Any good anti-virus freewares to recommend?

Question

My machine's currently got Nortons on it, but it's makes everything so slow that I've had to switch off most of the functions.
And call me cheap, but I resent having to pay out extra after 6 months just so that it's not obsolete.

Answer 1

i use avast very good prog updates daily sometimes twice not had any probs

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

Ignore the AVG basher and go with the software that most people here recommend: AVG FREE from Grisoft.

The free version is not easy to find on the website but you can download it from here: http://free.grisoft.com/doc/avg-anti-virus-free/lng/us/tpl/v5

I haven't bothered getting bogged down in all the self important comparison tests, I prefer to test my software under real life conditions. All I can say is that I've used it for the past 4 years and it has never let anything through, either from email, web sites, or files. Which is why I wanted a good virus checker in the first place.

It is also fast and doesn't bog your computer down like Norton and Mcafee. Nor does it fill your disk and registry full of crap that's difficult to remove like Norton (try searching answers for "get rid of norton").

Oh and while you're at it get yourself a free copy of Ad-Aware Personal from http://www.lavasoft.com

Answer 4

First of all you need to get the Symantec uninstaller from the www.
It's Norton that is slugging up your PC!

Using your search engine type Norton removal tool,( this works with all versions and is issued by Synantec).
You can find this tool on the Major Geeks website
Download this file and save it to a floppy disc.

If you can't find this I can copy the file for you!

Now go to Grisoft on the www.
Download AVG anti virus version 7.5 free and AVG anti- spy-ware free version. and save the files on to your hard drive( you should have a folder "My Downloads" or similar, to place the AVG files.
Don't install them at this stage!

Now you need to be off the Internet, so sign off, and disconnect your PC from modem or router(this is to stop any virus as you uninstall Norton!
As you will in effect now have no anti virus!

Go to control panel, then to add/remove programs, and highlight every thing that shows Norton!
select delete to get the Norton software out of your PC.
.
Then using the removal tool get rid of all the rest of Norton.
When you have completed this, install your AVG programs, and
when you have the AVG programs installed, check that you have installed correctly, and that they are both working, before reconnecting to the Internet.

All that's left is to run the up dates, schedule times to auto up date and that's it, and your PC should be quite fast again, There is no update fee, and it all works like a dream, it's what I use!
If unsure mail me

Answer 5

I'll give you the same advice I gave MaryAnn in "Software"

Right now, these two free AVs are getting the best reviews:

AVG Antivirus: http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1

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

You might want to download them both and check them out. Every computer is different, different settings, different software. An AV that runs fine on one machine, may slow another one down or conflict with other software. So, download them and set a restore point in System Restore (you can access that by going to your start menu, choosing Help and Support, then choosing System Restore), or using any third party image backup program you might have (Norton Ghost, Acronis True Image). You want to do this just in case anything goes wrong when you install the program(s). Then install one, try it out for a few days, and see if you like it.
Note: Be sure to have only ONE AV running on your PC at a time. Running two can cause problems, so uninstall one before trying out the other.
People will often push their favorite program, but the best program is the one that runs best on your machine.

Answer 6

i take advantage of Webroot AntiVirus with AntiSpyware (Spysweeper) and it truly works tremendous for me. It ranked #3 on an AntiVirus application evaluation of 2009. What ranked #a million replaced into BitDefender Antivirus and what ranked #2 replaced into Kaspersky Anti-Virus. you are able to visit this information superhighway website less than to work out the different AntiVirus classes.

Answer 7

I see the AVG fanboys and cheerleaders are out in full force again here on Yahoo Answers!

AVG by Grisoft is definately NOT "The Best". Unfortunately one of the things it is not the best at, is doing what is is supposed to do, detecting viruses!

In short, AVG is crap!

In test,
http://www.virus.gr/english/fullxml/default.asp?id=82&mnu=82
after test,
http://www.av-comparatives.org/
after test,
http://antivirus.about.com/od/antivirussoftwarereviews/gr/avgfree.htm
after test ,
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showpost.php?p=891307&postcount=1,
after test,
http://www.pcworld.com/article/124475-1/article.html ,
etc. etc. etc, ad nauseam.

AVG has proven itself to be a mediocre performer at best. Absolutely crappy at worst. Missing almost 20%, when trying to detect known malware, in some tests. Not to mention almost non-existent heuristic detection and infrequent "once-a day" updates.

AVG = Average, at best!

There are much better free alternatives, such as Avast, Active Virus Shield, and Avria Anti-Vir.

I like best the AOL Active Virus Shield. Don't let the name AOL fool you. Active Virus Shield is made by Kaspersky which is one of top-rated anti-virus vendors in the world.

In recent tests, the most popular free anti-virus, AVG, was only able to detect about 82% of a very large sample of viruses. On the other hand, Active Virus Shield was able to detect better than 99% in the same test.
http://www.virus.gr/english/fullxml/default.asp?id=82&mnu=82

Active Virus Shield has excellent virus detection rates and is extremely light on using your computer resources. (6mb)

And it updates 15 to 20 times a day with new virus definitions, 7 days a week.

Free to anyone, AOL member or not from:
http://www.activevirusshield.com/antivirus/freeav/index.adp?

Answer 8

AVG by Grisoft is free. It would be better to pay for it since you get automatic updates. That said, the free version is the latest and greatest that they have available. It runs in the background, does it's job as designed and causes no noticeable problems to the rest of the computer. I have used it for YEARS, and I would never have anything else on my computer.

Answer 9

You can get a complete security suite free if you're a home user.

You need to install one firewall.
The Windows firewall doesn't stop malware on your pc from dialling out.
http://www.zonelabs.com Zone Alarm firewall OR
http://www.comodogroup.com/ - Comodo firewall.

You need to install one anti virus;
http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/2/ -AVG anti virus or
http://www.avast.com - Avast Antivirus

You need all three anti spyware programs;
http://www.ewido.net - AVG(Ewido) anti trojan.
http://www.lavasoft.com - Ad-Aware SE Personal anti adware
http://www.safer-networking.org - Spybot Search and Destroy anti spyware. Use the Teatimer settings to protect Internet Explorer, and the Immuniser to stop malware getting on your pc.
Also use Microsoft Defender and their online scans.

And these are useful utilities;
http://www.mozilla.com/ - Firefox web browser.
http://www.ccleaner.com Cr*pcleaner Registry cleaner and privacy tool
Winpatrol is a handy utility that manages cookies on your pc and stops unwanted changes to your startup folder.
http://www.winpatrol.com
Spywareblaster works with Internet Explorer and Firefox. It won't uninstall spyware that is already on your pc, but it will prevent hijacks and other malicious changes to your browser.
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com
http://www.siteadvisor.com -MacAffee Site Advisor warns about malware on sites you are about to visit.

Remember to update and run all of you anti malware programs at least once a week.

Answer 10

AVG Anti-virus. Its free software.
http://www.grisoft.com/doc/1

Answer 11

Free good antivirus and antispyware software:

http://www.helpero.com/Questions-and-answers/Computers/Software/Are-there-any-good-FREE-spyware-programs_291.html

http://www.helpero.com/Questions-and-answers/Computers/Software/Can-you-recommend-me-a-free-antivirus_2568.html

Helpero is a web site that helps every Internet user, from all over the world, solve any computer related problem. You can ask Helpero for free.