6 ms·

Well, first off, I have bad news for you: the more recent rootkits we've been seeing are doing exactly this. They are very quiet, very sneaky, very hard to remo

Well, first off, I have bad news for you: the more recent rootkits we've been seeing are doing exactly this. They are very quiet, very sneaky, very hard to remove, and they just love it when you purchase items online. As far as whether viruses or antivirus software are worse to deal with -- well, I have three systems in the shop so far today for virus infections that were so bad that it rendered the computer unusable. One woman told me she broke down and cried because her brand new laptop got infected yesterday and quit working just before she was supposed to do online college course work. Running without A/V software is exceptionally stupid at this point, even if you think you're smarter than everyone else.

smutticus 17y ago
The last computer virus I got was the stoned virus on a DOS 6.2 machines sometime around 1989-90. And I never run anti-virus software. At home I have Windows, OS X and Linux boxen and not in 20 years have I had a computer virus. It's really all about usage patterns more than anything else.
- kgermino 17y ago
  You don't run AV? I'm going to bet that the last virus you know about was 89-90... Although depending on what you use your computers for your still probably ahead of the rest of us. EDIT:Fixed some typos
- jacquesm 17y ago
  That's like saying that having sex without a condom is safe as long as you have certain 'usage patterns'. Chances are you have contracted something, but just don't know about it. The OS X and linux boxes are pretty safe, but if you use your windows machines online you're bound to have been bitten by drive by malware at least once. Unless those machines have never been used to surf the web. Even very reputable sites have had bad cases of advertising injected malware, in some of the most unlikely delivery vehicles.
  - donaq 17y ago
    That's like saying that having sex without a condom is safe as long as you have certain 'usage patterns'. Erm. Sex with one partner who is not promiscuous and doesn't have a disease is pretty safe without a condom. That's a usage pattern, right?
    - deleted 17y ago
      [deleted]
    - jacquesm 17y ago
      That's your usage pattern, but it does not say anything about that partner, so it may be less safe than it appears.
- msbarnett 17y ago
  If you haven't run av in 20 years, one wonders what you base the claim of not having had a virus in 20 years on.
  - kentosi 17y ago
    The comment probably should've been rephrased as "i haven't been hampered by any virus in 20 years".
- chrisbolt 17y ago
  I never ran anti-virus software, until I was at a friend's house and added his shared printer and Windows helpfully downloaded the virus-infected drivers from his PC...

smutticus 17y ago

The last computer virus I got was the stoned virus on a DOS 6.2 machines sometime around 1989-90. And I never run anti-virus software. At home I have Windows, OS X and Linux boxen and not in 20 years have I had a computer virus. It's really all about usage patterns more than anything else.

kgermino 17y ago
You don't run AV? I'm going to bet that the last virus you know about was 89-90... Although depending on what you use your computers for your still probably ahead of the rest of us. EDIT:Fixed some typos
jacquesm 17y ago
That's like saying that having sex without a condom is safe as long as you have certain 'usage patterns'. Chances are you have contracted something, but just don't know about it. The OS X and linux boxes are pretty safe, but if you use your windows machines online you're bound to have been bitten by drive by malware at least once. Unless those machines have never been used to surf the web. Even very reputable sites have had bad cases of advertising injected malware, in some of the most unlikely delivery vehicles.
- donaq 17y ago
  That's like saying that having sex without a condom is safe as long as you have certain 'usage patterns'. Erm. Sex with one partner who is not promiscuous and doesn't have a disease is pretty safe without a condom. That's a usage pattern, right?
  - deleted 17y ago
    [deleted]
  - jacquesm 17y ago
    That's your usage pattern, but it does not say anything about that partner, so it may be less safe than it appears.
msbarnett 17y ago
If you haven't run av in 20 years, one wonders what you base the claim of not having had a virus in 20 years on.
- kentosi 17y ago
  The comment probably should've been rephrased as "i haven't been hampered by any virus in 20 years".
chrisbolt 17y ago
I never ran anti-virus software, until I was at a friend's house and added his shared printer and Windows helpfully downloaded the virus-infected drivers from his PC...