Disable your Anti-Virus program while running FSX?

[TracyQ]

From the 2S1 manual (and I have heard it from many other simulations),  but it really gives me the willies! 

Yes, I can run FSX without being connected to the internet, but how in the world could I have real time weather? 

Just got hit in the last week with "Antispywaresoft" trojan,  the first time I have ever gotten a virus or trojan.  So I am really nervous about being connected without any AV program.  (Running Avira, btw.)

How does everyone else handle this?

[TenBlade]

Gdata antivirus does not seem to have any noticeable impact on performance, so that's an option. Otherwise one should not connect without AV. 

[BradHosking]

For AV, I ditched AVG and have gone onto Microsoft product which uses unbeleivable almost no resourses

http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

Works with Windows XP, Vista and 7

Highly recommend it. Myself and the guys I work with utilise this on our gaming rigs due to the little amount of anything it consumes.

Works an absolute treat and it's FREE!

[Wolter van der Spoel]

have NOD32 running for many moons now here and never had a problem, with fsX excluded from the AV proggy

you need to check your router for open ports, here is a link for that =>  https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2 it is called shields up and probes the most used ports on your system to see if they are open or in stealth mode wich is what you would want

[TracyQ]

you need to check your router for open ports, here is a link for that =>  https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2 it is called shields up and probes the most used ports on your system to see if they are open or in stealth mode wich is what you would want

Ah, see, here is where you get waaaay over my head.  Where do I go to learn about "ports" and such?  Kripes, all I want to do is fly FSX for fun, for relaxation.  OK, OK,  I know that most recreational activities (except maybe drinking beer) entail some study,  but I would prefer to skip it in FSX.

[Wolter van der Spoel]

well in that case I'm sorry but you will have to suffer in ignorance, I merely tryed to point you in the right direction, unfortunatly I cannot take you by the hand and do it for you as I'm at the other side of the BIG Pond

[Ian Routley]

Even if you don't share your internet connection, a NAT router offers significant protection against port scanners, and is simple to set-up.

Almost all broadband connections now have one, and IMHO everyone should have one.

With regard to virus programs (apart from avoiding AVG and Norton) there may be options to ignore certain folders, and to scan (or not scan) certain files on "open" or "execute"

If you must run an AV program ... then configure it to exclude all FSX related folders.

BTW .. it is likely that your trojan came from Internet browsing, or email ... but extremely unlikely that it came simply from using FSX.  If you ONLY use FSX, and you are behind an SPI router and firewall, the risk is extremely small indeed.

If you have a "direct" internet connection ... er, ......  then buy a NAT router.

[wildbluesea]

I have been using free avast antivirus for years.  I swear by it, having used the major brand names in the past. Have it on both my win7 and xp computers - both with fsx and not a problem.

[Patrick Scharnowski]

I see a little mixup between firewalls and anti virus software here. You can't catch a virus by just having a connection to the internet. You get those by actively downloading and executing dubious software that is infected, something that shouldn't happen when you just download weather.

Now, being online without an active firewall is a whole different matter, and that's when I'd be concerned.

[N058BM]

I'd say disable anything unnecessary. I know that sounds like a no brainer but I just chases a problem out that occured out of the blue and it turned out to be adobie trying to update... Made fsx look like a powerpoint doccument while it was updating.