Matthew on 2/10/2011 at 14:15
Hello everyone. Well, it's getting close to renewal time for the old AV system and so I was hoping to solicit some advice as to the best total package / combination of programs currently on the market.
At the moment, I'm running Norton 360. I do have access to Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware PRO which I bought recently in a money-off deal. Is it worth using a combination of these two or are there other packages that are now considered better? I've heard great things about the most recent version of AVG, for example.
Child Of Karras on 3/10/2011 at 21:03
I've heard that Norton slows down the computer lots and that it's hard to uninstall. I'm using Avast Home Edition after having changed from Avira AntiVir and I'm satisfied so far. :)
june gloom on 3/10/2011 at 21:31
I pretty much swear by NOD32 these days.
Renzatic on 3/10/2011 at 21:50
Oh GAAWWWDDD! Get rid of Norton ASAP. It barely does it's job, harasses you nonstop, and slows your computer down to boot.
If you want to go the paid route, then use Kaspersky antivirus. From what I've read (which was over a year ago), it's pretty much the best of the best. NOD32 would be the second good choice as far as the paid choices go.
But if you want to go free, then go with Microsoft Security Essentials. I've been using it for about a year now, and it's done a spectacular job of keeping me safe, while being so minimal it's barely even noticeable. You get your updates either through the program itself (which you access by doubleclicking the little green castle in your notification area) , or through Windows Update. It's super easy to use, and does exactly what it's supposed to do.
Next good free option would be Avast. It's just as good at stopping bugs from entering your system as MSE, though I prefer the latters minimalism a little more...hence the reason why I switched about a year ago.
Avira Antivir is pretty good from what I hear, but I don't have any experience with it, so I can't say much.
The abovementioned are about the best you can choose from. Take your pick. I don't think you'll go wrong with any of them.
Al_B on 3/10/2011 at 22:26
Pretty much agree with everything that Renz posted. I've heard that the more recent Norton products are far leaner and more efficient than the horrible bloat they were a few years ago but given very good alternatives (NOD32 and Kaspersky) I've no inclination to find out for myself.
As far as AVG is concerned, I've had major issues with both with free and corporate versions in the past both in terms of missing viruses and bringing computers to their knees. I've also had problems with it deleting infected files that can be adequately repaired with the above products - but that's probably a case of getting what you (don't) pay for. Again, the newer versions may be better but I've just had too many bad experiences to risk it.
Nothing wrong with Malwarebytes and it's probably my favourite of the malware removers. Using it as an on-demand scanner coupled with a solid anti-virus real time scanner is my preference. I've found good deals on "not quite latest" anti-virus products at places like PC World or even supermarkets if you keep your eyes open. I bought Kasperksy anti-virus 2011 for £20 for a three computer license a few months ago which is perfect for covering a PC and a couple of laptops.
Azaran on 3/10/2011 at 22:35
I've been using AVG for the last 7 years, and never had a problem
Vernon on 3/10/2011 at 23:38
NOD32. It is well priced, reliable and has never let a serious virus slip by afaik. I tried other AV in the past and came to regret it when my systems ended up hosed. It also seems pretty conservative with resources and doesn't seem to slow things down with its real-time scanning though it is hard to know in this era of SSD and quad core
Also sorry to be a prick, but anyone recommending these free solutions like AVG doesn't spend enough time on giganews/tpb. I have had systems go down with AVG, MSE, Panda and another I can't remember
Azaran on 3/10/2011 at 23:54
Quote Posted by Vernon
Also sorry to be a prick, but anyone recommending these free solutions like AVG doesn't spend enough time on giganews/tpb.
All that matters to me is that my system is free from viruses and spyware, and AVG has never let me down in that regard
Vernon on 4/10/2011 at 00:22
My point is that it has failed me before and someone who doesn't spend much time in a virus-polluted environment isn't as likely to pick up a virus. Perhaps you have been lucky, or maybe it is bad luck/poor perception on my behalf. Sorry if I wasn't clear enough the first time
Vernon on 4/10/2011 at 00:37
See, this is the thing with discussing AV software. It comes from such a bullshit industry that perpetuates its own existence and has its hooks deeply embedded in end-user flesh. There is really no way to know what is snake oil and what is not. Chrome recently got flagged as a virus in MSE due to its crazy delta update scheme. Well Google can get away with that and it was fixed within an hour. Not many programs would be able to get away with swapping out bytecode on the fly like that. I use Chrome quite a bit, but deep down I believe that an honest-to-goodness antivirus, such as something RMS would make would flag Chrome as spyware/malware. After all, it kind of is malware. This whole AV thing is a farce, but we have to participate if we don't want to get ritually and regularly fistfucked
