This is from the Replies To Danielle's Journal thread. We got a bit off topic so I decided to merge these threads together.
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geolarson2
Quote:
Originally Posted by WhyYou
svdhost.exe - Dangerous
svdhost.exe
Svdhost.exe is W97M.Mupps.
W97M.Mupps is Trojan horse that opens a back door to a remote location on the compromised computer.
Looks like you need to install a good virus scanner on your laptop. I recommend AVG Anti-Virus Free. It's found at Grisoft.com and it's free of charge. They also have a more featured version that you can buy.
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I use AVG myself and it works quite well. I also have Avast installed now as a back up. I also have 2 firewalls (Windows plus Zone Alarm), and a couple spyware removers (Spybot & Ad-Aware). I also have a couple utilities programs here (CCleaner, Iobit Advanced System Care & Glary Utilities, the last of which I use daily at start up). I'm paranoid about bugs, especially since not long after I got my first PC back in 96 I got hit by a virus. On the plus side, I had Norton already installed and it took care of the monster fast, but the memory of that skull & crossbones coming up to let me know still haunts me so maybe I'm a little too paranoid (although Dr. Johnny Fever did say that when everyone's out to get you, paranoia's just good thinking, and if you can't trust the opinion of a fictional character from a late 70s/early 80s TV show who was really a disc jockey and not really a doctor, who can you trust?). Anyway, do what WhyYou says, download AVG, run it and it should take care of that Trojan. You can also find AVG at Download.com, as well as other free utilities, spyware removers, &c. Until recently I also had Avira installed which, like AVG & Avast, works just as well it seem as the costlier Norton & McAfee, both of which I've used in the past.
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WhyYou
Quote:
Originally Posted by geolarson2
I use AVG myself and it works quite well. I also have Avast installed now as a back up. I also have 2 firewalls (Windows plus Zone Alarm), and a couple spyware removers (Spybot & Ad-Aware). I also have a couple utilities programs here (CCleaner, Iobit Advanced System Care & Glary Utilities, the last of which I use daily at start up). I'm paranoid about bugs, especially since not long after I got my first PC back in 96 I got hit by a virus. On the plus side, I had Norton already installed and it took care of the monster fast, but the memory of that skull & crossbones coming up to let me know still haunts me so maybe I'm a little too paranoid (although Dr. Johnny Fever did say that when everyone's out to get you, paranoia's just good thinking, and if you can't trust the opinion of a fictional character from a late 70s/early 80s TV show who was really a disc jockey and not really a doctor, who can you trust?). Anyway, do what WhyYou says, download AVG, run it and it should take care of that Trojan. You can also find AVG at Download.com, as well as other free utilities, spyware removers, &c. Until recently I also had Avira installed which, like AVG & Avast, works just as well it seem as the costlier Norton & McAfee, both of which I've used in the past.
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I use Comodo firewall. It runs well out of the "box" but is easily configured for tighter security. It includes an excellent defense net that watches all files for changes, notifies when protected files change in any way, has the ability to change modes during program installation to facilitate the installation (as long as you authorize the change of mode), sets up files (that are new) for you to review (you can send them in to Comodo if they're unknown) and/or approve, and you can identify files/folders that you want it to watch carefully. I don't think two firewalls on a home PC is necessary and could cause problems. Also, it's not good to have more than one virus scanner running at the same time. They have a tendency to conflict with each other and could cause some system problems. More than one spyware scanner is recommended. Each checks for different thnigs in different ways and the good ones are compatible with each other. My AVG is both an Anti-Virus and an Anti-Spyware (it has a "live" scanner that keeps memory and running processes clean plus checks incoming and outgoing emails and checks web pages). I also use Ad-Aware, SpyBot S&D (has a "live" scanner and watches running processes as well as other internal areas), and SpywareBlaster for spyware control. Other utilities are Sweepi (for junk file control), RegSeeker (for cleaning out the registry files, not to be done by the general population), and AusLogics Registry Defrag (for defragging the registry files). I use Windows Disk Defrag regularly (before it's necessary) to keep from having the possibility of crashing. I've been using this computer since 2002 and the only time it crashed was when the power was cut off last winter when we had the big ice storm. That crash wasn't the computer's fault.
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