Do you think VISTA virus free????

[QueenHawkeye]

Re: Is VISTA virus free????

It Vista will be virus free and stay that way if you use common sense on the internet.

Like, don't go on suspicious websites, don't go on pr0n sites, don't download suspicious .exe files and use firewall, unless you have a router with a built in firewall, use an anti-virus.

 

[chianghl]

Re: Is VISTA virus free????

A boot up operating system from a disk is truly the only virus-free OS. Once you reboot, everything is gone.

 

[Mitch]

Re: Is VISTA virus free????

Vista isn't virus free, some people will make viruses for it who don't like microsoft or just vista. But xp will become safer because vista is becoming more popular, so virus makers will go from xp to vista.

 

[TechAsh]

Re: Is VISTA virus free????

No OS can be 100% safe from viruses or other threats. But so long as you are careful and have a good firewall and virus scanner, then there is no reason why your computer can't be virus free.

 

[tnl2k7]

Re: Is VISTA virus free????

No OS can be 100% safe from viruses or other threats. But so long as you are careful and have a good firewall and virus scanner, then there is no reason why your computer can't be virus free.

Not all antivirus applications can protect against all threats though. For this reason, it's also important to make sure YOU as the USER keeps a close eye on what sites YOU'RE going on, and YOU need to make sure that the only programs installed are from reputable sources. If you go pirating applications or downloading illegal files, expect your computer to be infected.

-Luke.

 

[TechAsh]

Re: Is VISTA virus free????

Not all antivirus applications can protect against all threats though. For this reason, it's also important to make sure YOU as the USER keeps a close eye on what sites YOU'RE going on, and YOU need to make sure that the only programs installed are from reputable sources. If you go pirating applications or downloading illegal files, expect your computer to be infected.

Yeah, that's why I said:

But so long as you are careful and ...

 

[mattura]

Re: Is VISTA virus free????

A lot of people seem to have the opinion that if you surf safely, don't visit porn/dodgy sites etc, you will never get a virus.

I'm afraid to say this is not necessarily the case.

Does anyone remember MSBlast/Blaster? It and many other viruses exploit vulnerabilities (features as MS call them!) in the operating system and largely do not require the user to download or perform any action. Simply having an unpatched copy of XP connected to the internet was enough for it to catch MSBlast (which was created by an 18 year old).

 

[tnl2k7]

Re: Is VISTA virus free????

Sadly Microsoft's approach to keeping compatibility with older software doesn't help this at all. Windows needs a complete rewrite, but because of compatibility issues this will probably never happen. That's why Windows is so vulnerable to attacks; that and the fact that it's the world's most used desktop operating system by far. Microsoft's developers need to ditch this method of working, which I hear has happened with Windows 7 (version that will be the successor to Vista). Hopefully Microsoft will make this release as stable as XP, and as secure as Linux but with the UI and features of Vista - that would be an OS worth buying.

-Luke.

 

[Smith6612]

Re: Is VISTA virus free????

Sadly Microsoft's approach to keeping compatibility with older software doesn't help this at all. Windows needs a complete rewrite, but because of compatibility issues this will probably never happen. That's why Windows is so vulnerable to attacks; that and the fact that it's the world's most used desktop operating system by far. Microsoft's developers need to ditch this method of working, which I hear has happened with Windows 7 (version that will be the successor to Vista). Hopefully Microsoft will make this release as stable as XP, and as secure as Linux but with the UI and features of Vista - that would be an OS worth buying.

-Luke.

If that happens I best hope that all of those game developers who have stopped support for their games releaase Windows 7 versions of the game. I'd hate to move from Vista to Windows 7 just to see my games all busted up.

 

[chianghl]

Re: Is VISTA virus free????

If you are not connected to the internet, don't use any removal device (e.g. cd-rom, floppy, flash disk), chances are that you won't get any virus.

 

[wolfy67]

Re: Is VISTA virus free????

Does anyone remember MSBlast/Blaster? It and many other viruses exploit vulnerabilities (features as MS call them!) in the operating system and largely do not require the user to download or perform any action. Simply having an unpatched copy of XP connected to the internet was enough for it to catch MSBlast (which was created by an 18 year old).

Aye, which is pretty much why I won't beta test any Microsoft software. That is -- until they've released enough patches and fixes for the program (generally a year later) I'm not going to buy it. I'm sticking with XP SP 2 until Vista has been sufficiently fixed.

As for the OP's question about viruses... out of the box should be fine as long as you get a certified copy from a reputable dealer. Staying virus free? Possible but not likely. Yeah, run the firewall and antivirus software to help out. Don't download any "buddy" applications (they carry the most trojans). Or... switch to Linux. No where near as user friendly as Windows but not as many viruses floating around for it.

As said in an earlier post viruses are going to be aimed for a certain OS. It's going to be the OS that most people use so the coder can steal the most info / destroy the most systems / set up the most zombies. Vista will have its share of creepy crawlies before too long.

 

[tnl2k7]

Re: Is VISTA virus free????

No where near as user friendly as Windows...

That, my friend, is where you're wrong. Contrary to common belief, desktop Linux systems such as Ubuntu and Mandriva are very user friendly. It's only CLI-based distributions which aren't friendly; and these tend to be used only on servers. Don't put others off trying it until you find it doesn't work.

As for the people who claim there's a lack of applications for it, Ubuntu comes with media players, office applications, text editors, web browsers, email application....a lot more than Windows comes with. If you're a gamer, stick with Windows. Linux games are pretty much non-existent, and the ones which do exist are very buggy. It's because OpenGL isn't very efficient right now - but this is improving with time.

Just give it a try. Linux isn't for everyone, but for most people it would be ideal; they just need to open their eyes and make the switch. People are too afraid of change, a problem which isn't an easy one to change.

-Luke.

 

[MarioMaster]

Re: Is VISTA virus free????

NO! MAC OS X FTW :thefinger !

 

[anirtak143]

Re: Is VISTA virus free????

That, my friend, is where you're wrong. Contrary to common belief, desktop Linux systems such as Ubuntu and Mandriva are very user friendly. It's only CLI-based distributions which aren't friendly; and these tend to be used only on servers. Don't put others off trying it until you find it doesn't work.

As for the people who claim there's a lack of applications for it, Ubuntu comes with media players, office applications, text editors, web browsers, email application....a lot more than Windows comes with. If you're a gamer, stick with Windows. Linux games are pretty much non-existent, and the ones which do exist are very buggy. It's because OpenGL isn't very efficient right now - but this is improving with time.

Just give it a try. Linux isn't for everyone, but for most people it would be ideal; they just need to open their eyes and make the switch. People are too afraid of change, a problem which isn't an easy one to change.

-Luke.

Finally! Somebody like me! ^^
Seriously, I have a hard time "forcing" people to try Linux out(Ubuntu LiveCDs).

Speaking of the ideal desktop OS for people, for me it depends on the computer's purpose. An operating system may be good at something, but sucks at something..

For example, Windows is good at having a good software library, but very very prone to viruses(xp and older or vista).

I found a good article thing on the web... +rep me if you appreciate my find.. ^^
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_best_operating_system_and_why

 

[Dan]

Re: Is VISTA virus free????

Please when posting in this thread from now on, make sure that you are not just repeating what someone else has said and make sure you are not just posting a one liner such as 'Yes, Vista is virus free'. Posts should say why you like it and why you don't like the other or why you think this, and why you think that person is wrong etc. etc.

 

[cursedpsp]

Re: Is VISTA virus free????

VISTA will be the biggest target for viruses and hackers. XP will be the most vulnerable because of its discontinued support.

PORTS my friend. Hackers can just find an open port on any computer (windows and linux) and pretend to be a program that theyre not.
One of the most ingeneous hacking tips is to infect a normal, innocent looking file with a prompt to disable the firewall, then a hacker has the freedom to get into the computer

Viruses and hackers target the most popular because then they can infect the most computers.

Mac is beggining to need its antivirus now because its gaining popularity, Macintosh used (up until about 3 years ago) to be virus and bug free.

 

[Smith6612]

Re: Is VISTA virus free????

VISTA will be the biggest target for viruses and hackers. XP will be the most vulnerable because of its discontinued support.

PORTS my friend. Hackers can just find an open port on any computer (windows and linux) and pretend to be a program that theyre not.
One of the most ingeneous hacking tips is to infect a normal, innocent looking file with a prompt to disable the firewall, then a hacker has the freedom to get into the computer

Viruses and hackers target the most popular because then they can infect the most computers.

Mac is beggining to need its antivirus now because its gaining popularity, Macintosh used (up until about 3 years ago) to be virus and bug free.

The best solution for that? Double NAT'ing, no UPnP and sticking with the trusted brand name software. I do all of these except for double NATing and with the protection of a hardended Linux box acting as a router, it makes things like and cosy. That along with Firefox + Adblock (to get a rid of those garbagey ads that sometimes contain viruses or take you to bogus sites). For DNS poisioning, DNS caching on-site and a locked Windows HOSTS file. There's lots of things you can do to make Windows as secure as possible given that you have the time.

 

[shaunak]

Re: Is VISTA virus free????

Vista is more secure than XP, but defianately NOT virus free.

If you want a OS which you can run without a AV, get Linux.

 

[chappill]

Re: Is VISTA virus free????

HAHAHAHA Vista virus free my bum, I left my computer unprotected for about 30 minutes on the web running vista and by that time I had over 30 viruses and I couldnt shut down! I was ready to format and install Linux anyway so I did that just to see.

 

[Smith6612]

Re: Is VISTA virus free????

HAHAHAHA Vista virus free my bum, I left my computer unprotected for about 30 minutes on the web running vista and by that time I had over 30 viruses and I couldnt shut down! I was ready to format and install Linux anyway so I did that just to see.

Sounds like you use P2P programs and the P2P files you were downloading got roached! I've left my gaming computer unprotected for literally weeks with Vista and it never caught a thing. That was until I got around to installing Avast + Spybot and finishing up my Linux home router (an old Pentium III PC that used to be just a web server) with a firewall solution called pfSense.

I use a PC as my router, yes. While I do have a Linksys WRT54GX and my DSL modem has it's own router in it, I'm a heavy user and demand a lot out of the hardware. Often times, downloading game patches from torrents and running Steam's server list would grind the network to a halt for a half hour at least until the routers could keep up. Now this old Pentium III box I have handles it very well and keeps the network at full speed. Not to mention, it does maintain the DSL connection, do NAT, DHCP, and HTTP (web server) and some other things I have it set to do as well. It's feeding roughly 10 devices right now with the DSL modem set in "dumb bridge" mode, so that's not a router anymore, and the WRT54GX just acting as an access point (that doesn't act as a router anymore either).