Hello,

I use Windows XP with NOD32 so far, I was thinking about using Clamwin instead, but over the last few years, I have never had a single virus found on my computer. One may think this is because my virus definitions are out of date, or because my antivirus is bad, however, I just downloaded Clamwin and scanned my whole HDD. Nothing was found either. NOD32 is updated on a daily basis. I have never gotten any virus alert.

I'm a careful person, I never open files with .exe, .com, .bat or .scr extensions (except .exe when it's an installer from a large software company that I trust). I never open any email from some one I don't know (I have a text preview in my Gmail). My email is scanned server-side. I have the Windows firewall enabled. No one else uses my computer (utmost importance!). I use Opera as web browser and email client.

Do you think I should still use an antivirus in my case? If the user doesn't execute a virus, it's not offensive, right?
Please let me know, thanks.

It sounds like you have good security habits, so you may not really need an antivirus program. NOD32 is a top-notch antivirus program, however, and I would stick with that and the Windows firewall. Malware is getting more insidious, and you never know what will come up. You can be the most security-conscious person in the world, but that's not able to prevent you from being targeted by malware planted on credible Web sites that attacks through your browser (even Firefox and Opera have weaknesses), malware planted in innocent looking PDF files, and becoming a victim to malware taking advantage of one of the many past/present/future exploits in the Windows operating system. You might also look into the free Spyware Blaster program from Java Cool which concentrates upon browser protection and doesn't use any system resources.

Some "experts" deride the Windows XP firewall because it only provides inward bound protection, but it's unintrusive, light on system resources, does a very good job of preventing your computer from being attacked by random hackers, and if NOD32 keeps malware from getting into your system, it's all you need!

Regards,

Thanks!

I reread your reply...Do you mean an antivirus doesn't protect you from spyware?
Other than that, if I use Clamav, doesn't it protect me when I browse the web?
Thanks.

Many antivirus programs (including ClamWin) now include some major spyware signatures in their databases, but they still do a better job at recognizing the pure viruses and related malware than they do at recoginizing spyware. The good antispyware programs are dedicated to recognizing spyware. Spyware Blaster is a good one because it innoculates your computer against some (not all) of the most insidious/common spyware, it doesn't use any computer resources, and it is free. No antivirus or spyware program can recognize everything, so it's best to use a "layered" approach to security, which includes firewall, antivirus, and antispyware.

ClamWin only checks files on your computer when you tell it to--either according to a schedule you can set up in the configuration preferences or "on demand" when you right click on a filename and select for Clamwin to scan it. ClamWin is not a realtime/resident scanner--it doesn't remain in memory to check files as your computer uses them. Realtime development of ClamWin is underway, but there are only two developers (unpaid, part-time), and it will take some time until it is available (in Version 1.0). For now, if you surf the Web a lot, Clamwin is best used as a backup scanner to a real-time scanner. AVG and AntiVir are decent realtime scanners that are free.

Regards,

Ok, thanks