my antiquated Windows ME needs virus protection

Hi, my first post here.  We still have an old computer down in the basement which runs like a charm but I noticed last night, there is no virus protection.  I've searched online and looked at various products and for system requirements, they are not listing Windows ME.  (I did read the memo that as of 7/11/06, microsoft no longer supports ME.)

Does the description of new virus software have to say it will support ME or will it automatically support it?.  Do you have any suggestions?

We have a 1 year old computer upstairs, so I am with this century, somewhat.  We use Symantec and like it.

Should I take a hammer to the ME's hard drive and call it a day?  Can you believe I used it faithfully for 6 years and it still runs?

Welcome on board

Can you believe I used it faithfully for 6 years and it still runs?

If you take care of it, it'll run for 6 more years. I got 8 years old with Win 2K on it, and after heavy use, it still runs like a champ

We use Symantec and like it.

I assume, you use Norton on your new computer, because you don't want to run TWO antivirus programs on the same computer???

Free AVG antivirus is compatible with all Windows since Win98, so it'll work with your ME:
http://free.grisoft.com/

Welcome on board

Can you believe I used it faithfully for 6 years and it still runs?

If you take care of it, it'll run for 6 more years. I got 8 years old with Win 2K on it, and after heavy use, it still runs like a champ

We use Symantec and like it.

I assume, you use Norton on your new computer, because you don't want to run TWO antivirus programs on the same computer???

Free AVG antivirus is compatible with all Windows since Win98, so it'll work with your ME:
http://free.grisoft.com/

Hi and thanks for your fast reply.  Symantec is on my new computer upstairs.  The windows ME downstairs has no protection.  My question is, will virus protection software run on it (ME) if the system requirements do not specify that it supports windows ME? If yes, I might buy another copy of Symantec (norton) for downstairs.

* Some older operating systems such as Microsoft Windows ME, Microsoft Windows NT and Microsoft Windows 98 will only be supported until August 2008 as a minimum.

green_thumb:

You asked "...will virus protection software run on it (ME) if the system requirements do not specify that it supports windows ME?".  The answer is no.  Find an anti-virus program that stills lists Win ME as one of the supported operating systems. 

It's at least a six year old system (using 2001 technology?), so its probably not the bigest badest fastest system around.  On top of that, WinMe and the other Win9x operating systems are limited by "system resources (user and GDI)" not memory.  The system designers only allowed a fixed amount of buffer space to support windows displays and dialog boxes.  If these dip too low, as they will if you're running too many programs concurrently, your system will hang.  The WinNT line (WinNT, Win2000, WinXP) and Vista do not have this limitation.  You want an anti-virus program that is light on system resources and designed to be compatible with Win9x/WinME.

If the system is for your personal home non-commercial use the following "free" versions will work well on your system:

    o  AVG Free Edition 7.5 Build 488a1157
    o  Avast! Home Edition 4.7.1043
    o  ClamWin Free Antivirus 0.91.2 (file scanner only, but free for all uses)

The first one "AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition" was also recommended by Broni and is a popular choice for older Windows operating systems.

You can find links to all three and many others in the Anti-Virus section of the "MajorGeeks" download web site:

    http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloads29.html

You didn't say what kind of system you have; how you wish to use it (personal or commercial); or whether it will be connected to the internet either directly or indirectly.  If you're going to access the internet from that system you should add some protection against adware, malware, spyware, trojans, and any other bad boys you can think of.  This protection should also include a firewall.  I prefer separate programs for anti-virus, anti-malware, and firewall protection.  I subscribe to the theory that no one software company is going to be the best in all three categories; so I prefer separate programs for each category rather than an integrated security suite.  But you only asked about anti-virus...