for years.

I've been using it for years now with nary a problem. Very happy with them.

you mentioned based on a how a guy who worked at Staples computer dept had told me about back in December. He told me it was one of the best but that the company had just stopped using them. He said up until the week before I came in in December, they were giving what ones they had left away. I told him I'd take one and he said they were instructed not to give any more away, and that they had to get rid of those they had left. I thought that was the one my neighbor had since it sounded like the one that the Staples guy described. Back before all this stuff began a year ago, I had always used Norton 360 since the beginning of time, and had a current one on my computer when it first became infected.

Intelligence. Scary stuff.

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/russian-kaspersky-labs-faces-new-scrutiny-suspicion-1012640835507?playlist=associated&v=a

If you aren't sure, then start you computer in "Safe Mode with Networking", download Malwarebytes https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download/ and run it with your computer in safe mode. This usually will remove malware that re-installs itself.

Then run it again.

Then decide what anti-malware program you want to use (I use the built in Windows Defender, have used it for years with no problems). AVG is also very good and so are many others. Regardless of which anti-malware you use, the free version will protect your computer very well.

shop that installed this virus protector back in December and find out what they installed and make them clean up my computer. Then I will try installing the malwarebytes with whatever antivirus program I get. My new computer that I bought myself for Christmas and never opened yet, came with Defender antivirus installed on it. So I'll add the malwarebytes to go with it. Thanks.

What do you mean 'pay microsoft every year'? I have Windows 10, which begun life as a Windows 7 install about 7 years ago, which I bought at Fry's on DVD and activated (and later availed myself of the free W10 upgrade), and have never paid another dime. Are you saying you cannot get Windows without a yearly fee nowadays? Cause I've never heard of that.

Anyways, you're staying w/the old one for now. If it were me, I would:
1) Buy a portable USB 3.0 disk, or an external backup drive,

2) Backup the files that you know YOU created and care about ... photos, music files, documents, etc. You may have to do some digging around directories but unless you know you put stuff in non-standard places, should be able to just go to your C:/User/YourUsername directory and go through the folder there. 'Desktop', 'Documents', 'Music', 'Downloads', check everything you see in there. I would create folders with the same names on the portable drive so you know LATER 'where to put them back'.

If you are NOT too scared to wipe your Comp and start over clean, do the following, otherwise, see the next bolded note:
3) Find out from HP what you need to do to completely wipe your computer and start over. You may've gotten a disc with the comp, or there may be a 'factory restore' partition on the hard drive, and there are other options. Or find a geek friend, almost any PC nerd you know will know how to 'scorch the earth' for you ... but that's a last resort as you're better off using HP's official method for a couple reasons. Or take to geek squad and tell 'em to reinstall original OS for you.

4) In this scenario, before you wipe the system, it's good to gather info on all the programs you have installed, esp. those that required 'activation codes' as they'll all need re-installing, you'll be starting from scratch ... and write 'em all down or take screenshots from 'add/remove programs' and save onto the portable drive for later consultation. Pretty much everything can be downloaded these days so don't plan on using old discs to reinstall, the apps on them will be old anyway. But you might need your 'software keys'. It takes 8-12 hours to get a PC back to where it was typically (unless you have TONS of like 3D-type games, some of which are huge, so it can take longer, or just lots of apps). Also your internet speed is huge as well. As is 'how old your windows version is' that came with the machine. The older it is, the longer the MS updates will take

5) Make clear to anyone helping you ... HP, Friend, Geeksquad ... You want a COMPLETE reinstall, WITH hard disc re-format, NOT a 'repair/restore/etc'. This is KEY! Once you get new/clean OS up and running, get on internet, let windows update install all security patches/service packs (may take a WHILE and involve MANY restarts) and DON'T tool around otherwise on the web til all those are done installing.

6) Make sure you have Windows Defender installed and running, it comes on Windows 10 I know that ... Windows 7 or 8 you may have to install it from MS. It may also be called MS Security Essentials for older Windows, same thing.

7) This program works quite well to protect your PC unless you do a lot of sketchy stuff on the web like pirated sports streams channels, or run programs you got on torrents, or go to sketchy pronz sites ... which I'd guess you don't.

8) However since you went to all that trouble, might as well upgrade to at least the Free version of Avast or AVG, and if you can afford it, the pro/paid versions.

9) Going forward, be REALLY careful about clicking any links you're unsure of, esp. in emails from parties that you weren't expecting one from. Like your 'bank'. Being smart about what you're clicking is BY FAR the most important thing you can do. Because I AM smart about these things, I've literally gone years and years before w/0 virus protection on my machine, and caught NADA. That was before free Microsoft anti-virus though, so from like -10 to -6 years from today.

As it is you likely have something on there already that's REAL deep/nasty and is regenerating itself after the AV tools you or others have used have rooted out the 'symptoms'. Some viruses are too hard for these apps to find and remove ONCE THEY'VE INSTALLED, but they're usually good at stopping them from GETTING installed as long as you have active protection on at all times.

Side benefit, a clean install of Windows is typically a LOT snappier than a years-old one.

If You are too scared to wipe your comp and start over:

If you REALLY don't want to deal w/steps 3 - 9, at LEAST do the backups as I mentioned. That way you're protected and you have more options. Backing up your WHOLE system such as to a backup drive via backup software ... not rec'd by me at this point, not til your system is clean.

BTW, what OS ARE you on now, and DO you have Windows Defender/MS Security Essentials on it and running? Cause you should get it on there NOW and running, like yesterday, if not.

THEN, go and install the free version of Avast AV program, (it auto-integrates with Windows AV, basically), and letting it scan will tell if you have any viruses. It might clean everything and you might be fine going forward ... But I can't guarantee it'll clean ANYTHING successfully if they're real nasty but Avast will a) tell you have them, and b) keep reminding you that you have them (if it TRIES, but fails, to remove something real nasty I mean). Because the real nasty stuff is the kind that'll keep re-genning 'the stuff an AV program can see and react to', while the keeping it's 'core' hidden enough that it cannot be seen/removed. So if Avast keeps telling you 'you have virus, should I clean?' every couple days ... even though you always say 'yeah, clean!', then you really better start thinking of steps 3-9

Forget ALL this 'remote cleaning' BS, btw. It's all garbage/ripoff material, IMHO.

Lastly ... your printer being 'offline' and your needing to reinstall printer drivers is IN NO WAY an indication that a virus has messed with your system. In fact, that remote virus cleaning you had done might've been the cause of this issue (not the virus, the cleanup). The HP person, having been full of it about the REST of her claim ... may've been BS'ing you. Is that the ONLY problem you've seen? No weird popups or uber slowness or the like?


G/L!

a subscription for each year if you buy a new computer. You no longer get those software programs for as long as you own your computer. You have to pay for it and then renew it each year.

(or download an installer FOR that version, say Office 2015 or whatever) and use your original activation code and continue to use the program forever no matter what PC it's on.

I'd be shocked if that's not possible. Unless maybe your particular install came with your PC built-in that might be a different case.

BTW, OpenOffice from Apache is free/opensource, and does pretty much 90% of what people who use MS Office ... use it for. And it opens all Word, Xcel, Powerpoint files, and u can save in those formats (though maybe you're limited to saving new docs you make as .doc not .docx, for example, I forget ... but does that matter?).

MIght want to spin it up and see if it would meet your needs. I quite like it, esp. for free

Is that your only response?

Last fall 2017 when I began looking for a new one, that's when I found out. So not wanting to have to buy it, I hung in there with my old one not wanting to have to lay out extra money to buy it, on an annual basis. I've also been told you can't transfer your old one to a new computer because you need something (can't recall exactly what but something like the original licensing agreement or something.) But I have bought a new computer, and I bought this program called PC Mover which is used to move all your programs from an old computer to a new computer easily. So I was going to try that and see if it works.w

If you don't believe me ask DU, though I'm pretty sure about this. I bought a new computer in December from one of the shopping channels on TV. HSN or QVC. My new computer came with a one year subscription to Microsoft Office. My one year begins when I activate the Program. I haven't yet for this very reason. The subscription runs for one year and then you have to pay for renewal. I went to every store last December and no one was selling computers with free Microsoft Office software unless it was like mine which came with a 1 year free subscription with purchase like I got by buying my computer off a Home Shopping Channel.

Last edited Sat Apr 21, 2018, 04:22 AM - Edit history (1)

These are important towards helping you

Also, was the Office on your 2012 PC 'bundled' with your PC? Or did you 'buy Office' yourself, separately? And what version of Office was it?

If it was bundled (sorry, when I first started writing I kinda forgot that even happens ... I've had dozens of PC's ... all hand-built by me, not HP or whatever), then yes, it's *possible* that you cannot 'legally' move your old Office install to a new PC. Not likely, but possible, depends somewhat on the licensing agreement between HP and MS. But 'ignorance' of that ... is a pretty good defense ... and if you're just a little clever, you can make it work

Now, do you have all the 'stuff' still from when you got that PC? Did you have to install Office from a disc that came with the PC or was it 'already there' when you fired up the machine? Do you have the disc (or at least it's jewel case) anymore? If so, your Office product key is there. OR ... Is there an MS Office product key sticker on the side of the PC somewhere (it's different from a Windows sticker, to be clear)?

If you installed from a copy of office you bought separate, do you still have the disc/case somewhere?

What I'm getting at here is that you do not HAVE to 'use' the new Office that came with the new PC, with it's downsides. It's almost SURELY possible you can move your old Office to your new PC and use that instead, forever. It's not always a simple process, but it's not rocket science either, esp. if you can get to, as you said, your original product key (and get the installation media ... either a disc, or a download from somewhere). And if you can't find that key easily, there are 'tricks' because your key is IN your registry on your PC.

https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-find-microsoft-office-product-keys-2625117

That 'Program Mover' is unlikely (imho) to be successful in this particular task (by that I mean, it may move the program, eliminating the need for installation media, but you'll likely still need a product key), but let me know how it works, I'm curious. I'd not pay money for that app JUST to do this one thing, hoping it works. If it's free, cool. Worth a shot.

permanently installs the complete program on your computer, and that you pay for once. It's just expensive, but it always has been. Google "Microsoft Office software" and you'll see it at Best Buy, Amazon, etc. It's usually sold as a download instead of on disks, but you can sometimes order backup disks.

What you are talking about is something fairly new called Office 365. It's the same software, but it does not install permanently on your computer, and has an annual subscription fee. I believe it's cloud-based. I haven't tried it, but a lot of people seem to like it.

I was using BitDefender as my anti-virus but I've recently had to have a local computer shop clean 62 viruses off my HP, so I figured something must have been wrong. Thus, the switch to Webroot.

Desktop, laptop and phone. Quite happy w/it.
50$ a year for all 3.

Unlike malwarebytes it's free.

As others have mentioned, avg is pretty good, but it will bug you with pop ups.

If MS updates are part of the problem, you can roll back your system to an earlier build.

They often found different issues. You need antivirus running all the time, but these programs will look for anything that's already made it inside your system you may not be aware of.

I used Macs exclusively for years and didn't worry about viruses. I don't torrent and am careful with emails.

Now that I'm back using Windows, it seems their built-in security and antivirus is just fine. You just have to make sure Windows Defender is enabled in Security Center.

Those are a 'subset' of 'viruses' ... I'd consider it a decent free add-on but I wouldn't rely entirely on it. Alongside Windows Defender though I'd call that overall 'pretty good' protection, or free AVG/Avast + free Spybot is 'good' protection.

We haven't coaxed out OP's operating system, nor whether OP at least has Windows Defender installed, so I'd not feel comfortable directing them to free SBS&D as a stand-alone solution.

HP dialogue boxes don't open. You went to a bad website.

Routers don't have an operating system and don't get viruses.

They have been sucking money off of you for over a year now.

Go to BestBuy, let them clean it and install off the shelf software. Then add AVG or aWindows Defender.

Fuckers did this to my dad too.

though they need a computer they're communicating with to be infected first. And they're difficult to remove from routers, so sometimes the easiest thing is to get a new router.

And I heat galloping, I'm looking for horses not zebras. I suspect some nice fellows from India are behind this.

Otherwise it's so highly unlikely your router gets a 'virus' it's not even funny. Unless I was like ... the NSA, I wouldn't worry about it.

You should never allow remote access to anyone unless you are sure you trust them. I agree with previous poster about taking it to best buy and let them clean it up. They are less likely to cheat you.

I use free versions of Avast and Malwarebytes. Never had a problem.

it does not seem to get along with Windows 10. My wife and I eventually followed the recommendations of many different bulletin-boards and disabled it on our Windows 10 machines. We rely on Defender and it seems to do the job.

Maybe make sure you have latest version.

Windows 10 has its own virus protection out of the box, whereas Windows 7 is vulnerable to viruses and scammers including some of those subscription antivirus products. Putting infected docs on the new computer won't kill it though it might kill the infected docs. But at least you'll have a computer that works.

good luck!

Not too sure if slim cleaner is ok but it is good for a year!

probably those are popular. I use them all.

I agree with most of the posts - Macs are much less often infected, but I've had virus issues on every machine at one time or another.

Besides some kind of anti-virus software, you need to have some kind of backup. There are options - a cloud service is convenient but means a fee. I use automatic backup hard drives. If a machine is completely infected, you wipe it and reload your machine from before the time the virus killed it.

That may save you the fee to have the computer cleaned.