Are the free anti-virus software safe for my computer ?

Answer 1

In my experience, the internet has provided some of the best tools at no cost while some of the well-known costly products perform less than desirable yet everyone still buys them. The two worst anti-virus products I ever used were Norton and McAfee, which I purchased. I had some bad free ones too but the one I am very happy with as it does not hog resources, has frequent updates, and provides high level of protection is by Avast.

The internet is of course full of snake oil salesmen. Don't rely on the website peddling the product. Use known and reputable websites that serve the computing industry (CNET, TUCOWS, MAXIMUMPC) to verify if a product is tried and tested.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

This is a highly debated issue. There are those who swear by the freebie anti-virus software and their opponents who would insist you get what you pay for. In my opinion, as humble as it might be, there's little, albeit the cost, difference between the free and not-free. Why not try this, download a trial version of a not-free anti-virus software and try it for a few weeks. Then download a freebie and try that for a few weeks. Ideally if you have a friend who wants to help out, you can each download a different product, try it out, then compare notes.
Something else you might want to look into; many ISPs offer free anti-virus software to their subscribers. Ask your ISP about it.

Answer 4

Absolutely not. If you install a free anti-virus programme It'll try to advertise its website or the partner sites in the form of unwanted popups.Sometimes they might even contain harmfull files like adwares and spyware . I would recommend if you wanna save money get a good low cost Anti virus solution like this

http://tinyurl.com/j77yp

Answer 5

Give up using Windows, and install Linux on your computer. Linux is immune to all viruses, malware, spyware and adware.

Linux is a complete operating system that is either free or very cheap ($10-$30) and comes bundled with a huge variety of free software.

The Linux desktop is amazingly flexible and customizable, and anyone who is used to Windows will soon feel comfortable with it - and shocked by how dull their old Windows system looks by comparison! For example, in Linux you can use up to twenty (yes twenty) separate desktop work spaces - Windows only gives you one.

Go to www.distrowatch.com to find out how to get all the popular flavors of Linux...

...then do an image search for Linux screen grabs on Google.

BE COOL - GET LINUX

DC :)

Answer 6

You would be better off getting a name brand one when they are on sale. The one from Norton and from McAfee are alwyas going on sale at Staples and CompUSA with 100% rebate. You buy it and they give you your money back. That way you know it is a good one and it is still free.

I have tried the ones on Internet. They don't get everything and they trigger a flood of constant emails from their vendor trying to sell you something else.

Answer 7

AVG is totally safe for your computer, and it works better/is easier to use than Norton AntiVirus. If you're just using it at home, you can download it for free. Just google "AVG free"

Answer 8

Anything free is not as good as those that cost money. I would spend 45$ or so to buy the real software. mcafree or norton ought to work.

Answer 9

yes of course they are but of an official company like Norton etc.
for more info go to www.mcafee.com

Answer 10

Here you have some good and free antivirus programs:
http://askcomputerexpert.ws43.com/download/
I recommend Avast.