Any good, FREE antivirus these days? AntiVir is pissing me off.
- Thread starter MAJ Badmotherfarker
- Start date
I don't get them hourly. One every morning, that's all. I think the huge popup appears only after it updates.
When I was a Windows user, I used AVG's free antivirus. I never had any problems with that program and it doesn't use many resources.
AVG Free - Download Free Antivirus and Antispyware for Windows 7, Vista and XP
AVG Free - Download Free Antivirus and Antispyware for Windows 7, Vista and XP
I've used that one as well, no good. Really bad if you're a gamer. Antivirus programs are a huge issue for gamers.
I haven't tried this yet, but I don't have your problem. Here: Make Avira AntiVir (Free Edition) More Usable | TipsFor.us
I used AVG for the longest time. I've switched to AVAST. AVG scored low on false alarms. AVAST uses less system resources as well.
If you can wait for the fall, Microsoft's new antivirus has gotten really good review from beta testers.
The actual security aspect aside, the most important part of security software is undoubtedly performance. Since MSE doesn't include many of the features of OneCare, this is an area that Microsoft has a chance to excel in. In fact, the company includes three features in MSE to keep it light: CPU throttling (the system will remain responsive to the user's tasks), idle-time scanning (scans and updates use a low-priority thread and only run when the PC is idle), as well as smart caching and active memory swapping (virus signatures not in use are not loaded into memory).
It should also be noted that MSE is very small; when MSE first leaked out yesterday, we noted that the installer sizes range from just over 3MB to just over 7MB (the folder installed takes up about 11 MB). The leanness of MSE is also evident when looking at the system requirements:
For Windows XP, a PC with a CPU with clock speed of at least 500MHz and at least 256MB of RAM
For Windows Vista and Windows 7, a PC with a CPU with clock speed of at least 1.0GHz and at least 1GB of RAM
VGA (display): 800x600 or higher
Storage: 140MB of available hard-disk space
An Internet connection is required for installation and to download the latest virus and spyware definitions.
Microsoft announces free antivirus, limited public beta - Ars Technica
The actual security aspect aside, the most important part of security software is undoubtedly performance. Since MSE doesn't include many of the features of OneCare, this is an area that Microsoft has a chance to excel in. In fact, the company includes three features in MSE to keep it light: CPU throttling (the system will remain responsive to the user's tasks), idle-time scanning (scans and updates use a low-priority thread and only run when the PC is idle), as well as smart caching and active memory swapping (virus signatures not in use are not loaded into memory).
It should also be noted that MSE is very small; when MSE first leaked out yesterday, we noted that the installer sizes range from just over 3MB to just over 7MB (the folder installed takes up about 11 MB). The leanness of MSE is also evident when looking at the system requirements:
For Windows XP, a PC with a CPU with clock speed of at least 500MHz and at least 256MB of RAM
For Windows Vista and Windows 7, a PC with a CPU with clock speed of at least 1.0GHz and at least 1GB of RAM
VGA (display): 800x600 or higher
Storage: 140MB of available hard-disk space
An Internet connection is required for installation and to download the latest virus and spyware definitions.
Microsoft announces free antivirus, limited public beta - Ars Technica
Ironically, I'm really interested in this. I've been expecting Microsoft to finally take control of the virus situation. It target their software, they could really help out.
Sorry. Meant to say AVG scored high on false alarms above. Also, AVG bogged my system down a lot (both work and home). Avast doesn't do the same thing on my home.
Add me to the list of Avast lovers. A good friend of mine (works in the network business and for Tom Taylor) turned me on to Avast 4 years ago. I have never looked back and have Avast on all my PC machines.
How will the keep the Justice Dept from suing them for unfair trade practices?
I use Comodo. So far I like it.
I use Avast and have for years.
But wait a second--you're rawdogging mexican whores and you're worried about computer viruses?
But wait a second--you're rawdogging mexican whores and you're worried about computer viruses?
You might also want to download malwarebytes from malwarebytes.com. It's free and a really good malware/spam program. The main difference between the free version and the pay version, is that you have to run it and update it manually. The pay version does it all automatically. It often catches things that virus software misses. Our IT guy did some research and said it's the best free one out there.
I chose Avira after I read a recent Consumer Reports testing, and I was sick of paying every year for a "subscription" (NAV, McAfee, etc) In addition to purchasing their software (usually around $30). They get you on the hook, and after you pay for their software, you have to pay every year to keep it activated.
AVIRA's nag screen/popup isn't an issue for me. The pop-up appears only ONCE every 24 hours.
AVIRA's nag screen/popup isn't an issue for me. The pop-up appears only ONCE every 24 hours.
Sorry to bust in on this thread but $30 per year is worth it to me for peace of mind for virus and spyware protection with NOD32. Small footprint, minimal resource hog and it finds EVERYTHING. I got sick of all the nag screens with AVG and I tried Avast and AVIRA, (too many nag's just like AVG).
I paid for CA Trust for my home machine. It seems to work pretty good. A few months ago I developed an issue where my Windows firewall won't stay shut off, and it fights with the CA Trust firewall. I often have to manually turn one of the two off to get online, but I think it's Windows not the CA causing the problem. Since they gave me a laptop for work, I don't use my home machine very often, but I do like the piece of mind having good protection.
