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Best Windows 3.1 Anti-virus software?

F

Floppies_only

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Feb 15, 2008
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Hi Everybody,

I recently bought a Packard Bell computer with an 80486 (486) processor. It is supoosed to be coming with DOS version 6.2 and Windows version 3.1. I was wondering if anyone could tell me the most recent versions of antivirus software that will run on top of this operating system.

I am new to this forum, I also wonder if "wanted to buy" posts are appropriate in sections of the forum other than the "for sale" section. I'd really like to get some anti virus software that comes with updates to the definitions.

Your help is appriciated :)

Thanks,
Sean
 
Well, since there are no recent viruses that target DOS and 16-bit Windows, you don't really need to worry about 'recent' antivirus.

But... ESET still makes NOD32 Antivirus for MS-DOS. It's primarily around to get rid of Win32 viruses from more recent Windows installations by booting from a DOS disk, that way the virus can't be interfering with the anti-virus software at all.
 
Windows 3.1x is not even a target anymore. Back in my AOL days (2001-2003) I used to actually "play chicken" with the E-mail attachment viruses, I don't think a single one works in Win16, even with Win32s, you'll just get an Unexpected DOS error. In a way, Win31x is safer than Linux or Mac OS by being so old nothing that can harm it is in heavy enough circulation anymore to warrant any fear. Viruses just fly over the top of it for the nearest towering Microsoft box from a few years back at most.
 
I purchased a boxed copy of McAfee VirusScan on ebay last year (very cheap too). It supports Windows 95, NT, 3.1x, DOS, and OS/2.

The OS/2 version is on a CD and the rest are on floppies (3.5").
 
Anonymous Freak said:
Well, since there are no recent viruses that target DOS and 16-bit Windows, you don't really need to worry about 'recent' antivirus.

But... ESET still makes NOD32 Antivirus for MS-DOS. It's primarily around to get rid of Win32 viruses from more recent Windows installations by booting from a DOS disk, that way the virus can't be interfering with the anti-virus software at all.
Click to expand...

I took a look at this and it appears that you can only get it by downloading it over the internet. I don't know what browser (if any) this 486 is comming with, but if it does, it has to be so old that hackers could start trashing my system seconds after I go online.

So what I did was buy two copies of Dr. Solomon's anti-virus software off of eBay. I will use DOS's file compare command to see if either has been tampered with. These are from two different sellers, so the chances that they both would have exactly the same virus is slight. If they pass, I will use one of them to certify all the older software that I have been buying as safe.

But if you can buy NOD32 on CD, please let me know.

Thanks again,
Sean
--
Science Fair Microcomputer Trainer (fun)
IBM PC
IBM 3270 PC
Macintosh Classic running system 6
 
I don't think there is need to worry about hackers. They aren't looking for those anymore, and it's not like they have a list of every PC on the 'net and that they can target any PC. Viruses and spyware aren't spread just but hopping on the 'net. They are spread by wreckless/irresponsible downloading, and going to unsafe sites with zillions of popups. Don't sweat the small stuff. If you do download something with a virus, it probably won't affect your system, as it will be designed for 32 bit O/Ses, while 3.1x is a 16 bit. Still, try to locate an anti-virus program that isn't terribly old and compatable with your system. Still, and old one could be of use. Maybe one of those old floppies of yours has a dormant virus waiting to be awoken?

--Ryan
(Hows the 3270 I sold ya working out?)
 
I'm not sure if f-prot still has a 16-bit scanner but they used to be a nice free (on-demand) scanner. I used Norton back then and that caught the most viruses out of my collection (couple thousand at the time). I can't remember how well f-prot did back then but they do still have a cli based scanner that's free I'm just not sure if they changed their definition file format.

Still, yes I would suggest being safe about it. Just like my Amiga software collection and me (incidentally screwing up my Amiga trying to get an AV installed) was because I don't want one stupid infected disk to infect the rest of my disks and/or start deleting random files. So while a new virus (which honestly most of the stuff now adays are worms not viruses) may not work it's still something you should be concious of using used software from different and possibly incompetant sources.

This goes in more than we need to discuss on the specifics of malware, trojans, spyware, viruses, and worms. The stuff on the net now adays doesn't care they're mostly bots/worms that are randomly port scanning systems and try to attack anything that responds. You don't need some highschool kid sitting in the basement with a Jolt to notice you to get attacked anymore. Plugging an unpatched system straight into the net should result in it being automatically compromsied within 1 hour. The last test I saw run resulted in 15 minutes.

The stuff you'll find in the older scene are MBR viruses (which require you to boot of the media to get infected), file infecting viruses which infect X files in the directory or drive that you ran the infected file on, trojans (actually a common one was anti-virus downloads or hacking tools off of bbses, but included games, etc), and even ANSI bombs (you can avoid that by not having ansi.sys loaded (I'm unaware if a batch file could load it live since I think it had to be in your config.sys) but you could get that from a malicious fileid.diz or zip file header, etc which can do a surprisingly large amount of things like output a virus to a text file and run debug against it to compile and then run it or the simpler things like macroing a key on your keyboard to do a del command or switching two characters on the keyboard around, etc. Hell I remember when macro viruses were a newer problem and I had several that you open a Word .doc file and it would decrypt your AOL password and mail it off.

- John
 
Floppies_only said:
I took a look at this and it appears that you can only get it by downloading it over the internet. I don't know what browser (if any) this 486 is comming with, but if it does, it has to be so old that hackers could start trashing my system seconds after I go online.
Click to expand...

Well, there is always the option of downloading it and burning your own CD, or putting it on floppies.

But, as Yzzerdd said, there won't be any viruses or hackers lurking in the shadows, just waiting for you to connect that 486 to the internet. Your biggest issue will be simply finding a web browser that is compatible with modern HTML+CSS. (Although Firefox 1.x runs just fine on Windows 95.) (And, sadly, while you can download a theme for Firefox that makes it LOOK like it is Netscape 3 running on Windows 3.1; there is no version of Firefox that will run on Windows 3.1.)
 
But what if the soap is dirty?

But what if the soap is dirty?

Anonymous Freak said:
Well, there is always the option of downloading it and burning your own CD, or putting it on floppies.

But, as Yzzerdd said, there won't be any viruses or hackers lurking in the shadows, just waiting for you to connect that 486 to the internet. Your biggest issue will be simply finding a web browser that is compatible with modern HTML+CSS. (Although Firefox 1.x runs just fine on Windows 95.) (And, sadly, while you can download a theme for Firefox that makes it LOOK like it is Netscape 3 running on Windows 3.1; there is no version of Firefox that will run on Windows 3.1.)
Click to expand...

The funny thing is, when I read your second post on the subject, it occured to me that the copy store where I sometimes access the internet might have a machine with a CD burner. Turns out that they do. It's for the employees but they will let me use it. I just hope that it's virus protection is up to date. I'd hate to have a virus put on my new anti-virus program :/ But I will give it a try.

Another funny thing is that I just realized that I should have asked this question in the vintage software forum. Oops. Cahalk it up to newbie enthusiasm :)

Sean
 
Yzzerdd said:
(Hows the 3270 I sold ya working out?)
Click to expand...

It arrived quick. I am going to make a feeble attempt to gather all of the 3270 PC pieces to bring it back to the original configuration. In the email you mentioned using it with another PC imitating a mainframe. Could you talk more about that? I also remember seeing an IBM System/36 mainframe that came in an AT case. I imagin it would be hard to get software for such a thing, though.

Apparantly, the 3270 PC could come with an eight-color monitor.

Sean
 
Since most anti-virus software may update itself to clear out the virus, you need to choose a very useful anti-virus software.
 
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