Online AV scanner that works with 98SE

Searched this NG and Googled this topic, but did not find anything
current regarding online scanners for 98SE. Anyone have any recent
experience with such a service? Positive experiences preferred.

Teflon wrote:

Searched this NG and Googled this topic, but did not find anything
current regarding online scanners for 98SE. Anyone have any recent
experience with such a service? Positive experiences preferred.

I'm not sure why an "on-line" AV scanner would be OS-specific.

Have you looked at Virustotal.com? You can submit suspicious files to
that site where it will be scanned by about 40 popular (and not so
popular) AV software.

Any on-line scanner service where you would submit many, most or all of
the files on your hard drive for scanning would be horribly slow - I
would think.

If you're asking this question because you think that there aren't any
AV software choices for Windows 98 these days - you're wrong.

But generally speaking, Windows 9x/ME systems don't really need
to be running AV software, and haven't needed to for about the
past 3 to 5 years. This is because most malware doesn't run or
install itself properly on the 9X/ME line of operating systems
(for the past few years, malware expects to find itself on NT-
based OS's like XP, Vista, etc).

If you are running win-98/me and you're so paranoid that you need to run
an AV program, Norton Antivirus 2002 works well and can still be updated
with a current scan engine and virus definitions.

Norton Antivirus 2002 is part of Norton SystemWorks 2002, which can be
downloaded from these links:

http://www.fileden. com/files/2008/7/19/2010382/NSW02-A.ZIP
http://www.fileden. com/files/2008/7/19/2010382/NSW02-B.ZIP
http://www.fileden. com/files/2008/7/19/2010382/NSW02-C.ZIP
http://www.fileden. com/files/2008/7/19/2010382/NSW02-D.ZIP

The password to unzip each of them is "a". Each file is close to 50 mb
in size.

When unzipped, you'll get

NSW02-1.piz
NSW02-2.piz
NSW02-3.piz
NSW02-4.piz

Rename them each to .zip. They are not password protected.

Create a directory (name doesn't matter) and move files 1, 2 and 3 into
that directory and unzip them into that directory. There should be no
conflicts or warnings to over-write any existing files.

For file 4, move it to the \SUPPORT\IE5 directory and unzip it's
contents into that directory.

When you're done all that, you should have an exact copy of the
directory structure of the NSW 2002 CD. There should be 10 files and 13
folders in the root directory. 590 files, 41 folders, 207 mb.

To install NSW-2002, just run setup.exe in the root.

Notes:

1) Before installing, you should go to add/remove programs in control
panel and check to see if you have any Symantec or Norton products
already there, including LiveUpdate, LiveReg, Norton AntiVirus, Norton
Utilities, or Norton SystemWorks. You will probably have to remove some
or most of them, and then re-boot your computer, for NSW2002 to install
itself correctly. You should also make sure your PC's clock/calendar is
set to the correct date.

If your system has ever had NAV installed on it before, you might have
to do a complete search for all old remnants and remove them. From your
registry too.

See here for NAV removal tool:

http://service1.symantec.com/Support...05033108162039

2) Once you complete step 1, perform a file-find on your system and look
for a file called "catalog.livesubscribe" or just "catalog.*". If you
find that file (it will be in a norton or symantec directory) then it
must be deleted before you install this software. It's best to check
your system for this file even if you don't think that NAV is or has
ever been installed on your system. The presence of that file will
affect your ability to perform virus-definition updates once you
install NAV 2002.

3) After installing NSW2002, let it restart your system. There are
several settings in NAV that I turn off - like automatically check for
updates, and warn if virus def's are old. If it gives you the option of
registering the software - don't. It's not necessary for it to
function.

4) Your win-98 system will probably need to have it's "Root
Certificates" updated, and update your Windows Scripting Host to 5.6

I *believe* that this file will update the root certificates of a win-98
system:

http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...n/rootsupd.exe

Windows Scripting host (Windows9x-Script56-KB917344-x86-enu.exe) can be
downloaded from he

http://www.macropool.com/en/download...44-x86-enu.exe

5) If you click on "Check for Updates" you will probably be told that
there is an update to Symantec Redirector, which can be downloaded but
may not install. In any case, it's my experience that both auto and
manual updating (liveupdate button) doesn't work, and hasn't worked
since maybe 2007. But that's ok, because you can download all program
updates and virus definitions from here (Symantec Intelligent Updater):

ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/englis...ymcdefsi32.exe

That file always contains the most recent virus definition update. So
download and run it as often as you want (even once a day if you're
paranoid).

When trying to run that update, if you get the following error message:

"This package is not signed with a valid Symantec signature.
This Intelligent Updater package cannot continue installing."

Then you need to update your root certificates.

On Sep 17, 4:10*pm, 98 Guy wrote:
Teflon wrote:
Searched this NG and Googled this topic, but did not find anything
current regarding online scanners for 98SE. *Anyone have any recent
experience with such a service? *Positive experiences preferred.

I'm not sure why an "on-line" AV scanner would be OS-specific.


Most of the on-line ones I've looked at install a small kernel on the
computer to communicate with the cloud based app, where the virus
definitions must reside. Have not found one where the kernel likes
98SE.

Have you looked at Virustotal.com? *You can submit suspicious files to
that site where it will be scanned by about 40 popular (and not so
popular) AV software.

Was looking for something that would function like a resident scanner
and scan the entire contents of the PC without having to install and
update the entire app.


Any on-line scanner service where you would submit many, most or all of
the files on your hard drive for scanning would be horribly slow - I
would think.


I agree, that's why I was looking for an in-between product. One that
lived in the cloud while my content stayed on my PC.

If you're asking this question because you think that there aren't any
AV software choices for Windows 98 these days - you're wrong.


I know of several, I have Clamwin installed, but was looking for an
alternate scanning app that may be more current than Clamwin.

But generally speaking, Windows 9x/ME systems don't really need
to be running AV software, and haven't needed to for about the
past 3 to 5 years. *This is because most malware doesn't run or
install itself properly on the 9X/ME line of operating systems
(for the past few years, malware expects to find itself on NT-
based OS's like XP, Vista, etc).


I've read that - I've also read there are still bad things out there
that can infect 98SE. One of my concerns is YouTube videos, although
I also read that recording those videos on a HD formatted in FAT32
eliminates a lot of malicious stuff, since FAT32 does not record the
info on the Alternate Tracks (I know, wrong terminology) where some
bad guys hide malware in videos. Just want to play safe.

If you are running win-98/me and you're so paranoid that you need to run
an AV program, Norton Antivirus 2002 works well and can still be updated
with a current scan engine and virus definitions.


Being paranoid has saved me a lot of grief on more than one occasion.
As to installing an old Norton product on my machine, based on my past
experiences with Norton AV, I think I would prefer the malware.

Thanks 98 Guy for your suggestion.

Teflon wrote:

Being paranoid has saved me a lot of grief on more than one
occasion. As to installing an old Norton product on my machine,
based on my past experiences with Norton AV, I think I would prefer
the malware.

On those occasions where I install any AV program on a PC that I work
with, own or administer (which include win-98 and XP machines) I will
install NAV 2002. I have found that particular version of NAV to be
very efficient and hardly any drag on the system. The bad rap that NAV
got was (I believe) started with the bloat built into it starting with
the 2003 version and getting worse with later versions.

Some of that bloat was caused by extra mechanisms designed to prevent
NAV from being re-installed and re-activated for free after the basic
1-year definition update period expired.

NAV 2002 doesn't have any such mechanisms. At the end of each 1-year
period of free definition updates, it can be un-installed and
re-installed to obtain another year's worth of definition updates - the
trick is to make sure you delete the catalog.livesubscribe file before
you re-install. If you maintain several systems, then you just have to
copy the most recent catalog.livesubscribe file to each system and their
definition subscription end-date will change accordingly.

Having operated win-98se as my primary OS for 10 years, both at home and
at work, with several win-98se machines still in use at work used by
various people, I can say that the malware threat to win-98 today is
virtually zero, and has been that way for the better part of the past 5
years.

Perhaps it's the passive things that I've done to these systems that
have protected them. Things such as:

1) get a third-party hosts file and update it every once in a while.
Look at MVPS.org.

2) uninstall ALL old versions of Java runtime engine and install only
the last version for win-98 (version 5, update 22 I think).

3) change the file associations in your browser such that any .pdf's
require a decision from you to either download or open the file.

4) turn off java-script rendering in your pdf viewer.

5) If your broad-band modem does not do NAT, then put a NAT-router
between your modem and your PC.

6) Install and periodically run Spybot Search and Destroy.

Note that I do not include the use of a software firewall on win-98
systems. There is nothing more useless on those systems than firewall
software.

On Sep 18, 7:29*am, 98 Guy wrote:
Teflon wrote:
Being paranoid has saved me a lot of grief on more than one
occasion. *As to installing an old Norton product on my machine,
based on my past experiences with Norton AV, I think I would prefer
the malware.

On those occasions where I install any AV program on a PC that I work
with, own or administer (which include win-98 and XP machines) I will
install NAV 2002. *I have found that particular version of NAV to be
very efficient and hardly any drag on the system. *The bad rap that NAV
got was (I believe) started with the bloat built into it starting with
the 2003 version and getting worse with later versions.

Some of that bloat was caused by extra mechanisms designed to prevent
NAV from being re-installed and re-activated for free after the basic
1-year definition update period expired. *

NAV 2002 doesn't have any such mechanisms. *At the end of each 1-year
period of free definition updates, it can be un-installed and
re-installed to obtain another year's worth of definition updates - the
trick is to make sure you delete the catalog.livesubscribe file before
you re-install. *If you maintain several systems, then you just have to
copy the most recent catalog.livesubscribe file to each system and their
definition subscription end-date will change accordingly.

Having operated win-98se as my primary OS for 10 years, both at home and
at work, with several win-98se machines still in use at work used by
various people, I can say that the malware threat to win-98 today is
virtually zero, and has been that way for the better part of the past 5
years.

Perhaps it's the passive things that I've done to these systems that
have protected them. *Things such as:

1) get a third-party hosts file and update it every once in a while.
Look at MVPS.org.

2) uninstall ALL old versions of Java runtime engine and install only
the last version for win-98 (version 5, update 22 I think).

3) change the file associations in your browser such that any .pdf's
require a decision from you to either download or open the file. *

4) turn off java-script rendering in your pdf viewer.

5) If your broad-band modem does not do NAT, then put a NAT-router
between your modem and your PC.

6) Install and periodically run Spybot Search and Destroy.

Note that I do not include the use of a software firewall on win-98
systems. *There is nothing more useless on those systems than firewall
software.

Thank you for sticking with me and providing that insight, very
useful. I will give NAV 2002 a try. Any conflicts you are aware of
between it and ClamWin? ClamWin is passive, only scanning when I
initiate the scan. I assume NAV 2002 is an active scanner, scanning
designated Ins & Outs?

Thanks again for that info.

Teflon

http://www.archive.org/web/web.php
put the URL of the a AV you like with out the / on the end of URL

look at the archives until you fine the one that works

"Teflon" wrote in message
...
Searched this NG and Googled this topic, but did not find anything
current regarding online scanners for 98SE. Anyone have any recent
experience with such a service? Positive experiences preferred.

Teflon wrote:

Thank you for sticking with me and providing that insight, very
useful. I will give NAV 2002 a try. Any conflicts you are aware of
between it and ClamWin? ClamWin is passive, only scanning when I
initiate the scan. I assume NAV 2002 is an active scanner, scanning
designated Ins & Outs?

Thanks again for that info.

NAV 2002 does have the following 2 options in it's control panel:

- Enable Auto-Protect
- Start Auto-Protect when Windows starts up

I don't really know if NAV 2002 is or can be totally "unhooked" from a
system by using those two options, while at the same time be available
as an on-demand scanner.

I don't think I've ever disabled those two options, but it may be
possible that if you do, that you can essentially turn NAV into a
demand-only scanner.

If NAV is turned on and running and you start another type of file
scanner, what will happen is that all files that are scanned will be
passed through and scanned by NAV before being scanned by the second
scanner. This activity will not be apparent unless you come across an
infected file, at which point you will see a NAV notification window
first, telling you it detected a certain threat in a certain file.