Member Avatar for Paladine

Hey folks, anyone know of a virus scanner that works on Windows 2000 or .NET Server? I have Norton, but the standard retail version does not install on server platforms, and I am not buying the corporate one just for my server. Too pricy.

Any suggestions?


An free is always good

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Dani AI

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raised the core problem here — many consumer antivirus installers either refuse to install on server SKUs or are licensed only for desktops — and and ’s notes about product weight and server naming are useful context. Below is a compact, practical checklist and a few hands‑on tips to pick and run an inexpensive scanner on a Windows 2000 / .NET Server–era machine.

  • Confirm true server support: verify the vendor lists your exact server SKU (don’t rely on a consumer installer).
  • On‑access (real‑time) scanning: important for file and mail servers; some free tools are on‑demand only.
  • App‑aware scanning: mail and database servers need AV that either integrates with the mail transport layer or explicitly supports live DB files to avoid corruption/performance issues.
  • Resource controls: ability to schedule deep scans off hours and to throttle CPU/disk during scans.
  • Updates & management: automatic signature updates and the option to mirror or centrally push updates when you manage more than one host.
  • Licensing: confirm the license allows server use; SMB/server editions are often cheaper and required.

Practical steps / troubleshooting

  • If an installer refuses to run, check the vendor for a server/enterprise build or a time‑limited business trial, and run installs with administrative privileges.
  • If performance drops after install, move deep scans to off hours, exclude live database/backup directories per vendor guidance, and use process/file exclusions rather than wholesale disabling.
  • For mail servers, prefer transport/SMTP scanning hooks over on‑disk scanning of mailbox store files.
  • Always verify exclusions and restores by performing a test restore from backup.

Final note: legacy server OSes carry long‑term risk. Where possible plan an OS upgrade; if that is not immediately feasible, isolate the server on the network, minimize exposed services, and keep signatures current.

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Member Avatar for Dani

I used to use Norton but I switched to McAfee because it was to bulky and intrusive for what it does. Sorry, never played around with any server software (other than Linux) so I can't be of much help to you on this one.

Member Avatar for Paladine

Thanks Dani. It is cool. Found out AVG Software works with Windows Server 2000 - So all is cool.


Thanks anyhow

Member Avatar for Tekmaven

Just a note, for Windows 2000 the server products are named:
Windows 2000 Server
Windows 2000 Advanced Server
Windows 2000 Datacenter Server

Now, Microsoft changed the name for the latest versions of Windows Servers. They are:
Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition
Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition

Just notice, for Win2k, its Windows 2000 Server, and for 2003, its Windows Server 2003.

Just one of those small little things that everyone gets wrong :-P

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