Best Anti Virus/Security Software

[LewPort71]

Avast has done well for me.

 

The IT guy at work likes the new Norton product. His statement

is that Norton has gone back to basics.

[John from Riverside]

I dont want to hijack this thread but I have a question and the right section on TSW doesn't get many hits.....

 

I have a laptop......over the past 4 months or so it has gotten REALLY slow in bootup....locks up a lot.....etc etc

 

I thought I might be having a spyware problem....but I have run just about every free one listed above and they all say no.

 

Now....I do run some big programs on it like WOW on it along with some other big programs.....my computer says I have 43 percent of hard drive space free.

[stuckincincy]

I dont want to hijack this thread but I have a question and the right section on TSW doesn't get many hits.....

 

I have a laptop......over the past 4 months or so it has gotten REALLY slow in bootup....locks up a lot.....etc etc

 

I thought I might be having a spyware problem....but I have run just about every free one listed above and they all say no.

 

Now....I do run some big programs on it like WOW on it along with some other big programs.....my computer says I have 43 percent of hard drive space free.

 

Have you run Disk Cleanup, then Disk Defragment recently? CHKDSK?

 

EDIT:

 

Have you tried running your detection programs in Safe Mode?

 

The 640x480 vga resolution is a pain, but you can change that:

 

..."Here’s a trick to change the screen resolution and color quality display settings in Safe Mode of Windows.

 

Go to Display Properties (Windows XP) or Display Settings (Windows Vista) by right clicking on empty blank space on the Desktop, then select Properties (Windows XP) or Personalize (Windows Vista). Then change the resolution by sliding the Low to High slider bar. Do not press “OK” or “Apply” at this time. Instead, click on Advanced Settings, and then click OK. Windows in Safe Mode will change the screen resolution according to new settings, and prompt a “Monitor Settings” dialog box prompting that desktop has been reconfigured, with countdown timer. Click on Yes to keep the new setting."

 

- author unknown.

Edited December 3, 2009 by stuckincincy

[LewPort71]

Just as I was giving props to Avast!,,,this happened on Wed night.

 

Arrgghh

 

http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=51647

[Live&DieBillsFootball]

I dont want to hijack this thread but I have a question and the right section on TSW doesn't get many hits.....

 

I have a laptop......over the past 4 months or so it has gotten REALLY slow in bootup....locks up a lot.....etc etc

 

I thought I might be having a spyware problem....but I have run just about every free one listed above and they all say no.

 

Now....I do run some big programs on it like WOW on it along with some other big programs.....my computer says I have 43 percent of hard drive space free.

 

If all else fails, back up your data and use your restore disk to reinstall windows. It's a pain, but it should solve your problem.

[John from Riverside]

Have you run Disk Cleanup, then Disk Defragment recently? CHKDSK?

 

EDIT:

 

Have you tried running your detection programs in Safe Mode?

 

The 640x480 vga resolution is a pain, but you can change that:

 

..."Here’s a trick to change the screen resolution and color quality display settings in Safe Mode of Windows.

 

Go to Display Properties (Windows XP) or Display Settings (Windows Vista) by right clicking on empty blank space on the Desktop, then select Properties (Windows XP) or Personalize (Windows Vista). Then change the resolution by sliding the Low to High slider bar. Do not press “OK” or “Apply” at this time. Instead, click on Advanced Settings, and then click OK. Windows in Safe Mode will change the screen resolution according to new settings, and prompt a “Monitor Settings” dialog box prompting that desktop has been reconfigured, with countdown timer. Click on Yes to keep the new setting."

 

- author unknown.

 

I haven't tried running in safe mode.......is there a difference if the security programs are not picking them up when it is not in safe mode?

[stuckincincy]

I haven't tried running in safe mode.......is there a difference if the security programs are not picking them up when it is not in safe mode?

 

I think so - that's what I've read thru the years.

 

Perhaps someone with more knowledge will chime in about that...

[Pete]

I noticed this thread was over a year old. What do you consider the best anti virus software today? Or is this thread still current?

[Frit0 Bandit0]

Believe it or not, Microsoft has come out with a decent free package...Microsoft Security Essentials. It has gotten some good reviews online for being lightweight and very easy to use. Very quick download and it seems to use very little system resources. It sets itself up quickly and doesn't bother you at all.

 

Microsft Security Essentials

 

I have given up on many of the "security suites". In most cases they are bloated and use a ton of resources.

 

 

What I know is many who are entitled to use enterprise software for free are using this instead.

 

Its very tight as so I've been told. I will use it when I get around to it.

[The Dean]

OK, I didn't go through all the responses, but I got the flavor of what is going on here.

 

First of all, Ad-Aware and Malwarebytes are NOT Antivirus programs and aren't sufficient if you don't have a real AV. Malwarebytes is a good addition to AV, but it is actually declining in detection ability. (I believe they will catch up once again, though.) Ad-Aware was once a very good addition, but is woefully inadequate now.

 

Comodo makes a good firewall, but the suite is not very good. The AV isn't up to snuff and it slows down many computers. Comodo also has some questionable business practices but they seem to be reforming a bit.

 

Kaspersky is good, if a tad overrated. Eset Nod32 is a top of the class AV, and even it isn't what it used to be. Still it is a good choice. Bitdefeder is also pretty good.

 

Recently, GData seems to do the best in testing. It is relatively new, and I have yet to use it. I'd wait to see if they can consistently get these ratings over time. In the last results I saw they slipped a bit.

 

VIPRE gets pretty good reviews, but isn't supplied to the top testing outfits. That bothers me a bit. But Sunbelt software (the makers of VIPRE) is a good company and I think that might be a good option. It is known for being fairly light on system resources.

 

I like both Avast and Avira quite a bit. They both rank high, test after test, year after year. Avira probably has the best detection rates over time. It is very light on system resources. The free version is tremendous but lacks some the bells and whistles of the paid version. One thing to note is, Avira only supplies the old version of the software for testing (Version 9, the new product is Version 10) and they still get top rankings. That's pretty impressive, IMO.

 

I'd start with the free version of Avast or Avira and see if you like it. Then perhaps upgrade to the paid version.

 

Oh, one more thing. Microsoft's new product is testing fairly well, for the first time. That may be a good option, but I'd stick with Avast or Avira until Microsoft proves they can keep up. In the past their stuff was worse than terrible.

 

Feel free to PM me with any questions.

[UConn James]

Comodo seriously screwed up my brother's (Vista) laptop Internet connection using both his and ours. The problem started when he installed it, and as soon as he uninstalled it, it connected on the required reboot. From what I saw, it was very much one of the 'The Sky is Falling! every three seconds' kind of AV. I hate the companies that put this kind of crap out there.

 

When I got my new laptop 4 months ago, I wiped out the 12-month free Norton stuff and installed Avast! on the recommendations in the thread in the Consumer Forum here on TBD. It's been great. Updates itself, doesn't hog resources and it does its thing quietly until/unless there's a problem.

[DrDawkinstein]

Thanks, I'll take these all into account before I pull the trigger. Interesting, nobody with Norton experience.

 

i think the fact that no one mentioned Norton up to this point shows exactly the type of experience most people have with it.

 

as ive told people in the past, id rather take my chances with a virus than have Norton killing my PC everyday. that product is just so big and bulky and slow. youre better off running wide open. yuck.

[The Dean]

Thanks, I'll take these all into account before I pull the trigger. Interesting, nobody with Norton experience.

 

 

I missed this. i have a ton of Norton experience it, little of it good. Norton was a terrific program a long time ago, but has been a major pain in the ass for many years.

 

Now it is true that Norton 2010 seems to be a bit better (in terms of speed) but it is still a resource hog, install a number of startups and services (nothing compared to McAfee and AVG though). Its main program CCAPP is know for hanging and stalling machines.

 

http://www.google.com/search?q=ccapp+not+responding&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

[Billadelphia]

I have the 2010 Norton (it comes free if you have Comcast) and it works way better than the past versions that I've used.

 

I used AVG for awhile, then I had Microsoft Security Essentials running with Norton, but got rid of the Microsoft because having both bogged down my system. Norton has alot of nice features and for me, its free, so it's a win win.

 

That being said, I don't think that I'd pay for Norton over the free Microsoft download. Security Essentials has everything you need. My biggest problem with it, is that it updates its definitions daily and it bogged down my computer when it would do that. Norton updates daily, too, but it never seems to get in my way.

[EC-Bills]

I recommend doing an Avira/MalwareBytes combo. The on-access scanners from both products do not interfere with each other and they are great products.

[The Dean]

I recommend doing an Avira/MalwareBytes combo. The on-access scanners from both products do not interfere with each other and they are great products.

 

 

Great combo.

[ajzepp]

I've read good things about it. I used AVG for several years, and liked it, but their latest free version - 9 - caused problems for me.

 

Its' scans were always slow - not much of a problem for me, since I have about 10Gb used out of a 140 Gb drive. IMO, it would be awful for folks with lots and lots of files.

 

I'm on the AVG free trial right now. I had it with McAfee...total crap. AVG seems to be doing it's job well. I may go ahead and purchase for the year.

[thebug]

I have the 2010 Norton (it comes free if you have Comcast) and it works way better than the past versions that I've used.

 

I used AVG for awhile, then I had Microsoft Security Essentials running with Norton, but got rid of the Microsoft because having both bogged down my system. Norton has alot of nice features and for me, its free, so it's a win win.

 

That being said, I don't think that I'd pay for Norton over the free Microsoft download. Security Essentials has everything you need. My biggest problem with it, is that it updates its definitions daily and it bogged down my computer when it would do that. Norton updates daily, too, but it never seems to get in my way.

 

 

Norton Internet Security 2010 is very good, the 360 and anti-virus software still have problems for some reason. In Canada today you can get NIS 2010 for 29.00 (protects 3 computers) that's pretty good.

 

If I'm going with free software, I would use Avira and malwarebytes for sure.

[The Dean]

I'm on the AVG free trial right now. I had it with McAfee...total crap. AVG seems to be doing it's job well. I may go ahead and purchase for the year.

 

 

I think you'd be making a big mistake. I wouldn't use the free version any more. McAfee IS total crap. AVG is slightly better. There are too many better alternatives to them both, IMO.

[ajzepp]

I think you'd be making a big mistake. I wouldn't use the free version any more. McAfee IS total crap. AVG is slightly better. There are too many better alternatives to them both, IMO.

 

So you'd recommend Avira?