[Fezmid]

UConn James, on May 4 2010, 08:56 AM, said:

So, the original posts in this thread being from 6+ years ago, I'm going to ask what the best free options are today. AVG? Avast? Other?

The general consensus is that AVG is bloatware nowadays. :) I highly recommend Avast, although a lot of people like Avia (I haven't used the latter). Sounds like you can't go wrong with either.

[BlueFire]

Microsoft's free security essentials aint bad either, surprisingly. Probably because they acquired the company that made it. :nana:

[The Dean]

Fezmid, on May 4 2010, 02:41 PM, said:

The general consensus is that AVG is bloatware nowadays. :nana: I highly recommend Avast, although a lot of people like Avia (I haven't used the latter). Sounds like you can't go wrong with either.

I have experience with both Avast and Avira and both are excellent.

I use Avira on my computers. It is lighter on system resources, tends to have a slightly better detection rate (although both are very impressive). Avira's latest edition (Version 10) has a pretty impressive anti-malware (in addition to Antivirus) ability, too. The real downside is, you have to look at one popup, every day after updating, which is an ad for Avira's paid products. It tries to get you to register on installation, but just un-check the option, and you are good to go without registering.

Avast is really a suite of tools (Avira is just an Antivirus/Anti-malware). Avast requires registration and you get a key, which lasts for a year, via email. You simply renew your free key every year.

If you like a security suite, choose Avast. Also, I think Avast still works on Windows 95 (Avira does not).

If you are like me, and want to use individual components for various security issues, choose Avira. It now kills two birds (antivirus and anti-malware) with one stone, but there is no email protection, firewall, etc. Avira is also ideal for computers a little light on RAM.

As the Fezman said, you can't go wrong with either.

Just make sure you completely remove your old AV. With many that involves downloading a removal tool from the old AV's website. Norton, McAfee and in some cases AVG do not fully uninstall using Add/Remove Programs.


One last note: The new darling among the very geeky is G Data, which has kicked some serious ass in recent AV comparisons. It is reasonably priced (not free) and has a 3-PC price which is quite good. G Data offers a stand alone AV and a suite. I have yet to use it for a couple of reasons. #1 Avira kicks ass and is free. #2 G Data is still relatively new, and I like to stick with something that has been great for years. But if you are bold, and looking for the best, G Data is the new rage.

EDIT: Oh yes, AVG is bloatware and will slow down a computer with limited resources. It was a great product for years, but it can't touch Avira and Avast right now. I think it tries to install a toolbar as well, these days. That just pisses me off.

[stuckincincy]

The Dean, on May 4 2010, 07:45 PM, said:

I have experience with both Avast and Avira and both are excellent.

Dean - a comment on the latest free version d/l offered by Comodo.

It has problems. I'd recommend sticking with a current installed version. I did update my installed version - stable.


CCleaner has an update today. I dl'd it and its' ok.

BTW - if you have Avira's suite - the paid version like I have, its' firewall blocks Comodo's virus database update and program updates. I deactivate it to get the Comodo updates.

[The Dean]

stuckincincy, on May 5 2010, 04:56 PM, said:

Dean - a comment on the latest free version d/l offered by Comodo.

It has problems. I'd recommend sticking with a current installed version. I did update my installed version - stable.


CCleaner has an update today. I dl'd it and its' ok.

BTW - if you have Avira's suite - the paid version like I have, its' firewall blocks Comodo's virus database update and program updates. I deactivate it to get the Comodo updates.

OK, I'm a bit confused, Cincy. If you are using Avira's suite, which includes a firewall, why in the world are you using Comodo? Or, if you like Comodo, why use the firewall inthe Avira suite? Using two software firewalls is usually not recommended.

For years I was a big Comodo fan, but that has changed over the past year or two. They still make a good product, but their business practices aren't top notch, and they have partnered with some pretty shady companies/products. And, unless you are vigilant during install it will install the ASK toolbar (a horrid product). I have removed Comodo from all of my computers and from all of my clients' machines as well.

If you think you need more protection than one of those firewalls, add a hardware firewall. That's your best bet.

[UConn James]

Did all the updates, burned recovery disks on DVD-R, transferred files with a new jump drive (what took the old computer about 20 minutes to load onto it, the new computer unloaded in about 30 seconds) and installed sundry software (Quicktime, Firefox, Kodak Easyshare), deleted some bloatware (surprisingly, for an HP machine, there's not much that I can see). Tweaked some of the admin stuff. Installed Avast!™. Thanks for the input, guys.

As I wrote, we got this at Sam's. Some people look down at the cookie-cutter nature of it, but we've done quite well with electronics there. Looked in Best Buy and they had fewer features (less RAM, smaller screens) for more $. Running good, no complaints at all.

[The Dean]

UConn James, on May 6 2010, 03:37 PM, said:

Did all the updates, burned recovery disks on DVD-R, transferred files with a new jump drive (what took the old computer about 20 minutes to load onto it, the new computer unloaded in about 30 seconds) and installed sundry software (Quicktime, Firefox, Kodak Easyshare), deleted some bloatware (surprisingly, for an HP machine, there's not much that I can see). Tweaked some of the admin stuff. Installed Avast!™. Thanks for the input, guys.

As I wrote, we got this at Sam's. Some people look down at the cookie-cutter nature of it, but we've done quite well with electronics there. Looked in Best Buy and they had fewer features (less RAM, smaller screens) for more $. Running good, no complaints at all.

Glad to hear all went well.

[Champaign Mike]

I got in on a one-year trial offer of VIPRE. Seems to work well for me, but does anyone have any experience with it?

[The Dean]

Champaign Mike, on May 6 2010, 09:46 PM, said:

I got in on a one-year trial offer of VIPRE. Seems to work well for me, but does anyone have any experience with it?

I really like Sunbelt and have used some of their tools (and read their security blog daily) but have yet to use VIPRE. It looks to be pretty good, though. I will be interested to hear what you think.

[stuckincincy]

The Dean, on May 5 2010, 08:38 PM, said:

OK, I'm a bit confused, Cincy. If you are using Avira's suite, which includes a firewall, why in the world are you using Comodo? Or, if you like Comodo, why use the firewall inthe Avira suite? Using two software firewalls is usually not recommended.

For years I was a big Comodo fan, but that has changed over the past year or two. They still make a good product, but their business practices aren't top notch, and they have partnered with some pretty shady companies/products. And, unless you are vigilant during install it will install the ASK toolbar (a horrid product). I have removed Comodo from all of my computers and from all of my clients' machines as well.

If you think you need more protection than one of those firewalls, add a hardware firewall. That's your best bet.

I generally use the Avira firewall. I turn it off, and Comodo's firewall on, when I want to update Comodo's virus database. I run both products' virus checkers daily, as well as xp's Disk Cleanup, CCleaner and Malawarebytes.

I also have a hardware firewall.

[The Dean]

stuckincincy, on May 7 2010, 10:03 AM, said:

I generally use the Avira firewall. I turn it off, and Comodo's firewall on, when I want to update Comodo's virus database. I run both products' virus checkers daily, as well as xp's Disk Cleanup, CCleaner and Malawarebytes.

I also have a hardware firewall.

You don't leave both AVs' active components running at the same time, do you?

[stuckincincy]

The Dean, on May 7 2010, 12:09 PM, said:

You don't leave both AVs' active components running at the same time, do you?

:thumbsup:
I do - should I not? I've shut off Comodo completely, pending your reply.

What about MS's Windows Defender program? I have that active in real time, also...

[The Dean]

stuckincincy, on May 7 2010, 12:18 PM, said:

:thumbsup:
I do - should I not? I've shut off Comodo completely, pending your reply.

What about MS's Windows Defender program? I have that active in real time, also...

It's not a good idea to have multiple AV programs running simultaneously.

[UConn James]

stuckincincy, on May 7 2010, 10:03 AM, said:

I generally use the Avira firewall. I turn it off, and Comodo's firewall on, when I want to update Comodo's virus database. I run both products' virus checkers daily, as well as xp's Disk Cleanup, CCleaner and Malawarebytes.

I also have a hardware firewall.

Holy wow. Disk cleanup and MB every day?

Do you swim across the man-eating-crocodile-filled moat when you leave your house, or did you take the chance to install a spiked drawbridge to your door?

I keed. I keed. :thumbsup:

[stuckincincy]

UConn James, on May 7 2010, 02:40 PM, said:

Holy wow. Disk cleanup and MB every day?

Do you swim across the man-eating-crocodile-filled moat when you leave your house, or did you take the chance to install a spiked drawbridge to your door?

I keed. I keed. :thumbsup:

:thumbsup:

It's very easy for me - My 139Gb HD has less than 14Gb's worth of occupied space. So the checking zips along nicely.

[stuckincincy]

The Dean, on May 7 2010, 12:35 PM, said:

It's not a good idea to have multiple AV programs running simultaneously.

Why not?

[The Dean]

stuckincincy, on May 7 2010, 02:59 PM, said:

Why not?

If you Google "using two antivirus programs" you will get an assortment of answers, many of them actually sensible.

But this article sums it up just fine:

http://blogs.techrep...ecurity/?p=2628

Quote

Don’t use two AV programs. Using two antivirus programs at the same time is just asking for trouble. Whether it is because their real-time scanners fight over access and between the two of them can slow your computer to a crawl, or because one might misidentify virus signature files maintained by the other as actual virus infections, many problems can crop up that make using two desktop antivirus applications effectively incompatible with each other.

***

It sounds like your three-AV setup has yet to show any visible incompatibilities (like BSOD for example). Maybe the three you have can co-exist in apparent peace. But even if there is no incompatibility beneath the surface (hard to know until something goes wrong) you are using at least triple the resources one good AV should use. If your system is slowed by the extra burden of the extra AV products, maybe the malware gets by before Avira (for example) can effectively block it. You want a fast response from your best products. You don't really want them competing for resources with the mediocre stuff.

EDIT: ***BTW, I don't necessarily agree with the author's choice of AV products.

[stuckincincy]

The Dean, on May 7 2010, 08:06 PM, said:

If you Google "using two antivirus programs" you will get an assortment of answers, many of them actually sensible.

But this article sums it up just fine:

http://blogs.techrep...ecurity/?p=2628

***

It sounds like your three-AV setup has yet to show any visible incompatibilities (like BSOD for example). Maybe the three you have can co-exist in apparent peace. But even if there is no incompatibility beneath the surface (hard to know until something goes wrong) you are using at least triple the resources one good AV should use. If your system is slowed by the extra burden of the extra AV products, maybe the malware gets by before Avira (for example) can effectively block it. You want a fast response from your best products. You don't really want them competing for resources with the mediocre stuff.

EDIT: ***BTW, I don't necessarily agree with the author's choice of AV products.

No - no CPU time or disk chew-up time that I have seen. I routinely invoke the native xp task manager, and monitor for unusual/unknown programs and resource users. I don't include it in startup, though - I like to get it going myself. I generally run about 1 to 3% CPU usage steady state, even with the multiple avs running unless an auto scan runs or I download or invoke something that's a hog or get one of the MS automatic update things.

[/dev/null]

This will make everyone sleep better at night :beer:

[stuckincincy]

/dev/null, on May 9 2010, 11:53 AM, said:

This will make everyone sleep better at night :beer:

Thanks... 0:)