Too Much Antivirus Protection

In my line of work, removing viruses and cleaning up Windows, you would think that not having enough antivirus protection would be the main cause of malware related problems.  In fact, over 50% of computer issues I see are related to too much antivirus protection, too many applications running at once, AND viruses.  The majority of the problems described by the customer are ‘slow’ performance, and malware.

So is it possible to have too much antivirus software running?  Absolutely!  This includes registry boosters, optimizers, file cure and fixers and the like as well.  Not only does it cause performance issues, it can also cause conflicts, registry errors, WMI and Security Center reporting problems, network connectivity issues and a whole slew of problems, not too mention workspace clutter and way too many alert and update messages that simply leads to confusion and annoying pop-ups.

I prefer to run my system with no ACTIVE antivirus, but keep my ‘Fix Mix’ available and updated just in case.  For the typical user, I recommend having one active antivirus application updated and running, and then one malware removal scanner or tool, in-case of fire.  When I refer to an antivirus program running ‘active’, what I mean is an application that is always running from startup, providing you with ‘real-time protection’.  As to which antivirus suite you choose, it is up to personal preference.  Some offer excellent protection, but may inhibit system performance more than the others.  Some don’t protect enough, some try to hard, and alert you for every issue.  Some just plain suck.  The following site offers a pretty comprehensive antivirus comparison.  They trial and test all the major applications for overall performance, cost, support, etc.   http://www.av-comparatives.org/home.  I don’t have a personal favorite, but feel Mcafee and Norton still offer the most well-rounded services for subscription cost.

System Requirements.  Each antivirus program has its own minimum system requirements for you to run their software.  If performance is important to you, as it should be, there are no exceptions to the minimum.  For your ‘big-boy’ antivirus suites, typically the recommended CPU requirement is around 1.6GHz, and 512M RAM for XP and 1G RAM for Vista and Windows7.  Whatever threshold is defined, I recommend at least doubling the memory.  Of course, you don’t have that option with your processor, but with memory, I always recommend getting the maximum your system allows.  Memory is relatively inexpensive for the benefits it offers.

Cleaning House.  Before installing your new antivirus software, you will need to go through your add/remove programs and remove any active, out-dated antivirus applications.  Because AV is so deeply rooted within your system, sometimes removals don’t go so smoothly or only partially clean out the software.  In those cases were the software did not uninstall or only partially uninstalled, each developer typically offers their own clean-up utility.  Software that will completely remove the application.  Here is a comprehensive list to help you uninstall some of the most common AV apps.

CAUTION:  If you are not familiar with Windows Registry, Windows Drivers, and other higher level system solutions, then be careful!  Antivirus Software is deeply embedded with your operating system.  If you would prefer immediate professional support, Remote Techy offers some great programs and they TEACH YOU as they go!

Avast Uninstaller:  http://files.avast.com/files/eng/aswclear.exe
AVG 7.x Removal Guide:  http://forums.avg.com/us-en/avg-free-forum?sec=thread&act=show&id=757
AVG Uninstaller (32-bit):  http://www.avg.com/filedir/util/avg_arm_sup_____.dir/avgremover.exe
AVG Uninstaller (64-bit):  http://www.avg.com/filedir/util/avg_arv_sup_____.dir/avgremoverx64.exe
Avira Uninstaller:  http://www.avira.com/en/documents/utils/av7_tools/en/avuninstXPeng.zip
BitDefender Uninstall Tool 32-Bit:  http://www.bitdefender.com/files/KnowledgeBase/file/BitDefender_Uninstall_Tool.exe
BitDefender Uninstall Tool 64-Bit:  http://www.bitdefender.com/files/KnowledgeBase/file/BitDefender_Uninstall_Tool_x64.exe
CA ISS Online Uninstaller 2008:  https://remoteassist.ca.com/supportbridge/jsp/selfserve/processScriptRequestOwnWindow.jsp?divisionID=7&scriptID=179
CA ISS Online Uninstaller 2009:  https://remoteassist.ca.com/supportbridge/jsp/selfserve/processScriptRequestOwnWindow.jsp?divisionID=7&scriptID=259
F-Secure Uninstaller:  ftp://ftp.f-secure.com/support/tools/uitool/UninstallationTool.zip
G DATA Uninstaller Tool:  http://www.gdata.de/typo3conf/ext/dam_frontend/pushfile.php?docID=925
Kaspersky AV Uninstaller:  http://support.kaspersky.com/downloads/products2009/kavremover9.zip
McAfee Uninstaller:  http://download.mcafee.com/products/licensed/cust_support_patches/MCPR.exe
NOD32 Uninstaller:  http://www.nod32.nl/download/tool/nod32removal.exe
Norman Virus Control 5.x Uninstaller:  http://download.norman.no/public/Delnvc5.exe
Norton Removal Tool:  ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/removal_tools/Norton_Removal_Tool.exe
Panda Security 2008 Uninstaller:  http://www.pandasecurity.com/resources/sop/UNINSTALLER_08.exe
Panda Security 2009 Uninstaller:  http://www.pandasecurity.com/resources/sop/UNINSTALLER_09.exe
Panda Security 2010 Uninstaller:  http://www.pandasecurity.com/resources/sop/UNINSTALLER_10.exe
Trend Micro Uninstaller 32-Bit:  http://solutionfile.trendmicro.com/solutionfile/TIS/TISTOOL2009/SupportTool_32-bit.exe
Trend Micro Uninstaller 64-Bit:  http://solutionfile.trendmicro.com/solutionfile/TIS/TISTOOL2009/SupportTool_64-bit.exe
Webroot Cleanup Tool:  http://download.webroot.com/SSECleanup.exe
Windows Live OneCare Removal:  http://download.microsoft.com/download/4/c/b/4cb845e7-1076-437b-852a-7842a8ab13c8/OneCareCleanUp.exe
ZoneAlarm Uninstaller:  http://download.zonealarm.com/bin/free/support/cpes_clean.exe

For more information on safe searching and ways to avoid getting viruses read:  How to Avoid getting Viruses.

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