Anti-Virus/Internet security?

Mickwreay

Mickwreay

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Question for the computer savvy :shrug:

I bought my new Toshiba Satellite laptop in the US & it came with Kaspersky software which is now out of the free period.

I've used Norton recently & they all seem to be the same to me.

Which software would you recommend?

Is AVG Free as good as any? I'm not bothered about all the bells & whistles just want good basic protection.

Mick
 
I was using AVG and had done for years, but it is now very bloated and will slow your computer to the speed of a ruptured slug!:lol: I would also suggest Avast, I find this very good indeed for a freebie and a bit like Kaspersky it works away in the background without being to intrusive...Good Luck Whatever yu do avoid McAfee like the plague. My OH bought a new Toshiba with McAfee installed which allowed in a virus so virulent the hard drive was destroyed!
 
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The hard drive was destroyed?

I would uninstall Kaspersky, and install a lightweight free AV like Microsoft Security Essentials, or Avast!

Personally, I also use Winpatrol as well as the MVPS Hosts file and Web of Trust. As extra security, Web of Trust is probably the program I recommend the most - it adds "traffic light" type codes to search engine links. It's not perfect, as it's a community rating based system, but it can help you keep clear of malicious sites.
 
I've used BitDefender for years now, never let me down.
 
I've used AVG for a couple of years and it works fine. No slowing down of the system on my copy.:thumbs:
 
I've used AVG, Avast and Microsoft Security Essentials but found they all slowed my PCs down, usuall down to checking each web page before they allowed it to download.

I now use the free edition of Panda cloud antivirus which seems the fastest around and simply works in the background without slowing the PCs down noticeably.

.
 
Used AVG and Zone Alarm, with Asquared and SpyBot Search and Destroy for year. Had two problem which were both my fault.

Quite a few people report that AVG slows their machines. I don't know the reason but for me and others there are no problems.

Dave
 
Mickwreay said:
Cheers mate, I'll take a look.

Is it as good as Norton & Kaspersky?

Mick
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From my own findings Norton was very bloated, although I am told it has improved slightly in that respect. I haven't tried Kaspersky so can't offer any info.

Bottom line is as good as any AV programs are common sense plays the biggest part in keeping a machine virus and malware free.
 
neil_g said:
Indeed sounds interesting, there haven't been any of those viruses in the wild for a loooong time.
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Well, any MBR infection can screw up your hard drive, and if your BIOS gets corrupted then your computer is a brick software wise - but that's pretty rare. Malware can't actually destroy any parts so I wonder what they meant.

Quite a few people report that AVG slows their machines.
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AVG (like Kaspersky IMO), tend to think that the main point of the computer is to run AV, rather than AV to protect whilst interfering as little as possible with the computer.

They use a large number of drivers, and run overly bloated software that uses more resources than it should need to.
 
someguy201 said:
Well, any MBR infection can screw up your hard drive, and if your BIOS gets corrupted then your computer is a brick software wise - but that's pretty rare. Malware can't actually destroy any parts so I wonder what they meant.
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rare indeed, ive neve seen one in 12 years :D these days the most common malware is designed to harvest details rather than cause destruction.
 
neil_g said:
rare indeed, ive neve seen one in 12 years :D these days the most common malware is designed to harvest details rather than cause destruction.
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The only BIOS corruption I've ever seen was caused by Dell software on my own laptop. :lol:
 
Believe me, if you get a serious infection then you will realise why you need it :lol:
 
I have used AVG free for a few years now with no problems.
 
MS Essentials is good. Really, as good as you need; and it's free!
 
I too am a big fan of Microsoft Security Essentials, use it on everything i work on, i have used most AV that are out there, and this by far for me is the best. Its free, isn't a resource hog, does what it says on the tin and is easy for the end-user :)
 
Remember no anti-virus is going to protect you from everything though..particularly if you're fond of not paying for software, most pirate software is riddled with malware these days.
 
Hmmmmm. It'S true that no AV will protect you 100%. But, despite the question of if piracy is right or wrong, getting it from reputable release groups / sites is remarkably safe. Ignoring false positives for cracks and keygens, most of the 'big' software is safe eg. Adobe Suite, Win 7, Office 2010...
 
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i used to run AVG antivrius and Comodo firewall (both free versions) but found they both became bloated and then started have loads of problems with not liking certain software! Switched to Avast (thanks for the advice Neil's !!) and zone alarm firewall and run those on both my desktop and laptop (one XP and one Win 7) and find it much better!
 
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