Author Topic: free antivirus comparisons  (Read 21301 times)

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Offline SimonTopic starter

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free antivirus comparisons
« on: June 09, 2012, 07:15:34 am »
I have always used AVIRA as my free antivirus, it's always worked and is not "bloated" I did try AVG once but actually found it would not update itself and got fed up with it always making a fuss about itself like appearing all over google results pages saying it had scanned all the,links bla bla bla. What I do know about Avira though is that at least the old versions would delete the infected file not clean it.

I have been given a computer by a friend for me to sort out for him, started with him having trouble changing the processor but I might as well give it the "once over" and this seems to be coming down to reformatting it as it's in a mess and he has not got antivirus on it (and been on plenty of porn I find) so I'm expecting it to be well riddled. Now I want to connect his hard drive to my PC and save his data before I proceed but I don't want to get infected myself and I want to make sure I'm cleaning infected files and not deleting them.

Any suggestions ? does avira now do cleaning or are there others that will ?
 

Offline AntiProtonBoy

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Re: free antivirus comparisons
« Reply #1 on: June 09, 2012, 07:48:36 am »
Microsoft Security Essentials. I'm serious, it's pretty good (assuming your machine was clean to begin with).
 

Offline PeterG

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Re: free antivirus comparisons
« Reply #2 on: June 09, 2012, 08:10:07 am »
Microsoft Security Essentials. I'm serious, it's pretty good (assuming your machine was clean to begin with).

I was a long tie user of Avast or AVG, but I also now use Microsoft Security Essentials.

Regards
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Offline amspire

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Re: free antivirus comparisons
« Reply #3 on: June 09, 2012, 08:14:41 am »
Microsoft Security Essentials. I'm serious, it's pretty good (assuming your machine was clean to begin with).
Another thumbs up for Microsoft Security Essentials.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/security-essentials

Every now and then you can run the Microsoft Malicious software Removal Tool in full scan mode (type "mrt" in the run menu on any XP/Vista/Win7 system that is up to date with the Windows Updates.) "mrt" runs regularly in the background after a standard Windows update, but only in a fast mode rather then the full mode.

If you need to do an offline sweep for rootkits and other tougher viruses, you can get Microsoft "Windows Defender Offline", burn it to a disk, and then boot off the disk. This scans without running any program on the hard disk, so a rootkit cannot hide itself the way it can under Windows.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/what-is-windows-defender-offline.

If you find you cannot do Windows Updates, you cannot run "mrt" and Security Essentials does not seem to run properly, then your computer is almost certainly infected with viruses. Windows Defender Offline will always run, no matter how many viruses are affecting the computer.

Back when I was using AVG, I was regularly annoyed by the way they kept updating the versions so you had to download and install the new version as a separate task, and each time, they tried to hide the free version to get people to go to the paid version instead. If you are looking after a number of PC's, it is just annoying that the standard update does not keep you updated to the latest version.

Richard.
« Last Edit: June 09, 2012, 08:22:44 am by amspire »
 

Offline Barryg41

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Re: free antivirus comparisons
« Reply #4 on: June 09, 2012, 08:26:22 am »
Same here for Microsoft Security Essentials. Been using it since it came out.
 

HLA-27b

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Re: free antivirus comparisons
« Reply #5 on: June 09, 2012, 08:53:06 am »
Comodo Internet Security

This is antivirus and excellent firewall put together. It has sort of a "manual" feel to it as it is very configurable. It allows you to control what each file can do on your system. Certain cure for all "phone home" type crap.
 

Online Zero999

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Re: free antivirus comparisons
« Reply #6 on: June 09, 2012, 08:58:17 am »
My favourite is Malwarebytes.

I've tried the memory resident scanners such as AVG and the like but don't like them because they're too resource hungry. I'd rather not have AV running in the background, not visit dodgy Internet sites and manually scan removable media and everything I download.
 

Offline T4P

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Re: free antivirus comparisons
« Reply #7 on: June 09, 2012, 02:18:12 pm »
I do not use anything now but i used to use CA ( that's pretty old already but it isn't a resource hog, it's not free but my dad got it free while working for another company )

AVG is crap.
Want to open a program with 2000+ loaded files? Prepare to restart your computer
Want to watch youtube? Prepare to wait 'till the video completes loading
Want to scan files? Prepare to wait a day
Want to surf the net? Watch your CPU state shoot up to 50%


 

Offline Psi

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Re: free antivirus comparisons
« Reply #8 on: June 09, 2012, 02:25:42 pm »
i'm using Avast

As long as you turn off the voice sounds it's perfectly fine.

Otherwise you keep getting "The virus database has been updated"  hehe
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Offline FenderBender

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Re: free antivirus comparisons
« Reply #9 on: June 09, 2012, 02:32:33 pm »
Microsoft Security Essentials. I'm serious, it's pretty good (assuming your machine was clean to begin with).

Agreed. Yes. Microsoft actually did something right here.
 

Offline free_electron

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Re: free antivirus comparisons
« Reply #10 on: June 09, 2012, 03:29:46 pm »
Best antivirus os a hot-melt glue-gun.... Simply squirt it in all the usb , serial and ethernet / modem connectors, the floppy drive , cd drive and any cardreaders installed.

Let them try to get in then.. Oh, forgot this : if its a laptop : cut the antenna wires of the wifi.
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Any comments, or points of view expressed, are my own and not endorsed , induced or compensated by my employer(s).
 

Offline G7PSK

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Re: free antivirus comparisons
« Reply #11 on: June 09, 2012, 03:34:37 pm »
I used to use AVG then I tried Microsoft security essentials I have now got Norton 360 which I have used for the past 2 years. I got it as my wife wanted to use Facebook and she hasn't a clue about not clicking on every link sent to her which eventually led to her getting something that trashed her hard drive, so I got Norton and as it was for 3 computers I decided to use it as well. I know it used to be resource hungry but it is very good now spending most of its time just chugging away in the background. I use Malwarebytes once a week 
 

Offline PeterG

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Re: free antivirus comparisons
« Reply #12 on: June 09, 2012, 03:57:54 pm »
I put Norton 360 way down the list. Compared to most modern Antivirus apps out there, Norton falls behind the eight ball.

There are plenty of free Antivirus out there that perform better.

Regards
Testing one two three...
 

Offline Fraser

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Re: free antivirus comparisons
« Reply #13 on: June 09, 2012, 04:19:29 pm »
Interesting comments regarding AVG. 

I have used AVG for years but like many such utilities, it seems to have evolved into a bit of a monster these days. It used to be a very lean and mean AV, doing a great job with little overhead. Having read the comment in this thread, I now understand why my brand new Win 7 Dell PC still behaves like a Dog on occasions, such as loading You Tube videos. I shall try the Microsift offering.

Aurora

 
« Last Edit: June 09, 2012, 07:21:49 pm by Aurora »
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Offline saturation

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Re: free antivirus comparisons
« Reply #14 on: June 09, 2012, 05:05:40 pm »
I'd add my 2c for Microsoft Security Essentials.  Its everything the old AV used to be, lean, mean and fast.  I've used many of the old guard, and watch them become bloatware: Norton, AVG, Comodo, McAffe, AVAST, BitDefender, and was very surprised by how well SE works.

If you'd like to try your AV, there are test payloads here:

http://www.eicar.org/86-0-Intended-use.html
Best Wishes,

 Saturation
 

Offline saturation

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Re: free antivirus comparisons
« Reply #15 on: June 09, 2012, 07:00:48 pm »
For balance, here's what Wikipedia says:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Security_Essentials#Industry_response

PCMag reviews are curiously out of touch, IMHO.  You can judge for yourselves, a simple marker is the discord between the PCMag reviews and user reviews.  On this link, just sort by PCMag Review vs User Ratings and compare.  Be aware, some user reviews are very few so it could be biased there but you can get a quick picture.

http://www.pcmag.com/category2/0,2806,21,00.asp?o=4&p=2#recent_reviews

In the end, if you use WinOS, you can install and uninstall SE and judge for yourselves.




Best Wishes,

 Saturation
 

Offline IanB

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Re: free antivirus comparisons
« Reply #16 on: June 09, 2012, 08:08:56 pm »
Well, it :

"it was not able to stop all Internet-based attacks, owing to the fact that it lacks personal firewall and anti-spam capabilities."

for some of the most used methods of attack there is no security with MSE..

So in my opinion, its only for people that are well informed about risks and can take action to use it. The rest should use norton,  AVAST ore similar that give wider and better protection.

But then again, i earn a lot of money upon bad anti virus solution, or no anti virus protection at all..  :)

But...Windows has a firewall built in that will complement MSE. Up to date web browsers like IE8 and Chrome include protection against malicious web sites. And up to date email programs include email filtering and spam protection.

Personally I would rather have specialized tools for each area than one big complicated "do everything" solution. We have one of those at work (McAfee) and it is really intrusive and badly impacts the operation of the machine.
 

Offline Monkeh

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Re: free antivirus comparisons
« Reply #17 on: June 09, 2012, 08:38:28 pm »
Well, it :

"it was not able to stop all Internet-based attacks, owing to the fact that it lacks personal firewall and anti-spam capabilities."

for some of the most used methods of attack there is no security with MSE..

Personal firewalls are irrelevant. As for email, the majority of issues there are down to user stupidity. No AV software can fix that.

Quote
So in my opinion, its only for people that are well informed about risks and can take action to use it. The rest should use norton,  AVAST ore similar that give wider and better protection.

.. You honestly just recommended people use Norton?
 

Offline bullet308

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Re: free antivirus comparisons
« Reply #18 on: June 09, 2012, 08:55:01 pm »
There are viruses that are preferable to having Norton installed. Getting Norton the hell off of anything I work on is a priority.

I have bought and installed the full ZoneAlarm suite for one of my clients which uses an antivirus engine by Kaspersky (from what I was told). It seems to have worked very well indeed over the past few years.
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Offline zaoka

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Re: free antivirus comparisons
« Reply #19 on: June 09, 2012, 09:13:07 pm »
Panda Cloud Free Antivirus, so far the best!
It does not slow down PC at all, has URL filter. I usually install this along with Norton DNS servers https://dns.norton.com/dnsweb/homePage.do

It often score better than AVG, Microsoft and Avira in recent tests.

For OnDemand scanner I use MalwareBytes.

For paid software I used to resale PrevX, its acquired now by Webroot, as well as MalwareBytes. Combination of these two is probably the best.

Prevx has its own URL filtering as well as MalwareBytes, I also add Norton DNS filter to the router so its 3 independent URL filters that does not slow down browsing. This help protect against malicius web sites as its most common way of infecting a PC....

For advanced users there is DefenseWall with Comodo TimeMachine. DefenseWall prevents changes to the Windows while Comodo TimeMachine takes snapshots every day and let you restore your PC to yesterday even if virus killed Windows because it loads before operating system.

 

Offline Monkeh

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Re: free antivirus comparisons
« Reply #20 on: June 09, 2012, 09:18:56 pm »
Well, it :

"it was not able to stop all Internet-based attacks, owing to the fact that it lacks personal firewall and anti-spam capabilities."

for some of the most used methods of attack there is no security with MSE..

Personal firewalls are irrelevant. As for email, the majority of issues there are down to user stupidity. No AV software can fix that.

Quote
So in my opinion, its only for people that are well informed about risks and can take action to use it. The rest should use norton,  AVAST ore similar that give wider and better protection.

.. You honestly just recommended people use Norton?

With all respect Monkeh..   ;)

First, i have worked with IT in its widest definitions since 1980, so i do have a background and opinion that actually i live well of. Firewalls are a major safety tool to keep any PC safe.. any other view on that,  i really would not waste time to answer.. with all respect, if you want to live without it, you do so. I choose to have a updated firewall at all time.

And yes, Norton is way better that MSE, any IT professional would agree upon that. AVG, NORTON AVAST or any of the top 6-8 AV solution in the marked is better than MSE. They got email scanners, browser integration, sandboxes, signature mark on system files and a way better security than MSE. Every AV got its isues, but MSE is not a full package, so i would choose Norton before MSE if i was a regular user. It simply gives broader and better protection.

But as i said, for a IT proffesional that knows his ways around a computer and what not to do, MSE is maybee good enough.

With all respect, you may have another opinion, but than you are not among the by far largest majority of people in the IT industry.

With all due respect, I know a lot more than you apparently think, and no self-respecting IT professional I know (and that's a lot.) would choose Norton.

As for firewalls.. I'm talking about a pretty ordinary domestic situation, not a large company. Personal firewalls are entirely irrelevant behind a NAT router (or a hardware firewall in the case of IPv6 which still hasn't rolled out in any useful manner).
 

Offline Monkeh

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Re: free antivirus comparisons
« Reply #21 on: June 09, 2012, 09:47:33 pm »
Monkeh, You simply dont know enough IT proffesionals..   ;)  Go out seek and you shall find..

Thank you, no, I prefer not to socialise with advanced Windows lusers. I have had more than enough issues of my own with the likes of Norton.
 

Offline Lightages

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Re: free antivirus comparisons
« Reply #22 on: June 09, 2012, 09:55:03 pm »
My opinion after many years in computing and running an IT support business for years also:

AVG is not as good as it used to be and misses things

Avira is one of the better ones for free

MSE is good too and has no glaring issues but perhaps Avira is better

Malwarebyte's AntiMalware is definitely worth having whatever else you have running

Super AntiSpyware worth having

Use the built in firewall and use Windows (7) Firewall Control to manage it

Use a router and have all your computers behind the router and turn off PnP support, open only those ports you know you need. A router is a much better defense as a firewall than any software firewall on the computer.

Norton, McAfee, and most of the commercial bloatware packages are resource hogs, crash computers, and are a waste of money.
 

Offline Monkeh

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Re: free antivirus comparisons
« Reply #23 on: June 09, 2012, 09:58:03 pm »
AVG is not as good as it used to be and misses things

It's also a shocking memory hog. Replacing it with Avast saved over 150MiB of RAM on one laptop I recently fixed.
 

Offline bullet308

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Re: free antivirus comparisons
« Reply #24 on: June 09, 2012, 10:32:32 pm »
I concur on the deteriorating value of AVG. Used to use it a lot, but its almost as fat and wallowy as Norton now. I have had good luck with both Avast and Avira but have come to prefer Avira as it seems to give fewer problems.

MalwareBytes seems to work very well, and Spybot Search and Destroy at least does not seem to cause any problems and it offers a measure of "inoculation" against a lot of things, and also has a generous license for use with non-profit organizations, which is most of my client base .

ZoneAlarm to keep things from propagating across the network in the event of a machine getting infected, if nothing else. Again, the pro suites with some Kaspersky antiviral technology blended in has given me good service.
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