Antivirus weirdness

[Graf Zahl]

I just installed the latest Vulkan SDK and was wondering why some files kept disappeating.

As it turned out, my Antivirus was thinking that EVERYTHING in the folder c:\VulkanSDK was malicious content and kept deleting it when looking at the files.
I have to say, while I have seen the odd thing out with AV software, this one's certainly the strangest one. I already dumped Avast last year because it was overly aggressive deleting false positives, resulting in deletion of important work files, and it looks like I can give BitDefender a kick in the butt as well.

Is there any AV software left that doesn't sabotage the system it's installed on on a whim?

[Dancso]

Stay away from ones that auto scan files for you. It's a terrible waste of resources for those of us that know when a downloaded file might be risky.

VirusTotal is good for getting a scan with multiple AVs and no installation required (there is a file size limit)
Personally I use Dr. Web CureIt to scan bigger things or if i want to do a routine scan of lower level stuff for good measure.
It comes in a portable version but it does invalidate itself after several days or so due to an "outdated" database. Hopefully it's not too much of a problem to redownload one whenever you wanna scan the occasional thing.

[Graf Zahl]

I mainly need an Antivirus to auto-scan files I downloaded from the internet. Despite all the precaution I take, sometimes an infected file gets downloaded and I'd rather not install it.

All that said, I am VERY disappointed about BitDefender. It not only has frequent false positives but on top of that features zero configuration options. It's either on or off, no fine grained tuning. After using it for a few months I can definitely not recommend it at all.

[Rachael]

Virus scanners have never actually done anything good for me so I plainly don't use them. If I have a dubious file, and I am desperate to scan it, I'll use VirusTotal, and then run it in a quarantined space to limit the effect it can have on the rest of my system. I'm super paranoid about what I run, and only run whatever I absolutely need. (Believe it or not, I'll spend an extra 15 or so minutes to compile something, myself, if I have the means to do so, than to run a precompiled binary off the internet)

Windows Defender is usually on by default with modern Windows installs - not sure about Windows 8, specifically, but it's definitely available there. Other than it slowing my system to a crawl, I've never had issues with Windows Defender. It's considered one of the least secure (probably because it's by far the most prevalent - most people don't even realize they're using it), but it's still better than no scanner at all.

I still put my computer illiterate friends on Avast. Even if it deletes something, it's possible to retrieve it from the vault.

[Hellser]

Windows Defender is becoming a competitor in the free antivirus solutions out there.

[drfrag]

I just use Windows Defender on 8.1. Avast only gave me false positives and didn't detect old known threats.
I also run a Malwarebytes Antimalware scan from time to time.

[leodoom85]

Microsoft Security Essentials is all I need....

[wildweasel]

Windows 10's Defender has done a good job of keeping me safe. I use Virus Total for second opinions,and the only things it's false positived on were, uh, Windows "activation" tools. =P

[Reactor]

I don't use anti-vir software either, though on my new rig, there's plenty o'resources for it to work flawlessly, and not interfere with my other stuff. On the other hand, one of the very first things I install on my hard drive is Malwarebytes. It's free, effective, and so far, never caused any disappointment. Spybot Search & Destroy can also be an effective tool to annihilate unwanted malware from your computer.

[wildweasel]

I don't use anti-vir software either, though on my new rig, there's plenty o'resources for it to work flawlessly, and not interfere with my other stuff. On the other hand, one of the very first things I install on my hard drive is Malwarebytes. It's free, effective, and so far, never caused any disappointment. Spybot Search & Destroy can also be an effective tool to annihilate unwanted malware from your computer.

I'll vouch for Spybot, too; its best feature is "immunize," which applies a series of browser specific (and OS) fixes that aim to block known spyware domains. It will block said domains with the HOSTS file, too, so the network connection won't even have the chance to try connecting to them. It's easier to tell people to Immunize than it is to modify the HOSTS file yourself anymore.

[Reactor]

Yes, that is correct! Ahhhhh, now I wish there'd be a software to sweep out the dust and gunk from inside the rig - that would be 100% satisfaction! But that's too much to hope for, we're still stuck with hi-press air canisters

[ibm5155]

I have Avast because it tends to put every single software that i compile in a safebox, taking 1 minute for a normal test...
and somehow, I heard that the Windows 10 for now is actually better than Avast itself, so i might someday just uninstall it.

EDIT:
I also tend to use spyhunter to remove trash installed in browsers, malicious stuff from the web. things that arent a vírus but tends to be annoy

[Hellser]

There are programs out there that can do sandboxing if you want to.

[R4L]

With any AV software, you're going to have to micro-manage. If it keeps deleting work files, you have to set exceptions for it. Unless it's deleting them still AFTER setting exceptions of course... then get rid of it!

I use Windows Defender along with Malwarebytes and have never had any problems with files going missing.

[NeuralStunner]

I mainly need an Antivirus to auto-scan files I downloaded from the internet. Despite all the precaution I take, sometimes an infected file gets downloaded and I'd rather not install it.

This is really all I want as well.

I got sick of Avast not only for its invasiveness* and increasing slowness, but also because despite its big deal about blocking PUPs, it kept installing its own shit via updates without asking me.


* On a previous system, it was actually causing BSODs due to poor interactions with the video driver. IIRC this was a widespread problem. Obviously it becomes difficult to update or uninstall the offending software when it's making the whole system unstable...