My computer came with Mcafee AV software.  As time went by, I updated and upgraded.  Here lately, I have been getting a bunch of these emails that say [b]Hi!  How are you?  I sent you this file to look at.[/b]  The Sircam32 virus.  Even though my Mcafee was updated and set up to scan email (I checked this very thoroughly) it was passing these POS emails to me, without a peep.
What the Hell have I paid them for?  How do most computer viri infect a PC?  VIA the DAMN EMAILS!

I paid out $20 and got NAV 2001.  Self updating, with a dedicated email scan engine (a proxy).  Anyone else doing so should look for the [b][i]Special Value Edition[/i][/b]  Just a CD in a cardboard sleeve, no box with paper manuals and junk, that costs twice as much.
I'VE SEEN THE LIGHT!
 

Norton is also a resource hog, and is very overpriced.  I recommend InnoculateIT from [url]http://www3.ca.com/Solutions/ProductFamily.asp?ID=128[/url].  Until very recently, it was free, butI thing it's $20 now.  Still quite worth it.  Updates are available very often, and you can set your software to automatically check for updates at whatever interval you prefer.  

Overpriced?  I paid less for NAV than for the upgrade for that POS Mcafee.  Same price as what you recomended.  Never heard of them before.  Can't be any worse than Mcafee.

Resouces hog?  Minimum requirement 32MB of RAM. I've got 250MB, so I think I'll be ok.
The NAV does what I paid for it to do, and they are established, they will be there tomorrow.  

The problem is the file is a .com or a program.  It comes over as data.xls.com or data.jpg.com, with the sender expecting you to ignore the last extention.

The virus check programs could block all .com files, but you might actually want an executable from someone else.

You're the best virus check, don't be fooled.

Chaingun has it right, you are your own best anti-virus check.

Don't open emails from people you don't know - MS Outlook spreads macro viruses quite easily, and don't open executable attachments unless you are sure of the source.

Most of these viruses, including the Sircam, infect the Outlook Express address book folders of people you know, that's how they send them to you.  You may very well get viri from these friends, without their knowledge.  

The NAV should only block files that are recongnized as viri.   The proxy scans all attachments, before they get to you.  You could still get a viri, if it was brand spanking new and not recognized.  The Sircam is already old news, why did these emails keep ending up in my inbox with no warning?  I merely deleted them, but it pissed me off.  
My point is, I paid Mcafee for protection, I should have got what I paid for.  PERIOD.

True, true - you can easily get infected email from friends.  Being in the IT profession I guess it's a little easier for me to say 'pay attention to what you receive' because I get the alerts constantly [:D]

I don't trust McAfee at all, but I've been out of the virus protection game too long to recommend anything unfortunately.

Sircam got me so I locked the door after the horse was out of the barn.

I found a good, freeware antivirus program at [url]www.grisoft.com[/url].  They have a fancier one for sale, but the freebie does all that I want, including free updates.  It passes the (plain) text of the infected email to me, but puts the virus attachment in a "vault" and erases it after it asks me.  Caught all the rest of the sircam bugs after installation.  

One thing I found was that[url]www.symantec.com[/url] has very complete instructions for removing a virus and its effects from your system.

Norm

I wish you had "Seen the light" about 2 weeks ago...before I went and invested 30 bones on Mcafee VS.
I have updated it 3 times in two weeks and still have not been able to get it to enable my e-mail scan.
Every time I boot up it says this program is 7 months old we rec. you update for the latest protection.
I am aggravated about that. All of the emails will be from someone you know or someone you have sent or received e-mail from in the past...Like members of AR15.com!!!
You will not know it until you start receiving "Failure to deliver notices". After a few hundred of these you will have bought some type of "Virus scan" to help you get rid of it.
You will get rid of it but the failure to deliver notices will keep coming for a couple of days...along with the replies from people who "Don't know who the he!! you are".

I will probably be going down to get that NAV 2001 after work.

Lynn
BigDozer66

PS. If any of you received it from me I sincerly appologize. BD66