If you will, please recommend a general cleaning procedure for users with limited download capabilities (less than 5 mb), due to dialup ISP such as online scanners, etc to replace the large downloads suggested. Please don’t suggest accelerators to speed downloads, I’ve tried, they don’t work. Also Netzero breaks the connection after 1 hour regardless. Avast 5.0 is a huge 53 mb download. I’m asking for replacements only. Thank you
Online scanners also download definitions files.
If possible, download avast! + definitions file on another computer with a better Internet connection- after that it’s incremental updates which shouldn’t trouble even dial-up.
The download page for avast! definitions file.
Well I don’t know if you are allowed to recommend other virus scanners here. TrendMicro HouseCall 1.8MB is really small and it’s fair. I don’t think it’s the best ever but it isn’t terrible, I guess. Other than that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is like 5.8MB. I couldn’t advise any smaller of two sorry. I don’t really know a small firewall really either.
My best advice for optimal scanning ability is to visit a local library, take a USB drive/CD-R, and make a backup there of avast! free edition setup, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, HiJackThis, Comodo Firewall and that should be good. Take it home and blammo there you go! I’m not really good with all the “tools” because I’m the guy who formats every time he encounters a problem hehe. Takes me about an hour and 15 minutes and is a great time to watch a movie :).
Edit:
Ohh yeah someone recommened GhostWall Firewall on this other section here. It’s ~700KB you may want to give it a shot. Good luck.
modati you are great!
I used to do the reformat thing before XP with Win98 all the time, whenerver I ran into problems, had it down pat, know just what you’re talking about, it was like clearing my head, those were the days, right
I don’t need the best scanners to do the best possible cleaning procedure, so all I want is simple small download subs for all the cleaning jobs that need to be done, thought online scanners may be the solution.
As for Avast 5.0, do I really need better than 4.8 if I update regularly? I’m not convinced. Nice talking to you buddy, don’t know what that other guy replying was talking about, sorry.
Support for 4.8 will end this year…
Convinced…? 
asyn
Np sweets. Hope TrendMicro HouseCall works. It seems pretty decent.
Lol Asyn @ 100% packet loss. Nice signature.
modati:
Np sweets.
Lol Asyn @ 100% packet loss.
I’m not familiar with computer lingo, please explain what the above means, thanks
Np Sweet = No problem sweets.
Lol Asyn @ 100% packet loss. = Laughing out loud at Asyn’s signature [100% internet-security = 100% packet loss!]. Pretty good one hehe.
Yw Sweets 
Yw Sweets = You’re welcome sweets.
modati
well we all should know that microsoft’s security is flawed, sometimes i think they do it on purpose just to get us to buy new os, apps, constant patches, updates, etc, but then i’m paranoid anyway
i heard apple hardly ever gets viruses and worms
A lot more people use Windows-based machines than Mac/Unix (I think). If not people more businesses use Windows based machines because they are cheap/easy to install etc and come with support (usually). There are significantly more people writing viruses and finding loopholes in Windows than most other Operating Systems. I’m almost certain there are still viruses on Mac/Linux it’s just few and far between compared to Windows. Grant it, I’m not disagreeing with you haha. I think Microsoft rushes a lot of their products out. One example of a huge flaw is that big Zero Day one in IE they had to fix not to long ago. As well as the ICMP Ping-of-death back on Windows 95/98 v1. Some of the stuff just seems like basic error checking to me that gets overlooked. That’s just looking at it after the fact too. If it were me though I wish Unix-based machines were the normal. I enjoy them a lot more. Feel a lot more safe on them as well but the problem is cost really. I use a laptop most of the time. On my home desktop I have Ubuntu (hehe). Linux laptops are expensive compared to Windows, at least what I’ve seen. I got this Dell laptop (haha @ Dell) for about 430 dollars. The same laptop Customized/Pre-configured w/ Ubuntu or Mint Linux from the Linux Laptop with less ram/hard drive for 300 dollars more. Grant it desktops are a completely different story it’s just most people use laptops in business. So yeah. My rant is over 
A while ago I remember reading the figures of viruses compared to operating systems was like many tens of thousands of viruses for Windows, less than 100 for Macs and less than 10 for Unix. It’s probably more now but the ratio of viruses definitely shows there is some improvement to be made for Windows.
modati random thoughts:
do you remember some of the fiascos with previous windows os like “windows me” and all the problems, i’m not computer trained so i don’t know how to use but i picked up some ubuntu cds, just don’t know how to use them, microsoft was the first on the scene for us non coms to be able to use without becoming computer literate and making a fortune in the industry, as for me a few years back i found an old laserjet 2p printer in the garbage fixed it up, then got someones old tossed computer hooked the two up and self taught the rest, don’t claim to be the smartest but i get things to work
Haha with Windows ME I remember the memory leak issue. Only because my family used ME on their primary machine. Ugh. Glad I had my own box then w/ Windows 2000 Professional, love that OS :). Other than that no I don’t remember much but I didn’t do much research.
Well you can’t beat free stuff honestly sweets make the best use of it. I love free computer equipment no matter how old it is :). It’s always fun to teach yourself as much as you can. Gotta love it! Patience is the key you can learn anything with a computer. Windows 3.1x wasn’t exactly “easy” to use but it wasn’t really that difficult. You would be surprised how easy Ubuntu is to use. After you understand how programs are installed using their repository… apt -get from shell/command prompt. It even has a GUI now so it’s really that much easier to use. It’s so easy really. I can’t even describe it.
Give that site a once over. You will find a lot of relevant data on actions you need to perform like adding/removing applications and doing simple tasks. It’s really… really easy. Get the latest version if you don’t have it. Oh yeah I forgot you are on dialup… well go here you can order a CD for free.
http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/get-ubuntu/cds
Hope that helps.
modati,
you are a gem, maybe someday i do the ubuntu thing, thanks really, the update for Trend Micro House Calll is longer than the install, more things to slow me down but i will do it,
do i disable Avast 4.8 while updating House Call? while running a scan? do i run the scan online or is offline sufficient?
sorry for 3 questions here
Yes the update is bigger I forgot about that ha. Thanks for the compliments. I’m from Western North Carolina… gotta love them Appalachian Mountains.
Ubuntu is really awesome I think. It has Open Office for your word processing, spread sheet and presentation needs. There are also a lot of games that are supported like the old first-person shooters (Doom, Doom2, Heretic, Hexen, Quake, Quake2/3 etc.) as well as some Blizzard games. Heck I couldn’t even tell you every game the open-source community is amazing. Also you have a really nice photo-editing tool at your disposal called Gimp. Gimp is completely free. Overall I enjoy it quite a bit… it’s more fun to use than Windows that’s for sure. You aren’t really limited in what you can and cannot do compared to Windows unless you focus on using specific software packages. Plus it is really easy to use! Don’t let the Unix-based aspect of it frighten you.
you forgot to answer my 3 questions:
do i disable Avast 4.8 while updating House Call? while running a scan? do i run the scan online or is offline sufficient?
thanks
I wouldn’t disable Avast! until you are running the scan definitely leave it on while you are online running an update. You can be offline to run the scan that would be fine. Not a problem
the Trend Micro House Call scan found nothing, i was worried last week when i opened an email with a forwarded picture on my yahoo account that i picked up a trojan downloader avast popped up with that, but when i ran the avast thorough scan nothing was found, the guys here said not to worry just follow the general cleaning procedure but as you see i’m looking for small downloads to accomplish this
any other small scans you recommend i do now?
Most of the time with Avast! it has the file system scanner that scans files as they open. So chances are it wasn’t able to execute any code on your machine. Always get the most up-to-date version of Avast! would help. Since you are on dial-up with limited connectivity that could prove difficulty. Personally I have no knowledge of other smaller free virus scans sorry. Hopefully someone else can suggest something. Bandwidth/size constraints aren’t something I have had to deal with very much. Good luck.