Running antivirus and spyware ?

Does my security software have to be on my start up menu? They never alert me anyhow,should i just put them in shortcuts and scan weekly? Thanks.

Running antivirus and spyware ?aurora

I believe you should allow only 2 security applications to run on start-up. A professional firewall and an anti-spyware would be suitable for those positions since spywares and adwares are more common than virus, which occupies only 15% of malware infections according to my sources. However, if you prefer high security compared to only a slight reduction of start-up speed then let your anti-virus be the third application. Personally, Avira AV, Comodo Pro + Spyware Terminator are the three programs that are on my Vista start-up list and they haven't caused any conflicts whatsoever.

Running antivirus and spyware ?download

G'day Kathy. If you are using a FREE anti-virus then you should update every day or every time you start the PC. If you have paid for a good anti-virus or security program it should notify you every time you go online that it has just updated itself. There should be an icon on your taskbar near the clock and when you click Start-%26gt;Programs, it should be listed on the Program menu. If you cannot find them you may be using Microsoft Security which is updated when they remember. If you type in Anti Virus in the search menu at the top of the page it will give you heaps of free anti virus and spyware places. I won't type them here as I may be on the wrong trail.
That's a personal preference. After being in the industry for more years than I'd like...In regards to viruses, I only scan about once a month. I keep my virus definitions up to date and keep an eye out for suspicious activity. Most virus scanners will automatically scan e-mails and that is currently the primary source of virus attacks.

However, in regards to spy-ware, I don't think a user can scan enough these days. There is no perfect spy-ware scanner on the market, nor anything close in my professional opinion. I use multiple spy-ware programs (Spybot 1.5, Windows Defender, and PC Tools Threatfire) and scan often (at least three times a week). I let my scheduler handle it though. I don't do manual scans.