Vistapocalypse

Since MSFN’s membership is largely European, there is one thing that I should clarify: Do not jump to the conclusion that these government warnings about TikTok are having very much effect in the United States! I can hardly watch a talk show on TV without some celebrity mentioning their TikTok account! (It seems to me that Europeans take government warnings far more seriously than Americans do.) Anyway, it looks like TikTok is here to stay, for better or for worse (at least until the next fad comes along).

Perhaps the manufacturer assumed (quite correctly) that most PC users had more capable hardware by 2018. Support for Windows XP is one thing, but optimal performance on 20-year-old hardware is evidently something else entirely. Whenever I read your condemnations of Avast 18.8, it’s hard to believe that you are writing about the same product I formerly used on Vista without any real complaints. The explanation must be that my Vista hardware was manufactured merely 16 years ago (alas, it died so young), and had a multicore processor with 3GB RAM. If any readers happen to be running XP on more modern hardware (or Vista without some extended kernel that apparently breaks most antivirus products), then I would recommend Avast Free 18.8! (I find it hard to believe that AVG 18.8 with the same engine could be markedly worse, but Avast was my choice so I have no ammunition with which to debate AstroSkipper on that point.)

I am familiar with that review and consider it fair. Ironically, it was a much older and more favorable review by Neil Rubenking that once led me to try Panda, and he lost much of his credibility with me as a result. I notice that you are being supplied with more links about Panda despite your stated desire to try something else. Here’s a BBC link that explains why wild horses couldn’t drag me back to Panda (having been a victim of this debacle): https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-31851125 Avast bought AVG before they ended support for XP/Vista, and AVG 18.8 has the same engine as Avast 18.8 (although the UI is markedly different). If you should find that one will not work on XP x64, then it would almost certainly be a waste of time to test the other. (There has more recently been an even bigger merger, and Avast/AVG is now part of a multinational corporation called Gen Digital along with the Norton and Avira antivirus brands.)

That brings back memories about a company that has long been deemed untrustworthy by many in the West: https://www.computerworld.com/article/2917384/antivirus-test-labs-call-out-chinese-security-company-as-cheat.html

I am more favorably disposed toward Avast/AVG 18.8 than AstroSkipper is, but once again the system requirements specified “XP SP3*” with an asterisk indicating a footnote: “Both the 32- and 64-bit versions...” Do they not know that Service Pack 3 only exists in a 32-bit version? I have no idea whether or not Kaspersky 18 supported XP x64. I can tell you that it required .NET 4 and did not require SSE2. Good luck with your testing!

It would be very strange if some Panda products support XP x64 while others only support XP SP3 x86. Not inconceivable perhaps, but the contradictory information is more likely attributable to a writer who is not very knowledgeable about Windows XP. It will be interesting to hear from WSC4 if he tests Panda.

There appears to be contradictory information about Panda’s system requirements with respect to Windows XP. It is said to be compatible with “SP3 or higher” here (as mentioned by AstroSkipper in his page 1 article on Panda), which would seem to exclude XP x64. On the other hand, the minimum requirements here specifically mention “32 and 64-bit,” but might perhaps refer to a different Panda product. (I’m not very familiar with Panda’s products due to a bad experience 8 years ago.) So yes, confirmation from an XP x64 user would be enlightening.

I will rest so much easier knowing that extended kernel users have a Chinese alternative to Kaspersky.

I would not suggest iTunes for Windows unless you want to sync with an Apple device or shop at the Apple store. It is a large installation and not as good as it once was.

Title should read WMP. (WMC was Windows Media Center, which was discontinued with the release of Windows 10.) I used VLC on Vista, but PotPlayer was often mentioned in the Windows XP forum.

A tutorial was posted in the Vista forum (but I’m not a Surface Pro owner myself): https://msfn.org/board/topic/184402-how-to-install-windows-vista-on-a-surface-pro-1-or-any-other-uefi-only-device/

There is no free version of ESET, and the original poster is already a Kaspersky user looking for a free alternative. However this discussion has clearly left the OP’s question behind, and the products you mention are good choices.

Windows 10 and 11 users can and IMO should simply use Microsoft’s built-in antivirus protection. (No, I’m not the “Kaspersky salesman” as you-know-who likes to insinuate. If MSE was still an option for XP, then there wouldn’t be any Windows XP antivirus thread at all.) Of course every other antivirus product is struggling for a share of the Windows 10/11 pie, but the going is tough - which is why there have been so many mergers in recent years.

Now that that’s finally been settled, I would like to suggest adding Norton to the blacklist on page 1 as another “Should be avoided” product. This should not cause any controversy, since no one at MSFN has admitted using Norton for as long as I can remember. I believe the final maintenance mode version was 22.15.5.40, and definition updates were never cut off AFAIK, but it’s hard to be certain when you don’t know of any XP users with a Norton licence. https://community.norton.com/en/blogs/product-update-announcements/norton-2215-windows-xp-windows-vista-windows-7-sp0-now-available

It is not only “kids these days” who are using smart phones. My mother (may she rest in peace) actually had an iPhone (a gift from my sister) before I did, since I was so attached to my old Vista PC in those days. And not only in the United States: My recent reading about app bans in India leaves little doubt that practically everyone in that country uses a smart phone. MSFN works fine from my iPhone! One thing I cannot seem to do that was quite possible using a PC is insert a quotation from an external source, although quoting other posts in the same thread is no problem. I doubt that the OP will find page 2 very helpful, but I already answered as best I could on page 1.

For many MSFN members, Windows 7 is “too recent” to even contemplate, much less use. This does not bode well for this forum’s future.

You’re right: It was not “odd” that only Sandboxie and not Kaspersky mentioned a conflict between the two. Speaking of Kaspersky: AV Test has recently posted test results for June 2023. It almost goes without saying that Kaspersky is still a “top product,” but I note that the German government has still not pressured the lab into parroting any FUD about Kaspersky. To me, this is a healthy sign that Germany is still a free country. 🇩🇪 https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/june-2023/kaspersky-lab-standard-21.13-231311/

It might be a little late to warn the original poster about how “harmful” Kaspersky supposedly is because he is already a paid Kaspersky user looking for a free alternative. Kaspersky 18 is still an option for XP, and probably 19 (but there is no official download link for a KFA 19 installer).

Here’s a critical analysis of India’s app bans from Atlantic Council that I am inclined to agree with: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/southasiasource/the-problem-with-indias-app-bans/

Yes, the original poster should probably just downgrade his Kaspersky. (@tekkaman are you using Kaspersky Free on XP Pro x64, and if so what version?)

I chose to ignore my Ignored Users list and take a peek at your post, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn’t calculated to offend me!?? As an MSFN member, there is little I can do about the lack of basic freedoms in China or Russia. The “free-speech” I was referring to was speech right here at MSFN. On June 2 an MSFN member with an actual Russian flag directed a question about Kaspersky to the only member who has reported success with it (or indeed with any real-time antivirus) on Vista x64 with extended kernel, and neither member was harassed by the usual suspects, which is highly commendable! Evidently it is not Russians who must be harassed for daring to mention Kaspersky here, but only an American such as myself who doesn’t show the proper respect for government warnings? Here in the USA, cigarette packs have featured government warnings for perhaps half a century, but I still smoke. Every road has a posted speed limit, but I still drive somewhat faster than that (albeit not nearly as fast as I drove in my youth). It seems to me that Kaspersky’s critics don’t show the proper respect for test results by independent labs such as AV Test in Germany, where Kaspersky has long been a top product. Everything else seems anecdotal to me. Let me remind you that NATO is not at war (and if we ever are, may God help us).

Malwarebytes Premium is not free and Malwarebytes Free is not an antivirus, whereas the original post inquired about a “free antivirus” - but true enough, Malwarebytes still supports Windows 7 assuming one did not skip the SHA-2 update (which is also required by MSE, ESET, etc.)

As an MSFN member, one thing I would never do is create multiple accounts in order to harass other members and give myself false “reputation.” I’m sure that India’s immense oil purchases are of infinitely greater assistance to Russia than e.g. an XP user choosing to use a legacy version of Kaspersky because it is his best remaining option. (For the record, my advice for users of Windows 10 and 11 is simply to use Microsoft’s built-in protection and completely forget about third-party antivirus products.) Nevertheless, I thought India’s ban of hundreds of Chinese apps might be thought-provoking, but perhaps I overestimated the “new” MSFN.

My apologies for bumping this topic, but it has come to my attention that India has banned TikTok along with many other Chinese apps, ostensibly to protect the personal data of its citizens - although the policy evidently began after a deadly border clash with Chinese forces in June 2020: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-53225720 That link is only one among many and I have certainly not read them all, but India’s list of banned Chinese apps has subsequently grown from dozens to hundreds. I certainly do not wish to start an argument, but this does raise difficult questions about proper forum conduct. As an MSFN member, should I show my solidarity with the “world’s largest democracy” (not to mention the fairly large democracy I was born in) by discouraging the use of TikTok, and perhaps even all Chinese software? Would this not contradict the free-speech position I have taken with respect to Kaspersky (which is a Russian company in case someone still doesn’t know that)? Might it be considered racist to even point out the Chinese origins of software? (If so, then I might be guilty - a rare occasion when my chief antagonist expressed approval for one of my posts.) Might it be considered racist to attach greater weight to software bans by Western governments than to software bans by the government of India? 🤔 The wisdom of avoiding all political topics here is becoming increasingly clear to me. Have a nice day.

Oddly enough, Sandboxie was not mentioned in Kaspersky’s list of incompatible applications for 2018 (although Comodo certainly was): https://support.kaspersky.com/us/kav2018/install/13598#block2