anyone recommend a free virus checker that will not slow my computer down too much?

Answer 1

AVG Anti-Virus

Answer 2

The best way is to download Ccleaner here http://bitly.com/UrALrK

Or you can go on Windows operating system locate the command prompt and go there to do the following:
Create a Recovery file of system and date it today.

Then begin by;
delete the 'Temp' folders..they have hidden subfolders so you need to set the attributes in order to bypass this. For each subfolder delete all cookies and rubbish left behnd after install-uninstalled programs. Do a 'dir' command to check your progress. Make sure the 'Temp' file is empty.

goto c:\windows\prefetch and delete everything in there..no exceptions

goto c:\windows folder and delete all the '$' files that have been installed by updates. They can all be succesfully deleted and just take up disk space.

Locate the Internet Temporary Files..Check to see how high the saving level is..some have it set at 30 days..but that stores faaaar tooo much data..though it slows down the system overal. Keep this to a minimum..suggest 2 or 5 at most.

Delete all 'cookies' all those you don't need.

Locate the windows directory and go through the folders you know and those you don't need. Check this once a week at least. Some programs will install under XP as NT and older systems where there is no check of systems weight.

Check to see that system files have not changed since last booting. Things like .ini files or .bat are important items.


Check for 'Hidden Directories' all over the disk...do this at the command prompt:

dir *.* /ah wil show these hidden directories

Check the 'dir' command for all parameters

Answer 3

Out of all the free ones that I've tried, AVG is by far the best.

It updates itself regularly (every time you switch your computer on) so you can be assured it's up-to-date with the latest protections.

It has a very small resource footprint so it will not slow your computer down, it's even good when it's actually doing a full scan, it won't slow your system down much and it's a lot faster than many scanners.

It's also dealt with viruses the best out of all the antivirus programs I've tried - it can actually deal with them instead of telling you it's found something but can't do anything about it.

The free home-user version can be found here: http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1

Answer 4

everyone seems to agree on the free AVG. Just remember to update regularly, and to run occasional virus scans of your system. Don't use the AV program attached to AOL, as it slowed down several computers of people I know.

And don't forget that a spyware program is very important also.
Good luck

Answer 5

As said before, I also like the free version of AVG. It came recommended to me, and has been very reliable and not too heavy on my machine.

Answer 6

All of these are ones that I personally use and all are free.

I-Worm/Stration · BackDoor.Generic3.GBB and .GBC · Worm/Generic.FX · Exploit.WMF
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/5390/lng/us/tpl/v5

Spybot - Search & Destroy detects and removes spyware, a relatively new kind of threat not yet covered by common anti-virus applications. Spyware silently tracks your surfing behaviour to create a marketing profile for you that is transmitted without your knowledge to the compilers and sold to advertising companies. If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you haven't intentionally installed, if your browser crashes inexplicably, or if your home page has been "hijacked" (or changed without your knowledge), your computer is most probably infected with spyware. Even if you don't see the symptoms, your computer may be infected, because more and more spyware is emerging. Spybot-S&D is free, so there's no harm giving it a try to see if something has invaded your computer.
http://www.safer-networking.org/

http://superantispyware.com/
SUPERAntiSpyware is the most thorough scanner on the market. Our Multi-Dimensional Scanning and Process Interrogation Technology will detect spyware that other products miss! SUPERAntiSpyware will remove ALL the Spyware, NOT just the easy ones!
Easily remove over 100,000 pests such as SmitFraud, Vundo, WinFixer, SpyAxe, SpyFalcon, WinAntiVirus, AntiVermins and thousands more!
Make sure after you download any of these, that you update them.

Answer 7

Hey,
If you want to clean your pc and make it faster and more secure use Ccleaner. It's free and ot works like a charm. Download it from here http://j.mp/1sW236Z
It's the best software of its kind.
Hope it helps.

Answer 8

AVAST or AVG are the two best known.

Go to the ComputerActive Web site for more info

Answer 9

AVG Anti virus - free edition. Website-http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1
I use the same and it does not slow down my pc

Answer 10

The best one I've used that runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux is an open source AV engine called ClamAV