Computer problems, and stuff.

So, my Norton free trial just expired and I am currently without any protection. I'd renew it, but I have no money.

Does anybody here have any recommendations for good (and free) anti-virus software?

EDIT: This can also be used as a general thread for computer problems.

edited 24th Apr '12 9:07:00 AM by Ekuran

I always liked AVG. But now I have a mac, therefore I am invincible to viruses.

edited 19th Apr '12 3:28:35 PM by LurkerMcNasty

Get Spybot and AVG. Those two programs can fix almost any problem you have.

Bahahahah. Just wait til you get hit by a virus.

...i was being sarcastic.

Thanks for the advice.

The internet is prone to failing at conveying sarcasm.

edited 19th Apr '12 3:39:14 PM by Ekuran

I like MSE and Malwarebytes is good too for malware protection.

MSE is free and stays out of the way.

Yup, Microsoft Security Essentials is, well, essential. You could also consider Malwarebytes and Hijack This if you think that your box has been interfered with by the nasty internet.

Don't use Avg anymore, they used to be really good. Not anymore. Use MSE, Spybot Search and Destroy, and Malware Bytes. That is my 2 cents.

Okay, if this is a collective thread: Does anybody know of a good music playing program for Ubuntu that 1) is just as slim as Winamp Lite (most already fail there) 2) has an easy way to open files (what the hell is it with that...) and 3) has a random shuffle?

AVG 2012 fucked my system up hardcore, so fuck AVG. I use Anti Malwarebytes.

The youtube videos I'm currently watching are automatically defaulting to the small player, which is highly annoying. So, does anyone know how to make the large player the default state?

edited 9th May '12 5:43:37 PM by Ekuran

Try this:

http://blog.hawn.be/2011/10/07/how-to-force-youtube-to-use-expanded-view-by-default-and-even-larger/

I am not sure if it works or not, but you can always give it a try.

Well, I solved all of my problems with my laptop finally. Guess I should start from the top. Long ass post comin' through

Broke my laptop's LCD about 3 weeks back when it slipped out of my hands and fell about a foot. Against my better judgment I went to the campus repair shop, they told me stuff I already knew, I told them I would do repairs myself and asked if they could just order the part. They say check back 3-5 business days

5 business days (7 real days) pass, go back, they tell me that the main store handles all of this store. Ask if they could call me with a status update later that day. They say yeah. Status comes along, they hadn't even ordered the part yet, tell me it would get there in 3-9 days, bearing in mind that I was moving back home from school in 4. Tells me that since it was "a special part" it would cost me $150 on top of the $40 "diagnosis". I say screw that, have them cancel it and hit up Amazon like I should have in the first place.

Amazon has it for $90, and I splurge an extra $20 for One-Day shipping. I get told it comes in two days (since I ordered after business hours), one day less than the minimum from the repair shop, and get it right on schedule. Borrow a screwdriver and set to work on taking the computer apart, a painful process that took several hours because some things sounded like they were breaking. Replace the screen and start rebuilding it, shoddily I should mention.

I turn it on and realize that since the keyboard bracket is coming off and that the top radiates a lot of heat, I should just take the bracket off for ventilation. My dumb ass doesn't realize that the Power Button is built into the bracket. I'm too embarrassed to ask for the screwdriver again and choose to wait until I move out to fix it.

Get the bracket put back on and working, but the top left corner wasn't staying attached to the case and made opening and closing it worrying. This problem would continue to plague me until this morning when both corners came up and the right hinge detached itself from the main body. Find out that it was because it wasn't staying tight and it wasn't rotated in line with the other hinge. A couple hours pass and I've taken apart the whole thing, realigned the hinge and put it back together, so well that it actually looks nice for once.

And the backlight isn't working. So I go back in, check to make sure the video cable is still in. It is and I go on the Internet on my phone, find out that it's the inverter's job to work with the light. Take it apart again, fiddle with it a bit while not absolutely sure I did anything to fix it. Put it back together again.

Try to turn it on, and it's not. So I take the body apart again, but thank god not the lid again and I find out I forgot to hook the power cable back up. So I do that. Turn it back on and nothing's happening when I press buttons. Open it back up and notice I didn't put the keyboard cable in. Finally get everything to work. Put some clear tape on some spots to make extra sure things stay together. Still looks very nice, except for the tape.

And now I am here.

edited 13th May '12 10:21:33 PM by hnd03

Anyone know why using Yahoo mail is broken in Chrome? It won't let me change the page in my Inbox for some reason, just constantly refreshes the first page.

And now Yahoo! is down on both Firefox 12.0 and Google Chrome. Anyone else have this problem or am I having the short end of the stick as usual?

edited 14th May '12 10:56:45 PM by TamH70

I know some folks recommended using MSE, Spybot Search and Destroy, and Malware Bytes earlier in this thread, but that was almost a year ago. Would you guys still consider it effective? I'm in a situation similar to the original poster in that my Norton Internet Security program is about to expire, but I'm not sure if I should renew or not. Reason why is because I've heard a lot about how it hogs up a ton of system resources and isn't even that great of a security program to deal with, but I'm not sure if that's just tpyical "Rage against the Corporates" fanboyism or based on facts. Suggestions?

Never renew Norton. Ever.

Never used Malware Bytes, but heard nothing but good things from nerds everywhere, so unless they just have a really good PR department, you might wanna try it. Spybot I used to use until I got AVG, and it worked pretty well, though once in a while it'll classify something innocuous as harmful. Don't know MSE, though.

edited 2nd Jan '13 5:47:39 PM by 0dd1

What is the difference between this and this? They have the same title except one's called "Pro", yet oddly the "pro" version is $10 cheaper...

Well, Mark Twain here says the free version is good enough, so I'd say don't waste your money on either.

I wholly recommend Malwarebytes' Anti Malware. Spy Bot Search and Destroy is a good helpful program too.

Personally, I use ESET as my main antivirus program and Malwarebytes for...well, malware. Spy Bot I use occasionally when it seems my PC has some kind of infection.

Hey, can anyone recommend an inexpensive but decent graphics card for a PC running Windows XP? And a motherboard with the same criteria?

edited 2nd Jan '13 6:52:55 PM by resetlocksley

...You might want to upgrade at least to Windows 7 when you could afford it, since I think they're going to be making Windows XP obselete in a year or a few or maybe they already did. I'm forgetting when, but I know that I read something that said Windows isn't going to be supporting XP much longer, or maybe they stopped already.

I use MS Security Essentials for my always-on scanner, and I run Malwarebytes every so often to sweep for anything MSSE missed.

Windows has been slowly moving away from supporting XP for a while, but there are still tons of resources out there for XP and it's a good relatively stable OS that I'm used to using. Eventually I do plan to upgrade, though. I've used Windows 7 on my sister's computer and I actually don't mind it. I'm just used to XP is all.

Well I'm about to download the new anti-virus programs. Any recommended sites on where to conviently get them, and if I shold uninstall Norton first, or AFTER getting them?

Rigo enjoys the sight of malware bytes. Its got no instant protection, but as long as you have safe computer habits and clean your PC often that is not an issue.

Now, for real time things you should with Avast.

Now, Onto my issues. My video card driver turn my display into a black screen of nothingness. I think its the fact that I am using a TV as a monitor actually. I will try this with an actual monitor in the morrow, when I am not SUPREMELY PISSED.

edited 7th Jan '13 10:28:06 PM by ElRigo