Virus scan choice...'clean'

[Lancer]

What does it mean to clean a file? I couldn't delete or quaranteen several .exe files McAfee found, but I was able to clean them. Are they all bright and shiny new?

[Winston]

I think virus scanners are totally unnecessary. I know I'm doing fine without them, never had a single one installed.

That's not what you asked, but there we are...

[Bereta_Eder]

keeping true to the spirit of not really answering your question I will second winston and only add that I had trouble only with those darrrn internet browser hijaking programs. especially with a particular one which kept getting updated.

[Lancer]

What does it mean to clean a file? I couldn't delete or quaranteen several .exe files McAfee found, but I was able to clean them. Are they all bright and shiny new?

Anyone?

[Winston]

The only virus I ever had in 7 years of internet activity was the msblast one that kept rebooting my computer. I managed to download an update to Windows to get rid of it, it wasn't a big problem.

Honest to God, I don't know why people need virus scanners, anti-adware thingies and anti-spyware whatsamacallits. Except for the msblast incident, I've never had a problem.

Edit: This was a cross-post with Lancer actually. I'm done now.

[MrFun]

Keeping true to the spirit of not really answering your question, I will third Winston and only add that I had trouble finding a particular shirt I really wanted yesterday.


Now that is a more serious problem than a computer virus threat.

[Lancer]

[Adagio]

Originally posted by MrFun
Keeping true to the spirit of not really answering your question

I have had virus scanners installed several times, but they have always been useless. I only once found a virus on my computer, I don't remember what virus it was, but it infected the exe file for Max Payne. I just quaranteened the file and applied the no-cd patch and everything was ok again

I also where at a small LAN-party many years ago. We where about 12-15 people. Halfway through the party someone shouts that he have found a virus, so everybody starts checking... I was one of the few who didn't get the virus... AFAIK it wasn't a bad virus though, at least I didn't hear any complaints about their system failed because of the virus






Now what was this thread about again?

[Zopperoni]

Re: Virus scan choice...'clean'

Originally posted by Lancer
What does it mean to clean a file? I couldn't delete or quaranteen several .exe files McAfee found, but I was able to clean them. Are they all bright and shiny new?

If I'm right, it separates the virus from the file, thus keeping the file intact while removing the infection.

[Tuberski]

Re: Re: Virus scan choice...'clean'

Originally posted by Zopperoni

If I'm right, it separates the virus from the file, thus keeping the file intact while removing the infection.

If he's wrong, it doesn't do that.



ACK!

[St Leo]

They are right. Cleaning purges the virus.

[Dis]

how does it do that unless it knows what the original exe files is stupposed to be?

[St Leo]

It removes the virus, and leaves the non-virus bits alone. As long as the virus was inserted into legitimate code instead of replacing legitimate code, it works fine.

[Lancer]

What was being cleaned are downloader exe files that I'd rather not have. I doubt they had a virus to begin with.