Kurosaki Ichigo Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 (edited) Okay, so, a friend of mine told me that AntiVirus programs eat up your memory. Is this true or not and if it is true, should I keep my antivirus program or delete it? Here are my computer specs. Machine name: XW6200-1 Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.101209-1647) Language: English (Regional Setting: English) System Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard System Model: hp workstation xw6200 BIOS: Default System BIOS Memory:3072MB RAM Processor: Intel® Xeon CPU 3.60GHz (4 CPUs) Card name: NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GSO Manufacturer: NVIDIA Chip type: GeForce 9600 GSO DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0610&SUBSYS_23851682&REV_A2 Display Memory: 768.0 MB Driver Name: nv4_disp.dll Driver Version: 6.14.0012.6658 (English) DDI Version: 9 (or higher) Edited April 8, 2011 by Kurosaki Ichigo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RetiredTacos Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Yes they do eat up memory. But that hasn't been a problem for a while, back when we had 512mb,1gb of memory total, it hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurosaki Ichigo Posted April 8, 2011 Author Share Posted April 8, 2011 Well seeing as though I have 3GB or RAM, do you think I should just leave it alone for now until it gets worse or try running my computer without the AntiVirus though I get this warning saying that my computer might be in danger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaAmazinChicken Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Which anti virus is this? I had McAfee and that was a resource hog, switched to Norton and its been good ever since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RetiredTacos Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Well seeing as though I have 3GB or RAM, do you think I should just leave it alone for now until it gets worse or try running my computer without the AntiVirus though I get this warning saying that my computer might be in danger. Should be fine, I wouldn't uninstall it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurosaki Ichigo Posted April 8, 2011 Author Share Posted April 8, 2011 (edited) I have Avira AntiVir Personal. The free one. And instead of uninstalling it, should I turn it off and test it out to see if my computer runs faster without it? Edited April 8, 2011 by Kurosaki Ichigo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locar Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 With 3GB ram you should have any difference at running games..i use Bitdefender 2011 wich is a bit "heavy" and all the games runs how they suppouse to be and im using 4gb ddr3 of ram ...so you should be fine.I dont recommend uninstalling the antivirus otherwise it could be worse if you get a virus and start slowing your comp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurosaki Ichigo Posted April 8, 2011 Author Share Posted April 8, 2011 That is true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurosaki Ichigo Posted April 8, 2011 Author Share Posted April 8, 2011 Well I have uninstalled my Anti Virus program and going to do a week test to see if it improves my computer speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkwing Duck Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Dont uninstall your anti virus. Avira is a good one, so is AVG. Norton is horrible so is any other main stream anti virus program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurosaki Ichigo Posted April 8, 2011 Author Share Posted April 8, 2011 So your saying that Avira doesnt take that much of my memory.... uggh so many different things ppl are telling me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enjuaguese Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 If you want a good antivirus program, refer to this picture http://i.imgur.com/IGX09.png Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurosaki Ichigo Posted April 8, 2011 Author Share Posted April 8, 2011 Oh and by the way guys, my HDD is probably one of the smallest in HG. MY HDD capacity is 74.5GB...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurosaki Ichigo Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 So does the AntiVirus eat up your RAM or your HDD? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CantBeFaded Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Listen to what Terry Taco tells you.. He is a computer tech for a living (and he knows his shit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locar Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Is a process it takes page memory and some of your ram when is running (wich is all the time since you enable it to be 24/7) i would recomend you bitdefender 2011..it have a game mode..wich disable some of the features in order to run faster (with 3 gb u dont need to do it since it will run at the same speed without problem). Would be also better that you get at least 500GB of HD not just for the antivirus because 74gb is not that much this days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurosaki Ichigo Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 Listen to what Terry Taco tells you.. He is a computer tech for a living (and he knows his shit) Okay, but does he know that I only have 74GB in my HDD.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enigma# Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 okay... to straighten this a bit out Page files are usually double the size of your RAM. If you want to find out how big your PF is.. type dxdiag.. Windows by default allocates that amount In your case, it'd use about 4-8 GB of HDD space. It may sound like alot but you shouldn't have to worry as this is the ENTIRE page file space not just allocated to the AV program. Yes, AntiViruses use up CPU cycles and RAM but they also protect your system as Windows has an affluent amount of viruses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tampa2pac Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Honestly ppl you dont need a antivirus program if you know what your doing.Most ppl have antivirus programs that boot when the pc starts and continuously scans there pc *bad idea* 1)Takes more memory when auto starts 2)tears into your hdd (a hdd is like a record player it has an arm that goes back and forth over a plate,so if your hdd is constantly being scanned and your trying to do something the arms is sliding back and forth and this is how so many ppls hdd's break). Steps to not rly need a virus program. 1)Dont open any emails that have attachments from ppl you dont know. 2)When going to a website not known by you and the yellow install bar comes down and says you need this to view this page.look to see first if you can see what you came to that page for *This is how ppl get stupid adware viruses and popup* 3)Stop downloading pr0n*If you can catch a virus from a woman in a bar you can online also hehehe* Tampa's Guide to never catching viruses and never had to use a virus program on his personal computer. But if you are going to use a virus program use malwarebytes doesnt chew threw memory and is the only one that honestly will clean your viruses up i have had 1,000's of computers i have worked on that had virus programs ranging from Norton,Avira,AVG and those programs didnt clean the virus even after they were updated but Malwarebytes is excellent at keeping there program updated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enigma# Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Although education and awareness is necessary, AV programs are a good thing to have no matter what. I'm not sure why you believe that you can't ever catch a virus (this reason is commonly attributed by Mac/*nix users) [just by care surfing or awareness of what you're doing] but sadly to say, there are viruses for all platforms, and can happen any time even with training and awareness. For instance, many freeware programs that seem (and act) legitimate, but they can be TROJAN horses. So first of all ,having no AV will not allow some form of heuristics taking place so that there is a chance of it stopping. trojan horses can damage your computer and/or steal any personal information. They can replicate across computers and introduce other worms/viruses. Another common example is ActiveX (if you're using Internet Explorers), since it is vulnerable and digital signatures can be forged to look (legitimate), users can take a bona fide presumption that it is non-malicious. 1)Dont open any emails that have attachments from ppl you dont know.2)When going to a website not known by you and the yellow install bar comes down and says you need this to view this page.look to see first if you can see what you came to that page for *This is how ppl get stupid adware viruses and popup* 3)Stop downloading pr0n*If you can catch a virus from a woman in a bar you can online also hehehe* I agree with those three points, but they are not enough to stop a determined phisher or hacker to destroy your computer (or computers). Finally to address the performance aspect, YES there are many AV programs out there that use up an excesive amount of memory but that is absolutely no justification for not having one in the first place. There are many reviews of AV software you may want to consider to read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tampa2pac Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I havent ever used a virus program lol and have never got one so im doing something right . been doing computers since they were introduced to homes and have spent the past 14years running my own electronic repair store.I write several different codes.Im so old school i use notepad to create web pages lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enigma# Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Once again, like I said training and awareness makes a huge difference already but it is not the only measure for preventing malware hitting your computer. Another example, Windows like any OS, has flaws and exploitable code. Worms can be written to bypass (and use these) flaws to wreak havoc upon users computers. Anecdotal tales do not justify him not getting one either... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurosaki Ichigo Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 Okay well I installed Malware and we will just see what happens. Ill give it a week and if nothing changes Ill do a week test without an AntiVirus and if anything happens then yeah... But really and truly all I need is a bigger HDD. I'm disgusted with how small my HDD is that I just want to throw my computer out of the window. My grandpa wont freakin buy me a new HDD because he says that I don't need all that space cause I wont use it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enigma# Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 It depends on what you use it for. If you're downloading a lot, you can definitely justify getting a larger hard-drive. Caveat, without an AV program, you can be infected easier. Another reason to get an AV program esp. if you download alot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurosaki Ichigo Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 Well I dont download alot of stuff thats the thing. But i heard that the more space you have in your HDD, the faster your programs will run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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