Antimalware, firewall, and other security programs for Windows XP working in 2023 and hopefully beyond

[Karla Sleutel]

3 hours ago, Multibooter said:

Gruezi! [=Swiss-German for Greetings] Uninstall issues exist with many programs, it's hard to get rid of them. The only clean method to protect yourself is to create a partition backup before the installation of any software and to restore the pre-installation partition. I have not installed Kaspersky "protection" components.

The use of old WinXP on an SSE-only computer may provide some protection, a lot of new malware etc seems to have higher system requirements I am currently posting from a 23-year-old Inspiron 7500 laptop, on which no anti-malware is installed at all. I even trust Roytam's Hongkongese New Moon 28 browser and NotHereToPlayGames's 360Chrome with online banking from this old best, without any anti-malware installed. Some old stuff is still useful.

BTW, many programs leave "trash keys" in the registry, which may or may not be flags for something. When you use Registry Trash Keys Finder v3.9.2.0 (1Sep2013) or Registry Trash Keys Finder v3.9.4.0 (8Jan2017) you will be surprised to see how many hidden flags there are in your registry, and first of all may be Microsoft... Do you trust Microsoft?

I also have my gripes about the Kaspersky Removal Tools. Not sure what Microsoft's removal tool of .NET Framework leaves behind Restoring a partition from a clean backup is still the best choice to get rid of unwanted software.

I'm from Denmark. We don't have German here, it's Danish, yes, like the cookies! 

Thanks for the advice. Intentionally or not, you missed out the most important part of my post (with the link) where the poster caught Kaspersky with that sign-up email. How the allegedly uninstalled software knew someone uninstalled it?

Clearly, not only "trash" registry keys left.

[D.Draker]

3 hours ago, Multibooter said:

Kaspersky may be a discontinued model for US persons.

What do you mean by "persons". Is it a somewhat specific group of people, or maybe officials, like person-non-grata? Probably you wanted to write citizens? 

Strange, suspicious English, mind you.

[AstroSkipper]

46 minutes ago, Multibooter said:

The U.S. government did not prohibit your use of Kaspersky in Germany if you are a non-US person.

In Germany, Kaspersky is not prohibited, but not recommended by the BSE. It is advised to stop using Kaspersky software and to uninstall it completely. Kaspersky is simply undesirable.  Take a look at my list! There you will find all the alternatives I have collected so far, each of which I have documented with an article. 

[Multibooter]

1 hour ago, Karla Sleutel said:

I'm from Denmark. We don't have German here, it's Danish, yes, like the cookies! 

Thanks for the advice. Intentionally or not, you missed out the most important part of my post (with the link) where the poster caught Kaspersky with that sign-up email. How the allegedly uninstalled software knew someone uninstalled it?

Clearly, not only "trash" registry keys left.

So sorry, I didn't look properly at your flag icon. I love Danish Pastry, I still have a big round box here, unfortunately empty!

No idea how you got the sign-up email, nothing like that happens with my ancient version of Kaspersky when I uninstall it. I regularly uninstall it and then re-install it to get a new signature update, because it can be updated only once. Unfortunately U.S. Kaspersky had stopped selling license keys to retail customers about 10 years ago for this build, they suggested contacting the Moscow head office. I guess their license key server is located in Russia. Kaspersky had set all builds before my ancient build to EOL, and had programmed their servers so that signatures of EOL software could not be updated anymore. I was just lucky with this ancient build.

I will put Danish pastry on my shopping list!

[Multibooter]

1 hour ago, D.Draker said:

What do you mean by "persons". Is it a somewhat specific group of people, or maybe officials, like person-non-grata? Probably you wanted to write citizens? 

Strange, suspicious English, mind you.

You command of English shows that you are non-US person, are therefore allowed to use Kaspersky and can be spied out according to the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

For persons who want to continue to use Kaspersky Anti-Virus here is the definition of US-person:

"According to the National Security Agency web site, federal law and executive order define a United States person as any of the following:

a citizen of the United States

an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence

an unincorporated association with a substantial number of members who are citizens of the US or are aliens lawfully admitted for permanent residence

a corporation that is incorporated in the US"

from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_person in section "Data collection and intelligence"

[D.Draker]

3 hours ago, Multibooter said:

You command of English shows that you are non-US person, are therefore allowed to use Kaspersky and can be spied out according to the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

For persons who want to continue to use Kaspersky Anti-Virus here is the definition of US-person:

"According to the National Security Agency web site, federal law and executive order define a United States person as any of the following:

a citizen of the United States

an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence

an unincorporated association with a substantial number of members who are citizens of the US or are aliens lawfully admitted for permanent residence

a corporation that is incorporated in the US"

from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_person in section "Data collection and intelligence"

I'm a French national. I'm an ex-military. But not retired completely. As of now, I work in a private sector. I visit different countries.

And what if I visit United States to collaborate with, say also military men who are on active state duty, as a private contractor, not clear from these explanations.

It can be a prolonged period, say 4 months or even more. I see you're quite familiar with the subject. Could I use Kaspersky, then?

[Multibooter]

1 hour ago, AstroSkipper said:

In Germany, Kaspersky is not prohibited

Kaspersky will be prohibited to US persons in Germany (German Green Card holders, US companies), US law applies to them in Germany regardless of what German law says. In the UK, because of the special extradition arrangements between the US and the UK, some Kaspersky users may perhaps be arrested and extradited to the US, like Julian Assange  (OT: FREEDOM. I am so happy for Julian Assange)

[dmiranda]

On 6/24/2024 at 1:34 AM, Saxon said:

Wow!  

"I was scanning with MWB and noticed a Kaspersky File flash by. I went to Reg Editor and tried a search to delete it but cant find it. Not being Paranoid but I then get an email to sign up to Kaspersky.  Can anyone help me find the File to delete it"

link

I ceased to use KY back in 2014, around Ukraine's coup d'etat, figuring it was going to go the way of "western" AV (i.e., serving another version of echelon). Back then there was a tool that worked quite well: KAV Removal Tool 1.0.179.0 © 1997-2011 Kaspersky Lab ZAO.

Edited June 25 by dmiranda

[Multibooter]

1 hour ago, D.Draker said:

I'm a French national. I'm an ex-military. But not retired completely. As of now, I work in a private sector. I visit different countries.

And what if I visit United States to collaborate with, say also military men who are on active state duty, as a private contractor, not clear from these explanations.

It can be a prolonged period, say 4 months or even more. I see you're quite familiar with the subject. Could I use Kaspersky, then?

First of all congratulations to your excellent English!

I am not a US lawyer, so I cannot give you legal advice, which would be OT anyway. My feeling is that if you visit or temporarily work in the US, you are a non-US person and can use Kaspersky, but again no idea. Careful, US customs may confiscate your laptop. Enjoy your next trip!

[Multibooter]

1 hour ago, dmiranda said:

Back then there was a tool that worked quite well: KAV Removal Tool 1.0.179.0 © 1997-2011 Kaspersky Lab ZAO.

I uninstall my ancient version of Kaspersky via normal WinXP Add-Remove, then use Kaspersky Removal Tool v1.0.365 (14Sep2012), then run an older privately built .reg file which deletes 3 registry keys. Not sure whether running the .reg file is necessary, but it doesn't hurt. This uninstall procedure has always worked OK with my ancient version of Kaspersky. For Win8 I have another privately build .reg file which deletes 4 registry keys.

My feeling is that the stuff in the registry is related to license keys. Natalya Kasperskaya https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natalya_Kaspersky was saying that they were in the business of selling license keys, not software, i.e. focused on making money, not on making spyware.

2011-2012 seems to have been a troubled period for the Kasperskys, with their divorce and the kidnapping of their son, major corporate changes, followed by the conviction of a key researcher for espionage for the US and continuous attacks by the US. Maybe because of all these troubles my ancient build of 2012 was overlooked and not set to EOL.

Edited June 25 by Multibooter

[Karla Sleutel]

3 hours ago, Multibooter said:

I uninstall my ancient version of Kaspersky via normal WinXP Add-Remove, then use Kaspersky Removal Tool v1.0.365 (14Sep2012), then run an older privately built .reg file which deletes 3 registry keys. Not sure whether running the .reg file is necessary, but it doesn't hurt. This uninstall procedure has always worked OK with my ancient version of Kaspersky. For Win8 I have another privately build .reg file which deletes 4 registry keys.

I'm sorry, we (Danish) are naturally cautious, can't simply take your word for it. The fact you don't tell the version number makes you writings look even more suspicious.

3 hours ago, Multibooter said:

(OT: FREEDOM. I am so happy for Julian Assange)

And now you're adding this to the mix. OMG, why?

[dmiranda]

Ignorance is bliss for them digital flies.

[AstroSkipper]

@Multibooter At this point, I would like to ask you to stop posting offtopic. No more Kaspersky stories and family difficulties!  And who is a US citizen or not is of no interest here in this technical thread and is also offtopic apart from that. Same applies to your shopping list.

This thread is about security programmes under Windows XP. If you have anything meaningful to contribute to this matter without digressing, please feel free to do so. Otherwise, as always: talk is silver, silence is golden. 

[Multibooter]

2 hours ago, Karla Sleutel said:

I'm sorry, we (Danish) are naturally cautious, can't simply take your word for it. The fact you don't tell the version number makes you writings look even more suspicious.

Being cautious is good.

I was looking yesterday for the installer of my ancient version of Kaspersky on the internet. It is just not available for download anymore, it is gone. archive.org has archived the download and description page, but the .exe installer was not archived. I did find and download, however, the corresponding server version.

During my searches for this ancient version of Kaspersky I also came across my ancient topic about Kaspersky under Win98 at msfn.org, of 2010, 14 years ago:

https://msfn.org/board/topic/149134-kaspersky-anti-virus-60/

 

Edited June 25 by Multibooter

[Multibooter]

On 6/24/2024 at 2:08 AM, Karla Sleutel said:

Many encrypted, hidden and protected files, registry entries were left on the computer, even after running the official Removal Tool.

My father had to wipe out the whole PC to get rid of that spying files. It's still unresolved! "How to completely remove hidden Kaspersky files" - remains unanswered.

When I read over my old postings of 2010 below, I remembered that Kaspersky used cloaked files, i.e. invisible files containing code. Perhaps the files your father could not find/remove were cloaked files. Perhaps the cloaked files feature was added to Windows for "special" purposes.

"Unfortunately the license key file is a little hard to find. According to the Wikipedia "Kaspersky antivirus software also uses techniques resembling rootkits" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rootkit and the license key file is actually inside of a "cloaked" folder, seemingly invisible. But under Win98, in contrast to WinXP, there is an excellent tool, MS Find: When entering in field Named: key and in field Look in: \windows\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\, the license key file is displayed and can be backed up. The license key file gets deleted by KAV 6 during the next startup of the opsys where KAV 6 was installed.

If KAV 6 was installed under WinXP, the license key file can probably be backed up by booting after installation into another opsys, where it should be found in I:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\"

from: https://msfn.org/board/topic/149134-kaspersky-anti-virus-60/

I have installed WinXP on a FAT32 partition, not on an NTFS partition, as a security precaution, so that Win98 can look into the WinXP partition.

Edited June 25 by Multibooter