Grayware can be spyware, adware, dialers, joke programs, remote access tools, and other files and programs apart from viruses or trojans that can harm the unit and cause the Graymatter grief....

The scoop on AVG free is that it is a effective program but it does not catch everything right away. I use it but also monitor my processes and rarely have a issue. I would rate it about 80% -90% effective. Make sure that you also have a spyware resident shield program like spyware terminator or spybot (both also free) also running and a firewall. Windows firewall is no good. I would recommend comodo's as that is free also. Do not run more than 1 spyware program or more than 1 antivirus program at the same time. One of each is good. AVG does have good points as it is extremely light on resources and updates daily. If you have any other questions please feel free to ask.

Well for me personally AVG caught and bagged better than the other 2 biggies. Spybot is good as is CrapCleaner(also free). I use Sunbelt Kerio and like it over the norm....

okay got in kinda late AVG does rock but they are doing somethnings different now serial numbers trails versions stuff like that but mcaffe is a resource hungery son of a gun as far as puter goes bought dont like it wont use it use AVG

By all means i wasn't down-talking AVG, as I use it myself. Like I said, AVG isn't bad and I have heard the same thing from others that they have had better luck with it than some of the paid program. The biggest downfall of the free version is there is no support, for those seeking it. I hate Norton and McFee as they are not very good and over priced, but if you get Kaspersky, this is probably a little better than all of them for a price. None of the programs catch everything so I stick with AVG and manually scan with a alternative once in a while. Same thing with the antispy's, none of them catch everything and there is new malware popping up every day. I use spy ware terminator and again manually scan with spybot once in a while. I have caught stuff once in a great while and never been seriously infected. For a person thats somewhat understanding of computers, I see no need to pay for anti spyware/virus programs.

If you just install any virus program and expect it to do the job alone then you can expect trouble. AVG is ok if you work with it, and that means being aware of what sites you go to, what you download...emails that you open. I can tell you from experiance AVG won't catch a good portion of the trojans/worms out there, i had to reformat after discovering 21 diff trojans/worms that got by AVG, but it was my fault for not being more aware. Use it but be cautious, you know ahead of time that it is a 2nd rate antivirus.

That's what I was trying to say about AVG. It is probably about the best of the free ones but you MUST also have a dependable antispyware/malware program and a firewall running or your going to be in trouble like you say. Also you should monitor your processes and run a reliable alternative program like Panda Pro just as a second opinion.

And what you say about downloading any programs is definitely a big no-no. There are many rouge programs that are designed to give false positives or worse yet have a infection bundled with them. You definitely should do your homework and see what others are reporting before you download any programs.

AVG Grisoft................. Yep, it is THE best freeware antivirus programme I have come across on the net.I also have Panda Pro software running alongside as a back up.

This is why i use for detecting viruses

http://virusscan.jotti.org/

online virus checker..

it scans your file on MANY different virus programs.. you're almost guarantteed to catch ANYTHING that might be on there!

The downside is.. only 1 file at a time.. and 10MB limit...

(its good for if you wanna check one specific file!)

But for regular scanning, I use.. AVG, Ive tried Avast.. Pocket Virus Scanner


AVG seems to be the best...

There's also a new one i downloaded today that caught a virus on a file thats been on my computer for YEARS.. (that none else detected)

called BitDefender free edition v10

it also has a spyware/adware scanner too!



If you wanna be completely save use at least 2 virus scanners ^^

Grayware[1] is a general classification for applications that behave in a manner that is annoying or undesirable.[2] Grayware encompasses spyware, adware, dialers, joke programs, remote access tools, and any other unwelcome files and programs apart from viruses that can harm the performance of computers on your network

AVG has been around since at least the mid 90's, back before GUI interfaces really took over with Windows. I think the first time I used it was when I first upgraded to Win 95 from 3.1.
No program will be able to catch everything all of the time, the best you can do is run a small set of multiple progs that will overlap each other.
Personally I use AVG, Hijackthis (*for advanced users only*), SpyBot and Super Antispyware (stupid sounding name, but a very effective program).
I let the AVG scan as normal (every day) and run the other programs every 1 - 2 weeks. You'd be suprised how many computers out there would stay running much better with a little proactive prevention.

i've been using avg personally and professionally for about 8 months now. i highly recommend it.

if you need a quick scan and cant install anything, try http://housecall.trendmicro.com

Well John, When McAfee expires you will have a different feeling, McAffe acts like spy ware. Constant popups to get you to renew. Many install don't even a uninstall program. I know how to get rid of the pesky little bastard.

I will warn anyone from using PANDA. I run AVG free and Anti vir personal. I've never had a problem, both together work well, they each find something the other misses and are completely compatible. Now,a friend of mine talks me into trying Panda. In three days I got a virus that wiped me out in miuntes. I lost 30 gigs woth of Data. This would not have happened, if I stuck to my two programs. For Spyware, I use Spy Bot search and Destroy.Lavasoft. Then once a month I go to Trend House Call, on line scanner that detects and removes everything.

AVG FREE,haven't used anything else in several years.Its on all my Mchines.Grisoft also has a Free Antispy App which is also very good.Almost forgot their Anti-Root-Kit Scanner. :)

I use AVG and Anti vior personal,. Anti vir does amore through scan, it will find stuff AVG misses. the ywork well together, and auto update.

i trust only software from ca.com but its not free but one of best it catches everything that rtys to get in my computer oh avg is good but i,m just not that trusting with free software if its free its got flaws somewhere in it just my opinon

AVG is the best!!! i've been using it for about 3 years and i've never had any problems with it.i do have to close it out when playing games but that's ok because at that time it's not really a virus threat

If AVG is the same as Avast, then I use it also. You can do a search for Google Pack and get a whole package of protection software for free. I used Norton and McAfee until my brother told me about this. It's free and I think it works better.