Is your server being hammered by AVG8?
JeffM
by default, the new version
**pre-fetches EVERY link on every page users surf to**
and it reports a bogus User Agent
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?lowbandwidth=1&no_d2=1&mode=nested&threshold=5&sid=08/07/03/1411254#24045121
NOTE: All these links are to different points on the same page;
if you drag & drop them onto the original tab/page,
it will hammer Slashdot less.
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?lowbandwidth=1&no_d2=1&mode=nested&threshold=5&sid=08/07/03/1411254#24045401
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?lowbandwidth=1&no_d2=1&mode=nested&threshold=5&sid=08/07/03/1411254#24045529
Slashdot says this is causing an extra 6 percent load on them
and is screwing up their stats.
Methods have been suggested
for how site owners can deal with the rogue behavior:
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?lowbandwidth=1&no_d2=1&mode=nested&threshold=5&sid=08/07/03/1411254#24046847
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?lowbandwidth=1&no_d2=1&mode=nested&threshold=5&sid=08/07/03/1411254#24046825
.
.
If you run AVG8, you can disable this garbage "feature":
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?lowbandwidth=1&no_d2=1&mode=nested&threshold=5&sid=08/07/03/1411254#24044961
For those who require a free AV,
ClamWin(GPL) & Avast are available--and are less bloated
(and less clueless and/or evil).
...and, of course, if you run a Gecko-based browser
with NoScript, AdBlock, FlashBlock, etc.
and use a little common sense, you avoid most of the crap anyway.
Martin Griffith
JeffM <jef...@email.com> wrote:
>After Grisoft forced an upgrade in May (AVG7 is no longer supported),
>by default, the new version
>**pre-fetches EVERY link on every page users surf to**
>and it reports a bogus User Agent
>http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?lowbandwidth=1&no_d2=1&mode=nested&threshold=5&sid=08/07/03/1411254#24045121
>
Dumped AVG8 last week, and this seems to work
http://www.avira.com/en/pages/index.php
martin
Eeyore
JeffM wrote:
> After Grisoft forced an upgrade in May (AVG7 is no longer supported),
> by default, the new version
> **pre-fetches EVERY link on every page users surf to**
> and it reports a bogus User Agent
> http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?lowbandwidth=1&no_d2=1&mode=nested&threshold=5&sid=08/07/03/1411254#24045121
The updates to AVG7 are still coming through right now (me being the type to upgrade only when I know something's
stable).
Maybe they realised it was an 'anti-update' so prolonger the updatesa fter the announced date ?
Is it adversely impacting everyday performance ?
Graham
Graham
IanM
"Martin Griffith" <mart_in...@yah00.es> wrote in message
news:gdhr64lcueqmmlfsi...@4ax.com...
I like Avira, been using it for a couple of years. I recently signed up
for this
Get a 6 month free licenses of avira premium for free.
https://license.avira.com/en/promotion-t0q1aatr05zwftftgnqr
The advantage being you get the faster update servers and no ad popping
up every day
Frithiof Andreas Jensen
"JeffM" <jef...@email.com> skrev i en meddelelse
news:ba7a9952-e61a-46a3...@u6g2000prc.googlegroups.com...
> After Grisoft forced an upgrade in May (AVG7 is no longer supported),
> by default, the new version
> **pre-fetches EVERY link on every page users surf to**
Next is to tarpit the buggers - make the poor sap using AVG wait for a
looooong time along with the nigerians. Or maybe BOFH at some backbone could
route traffic to/from avg's domain across some wonky modem line.
Paul Hovnanian
AVG8 is advertising itself as IE. I say run all IE users through the
tarpit until they learn a lesson and start using a better browser.
--
Paul Hovnanian pa...@hovnanian.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Have gnu, will travel.
Eeyore
Paul Hovnanian wrote:
> Frithiof Andreas Jensen wrote:
>
> > "JeffM" <jef...@email.com> skrev i en meddelelse
> >
> > > After Grisoft forced an upgrade in May (AVG7 is no longer supported),
> > > by default, the new version
> > > **pre-fetches EVERY link on every page users surf to**
> >
> > Next is to tarpit the buggers - make the poor sap using AVG wait for a
> > looooong time along with the nigerians. Or maybe BOFH at some backbone could
> > route traffic to/from avg's domain across some wonky modem line.
>
> AVG8 is advertising itself as IE. I say run all IE users through the
> tarpit until they learn a lesson and start using a better browser.
Any suggestions for Opera ?
Graham
Rich Webb
I seriously dig Der Ring Des Nibelungen. The James Levine/Metropolitan
Opera complete cycle has been out on DVD for a while and is a solid
traditional interpretation. Siegfried Jerusalem, Hildegard Behrens,
Jessye Norman, James Morris, Matti Salminen. W00T!
Oh, and the Opera browser is pretty good, too.
--
Rich Webb Norfolk, VA
Eeyore
Rich Webb wrote:
LOL !
Graham
Paul Hovnanian
Opera users are already stuck in a tar pit. No sense in adding to their
grief.
mi...@sushi.com
> After Grisoft forced an upgrade in May (AVG7 is no longer supported),
> by default, the new version
> **pre-fetches EVERY link on every page users surf to**
>
> NOTE: All these links are to different points on the same page;
> if you drag & drop them onto the original tab/page,
>
> Slashdot says this is causing an extra 6 percent load on them
> and is screwing up their stats.
>
> Methods have been suggested
> .
> .
> If you run AVG8, you can disable this garbage "feature":http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?lowbandwidth=1&no_d2=1&mode=nested&...
>
> For those who require a free AV,
> ClamWin(GPL) & Avast are available--and are less bloated
> (and less clueless and/or evil).
>
> ...and, of course, if you run a Gecko-based browser
> with NoScript, AdBlock, FlashBlock, etc.
> and use a little common sense, you avoid most of the crap anyway.
I've been running avast.
http://www.avast.com/
Rich Webb
wrote:
>Eeyore wrote:
>>
>> Paul Hovnanian wrote:
>>
>> > Frithiof Andreas Jensen wrote:
>> >
>> > > "JeffM" <jef...@email.com> skrev i en meddelelse
>> > >
>> > > > After Grisoft forced an upgrade in May (AVG7 is no longer supported),
>> > > > by default, the new version
>> > > > **pre-fetches EVERY link on every page users surf to**
>> > >
>> > > Next is to tarpit the buggers - make the poor sap using AVG wait for a
>> > > looooong time along with the nigerians. Or maybe BOFH at some backbone could
>> > > route traffic to/from avg's domain across some wonky modem line.
>> >
>> > AVG8 is advertising itself as IE. I say run all IE users through the
>> > tarpit until they learn a lesson and start using a better browser.
>>
>> Any suggestions for Opera ?
>
>Opera users are already stuck in a tar pit. No sense in adding to their
>grief.
I think that you may have misspelled "Internet Explorer."
Seriously, though, please continue bashing Opera. If more people start
using it then it will become a bigger target for the black hat crowd.
Jeff Liebermann
>I've been running avast.
>http://www.avast.com/
I recently switched from AVG8 to Avast 4.8 Home. It's amazing to see
how responsive my PIII/933MHz W2K is without AVG loaded. It is
especially evident loading web pages full of URL's such as a Google
search result with 50 results per page and not having LinkScanner
running.
A crude comparison of AVG and Avast timing is how long it takes to
scan 42.1 GBytes of junk on the HD.
AVG 7.5 Approx 3 hours
AVG 8.0 Approx 8 hours in "Auto" mode.
AVG 8.0 Approx 6 hours in "Fast" mode.
Avast 4.8 45 minutes.
Avast also seems to have a feature that disappeared in the transition
from AVG 7.5 to 8.0. It clearly indicates that it is scanning, even
in the background. That's important as users want to know WHY their
machine has suddenly experienced a major performance hit.
It's really difficult to complain about free software. I get what I
pay for, which in this case is nothing. So, on to the next program,
where my total investment is the time to transition perhaps 200
machines from AVG8 to Avast 4.8. I gotta do some more testing, but so
far, it looks like a winner.
Fun test: Try to download all 4 files on this page:
<http://www.eicar.org/anti_virus_test_file.htm>
You should get a virus warning. It doesn't prove much, but is useful
for testing if the virus scanner is paying attention.
--
Jeff Liebermann je...@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
IanM
"Jeff Liebermann" <je...@cruzio.com> wrote in message
news:1v4074d6mkdph7dql...@4ax.com...
Avast has a boot time scan you can schedule from the menu - a good feature I
think
IanM
Dirk Bruere at NeoPax
Just turn off the feature.
--
Dirk
http://www.transcendence.me.uk/ - Transcendence UK
Remote Viewing classes in London
JeffM
>>[...]Grisoft['s...] new version
>>**pre-fetches EVERY link on every page users surf to**
>>and it reports a bogus User Agent
>>
>Is it adversely impacting everyday performance ?
>
(and screwing their users in the process).
I would have thought that the word would be out on them.
...but I'm not really interested in the *users* of AVG.
I'm wondering whether WEBMASTERS have looked at their stats
and whether SITE OWNERS are taking steps
to deal with AVG's moronic new "feature"
and the backscatter from their imbecilic default configuration
(which AVG users are unlikely to know about--much less turn off)
and the DDoS-like effect that selfish/clueless "feature" produces
WRT increased bandwidth requirements for web sites.
Jim Thompson
On Sat, 05 Jul 2008 18:02:44 -0700, Jeff Liebermann <je...@cruzio.com>
wrote:
Are they safe to download? The warning is sort of scary.
...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | |
| Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |
| |
| Obama-lackey! Obama-lackey! Boom! Boom! Boom! |
| |
| Obama-lackey Wesley Clark opines:"He (McCain) hasn't held exe- |
| cutive responsibility. I don't think riding in a fighter plane|
| and getting shot down is a qualification to be president." |
| |
| But being a small potatoes politician who's served only three |
| years in the Senate does ??? |
Due to excessive spam, gmail, googlegroups, UAR, AIOE are blocked!
Jeff Liebermann
<To-Email-Use-Th...@My-Web-Site.com> wrote:
>>Fun test: Try to download all 4 files on this page:
>><http://www.eicar.org/anti_virus_test_file.htm>
>>You should get a virus warning. It doesn't prove much, but is useful
>>for testing if the virus scanner is paying attention.
>Are they safe to download? The warning is sort of scary.
> ...Jim Thompson
Yes. All they are is a file that has a text string inside. The text
string is detected as a virus. There's no actual virus. The idea is
to check if your virus scanner is working. Note the file sizes. It's
kinda difficult to write a functional virus in 68 bytes of code.
However, I think you might find that your virus scanner will later
dump them in the "virus vault" or "quarantine" if you save them to
your hard disk.
Of course, if you insist on using the real thing for ummm.... testing,
you can build your very own personalized virus using code from:
<http://62nds.com/pg/e90.php>
or other sites. Think of the notoriety of having a virus names after
you.
Also, if you're into computer paranoia, try testing if your router is
susceptible to various exploits:
<http://www.pcflank.com/exploits.htm>
Some of the more ancient routers (e.g. BEFW11S4 v4) will hang on some
of the tests. The tests are safe but be prepared to power cycle your
router.
As for the warnings, they were probably written by attorneys. Their
job description includes terrorizing readers with ominous but vague
threats. I don't think attorneys know if attorneys are able to
communicate in any way other than ominous threats.
Jim Thompson
On Sun, 06 Jul 2008 12:28:26 -0700, Jeff Liebermann <je...@cruzio.com>
wrote:
>On Sun, 06 Jul 2008 11:04:41 -0700, Jim Thompson
All I get is a NAV /!\, "File could not be downloaded"
Jeff Liebermann
<To-Email-Use-Th...@My-Web-Site.com> wrote:
<http://www.eicar.org/anti_virus_test_file.htm>
>All I get is a NAV /!\, "File could not be downloaded"
> ...Jim Thompson
Is NAV = Norton Aunty Virus? If so, it's doing the right thing and
preventing you from downloading a virus.
You might be able to trick it into letting you download the test file
by using:
IE6 and IE7 = Right click -> Save Target As...
Firefox = Right click -> Save Link As...
Hmmm.... Avast won't allow it to be saved. I had to disable the "web
shield" in order to save the files. No clue how NAV works.
You can have the virus test file emailed to you:
<http://www.declude.com/Articles.asp?ID=99>
I haven't tried all the various forms of MIME, compression, and
ecapsulation, but so far, my ISP's virus scanning firewall has blocked
everything I've tried.
How to use the EICAR test file:
<http://www.tech-pro.net/howto_000.html>
How the file works:
<http://mirror.href.com/thestarman/asm/eicar/eicarcom.html>
Fun with the EICAR test file in MASM:
<http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/ntbugtraq/2003-q3/0015.html>
Playing with viruses is almost as much fun as playing with matches.
T
> Frithiof Andreas Jensen wrote:
> >
> > "JeffM" <jef...@email.com> skrev i en meddelelse
> > news:ba7a9952-e61a-46a3...@u6g2000prc.googlegroups.com...
> > > After Grisoft forced an upgrade in May (AVG7 is no longer supported),
> > > by default, the new version
> > > **pre-fetches EVERY link on every page users surf to**
> >
> > Next is to tarpit the buggers - make the poor sap using AVG wait for a
> > looooong time along with the nigerians. Or maybe BOFH at some backbone could
> > route traffic to/from avg's domain across some wonky modem line.
>
> AVG8 is advertising itself as IE. I say run all IE users through the
> tarpit until they learn a lesson and start using a better browser.
>
>
I had to switch a client to FF3 because IE was just dog slow on his
system. He was amazed how fast FF3 runs on his system. It's quite
something.
JeffM
>[...]Grisoft['s...] new version
>**pre-fetches EVERY link on every page users surf to**
>and it reports a bogus User Agent
Mention has be made of how
the pre-fetching could endanger an AVG user's freedom:
http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?lowbandwidth=1&no_d2=1&mode=nested&threshold=5&sid=08/07/06/0522221#24073203
Again:
If you drag & drop the links onto the same tab/page, that's best.
http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?lowbandwidth=1&no_d2=1&mode=nested&threshold=5&sid=08/07/06/0522221#24073647
Another of Grisoft's bad habits has been mentioned:
http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?lowbandwidth=1&no_d2=1&mode=nested&threshold=5&sid=08/07/06/0522221#24073779
Here's the big news:
A site that focuses on broadband news & information
(http://whirlpool.net.au ) started a campaign against Grisoft,
recommending that people uninstall AVG and find another AV.
http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?lowbandwidth=1&no_d2=1&mode=nested&threshold=5&sid=08/07/06/0522221#24073473
Grisoft took a powder:
http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?lowbandwidth=1&no_d2=1&mode=nested&threshold=5&sid=08/07/06/0522221
The brain-dead version has been pulled
and the "feature" will no longer be included.
Eeyore
Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> No clue how NAV works.
It uses ~ 60% of your PC's resources is how it works.
Avoid like the plague.
Graham
Jim Thompson
On Sat, 5 Jul 2008 17:13:48 -0700 (PDT), mi...@sushi.com wrote:
[snip]
>
>I've been running avast.
>http://www.avast.com/
Are you happy with it?
...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | |
| Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |
America: Land of the Free, Because of the Brave
mi...@sushi.com
> Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
I got tired of playing that game to find the free AVG file. Avast is
free other than a registration hassle, and that is pretty simple. I
run it on all my windows boxes. It didn't occur to me to check the CPU
efficiency, but I did do a google search about two years ago that had
information on comparing the effectiveness of various antivirus
software, i.e. how well it found viruses, and periodically check how
it currently ranks. Avast comes in at different levels over the
years. Sometimes good, sometimes "standard", which is about as poor
as they rank.,
You can check this source out:
http://www.av-comparatives.org/
I have one 64 bit box, so pretty much I need to run avast. And the
price is right. ;-)