Technology - Anti-Virus Program...

[cyfanatic]

Just wondering if anyone has a strong preference as to what anti-virus program they choose to run on their computers? I used to use Norton (happy that I no longer use it). Now I use AVG Free Edition and am happy with its performance. Lately I have been reading good things about Avast's free anti-virus program. AVG Free or Avast Free?

Personally I am shocked that both are free since they both seem to do a good job protecting one's computer. Like I said, I am pleased with AVG Free but could be talked into using Avast's free version. Any thoughts?

Thanks. I really love CycloneFanatic! The people who make up this community are great!

 

[jdoggivjc]

I used to be absolutely sold on McAfee, but when it downloaded its latest version of Security Center it completely locked me off the internet. After wasting nearly 3 hours of my life and almost $400 of money on worthless outsourced tech support (the only good thing is I got my money back), they came to the conclusion that I must have another antivirus/antispam/adblocker/spyware blocker/firewall on my computer. Since McAfee's Security Center will not work with any of its competitors, they told me I had to go thru my programs and rid the system of any of those other programs. I did that and it STILL locked me off the internet.

Excuse me, but does McAfee really think they are putting out a good product when it will not work properly if you have any of its competitor's programs loaded on your system? That's like saying Internet Explorer won't work properly if you have Firefox loaded or Diablo II won't run properly if you also happen to play "The Sims."

 

[Jer]

Free: Avast is about as good as they come. AVG is also good.

$$$: Eset Nod32 & Kaspersky AV or IS are by far the best followed by a slew of second placers.

 

[cyfanatic]

Free: Avast is about as good as they come. AVG is also good.

$$$: Eset Nod32 & Kaspersky AV or IS are by far the best followed by a slew of second placers.

I don't use my home computers for work...just general web stuff and e-mail as well as basic document creation. Nothing too serious. That is why (since Norton) I have used AVG Free...because it is free. I will give Avast a look on one of my computers.

 

[CYdTracked]

I've got 3 different machines running at home. I've already ran Norton on my main one because it's saved my *** a few times. I run AVG on the other 2 that I don't use nearly as much and I've installed AVG on many other PCs I've setup for others. Never heard of Avast but I'll have to check it out now.

McAfee has some deal with AOL where if you use AOL you can get it for free so that's what my folks use since the only thing they can get out in the boonies is dialup.

 

[ISUFan22]

Been using Norton for who knows how long. I'm not unhappy with it, does a good job. I just don't like how it seems to slow my PC down.

Jeremy - the free ones you listed - how do they perform in relation to PC speed?

 

[cytech]

Free: Avast is about as good as they come. AVG is also good.

$$$: Eset Nod32 & Kaspersky AV or IS are by far the best followed by a slew of second placers.

Jeremy hit the nail on the head, though out of free one's I prefer AVG but have also used avast and there is nothing wrong with it. Also AVG released a free rootkit remover last week too.

Just make sure you are using AVG anti spyware along with the anti virus(used to be ewido anti malware)
Because anti virus software by itself is not enough.

Edit:
Also with the advent of the cheap computers everyone is selling that can barely run windows xp or vista. When you add resource intensive programs like Norton or McAfee, they really bog down your computer.
aka they suck

 

[bos]

Ive found that if you start with a clean system, load your AV, use Windows Defender (xp,vista only) or another active spyware tool and use a good pop up blocker, your pc should remain pretty clean. Its been years since ive had spyware.

 

[cytech]

McAfee has some deal with AOL where if you use AOL you can get it for free so that's what my folks use since the only thing they can get out in the boonies is dialup.

The mcAfee stuff that comes with AOL does not work well at all. Though in the end it comes down to what the people are doing on the internet to get infections.

As for Norton, I have encountered numerous computers with Norton installed that are either really slow( to ISUfan22 disable the Norton protection center this will speed your computer back up)
But Norton will keep your computer clean if you invest in the new versions each year and not just the updated definitions.
Also you can not go buy norton to fix a already infected computer, it needs to be installed while the computer is clean in most cases.

 

[isucyfan]

I endorse Avast, too. It is cooler looking than AVG, but AVG lets you schedule scans, which Avast doesn't. I am a sucker for shiny things, though. Kinda like a raccoon.

 

[cyfanatic]

I endorse Avast, too. It is cooler looking than AVG, but AVG lets you schedule scans, which Avast doesn't. I am a sucker for shiny things, though. Kinda like a raccoon.

I read that Avast has the ability to change skins...always a bonus :yes4lo: !

 

[brianhos]

Ummm.. why do you need an avs scanner on your home PC? Just use common sense, don't open screensavers or attachments from spams and you will have no issues. I have 4 comps in my house, none of them have virus scanners, and I have not gotten a virus in 12 years.

 

[ISUKyro]

Not to 'thread jack' but does anyone have a SpyWare remover that they really like? I've never really tried one, but wouldn't mind taking a look at a few.

 

[cyfanatic]

Not to 'thread jack' but does anyone have a SpyWare remover that they really like? I've never really tried one, but wouldn't mind taking a look at a few.

I use SpyBot and Adaware to run scans. They seem to be effective. I also have SpywareBlaster installed on my computer to block spyware. They are all free and can be found on Free Software Downloads and Software Reviews - Download.com and seem to have positive reviews.

 

[C.John]

Not to 'thread jack' but does anyone have a SpyWare remover that they really like? I've never really tried one, but wouldn't mind taking a look at a few.

Spybot - Search and Destroy is one that I've had good luck with.

 

[ISUKyro]

Thanks guys. I'll be sure to check them out once I get through this week at work.

 

[nj344170]

Ummm.. why do you need an avs scanner on your home PC? Just use common sense, don't open screensavers or attachments from spams and you will have no issues. I have 4 comps in my house, none of them have virus scanners, and I have not gotten a virus in 12 years.

You should definitely have some sort of real time anti virus scanner installed on your computer if you use any version of Windows. I am not trying to bash what you are saying in anyway, but if you surf the Internet, you are subjected to viruses. Legit websites get "hijacked" more often than you think. By just going to their website a virus or trojan can be installed on your computer (probably without you even knowing it).

 

[Jer]

SpyDoctor is pretty good as is SpyBot Search & Destroy. A newer one that has really come on strong and does a great job is SUPERAntiSpyware, it comes in a free version and a paid version. I highly recommend it as it's very light on resources and does a superb job.

For AV's I always tell people to stay away from Norton and McAfee just because they can do more harm than good. Both are extremely hard on resources (memory) and dig really deep into the underlying system (registry, etc) and take a lot of work to troubleshoot. If you can get anything that costs money, get Eset Nod32 (releasing a new version in coming month or two) or Kaspersky AV. Both are the highest rated of all and they both also happen to take the least amount of resources. If you must go with a free app, get AVG or Avast.

As far as having or not having an AV app, it all depends on what you do and how you use the machine. I have a PC downstairs that I have setup as a server and I don't have an AV on it for numerous reasons but I have Kaspersky on my laptop that I'm on all the time. I get tons of email so that's the best line of defense, second of course to common sense.


Note: I've built and sold probably 150 pc's in the past 10 years and I work in the IT field so I'm pretty good at staying up-to-date on these nerdy types of issues, you can call it my passion away from CF

 

[cytech]

for anti spyware programs I really like AVG Anti-Spyware, but it only works on computers win 2k and newer. If you have Me or 98 use adware and spybot as suggested by others.