Microsoft announces free anti-virus service for Windows

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  • Reply 41 of 80
    kukukuku Posts: 254member
    Two problems.



    One is anti-trust issues, where microsoft intentionally or unintentally, starts changing windows technology that are restrictive to competitors. (netscape or any other fiascos)



    second is they try to integrated into their system, and the protector becomes the liability. Attackers have a single point of attack and even a backdoor. Anti-virus software can be corrupted just as easily as any other on windows, and it can become a backdoor because of the way it works.



    Worse, if a trojan that goes in warps MS-antivirus(because MS wants to so bundle this, we know), and turncoats it into a system, it actually hides and fights off any attempt to remove it, with surprising effectiveness to annoyance of the end user.



    We all know how windows defender can flag certain programs as spyware, even when it's not.



    To risk sounding like a fanboy, this is a naive attempt to save what should not be saved. They should fix it so that the need for anti-virus is less, rather then inhouse it.
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  • Reply 42 of 80
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by chronster View Post


    meanwhile, most mac users truly believe that osx is impenetrable.



    Brick house with fire wall. Don't click on any attachments from emails and we should be safe .



    i hope.



    9
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  • Reply 43 of 80
    cu10cu10 Posts: 294member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by zunx View Post


    THE BEST ANTIVIRUS is not using any Microsoft product!



    I catch viruses IRL.
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  • Reply 44 of 80
    No news here. This plan was announced back in November 2008, and it's right on schedule according to the time-line laid out in MS's original press release.



    Sources from way back then:

    http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/p...ecurityPR.mspx

    http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-10102707-75.html

    http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=2190
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  • Reply 45 of 80
    hiimamachiimamac Posts: 584member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Shaine_Michael View Post


    shouldn't the antivirus just be an invisible part of the os instead of an add on?



    Fwiw. I fired up the of, installed vista, then so1 then updated so 2 and use free avast virus and free done alarm. They run very well in backgroung and sp2 is flawless. Works great for audio.



    I was plessntly surprised on how well works. Also, if I have samples in a ntfs drive, can they be copied to a mac drive and work or do I have to format a portion of the drive fat32, copy them there, then move to osx?

    Thanks.
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  • Reply 46 of 80
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    Shouldn't this be dubbed MORON?



    NO it's actually an acronym for MORRO THE SAME...



    I couldn't resist!!!...



    i digress, once again...



    The EFF have declared Microsoft Windows and Microsoft products unfit for use.

    They're not the first but their declaration may prove to be the most dramatic... read on..

    http://rixstep.com/2/20090326,00.shtml
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  • Reply 47 of 80
    I just wrote a blog article about this subject. For a long time, antivirus antispyware software companies have exploited the weaknesses in Windows to market crapware to users.



    Check it out on Sprawl3.com:

    http://sprawl3.com/blog/?/blog/2009/...-are-so-cheap/
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  • Reply 48 of 80
    Maybe it's named after El Morro in Puerto Rico, the largest old fort in America.
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  • Reply 49 of 80
    cameronjcameronj Posts: 2,357member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mitchell_pgh View Post


    Not if they are giving it away for free... With your argument, I could argue that Apple is also wide open for anti-trust concerns for many of the new features of Leopard. Many of them were offered by 3rd parties.



    Your idea about what antitrust means is not correct. Price certainly has nothing to do with it.
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  • Reply 50 of 80
    daniel0418daniel0418 Posts: 122member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by brucep View Post


    You are a liar, or the luckiest man alive. Why would a happy MS user post on an apple site??



    xp is ok but 8 yrs old.



    Vista and 7 were 9 long years being producednad when they came out they sucked. Most p/c companies ship the old MS O/S on there boxes.



    vista and window 7 are not rock solid .They just suck a little less than before .



    I am a happy MS. User... I post here because I also have apple products. I have 2 machines with vista. A gaming =8 and a media laptop which I use bit torrent. I don't use antivirus on either of them and I have never had a virus... I hope win 7 security is as stable as vista.
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  • Reply 51 of 80
    rokkenrokken Posts: 236member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by spacecadetdavsot View Post


    Maybe it's named after El Morro in Puerto Rico, the largest old fort in America.



    or it's named in Norwegian, which means "funny" in English..
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  • Reply 52 of 80
    irnchrizirnchriz Posts: 1,618member
    Its a joke...



    Vapourware



    As in



    The morro never comes (best said in a scottish accent)
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  • Reply 53 of 80
    cameronjcameronj Posts: 2,357member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rot'nApple View Post


    Does that mean that my friend who uses Windows XP some version of it with some upgrade to some SP, whose child went to an ESPN sports site, ESPN! for Heaven's sake, and had a trojan installed that kept popping up from the dock area, warning them of their computer being infected and that they should buy their AV product to get rid of what their AV installed on their computer to harass them in the first place.



    If you really believe the virus came from the ESPN site I have a bridge to sell you...
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  • Reply 54 of 80
    chronsterchronster Posts: 1,894member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cameronj View Post


    If you really believe the virus came from the ESPN site I have a bridge to sell you...



    People are finding that ads have them. You can get your advertisements circulated through some pretty big name websites by going to sites like valueclick and with as advanced as ads are getting on these sites, embedded malware is very possible.



    So while ESPN might not have been the one doing it, the idea that you can get a trojan from going to ESPN's website might not be too far off.
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  • Reply 55 of 80
    cameronjcameronj Posts: 2,357member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by chronster View Post


    People are finding that ads have them. You can get your advertisements circulated through some pretty big name websites by going to sites like valueclick and with as advanced as ads are getting on these sites, embedded malware is very possible.



    So while ESPN might not have been the one doing it, the idea that you can get a trojan from going to ESPN's website might not be too far off.



    You may start on ESPN's web site, but the virus/spyware doesn't come from clicking on the ad. You must then make another bad decision on that target web site. Saying you got a virus from ESPN is like saying you got in a car accident in your kitchen. Sure that's where you started, but then you got in the car and backed out of the driveway without looking behind you.
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  • Reply 56 of 80
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by drdb View Post


    Surely there's massive anti-trust issues here?



    As Microsoft's market share slips I won't be surprised to see them begin eating into all of their so called 'partners' business models.
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  • Reply 57 of 80
    chronsterchronster Posts: 1,894member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cameronj View Post


    You may start on ESPN's web site, but the virus/spyware doesn't come from clicking on the ad. You must then make another bad decision on that target web site. Saying you got a virus from ESPN is like saying you got in a car accident in your kitchen. Sure that's where you started, but then you got in the car and backed out of the driveway without looking behind you.



    Actually, all it can take in some circumstances is just viewing the ad.
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  • Reply 58 of 80
    cameronjcameronj Posts: 2,357member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by chronster View Post


    Actually, all it can take in some circumstances is just viewing the ad.



    Circumstances such as?
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  • Reply 59 of 80
    pmoeserpmoeser Posts: 80member
    I'm prepared to cut them a little slack on this one.

    At some stage, MSFT have to change their entire culture in order to stay relevant in the consumer market.

    If this is their first step towards making their product a better one then that's great.

    My conspiracy theory hat says the AV vendors are writing most if not all of the virus/malware out there anyway in order to maintain their existence.

    If that is the case, then they are perpetrating MSFTs instability and MSFT will have to stop them.

    If there is no conspiracy, then MSFT should be morally obligated to provide the most competent AV solution to the users of their product.
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  • Reply 60 of 80
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Daniel0418 View Post


    I am a happy MS. User... I post here because I also have apple products. I have 2 machines with vista. A gaming =8 and a media laptop which I use bit torrent. I don't use antivirus on either of them and I have never had a virus... I hope win 7 security is as stable as vista.



    I run Vista SP2 and it's very stable. I haunt this site because I have an iPhone.



    If you run ANY version of Windows without anti virus software you are playing with matches and gasoline and if you haven't had a virus yet I'm sure it's a matter of time.



    I use AVG, CNet always rates it very high and it's Free and always has been.

    I have never had a virus but AVG has stopped countless attacks on XP, Vista, Vista SP1, Vista SP2.



    I cannot speak for Mac as I haven't used one in about 5 years.
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