NOD32 Question

hey guys...
here's my prob. its kinda crazy. about a month ago, i got my new computer, and one of my friends said he had a good antivirus that he could give me (NOD32). i was under the impression that it was a free AV, so i let him install it on my computer. now i find out that NOD32 isn't free, and it's a cracked version. i immediately changed to the best free AV i could find (AVG), but here's my question: was my computer protected during that month with a cracked version of NOD32? it got its updated and all normally, and did scans etc..but i want to make sure (for peace of mind, if nothing else) that my computer was safe til now...thanks a lot.

 

Are you sure you weren't using a trial version, in which case all would have been legal and ok. You'd have received updates, and your machine would have been protected. And, fwiw, IMO, NOD is worth its cost. It's a great app.

 

If you actually have used a cracked version then a program update will probably have made signature updating impossible.
At this point it's pretty impossible to say whether the cracked version you used was containing more than you wished for.
I guess you've erased all NOD32 remnants before installing AVG?
You could download and burn (one of) 2 programs that will boot from CD to thoroughly check your current setup.
PCTools Alternate Operating System; link
Avira AntiVir Rescue System; link.
In my signature link/sticky, you can find many more programs to choose from for an online scan or an anti-rootkit sweep.
Cheers.

 

it definitely was a cracked version. i checked it on my friends setup..and its actually a trial version with a patch that lets u use it for like...15,000 days instead of 30. so the virus signature database was definitely updated. so i guess it should be ok? coz if there's a serious risk, i should advise my friend to switch to something legal, and safer

 

That's what I would advice your friend also.
Do you know exactly what the 'patch' has changed?
Because it's not allowed to discuss using cracked software here on NBR I can only say that using security software of which one is not certain that it is secure renders it useless.
Even more, why use 'security' software like that if it might turn your notebook into a bot that might be used for God knows what?
(I'm not saying that you and your mate are using/used a program that contains more then you two know, but still....)
Especially when there are so much free security programs around that will do an excellent job at what you need.
It's a smart move to dump that way of using NOD32 and move over to AVG.

Cheers.

 

as far as i can see, the patch hasnt changed anything much...it just allows u to use the trial version (which works fully), for a very long time (over 15,000 days)...im sure it works fine now, u've cleared that up for me...but as u say, there's so much free stuff around..why bother? which would u choose out of the three best (that ive heard of) free AVs?: Avast, Avira Antivir or AVG? i like AVG out of the three, but im open to suggestions

EDIT: also, im a bit confused over which AVG to get. the free AV, right? coz on AV Comparatives, the product from AVG which theyve evaluated is AVG Anti-Malware :S confusing. AVG free antivirus is very good, am i right?

 

AV-Comparatives only tests paid-for full AV programs, not the free versions.
The newest AVG version has antivirus and antispyware integrated into one engine (so it's not a combination of 2 programs anymore).
From the free versions my personal favorite is Avast because of the many configuration options.
Avira has the highest detection rates though, their heuristic engine is one of the best around.
So I'd choose Avast (if you care for the configuration options that is) or Avira.
Download links are available in my signature link/sticky.
Cheers.

 

thanks for ur help!