Editors' Note: We are aware of the allegations of Kaspersky Lab's inappropriate ties to the Russian government. Until we see some actual proof of these allegations, we will, and continue to recommend Kaspersky's security products as long as their performance continues to merit our endorsement. When you're looking to purchase, how do you know which is best?
Crash is a 2004 American drama film produced, directed, and co-written by Paul Haggis. The film features racial and social tensions in Los Angeles. A self-described 'passion piece' for Haggis, Crash was inspired by a real-life incident, in which his Porsche was carjacked in 1991 outside a video store on Wilshire Boulevard.
One help for your search comes from the independent antivirus testing labs, which evaluate and rate dozens of antivirus solutions. On that basis, Kaspersky Anti-Virus is a winner; it earned the top score in every test by every lab that we follow.
The core protection is the same as what you get with Kaspersky's free product, but the paid edition includes bonus security scans and full access to tech support. The four independent testing labs I follow all include Kaspersky in their regular test reports. Kaspersky earned the highest possible score in every test by every one of the labs. I don't remember ever seeing that before. Bitdefender came very, very close, with just one score slightly below the very best. Kaspersky didn't fare as well in my hands-on malware protection test, but when results don't jibe, I defer to the labs and their dozens of researchers.
At 8.5 of 10 available points, Kaspersky's score is OK. The best score against my current malware collection is 9.3 points, shared by and F-Secure.
One way to fend off malware attack is to make sure the malicious software never reaches your computer. In my malicious URL blocking test, Kaspersky prevented the browser from even visiting over half the dangerous URLs. It wiped out roughly another 40 percent during the download phase, almost all just as the download began. Kaspersky's score of 92 percent is quite good, but a few competitors have done even better. Bitdefender recently earned a near-perfect 99 percent in this test, and managed 98 percent.
Phishing websites don't host malware; they just trick users into giving away their login credentials. When I tested Kaspersky's ability to detect these frauds, it initially earned a truly dismal score, 44 percent. I have since learned that the developers had been working on the antiphishing servers at that time. When I ran the test again, Kaspersky proved extremely effective, using heuristic detection to foil frauds too new to be blacklisted.
With 100 percent protection, Kaspersky beat out the built-in protection in Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer. It also beat the competition. Bitdefender was at the top here, with 99 percent, while Trend Micro and come very close, at 98 percent protection. Kaspersky doesn't load up the free antivirus with bonus features, not the way AVG and do. It does install Kaspersky's VPN, but unless you pay for a separate subscription, you can use just 200MB of bandwidth per device per day, and you can't choose the VPN server.
You do get an on-screen keyboard, to foil both hardware and software keyloggers, and the browser extension marks up dangerous links in search results. System Watcher and Ransomware The System Watcher component aims to detect malicious activity, including ransomware activity, in processes missed by the main real-time antivirus. To test this feature, I disabled real-time protection and launched a collection of real-world ransomware samples.
I couldn't do that in my evaluation of Kaspersky Free, because in the free edition the protection settings are all locked in the enabled position. In every case, System Watcher detected suspicious behavior and blocked execution of the ransomware. That includes the uncommon disk-encrypting Petya ransomware that slipped past the equivalent feature when I disabled Bitdefender's regular real-time protection. Kaspersky didn't block my simple-minded fake ransomware program, but then, it really isn't true ransomware. I've occasionally encountered programs or program components that don't start early enough in the boot process, allowing ransomware that launches at Windows startup free rein. Kaspersky didn't fall for this trick. I also tried running KnowBe4's RanSim ransomware simulator, but Kaspersky eliminated the whole program as suspicious.
Rescue Disk The Rescue Disk feature shows up as an extra-cost add-on in Kaspersky Free, but as far as I can tell it's free for anyone to download and use. It's a big download, a full ISO file at more than 500MB. Burn it to a DVD or CD and you're ready to go. You can also create a bootable USB drive, but the instructions are rather daunting.
They begin, 'use a tool for creating bootable drives in the ISO mode or the DD mode, e.g. Rufus or Win32 Disk Imager. We recommend using the ISO mode.' Did your eyes glaze over?
The bootable DVD sounds like an easier choice. It's worth noting that makes the process a lot easier. You just select Rescue Mode and reboot. There's no disk to burn or USB to prepare. When I booted from the rescue disk, I had to make a few choices.
I had to pick a language and decide if the system would show full graphics, or limited graphics? When I ran a scan, it finished in minutes, because all it checked was hard drive boot sectors, fileless malware, and startup objects. If you're going to boot into a special alternate operating system scan, I advise clicking Change Parameters and setting it to scan everything. When I did so, it took a bit over an hour. Vulnerability Scan People write software.
People aren't perfect. Ergo, software isn't perfect. Malware coders look for ways to exploit vulnerable code in popular programs.
Once an exploit comes out, the program's designers work feverishly to patch it. And if you ignore the patches, you're hosed. Kaspersky's vulnerability scanner looks for missing security patches in the operating system and in browsers and other popular programs. On my test system, it found nine OS vulnerabilities and four in applications.
I was disappointed to find that the output is a simple, static list of applications. The software updater that comes with handles update tasks automatically, as does Avast Premier.
Note, though, that these two are the top tier suites in their respective product lines—lesser products don't include automation. The list of operating system vulnerabilities didn't include any missing Windows updates, which makes sense because I keep my test systems fully updated. What it did show was a list of settings that make for poor security. Several involving Autorun showed the status 'Strongly recommended to fix' or 'Recommended to fix.'
A few others, mostly involving data stored in Internet Explorer, received the status 'Not necessary to fix.' When I selected all the items and clicked Fix, Kaspersky did the job in a flash. If for some reason you don't like the effect of the fix, you can view fixed items and roll back any that don't suit you. Browser Configuration Check This scan very specifically diagnoses problems with Internet Explorer.
Once you've used it, a second option becomes available to roll back any changes you made. I didn't get much out of this feature at first.
There was no progress bar for the scan; it just immediately reported no problems found. As it turns out, there's a good amount of overlap between this component and the vulnerability scanner.
When I went back to the vulnerability scan and un-fixed the items related to Internet Explorer, I saw some results, in a kind of tree format, all under the heading 'Problems that can be fixed.' Consulting the help system, I learned that one might see headings for problems recommended or strongly recommended to be fixed. I'm sure there are cases when this component and the vulnerability scan don't step on each other's toes. I just didn't get to see those cases. Privacy Cleaner As you surf the web and use your computer, you accumulate a trail of activity traces. A snoop could learn a lot by examining your browser history, cookies, recent file lists, and so on.
If that possibility worries you, the Privacy Cleaner component can help. The recommended actions included clearing cookies, history, and temp files for Internet Explorer, Chrome, and Opera. Firefox is present on the system, but didn't appear in the list. It also suggested clearing the temp folder, and wiping the cache and temp files used by Flash Player.
Cleanup went quickly. On completion, it pointed out the option to roll back changes. Microsoft Windows Troubleshooting In past reviews, I've seen Kaspersky offer to run the Microsoft Windows Troubleshooting wizard after malware cleanup. That didn't happen this time around, but you can run the troubleshooter at will to check for any malware-created damage. This scan follows the pattern of offering strongly recommended, recommended, and available fixes. On my test system, its advice duplicated the Autorun-related items from the Vulnerability Scan.
I'm thinking that perhaps Kaspersky should merge all these overlapping scans into one. Impressive Scores. Kaspersky Anti-Virus gets the very highest scores in all the tests from all the labs that we follow, and it comes with a feature-limited version of Kaspersky's. The core antivirus technology is the same as what's in Kaspersky Free, but the paid edition includes a collection of bonus scans, full access to configuration settings, and the ability to get direct tech support by phone or live chat. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus scores just a hair behind Kaspersky with the labs, and it packs enough useful bonus security features to almost qualify as a suite. Symantec Norton AntiVirus Basic scores well both in lab tests and our tests, and includes top-notch exploit protection.
Uses behavioral detection along with a journal-and-rollback system that can reverse malware damage. And while McAfee AntiVirus Plus doesn't score quite as high, it lets you protect every device in your household. From the dozens of available antivirus products, we've picked these four, along with Kaspersky Anti-Virus, as Editors' Choices.
Advertisement Oh, great. Another blue screen, boot issue or frozen screen in Windows. Now you have to restart and lose most or all of the work you’d been trying to accomplish. It’s frustrating both because of the interruption and because the cause often isn’t clear. Crashes aren’t just a part of using Windows.
The operating system is stable for many people, so if your PC consistently crashes there is most likely a reason. Let’s take a look at the 10 most likely reasons why Windows crashes. Bad Memory Or Motherboard Many crashes, particularly those that result in a Blue Screen Of Death (BSOD), occur because of a memory or motherboard issue. This can result in a Fatal Exception Error, which basically means data that should be stored in memory could not be retrieved. You can test memory with a utility like or, in some cases, a built-in motherboard diagnostic tool (see the motherboard’s manual).
Another way to test is to simply swap in new memory and see if the issue goes away. If it does not, and the RAM you installed was correct, the motherboard may be the issue. BIOS Settings. Most motherboards come from the factory with settings that are broadly compatible. These then might be altered by the PC’s builder, be it a company or individual. The settings should stick but they’ll revert to default if the CMOS battery (which powers the BIOS memory) goes flat. That can cause your boot order to be re-arranged or put different components in conflict.
Another common problem with boot order is a high placement of USB or CD-Drives. If you leave USB drive plugged in to your PC, and the BIOS is set to boot from USB first, your PC will not boot properly.
You can change the boot order or simply remove the offending drive. Corrupt Registry The Windows Registry doesn’t run into problems like it used to, but issues are still possible. A corrupt registry can cause a computer to crash or may prevent it from booting properly. Quality Cleaning the registry will rarely improve Windows performance and it's risky. Yet many swear by registry cleaners. At least use one of these tools because they're the safest you will find.
Can often fix this problem. If your computer will not boot properly try to run Windows in Safe Mode and run the software from there. Incorrect Or Corrupt Drivers Drivers tell hardware what to do. If they aren’t working properly they can cause crashes, including BSODs, even if the hardware is perfect condition. Crashes of this type are usually associated with an error message. Sometimes the error message will clearly name the offending hardware. If it does not, try running the message through Google to see if that helps you find the culprit.
Once the hardware driver with a problem is identified you can search online for an updated driver and install it. If the problem persists, try completely uninstalling the driver and then re-installing it from scratch. Hard Drive Problems A hard drive failure is a leading cause of boot issues. If your computer mysteriously loses its ability to find the boot drive, but BIOS is properly configured, a hard drive issue is the culprit.
Hard drive issues are also often behind crashes that occur only when opening a specific file. If you can still boot to the drive try running a The platters of a hard disk drive are spin around at 5400 or 7200 PRM (and sometimes even faster) for countless hours. You would do well to check on their health every now and then.
To see if there’s any obvious issues. A healthy report should give you cause to look elsewhere for the problem, but a bad report means your drive has one foot in the grave.
A drive that doesn’t boot at all is bad news. Try it with another PC, if possible, to confirm the drive is the problem. I hope Backing up the data on your computer is vital. Yet not everyone does something about it.
Because backing up a computer remains a bit of a pain. If you own more than one computer.! Hardware Conflicts.
Windows can sometimes crash if it is receiving conflicting information from different pieces of hardware. This is a hardware conflict. It’s not always harmful, but it’s a common source of freezes and BSODs. You can see if there’s a hardware conflict by opening the Device Manager. If a conflict exists it will be visible in this utility with a yellow and black exclamation icon.
Take a look at the hardware that is conflicting and view its properties through the right-click menu to find more information. From there, solutions vary. Sometimes the issue is caused by drivers.
In other cases it can be caused by BIOS misconfiguration or faulty hardware. Try searching the Internet or ask fellow readers at. Virus Or Trojan A virus or Trojan can cause serious harm to a PC. It might corrupt or remove drivers, delete important system files or change administrative settings. All of these can cause unexpected crashes, freezes or leave you locked out of programs. To be honest, any fight against malware is usually lost the moment you notice it.
The problem is that, once it’s taken hold on your system, it’s very difficult to trust that the methods you’d normally use to diagnose your PC are working as they should. The best you can do is download You must know by now: you need antivirus protection. Macs, Windows and Linux PCs all need it. You really have no excuse.
So grab one of these ten and start protecting your computer! And start scanning. If you can’t seem to root out the malware you made need to nuke the drive and re-install Windows. This is why you should always use an antivirus, run a firewall and frequently back up your data. Power issues In some cases a persistent crash issue, particularly a random reboot or a BSOD caused by hardware you’ve verified to be working properly, is the result of a power issue.
You should only turn to this possibility if you’ve eliminated all other possibilities. There are two potential causes. By far the most common is faulty Most geeks interested in buying new hardware or building a new system think first of the processor, graphics card and perhaps the hard drive. These components have the most impact on performance, so they are.
A problem with the supply that reduces the power it can deliver, or causes an uneven flow of power, can result in otherwise unexplainable crashes. The only solution is to replace the power supply. Problems with the power in your home or apartment could also be the problem.
An overloaded circuit, poor wiring or a faulty power strip could be the culprit. You can diagnose this by moving the PC to another room to see if the crashes suddenly stop. Software Most software errors will not cause Windows to crash. Both the operating system and the software that runs on it have become more reliable over the years. Still, software issues can cause random lock-ups. The culprit is often obvious because the problem only occurs when that software is used.
![Software Anti Crash Full Movie Software Anti Crash Full Movie](https://support.kaspersky.com/us/images/home_ksmac_8427_02_en88-145529.jpg)
It will be less obvious if the problem software is running in the background. In rare cases your PC might freeze on boot because of software that runs automatically. You can usually resolve this by booting to safe mode and using The System Configuration Utility (or MSconfig.exe) is used to manage the processes that happen when the Windows operating system boots up. To disable software that runs at boot.
Overheating Computer components are sensitive to heat. Too much can cause permanent damage, so hardware will shut itself down before that point is reached. A crash error can result.
Overheating can be blamed for random re-boots and BSODs that appear to be driver issues but occur after the driver is re-installed. A beep or series of beeps from the computer at the time it crashes might be an error code telling you the processor has overheated. Check the motherboard’s manual to confirm. There source of the problem can vary. It may be inadequate case ventilation, a faulty fan or heatsink that has loosened. Laptops can overheat simply because they’re placed on the wrong surface.
Conclusion This list should provide some insight into why crashes can be so persistent and annoying. There are many reasons why Windows could crash, and often a single problem might have multiple possible causes. I hope this article has pointed you in the right direction.
Image Credits:, Explore more about:,.