Alternative to AVG Free Virus scanner

[MaXMhZ]

If you use Grisoft's AVG Free Edition Virus scanner, you'll be aware by now that as of Januari 2007 it will no longer be updated:(

If you don't want to purchase the AVG 7.5 pay-for edition, but are looking for another free Anti-Virus product,
take a look at Alwil's Avast! 4 Home Edition AV software

It's a very good (imho even better) free full-blown AV package I've been using besides my ZoneAlarm Security suite for a few weeks now. As did AVG it has support for POP3 email clients like Mozilla Thunderbird besides being fully integrated in Windows XP.

Hope this is some use to you,
S! MaX

[Bearcat]

Just what the Dr. Ordered for my new setup.

[Rattler]

You can still have AVG free Edition just upgrade to AvG 7.5 FREE. Same as before.. It is 7.1 that is not supported free anymore. I have it and there is no cost, it works just as it did before. I agree AVAST 4 is by far the better one. I have had that for years. It is now just getting recognized, why so long I don't know. Beats most payware. Even Norton(not too good anyway) and McAfee which almost ruined my computer. I am very careful what I use after that incident. So as like you I have AVG,AVAST4 and Zonealarm. I did purchase Webroot Spysweeper, very good product and great support. Hope this sheds some lite. Cheers.

[MaXMhZ]

All quite good products Rattler.
a-Squared free from EMSI is another good one. Zone|Alarm, Mailwasher Pro (29% spam in feb 2007 blocked), and NetPeeker also do their work here.
I also use ProtoWall with blocklists through Blocklist Manager) from http://www.bluetack.co.uk (free). It's a bit hard to install because you have to manually add the service to your Ethernet card, but well worth it IMHO. The blocklists are held up-to-date quite good. and block spyware, hackers and a lot more - even lists for manufacturers like M$, universities, government/defence agencies etc. can be selected in Blocklist Manager. ProtoWall has a VERY small footprint and blocks literally millions of IP's when all lists are selected. It also keeps a log.
I'm pretty secure from malware using all these, but I still think there should be tough laws put in place against all these buggers. It's more than enough they spoil my TV and radio channels with all their annoying ads.In a recent interview a rep from one of our ISP's stated they blocked more than 15 million spam emails just in december 2006 - and that in a small country like the Netherlands! (Never "bounce" spam - it will most likely be delivered to the next victim - just delete it).
Even on the forums here we're sometimes quite busy cleaning their crap out.
It's good practice not to click on links provided by a new user in his first post or his WWW link. It can take a couple of hours before we catch 'em and kick them out.

[Rattler]

Thanks for the info., appreciate it. I have been using Spambuster for a long time, it lets you make your own Black list as well as their's which is out of date but because you can create your black list with a couple of clicks it stays fresh. It also stops the messages at the provider server and I can look at it, see who sent it, how many places its been routed through etc. I delete from there and then the rest that I know are ok are sent through to me and scanned by Avast and AVG. I will look at the one you mentioned. Same as Spambuster , have to install all your mail info by self install but no big problem. Spambuster has multiple mail boxes so your family can each have there own, then set them up in outlook express(that is what I use), then everyone has their own e-mail. Just ask to switch users in the top left menu. I am off the see what you suggested thanks for jumping in with your info. Cheers, have a good day.

[MaXMhZ]

In that respect Spambuster works like Mailwasher Pro.
- POP3/IMAP multiple email accounts
- your own blacklist/friends list
- deleting on the email server to keep it from filling up
- possibility to bounce mail (don't use)
- several online services can be subscribed to like firstalert and spamcop
- heuristic learning
- possibility to construct filters
- (simple) virusscan integrated
I did try spambuster and spambutcher in the past.

I don't know any anti-spam service that is up to date at this moment.
Several services that worked in the past have been hacked and gave up.
ZoneAlarm's Junk filter sadly doesn't work standard with the Mozilla Firebird email client that I use, but then my current setup works quite well - not many spammers come through. And then I block their whole domain anyway lol I also set up filters in mailwasher to block russian and chinese domains.