Free Anti Virus

cpk1

cpk1

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Chris
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Im after a free anti virus, not a 30 day trial one that lasts. i have tried AVG and Avast in the past are they still the ones to go for or is there something better. Also i tried installing AVG on the wifes laptop and i ended up with a trial version, how can i make sure its not a trial version ?
Thanks
 
Avast here
 
Microsoft Home Security

I find it doesn't slow down my laptop like AVG did.
 
Avast

I'd second that if you really want one but tbh I don't have any AV on my PC.
I have malware and spyware scanners
I have Microsoft security essentials - free
And I don't download anything dodgy.
 
i use avg but just read in the which magazine on the weekend and they recommend microsoft home security.
 
I use Avast too - never had any problems.
That said I am no computer expert so there may well be better out there !
 
You'll want both anti-virus AND spyware/malware software. If I'm setting up security on someone's machine then I'll always go for an AVG + SuperAntiSpyware combo.

You can get full and free AVG by typing into google 'AVG free' and hitting the top link. Then off to SuperAntiSpyware.com and downloading their free version.

As long as you keep the definitions up to date they should be all you need.

When it comes to Microsoft Security, whilst it tries to do a decent job, I just don't think it's as robust as other free options.
 
AVG used to be good, not so anymore.

As a fully qualified Microsoft certified systems administrator, I can tell you your requirements for security depend on many factors. Expertise, what will you be surfing, do you open emails from people you don't know, do you only accept txt emails, etc etc.
If you are unsure about computers then yes get it secured up, but beware, AV companies often build their latest software based on latest hardware, if your system is old it could seriously slow down.

Spyware and malwsre, rootkits etc are your real enemies when it comes to security, personal details etc etc

Just to add, a common option if you are worried about viruses is.
Download latest avast
Install
Update virus sigs
Do a full scan
Leave PC for a few hours
Check results
If all ok
Uninstall.
If problems found address them and keep it installed.
 
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I've been using Avast for a few years now, I've also installed it on my wife's, parents', brother's, MiL's machines.

What I like most about it is most of the time you really don't realise it's there.
 
Been using avast since i was knee high to a grasshopper, never had a problem with it and only notice its there when it wants updating. I havetried others but always go back to avast.
 
Thanks, i will take a look at microsoft security if failing that i think it will be Avast.
 
MSE here also, both at home and at work. It fulfills the criteria of not slowing the machine down and not getting in the way.

Be aware that on a few machines it goes into CPU hammering mode for no apparent reason and sticks the CPU at 100% all the time - we have one in the office where this happens so we took it off. There are a few reports of this around the interent but we found no solution that worked, beyond removing it.
 
MSE and/or Avast work well for me. There are others, but these seem to be highly recommended. I also have malware/spyware applications, but I only runs scans if I have any concerns.

I don't think anything is ever going to be 100% effective but this should keep you safe, providing you don't visit dodgy sites or indulge in any other high risk activity!
 
neil_g said:
please dont do and, only do or :thumbs:
Click to expand...

:agree: One or t'other!


Actually I found even Avast becoming a wee bit bloated last time I was using it.

MSE has been OK for me and a lot of my pals but it has let a virus through for a couple of users.
 
I used to use AVG free but it let in a malware which caused me a lot of hassles
luckily Neil on here helped me out
I was recommend avast on here and went for the paid version
it found the malware straight away when I did a scan
 
MSE or if you have a Barclays account you get kaspersky free.
 
I a use Microsoft Security Essentials and find it good but in reviews I have seen they never rate it highly and usually AVG Free gets top marks
 
Used to use Avast until one of the program updates slowed down the boot time to about 7 minutes! And it wasn't just me who suffered! I assume they have sorted out since there are many happy users, or it was a certain combination of software/hardware that caused the problem, but I have been using Avira since then.
 
neil_g said:
please dont do and, only do or :thumbs:
Click to expand...

Oops. I should have said MSE and Avast both work well for me, and I've used each of them at different times. I don't run them concurrently :).
 
Installed Microsoft security seems to be working fine dosen`t slow laptop down that iv noticed.
Thanks
 
neil_g said:
I've had nasties undetected by avg. plus it's bloated as hell these days
Click to expand...

I don't think there is a right or wrong answer. Depends how frequently it downloads updates and how often the vendor adds new viruses to their downloads.

We use sophos antivirus for our work network and only a few months ago it categorised itself as a virus due to an error in the config. This left all our machines vulnerable to threats for days till we fixed it.

Just shows you can't even trust the security companies.
 
Karl12347 said:
I don't think there is a right or wrong answer. Depends how frequently it downloads updates and how often the vendor adds new viruses to their downloads.

We use sophos antivirus for our work network and only a few months ago it categorised itself as a virus due to an error in the config. This left all our machines vulnerable to threats for days till we fixed it.

Just shows you can't even trust the security companies.
Click to expand...

sophos is horrid though, we use it too.
 
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