# anti virus software recommend?



## cmalone (13 Mar 2008)

Can anyone recommend a good anti-virus software? (that won't cost an arm and a leg!) for home use pc

We had free McAfee but it is now expiring and i see 3 year offer for 125 pounds sterling if i apply online.

Thanks


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## redstar (13 Mar 2008)

I use the free version of AVG Antivirus and antispam software, and its as good as any fee-based package, especially for home use. 

http://free.grisoft.com/

This includes automatic updates of antivirus/spam database.


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## Boogeyman (13 Mar 2008)

I use AVG myself as its the best free one available. If you go to Download.com it has AVG plus a host of other free software such as Adaware which is very handy..


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## demoivre (13 Mar 2008)

I use Avast antivirus and Commodo firewall. Check 100downloads.com and the helpful hints for a clean pc thread. No need to pay for antivirus software imo.


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## cmalone (13 Mar 2008)

Thanks for that info

Hope it's ok- i guess better than having no anti virus!

In any case i was about to buy the McAfee 2 hours ago... and now i'm saving- thanks a million


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## damomac (14 Mar 2008)

I'd also recommend AVGFree.


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## RMCF (15 Mar 2008)

Another vote here for AVG Free - a great piece of software.

In all the years I have been using it I have not been infected.

No point in spending money on anything while this is around - and it updates itself on nearly a daily basis.


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## ajapale (15 Mar 2008)

cmalone said:


> We had free McAfee



I posted about McAffee "tease ware" if I find the link I Ill post it here.

It is very important that you fully root McAfee out before installing the free ware.


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## cmalone (15 Mar 2008)

Hi

why you need to do that with mcafee?


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## Sue Ellen (15 Mar 2008)

cmalone said:


> Hi
> 
> why you need to do that with mcafee?



Because it may clash with other programs.  I understand it can be quite hard to remove also. 

Your best bet is to have a look at the key post here .  If you have any further problems run the search option in this forum and you may find your answers therein.

We find AVG excellent and ZoneAlarm also.


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## cmalone (15 Mar 2008)

Thanks for links- but i am still not sure what i have to do?


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## ajapale (15 Mar 2008)

cmalone said:


> Hi why you need to do that with mcafee?



In my experience McAfee make it very difficult for you to remove the "tease ware". Especially those pop up messages.

I found that when I was trying to install AVG there were conlficts with remnants of the McAfee software not fully removed.


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## Dearg Doom (19 Mar 2008)

Sorry to rain on the parade, but as a reseller of AVG products and someone who frequently sees AVG Free in use contrary to the license agreement can I just clarify that AVG Free is licensed for single computer, non-commercial use only. If you have more than one computer or you use it for any business use then you must purchase a license. Remember that if people are not buying AVG licenses when they should, then AVG won't be around to provide AVG Free to all those single home computers. You can get a 2 year, 3 computer home license for Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware, Anti-Spam, LinkScanner & Firewall for €102 which is still very good value. If you need to purchase a license, send me a PM and I'll arrange one for you.


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## redstar (19 Mar 2008)

> AVG Free is licensed for single computer, non-commercial use only.



The OP said its for home use pc, so there shouldn't be a licensing problem.


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## cmalone (19 Mar 2008)

Thanks for feedback- it is for Home Use only

Much appreciated for advice- thanks everyone


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## ButtermilkJa (19 Mar 2008)

A friend of mine bought [broken link removed] Anti-Virus recently. He used to run AVG Free and he said he was "amazed" as the amount of viruses CA picked up on it's first run.


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## Dearg Doom (20 Mar 2008)

ButtermilkJa said:


> A friend of mine bought [broken link removed] Anti-Virus recently. He used to run AVG Free and he said he was "amazed" as the amount of viruses CA picked up on it's first run.



AVG Free does not check things like tracking cookies so any professional product (including AVG) will find much more malware than the free edition.


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## SunshineSupe (22 Mar 2008)

Would highly recommend Kaspersky....once we uninstalled Norton's and ran Kaspersky, there was a noticeable increase in our PC's speed.


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## shesells (22 Mar 2008)

Had Norton - ditched it. Had been using the Comodo firewall so installed their free anti-virus and it completely messed up my system. I had deleted all the other anti virus software but something went horribly wrong and had to re-start in safe and edit the registry of my laptop to get it to get past the logon screen.

Then decided you get what you pay for and went for McAfee. Renewal was due this week. The suite I used was £39.99 stg which I thought was a bit much. Logged on to the .com version of the site and got the same software for $39.99. Bargain!


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## cmalone (22 Mar 2008)

I am worried now- is the free AVG not sufficent?


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## DavyJones (22 Mar 2008)

Had norton and when it expired an IT mate set up AVG and spybot, run skybot once a week. All free.


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## cmalone (22 Mar 2008)

Thanks for that- where can i get that Spybot?


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## DavyJones (22 Mar 2008)

Its called, spybot search and destory, if you do a search you'll find it easily. My mate set it up for me so all I know, is that it works.


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## dublinli (25 Mar 2008)

bought eset nod32 from their canadian web site, worked out 19 euro for a 2 year license, in my view it is at par with kaspersky but lower on usage of computer resources


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## flattea2 (25 Mar 2008)

Avira AntiVir

Recommended by one of the sunday papers some time ago. (either the tribune or times I think)

http://www.free-av.com/

Free and have had it for 6 months with no problems. Updates frequently.


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## Satanta (25 Mar 2008)

cmalone said:


> I am worried now- is the free AVG not sufficent?


AVG Free is an excellent piece of AV software. I've been using it for a number of years (I think, it certainly seems that way... couldn't be sure how long though) and have recently installed it on a new machine (I've no connection with AVG, but I do have connections to other AV providers through family [and associated discounts etc.] and still use AVG Free) and have yet to have any virus problems.

You're question re "sufficient" depends on what you are looking for. Some of the commercial AV software products provide a lot more tools than the AVG Free product (as outlined in some of the previous posts... e.g. identifying tracking cookies). 

However, most/all of the additional benefits of the commercial products can be picked up by using additional free software. Spybot Search and Destroy is a great product for identifying spyware/malware, Spyware Blaster is also a great product (more pro-active, block the nasties before they get to your PC rather than just identifying/removing them). Do a search on the net and you'll find any number of free security tools which can be run alongside your AVG product (many of them identified in the key posts here on AAM).

To set up a "safe" / "clean" machine you need a number of products, not just AV software. 

A good firewall is probably the most important (Zonealarm or Comodo [if on Vista this is one of the better compatible firewalls IMHO]). Next would be a good AV product (AVG Free is a great choice, but lots of other options [both free and pay] available). These are the ones which can cause compatibility issues, so only have one firewall and one AV product installed on a machine. 

After that you can add literally hundreds of additional security tools depending on how far you want to go with the safety. I'd certainly suggest using Spyware Blaster (I like the idea of blocking rather than removing) and running a Spyware checker (Spybot or many others out there) to make sure nothing has gotten through. In recent times I have spotted that many of the sources that originally praised Spybot are now suggesting that it's slightly outdated and that other tools (I seem to remember "Spyware Terminator" getting good reviews - but I've not used this myself to comment) have taken over due to the more pro-active nature. 

It can all seem a little confusing, but it's not as bad as it seems. Once you have a decent firewall and AV setup (and switch IE for Firefox ;P) you're well on the way.



A read through the sticky, Helpful links for a clean PC, is a good starting point for picking up information.


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## thundercat (25 Mar 2008)

AVG is great! I run CCleaner every now and again with it.


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## Satanta (25 Mar 2008)

thundercat said:


> AVG is great! I run CCleaner every now and again with it.


I fully agree that CCleaner is a great little tool, but not really* a security tool comparible to AV software. 

(CCleaner can/does remove potential security risks, such as cookies, but is definatly a cleaning tool rather than a security tool)


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## thundercat (28 Mar 2008)

Sorry about that, didn't mean to indicate that it was a security tool, just that I use it alongside AVG Free edition. It is a cleanup tool.


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## Murt10 (28 Mar 2008)

How about this

[broken link removed]

I don't know if they ship outside the US but even still a full McAfee package for $6 with free postage, if you could get it, it would be a real bargain. Any relatives or friends over there?


Murt


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## demoivre (28 Mar 2008)

Murt10 said:


> How about this
> 
> [broken link removed]
> 
> ...



No need to pay  for antivirus software or  firewalls imo - plenty of freebes out there for private use..


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## 0141607 (28 Mar 2008)

SunshineSupe said:


> Would highly recommend Kaspersky....once we uninstalled Norton's and ran Kaspersky, there was a noticeable increase in our PC's speed.


 
Agreed - Kaspersky is your only man!


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