Anti Virus

[Felonous]

My search didn't find any previous thread to this specific question, so here goes.

I am looking for advice as to what to use for a free anti virus. If I have to I can download and use a free version of McAfee SecurityCenter that comes with my Comcast internet connection. For now I have it installed on my old computer and would prefer not to install it on this machine that I play games on. I find that it's very bloated and slows down the computer quite noticeably.

I really like the Kaspersky AV, but the subscription for it that came with the motherboard that I have in this machine has run out.

Please let me know if you think any of the free AV products are worth getting (and if so, which one) or if I should just install McAfee.

[total]

My search didn't find any previous thread to this specific question, so here goes.

I am looking for advice as to what to use for a free anti virus. If I have to I can download and use a free version of McAfee SecurityCenter that comes with my Comcast internet connection. For now I have it installed on my old computer and would prefer not to install it on this machine that I play games on. I find that it's very bloated and slows down the computer quite noticeably.

I really like the Kaspersky AV, but the subscription for it that came with the motherboard that I have in this machine has run out.

Please let me know if you think any of the free AV products are worth getting (and if so, which one) or if I should just install McAfee.

I've been using AVG Free (http://free.avg.com/) on Windows machines for years and have had great results. Very small memory footprint too. Of course I'm not sure how it works with anything other than XP but I can't believe it wouldn't run well on say Vista.

[fitbabits]

I second AVG Free. Awesome program with a very small footprint.

I'm currently running it on Vista Premium 64-Bit with no problems at all. I've also used it on XP.

[Stmfuller]

I'm using the free comcast mcafee...but I hear AVG is also the bee's knees too.

[KingGorilla]

I use both Avast and AVG free, one on the laptop, the other my Desktop. Avast is fairly low maintenance and I have had one compatibility problem, some broken .net code in a Windows patch(Glad MS is dropping that nastiness in 7). AVG has compatibility issues with many online programs like download services and games. But AVG as far as protection goes is the top choice for Anti-Virus. They go neck in neck with Kaspersky.

[axion]

AVG Free here as well.

[BrassGecko]

I used AVG for a while and did like it, but I like Avira Antivir (http://www.free-av.com/) better now. It does pop up one "Hey, want to upgrade?" window each time it updates (daily), so keep that in mind if it would bug you.

[total]

I use both Avast and AVG free, one on the laptop, the other my Desktop. Avast is fairly low maintenance and I have had one compatibility problem, some broken .net code in a Windows patch(Glad MS is dropping that nastiness in 7). AVG has compatibility issues with many online programs like download services and games. But AVG as far as protection goes is the top choice for Anti-Virus. They go neck in neck with Kaspersky.

What games did AVG interfere with? I never had any issues with any of my games but I don't play nearly as many PC games as most on this site. My library consists of mainly Valve games, iD games and a few Battlefield games.

Edit: I also used Avast for a while and found it to be pretty decent but ultimately switched back to AVG. I should give it another shot. Which do you use on your laptop?

[KingGorilla]

It is not predictive, but AVG is one of the top trouble shooting problems for Steam, VoIP, media download programs, etc. If you don't mind hacking about their interface, it is fine, on my desktop where that is most of what I do, it became a hassle. And once you start having to disable things like E-mail scanning to get it to run, why use it at all? That and Zone Alarm have a lot of compatibility issues.

[axion]

I also have never had any compatibility or other issues with AVG, 32 bit Vista with lots of gaming. My Magic PC rocks! But if you do encounter issues there are plenty others to fill the gap.

[Voodoo]

For free AVG is the best and for cost NOD32 is the best. If you have compatibility problems with AVG, AntiVir is extremely good too. As said above me, it will do a pop up each time it updates but that's an acceptable hassle I believe.

[roboninja]

I like avast. Use to use AVG, but heard of the potential for Vista compat problems, switched to avast and have not looked back.

Granted, I did recently get hit with a fairly nasty virus, but from all indications, that was because I did not keep my Java version up-to-date.

[astranoir]

I use avast, as does my roommate. I would recommend it :)

[benson]

Another for AVG. I've been using it for years, and I have had no issues with my Vista machine either.

[n3rdXcore]

I've been using Avast for about 5 years now and haven't had any issues with it. I used AVG for a while before that and didn't have any problems with that, either.

[Arphahat]

I've been using Clamwin (http://sourceforge.net/projects/clamwin/) and haven't had much trouble.

[KingGorilla]

Truth be told, if you use Firefox or Opera, block flash, use Thunderbird, and surf the net intelligently you will have done most of the hard work to safeguarding against malicious software. A virus scanning software is the Alamo, so to speak.

Also be sure you go to opendns.org. They have a lot of security measures built in, their anti-phishing is particularly helpful. They are a great company.

[BlackPete]

I used AVG Free for a while, but lately it's been disappointing and some virii managed to slip through on a buddy's machine who was also running AVG Free. He then installed Avast and it cleaned them all out pronto.

I've switched to Avast and I like it so far. At least it seems to be less intrusive than AVG by default (who annoyingly insists on adding a stamp to all my emails). But honestly, if Avast fails on me, then I'll probably just give up on Anti-virus software altogether and just practice safe surfing with Firefox + noscript + no flash.

[Elrik Murder]

I used AVG Free a lot back in the day on most computers I have/work on. Now, I've had avast for a while and it seems to do the trick. I've been meaning to check out AntiVir.

As for work, it's a different ballgame. We have McAfee, which is not as effective. Fortunately, looks like the contract is running out and we're switching. Anyone have experience with MS ForeFront? Early testing seems positive.

[Stmfuller]

I used AVG Free a lot back in the day on most computers I have/work on. Now, I'm checking out avast and I like it so far.

As for work, it's a different ballgame. We have McAfee, which is not as effective. Fortunately, looks like the contract is running out and we're switching. Anyone have experience with MS ForeFront? Early testing seems positive.

does forefront have a control panel for the main server?
Can you force updates on all the computers?
if not, I'd suggest something else.
Trend Micro makes a decent AV for corporations

[Goronmon]

I feel like I'm doing something weird by paying for my AV software, haha.

[fitbabits]

I feel like I'm doing something weird by paying for my AV software, haha.
In this day and age, nobody should be paying for anti virus software, nor should they be paying for anti-spyware or firewall software.

[Goronmon]

In this day and age, nobody should be paying for anti virus software, nor should they be paying for anti-spyware or firewall software.Well, I guess nobody should have to pay, but I have no problem giving money to a company that produces a product I like.

[fitbabits]

Well, I guess nobody should have to pay, but I have no problem giving money to a company that produces a product I like.
All I'm saying is you could be saving money and supporting companies like Grisoft who produce quality products without charge to home users.

[Slack3r78]

lol lololol

[biosc1]

does forefront have a control panel for the main server?
Can you force updates on all the computers?
if not, I'd suggest something else.
Trend Micro makes a decent AV for corporations

Trend Micro does make a good AV for corporations...I just wish they went about their business as well as the program they make.

The moment they pulled out a patent they held for a most likely "prior art" gateway AV solution and sued Barracuda Systems for using ClamAV on it's devices...an open source AV...was the moment I decided not to renew our corporate license with them. Then again, it never actually caught anything, but that's likely due to us employing "smart" computer people.

So...we went back to AVG...again, nothing caught, so it's tough to say if it's better or worse, it's just well priced.

ps...for full disclosure...Barracuda gave me a free t-shirt with the device we bought and Trend Micro didn't ;)

[Mr. Murphy]

I'm another AVG Free man.

[total]

It is not predictive, but AVG is one of the top trouble shooting problems for Steam, VoIP, media download programs, etc. If you don't mind hacking about their interface, it is fine, on my desktop where that is most of what I do, it became a hassle. And once you start having to disable things like E-mail scanning to get it to run, why use it at all? That and Zone Alarm have a lot of compatibility issues.

I never had any problems with Steam or Skype (only VoIP on windows I use) but you seem to be pointing at the email scanner as the culprit. I use gmail (web interface) so I haven't used an email scanner in ages. That sucks that it causes issues, it is such a great program otherwise.

[crazyD]

Linux.

I do have Vista installed on my main PC, but pretty much use it entirely for games. Anything else I do in Ubuntu. That said, as mentioned above, run firefox with Flashblock, and don't be a complete idiot when surfing the idiot, and antivirus software is just an unnecessary drain on system resources. I don't even remember the last time I got a virus.

[Spectre-7]

I've been using Clamwin (http://sourceforge.net/projects/clamwin/) and haven't had much trouble.

Here's another vote for Clamwin. It's open source, and stays the hell out of my way. I prefer to scan on demand, rather than having an AV running non-stop.

...then again, if I used a more vigorous AV, I might not have caught something a few weeks back while I was hung-over and hunting for nude pics of January Jones.

[total]

Linux.

I do have Vista installed on my main PC, but pretty much use it entirely for games. Anything else I do in Ubuntu. That said, as mentioned above, run firefox with Flashblock, and don't be a complete idiot when surfing the idiot, and antivirus software is just an unnecessary drain on system resources. I don't even remember the last time I got a virus.

I've always hated dual booting. My main PC runs Ubuntu and my gaming rig (which hasn't been turned on at least a month) runs XP. I did run both on both machines but just found that on my gaming PC I would never switch to Ubuntu and vice-versa. My laptop eventually just got regulated to a pure Ubuntu machine since I never really gamed on it. Shit I should install Windows 7 on that.

[crazyD]

I've always hated dual booting. My main PC runs Ubuntu and my gaming rig (which hasn't been turned on at least a month) runs XP. I did run both on both machines but just found that on my gaming PC I would never switch to Ubuntu and vice-versa. My laptop eventually just got regulated to a pure Ubuntu machine since I never really gamed on it. Shit I should install Windows 7 on that.

I don't really mind dual booting. I do run Ubuntu exclusively on 5 of my 6 currently active PCs.

[danhoo]

I was using AVG, but recently switched to Avira Antivir on a new Vista install, because AVG was starting to feel sluggish, and some independent testing website claimed Antivir was slightly (but just) better at detection. Downloading virus definition updates in Antivir seems a tiny bit slower than AVG, however.

I used AVG for a while and did like it, but I like Avira Antivir (http://www.free-av.com/) better now. It does pop up one "Hey, want to upgrade?" window each time it updates (daily), so keep that in mind if it would bug you.

Not that I condone this, but if you Google around there are ways to disable the nag window.

[Aggort]

Little late to the tea party.

First off, every Tech Question of this nature can be answered by Lifehacker.com (http://www.lifehacker.com). Their community of people and the writers know their stuff and when it comes to the best of the very best their Hive Five completely rock.

Secondly, I use AVG Free, nothing else comes close.

[Stmfuller]

Trend Micro does make a good AV for corporations...I just wish they went about their business as well as the program they make.

The moment they pulled out a patent they held for a most likely "prior art" gateway AV solution and sued Barracuda Systems for using ClamAV on it's devices...an open source AV...was the moment I decided not to renew our corporate license with them. Then again, it never actually caught anything, but that's likely due to us employing "smart" computer people.

So...we went back to AVG...again, nothing caught, so it's tough to say if it's better or worse, it's just well priced.

ps...for full disclosure...Barracuda gave me a free t-shirt with the device we bought and Trend Micro didn't ;)

(stm)Fuller disclosure. Barracuda has given me a free tshirt too...but trend micro used to let me mark up their new/renewal AV 50%. and all Barracuda wants to do is take their shit direct.

BUT!
TM has incredible support. On more than one occasion, I've been told how good they are.

[Goronmon]

First off, every Tech Question of this nature can be answered by Lifehacker.com (http://www.lifehacker.com). Their community of people and the writers know their stuff and when it comes to the best of the very best their Hive Five completely rock.I always forget about LifeHacker. They even mentioned Super as one of the best video converters. As someone who has struggled with crappy, niche converters over the years, Super is the best by far that I have seen. Instance geek cred that they mention it there.

[Mot Wakorb]

(stm)Fuller disclosure. Barracuda has given me a free tshirt too...but trend micro used to let me mark up their new/renewal AV 50%. and all Barracuda wants to do is take their shit direct.

BUT!
TM has incredible support. On more than one occasion, I've been told how good they are.

I've experienced how good they are. They're top-notch when something goes wrong. We use their AV exclusively for our customers and their competitive upgrades are great prices.

[Chill]

Since it hasn't been recommended yet, I'll say Avira. I'll rate it about the same as Avast and AVG. Though AVG has caused more than one compatibility problem. It even prevented me from launching some games.

NOD32 is really great for a commericial AV. Got it when Newegg had it for $10 for a one year subscription.

[BrassGecko]

Since it hasn't been recommended yet, I'll say Avira.

Looks like several of us agreed with you in advance! :p

I was using AVG, but recently switched to Avira Antivir...
If you have compatibility problems with AVG, AntiVir is extremely good too.
I used AVG for a while and did like it, but I like Avira Antivir (http://www.free-av.com/) better now.

[Chill]

Looks like several of us agreed with you in advance! :p

*grumble* I should really try to read comments, rather than just skimming through them.