Best virus scanner for a computer not on the network

User avatar
StuartR
Administrator
Posts: 12827
Joined: 16 Jan 2010, 15:49
Location: London, Europe

Best virus scanner for a computer not on the network

Post by StuartR »

There is a computer in the house that is not on the network, it is part of a recording setup. This computer has been infected with a virus, probably via a USB disk drive.

I can clear the virus with Malwarebytes, but I would like to install a virus scanner that checks USB disks when they are plugged in to prevent a repetition. Ideally I would like to be able to provide virus signature updates via USB occasionally.

Can anyone suggest a :free: virus scanner (this is not my computer, just in my house), that is suitable for this purpose.
StuartR


User avatar
Hey Jude
5StarLounger
Posts: 1015
Joined: 24 Jan 2010, 15:45
Location: Ohio, U.S.A.

Re: Best virus scanner for a computer not on the network

Post by Hey Jude »

Last edited by Hey Jude on 11 Jan 2011, 19:00, edited 1 time in total.
♫...Take a sad song and make it better . . .♫ Image

User avatar
StuartR
Administrator
Posts: 12827
Joined: 16 Jan 2010, 15:49
Location: London, Europe

Re: Best virus scanner for a computer not on the network

Post by StuartR »

The description says "It doesn’t include the real time scanning. You need to manually scan a file in order to detect a virus or spyware". I could really do with something that has a real time component that scans USB drives when they are inserted.
StuartR


User avatar
Hey Jude
5StarLounger
Posts: 1015
Joined: 24 Jan 2010, 15:45
Location: Ohio, U.S.A.

Re: Best virus scanner for a computer not on the network

Post by Hey Jude »

ahhh okies...
♫...Take a sad song and make it better . . .♫ Image

User avatar
John Gray
PlatinumLounger
Posts: 5509
Joined: 24 Jan 2010, 08:33
Location: A cathedral city in England

Re: Best virus scanner for a computer not on the network

Post by John Gray »

Well, I'd try Avira Antivir, Avast, and MSE v2 until I found one which checks an inserted USB Flash drive. I stopped using the first two recently, and it's not clear to me whether the RealTime Protection of MSE actually extends to this...

But not being connected to the internet is a bit of a problem for AV updates...
John Gray

"Tigers are the ones who look like an orange barcode with teeth." - Philomena Cunk​​

User avatar
StuartR
Administrator
Posts: 12827
Joined: 16 Jan 2010, 15:49
Location: London, Europe

Re: Best virus scanner for a computer not on the network

Post by StuartR »

Does any of those products come with a sufficiently up-to-date database to be able to operate effectively without an internet connection?
StuartR


User avatar
Hey Jude
5StarLounger
Posts: 1015
Joined: 24 Jan 2010, 15:45
Location: Ohio, U.S.A.

Re: Best virus scanner for a computer not on the network

Post by Hey Jude »

♫...Take a sad song and make it better . . .♫ Image

User avatar
StuartR
Administrator
Posts: 12827
Joined: 16 Jan 2010, 15:49
Location: London, Europe

Re: Best virus scanner for a computer not on the network

Post by StuartR »

Thank you, that will provide art of the solution.

Still hoping to find a virus scanner that I can either update using a USB stick or that comes with an up-to-date usable database that I can keep reinstalling.
StuartR


User avatar
Hey Jude
5StarLounger
Posts: 1015
Joined: 24 Jan 2010, 15:45
Location: Ohio, U.S.A.

Re: Best virus scanner for a computer not on the network

Post by Hey Jude »

Have you considered a U3 platform?
http://www.freedownloadsplace.com/Produ ... able-Avast
This one is free trial..

Others I found are paid subscriptions (so far)

"The obvious advantage of a USB-based antivirus is that you can easily update it simply by plugging it into any Internet-connected PC. A second huge plus is that the USB drive also functions as a storage device and a U3 USB drive can support a number of other useful applications as well. "

"Both McAfee and Trend Micro have announced U3-compatible security software. (McAfee announced their intentions to support the platform very early on, in January '05 - about 9 months before the U3 devices were actually released)"
♫...Take a sad song and make it better . . .♫ Image

User avatar
June Bug
Lounger
Posts: 38
Joined: 25 Jan 2010, 04:13
Location: Eastover, NC USA

Re: Best virus scanner for a computer not on the network

Post by June Bug »

StuartR wrote:
Still hoping to find a virus scanner that I can either update using a USB stick.....
Take a look at Updating your antivirus/anti-malware without internet connection.

JB
:music:

JB

User avatar
StuartR
Administrator
Posts: 12827
Joined: 16 Jan 2010, 15:49
Location: London, Europe

Re: Best virus scanner for a computer not on the network

Post by StuartR »

Perfect. Thank you.
StuartR


ChrisJakarta
StarLounger
Posts: 97
Joined: 05 Feb 2010, 11:06
Location: Jakarta, Indonesia

Re: Best virus scanner for a computer not on the network

Post by ChrisJakarta »

That does not seem to include MSE. Latest definition files for this can be downloaded from Get the latest definitions. However, this is the complete file, not an update, and runs to more than 50MB.

Chris

User avatar
StuartR
Administrator
Posts: 12827
Joined: 16 Jan 2010, 15:49
Location: London, Europe

Re: Best virus scanner for a computer not on the network

Post by StuartR »

ChrisJakarta wrote:...
That does not seem to include MSE. Latest definition files for this can be downloaded from Get the latest definitions.
Thank you. I may well end up using MSE with this manual updater.
StuartR


User avatar
Argus
GoldLounger
Posts: 3081
Joined: 24 Jan 2010, 19:07

Re: Best virus scanner for a computer not on the network

Post by Argus »

Stuart,
Though your thread has already seen several replies; on my XP machine I previously used AVG Free (though, at the time, not the 2011 edition). It has, as several AVs but not MSE (well, I think MSE only does it at full scan), a separate setting for scanning USB disks when connected.

It also has the possibility to load definition files offline, using an USB disk etc. See: http://free.avg.com/ww-en/faq?num=3026" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Updates can be downloaded from: http://free.avg.com/ww-en/download-update" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I was contemplating whether to post a thread of my own, or not; a little saga how my left index finger saved me some 9 months ago, as some times before that. :grin: Yes, at the time I hadn't installed the autoplay/autorun updates that gives the possibility to tweak the autorun modes. On the other hand, holding the Shift key has been my MO for more than 15 years.

My previous installation of AVG was set to scan USB disks, USB memories etc., and it worked no matter if I pressed the Shift key. It did that, in my case mentioned above (one can see an icon in the tray); but the quick scan didn't find anything ... Probably due to the fact that I had pressed Shift, I don't know; doesn't explain everything, since the virus was still there, I had only suspended the autorun. So when I opened the Explorer, I saw this:
CA.png
Yep, a Conficker variant (or Downadup). :grin: A second scan with AVG via the right-click context menu and it found it, so did, for example, Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware.
CB.png
Perhaps the on demand scan with AVG was more thorough than the on access scan, or it was because of my interference with the on access. But it's difficult to change old habits; I just can't plug in an USB memory, which I know has seen some other PCs, without hitting the Shift key. :grin:
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Byelingual    When you speak two languages but start losing vocabulary in both of them.

ChrisJakarta
StarLounger
Posts: 97
Joined: 05 Feb 2010, 11:06
Location: Jakarta, Indonesia

Re: Best virus scanner for a computer not on the network

Post by ChrisJakarta »

Argus wrote:Stuart,
Though your thread has already seen several replies; on my XP machine I previously used AVG Free (though, at the time, not the 2011 edition). It has, as several AVs but not MSE (well, I think MSE only does it at full scan), a separate setting for scanning USB disks when connected.
Not sure I fully understand this post, but I'd like to confirm that MSE can scan a USB drive without doing a full scan. There is a right-click option to "Scan with Microsoft Security Essentials..." that can be used to scan any file or drive individually.

Chris

User avatar
Argus
GoldLounger
Posts: 3081
Joined: 24 Jan 2010, 19:07

Re: Best virus scanner for a computer not on the network

Post by Argus »

ChrisJakarta wrote:
Argus wrote:Stuart,
Though your thread has already seen several replies; on my XP machine I previously used AVG Free (though, at the time, not the 2011 edition). It has, as several AVs but not MSE (well, I think MSE only does it at full scan), a separate setting for scanning USB disks when connected.
Not sure I fully understand this post, but I'd like to confirm that MSE can scan a USB drive without doing a full scan. There is a right-click option to "Scan with Microsoft Security Essentials..." that can be used to scan any file or drive individually.
That part of the post was meant to indicate that I don't think that MSE does on-connection scans when you connect a USB memory or disk. The OP, Stuart, asked for that. It was perhaps badly worded, what I meant was directly when you connect it.

As for MSE, and its different ways of doing this:
In the MSE settings it says: scan removable devices, or similar, when doing a full scan.
2011-01-12A.png
It can be excluded, I guess, because some have external backup drives they don't want to include.

Then we have the shell context menu, an on demand scan; and of course it can scan anything, as you say. I have not said anything else. Just right-click and select MSE. Or specify them in a custom scan.

But they will not be scanned during quick scans (quite obvious), during full scans if the above mentioned setting isn't checked, and, as I understand it, as soon as they are connected, before access through the shell (I used the on access term loosely before). But I could be wrong; I have not used the latest MSE more than a few days.
See also:
http://social.answers.microsoft.com/For ... 38a1956c46" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I understand that there was some registry trick to set the MSE 1.x to scan flash drives via the AutoPlay dialogue; I have never tried it, and it adds very little, nothing in my mind. And then we have the case with AutoPlay dialogues ...
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/18021/sc ... ay-dialog/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Byelingual    When you speak two languages but start losing vocabulary in both of them.

User avatar
Argus
GoldLounger
Posts: 3081
Joined: 24 Jan 2010, 19:07

Re: Best virus scanner for a computer not on the network

Post by Argus »

Did a short test with MSE and the Eicar file (in this case the usual .com; not in text, not within an archive(s) (ZIP) etc.). If nothing else we know one thing; MSE should and does detect the Eicar file, thus it can give some guidance how MSE works with USB disks.

(The test PC has autorun etc. disabled; but I doubt very much that that has any influence on what is going on in this test, since it's only a single COM file.)

I plugged in a USB memory that only contained one file, the eicar.com, and I got no response from MSE. The same was the case when I opened Explorer, a right-click on the USB drive and look at Properties did nothing. The same for when I double-clicked on the drive and had a look at the root with the eicar.com file.

But:
When I hovered with the mouse pointer above the file (i.e. more directly "on access") MSE kicked in.
Or, if I was quick enough, when I right-clicked on the file and selected Properties MSE sprang to life.
2011-01-12B.png
It said that it had temporarily inactivated the object, and asked what to do (I've disabled the default actions), more info. and the usual.

What I meant with my post above, was that some Anti-Virus software are a bit more "aggressive"; they do some sort of quick scans as soon as you connect external devices (and those scans are often optional, via settings, see, one example, below). Then it's a different matter if those "quick scans" are as good and thorough as an on demand scan, I don't know, there are lots AVs.

When I mentioned AVG as one potential solution, as it has the possibility to do offline updates (via a folder, USB etc.), and also has a separate option for "Removable device scan"1 I also wanted to mention to Stuart what my experience had been in a similar case; i.e. that somehow, given the post above, it didn't catch the virus during "attach scan".

There is, as I see it at moment, nothing wrong at all with MSE real time protection. It complains if you try to save a file with a virus (or, for example the test file) during download; it works as expected when you try to access the test file, and that is the important things when discussing real-time protection, you can't do anything with the file. It usually doesn't matter if it didn't warn when you connected the drive.

Then we have the cases with autoruns; I can't test it at moment; but I'm pretty sure that MSE will catch them (if it recognises them), but then as mentioned above, it could be a very good idea to disable autoruns.

1. From the AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 2011 manual; I think the setting has been there from ver. 8.5, it's not there in my old 8.0 manual:
The Removable device scan is launched automatically once you attach any removable device to your computer. By default, this scanning is switched off. However, it is crucial to scan removable devices for potential threats since these are a major source of infection. To have this scanning ready and launched automatically when needed, mark the Enable Removable device scan option.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Byelingual    When you speak two languages but start losing vocabulary in both of them.

User avatar
Ted Myers
4StarLounger
Posts: 570
Joined: 30 Oct 2010, 02:12
Location: England UK

Re: Best virus scanner for a computer not on the network

Post by Ted Myers »

StuartR wrote:There is a computer in the house that is not on the network, it is part of a recording setup. This computer has been infected with a virus, probably via a USB disk drive.

I can clear the virus with Malwarebytes, but I would like to install a virus scanner that checks USB disks when they are plugged in to prevent a repetition. Ideally I would like to be able to provide virus signature updates via USB occasionally.

Can anyone suggest a :free: virus scanner (this is not my computer, just in my house), that is suitable for this purpose.
The only program I know of that scans a USB on connection is http://free.agnitum.com/ As to getting updates as a download I don't know. Being free your only allowed auto updates once per day.
usb.JPG
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
If it wasn't for bad luck I'd have NO luck at all.
Windows 11 Home 24H2 Laptop