2007-02-20 18:59:38 · 14 answers · asked by deliciousde 4 in Computers & Internet ➔ Security
Forgive me, this is going to be one LONG answer, but I want to answer it as thoroughly as possible for you.
Both Grisoft's AVG and Alwil's Avast! are great anti-virus programs which I have tested on numerous computers and highly recommend.
As for which is better, each has their own pros and cons. AVG uses little in the way of system resources and is better for older machines, and checks e-mail (POP3, like through Outlook, not webmail like Yahoo!, Hotmail, Gmail, etc), but Avast has a boot-time scan that checks system files before the operating system loads, the value of which should be self-evident. General rule, if your machine's less than three to four years old and you don't use Outlook/Thunderbird/etc, Avast is the best option I've seen - otherwise, go with AVG.
Neither, however, covers spyware very well if at all, so you'll need something more. Lavasoft Ad-Aware SE is a great program for getting rid of spyware and adware, but anti-spyware scans with any utility are best run in Windows' "safe mode" - do a search if you're not sure what it is or how to get there.
Antivirus and Anti-spyware programs are just the tip of the iceberg, though, as all they do is rid your computer of pests after they're already there.
My recommendation to reduce your chance of getting these pests to begin with would be to use Mozilla Firefox instead of Microsoft Internet Explorer, and to get a decent firewall, such as ZoneLabs' ZoneAlarm, in addition to having up-to-date antivirus and anti-spyware programs.
Safer browsing habits will also help a great deal - if you're not going to switch to Firefox, at the very least, disable ALL ActiveX controls and avoid sites like pogo.com that try to install spyware on your computer.
Note: all of the aforementioned software (AVG, Avast, Ad-Aware, Firefox, ZoneAlarm) are all free, and work great. I would, however, recommend paying for ZoneAlarm Pro if you can afford it.
Hope this helps!
2007-02-20 20:06:07 · answer #1 · answered by SayDoYouWantToGoSeeAMovie 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, they say that AVG is as good an antivirus program as it can be and it even compares with other pay for antivirus software. You only need to install 1 such antivirus program in your computer (if you try to install more than one, there might be conflicts with each other). So, yeah go for it!
Good anti spyware programs are many, perhaps you should try to install 2 or 3 of them to make sure your system remains spyware free. The best known products are AdAware and Search and Destroy, also suggested by banks like HSBC.
A must-have is SpywareBlaster, though. This completely prevents spyware from installing to your system when you visit nasty websites, so it's good to have it as an overall protection from spyware downloads.
Finally, AVG has recently started offering anti spyware protection with a product called AVG Anti-Spyware. I trust this company, so it's also worthwhile considering this tool too.
All these programs are free :)
2007-02-20 23:06:06 · answer #2 · answered by stardom65 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Avg has been mentioned and i admit its good for a free one.
i personally use another free one called anti vira which has done a great job since i have been using it,and my pc has been working better and faster since using this.i would recommend using spyware terminator as well as this is a good little free program as well.
Both of these have daily updates to keep you safe from the latest threats coming out.
2007-02-21 00:33:27 · answer #3 · answered by Paul R 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Like a few others have mentioned Avast, it's the more reliable, I got a nasty Virus with Avg...Adaware for free spyware, although it tends to slow your machine down..
2007-02-20 19:23:04 · answer #4 · answered by BlackBerry66 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
avg or avast are good anti virus and both free
spybot s&d and adaware are really good spyware removerers both free as weel
download from computeractive.co.uk to ensure all all free from anything malicius
2007-02-20 19:06:33 · answer #5 · answered by madmoo0 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think the best right now is avg and i would recommend going to the microsoft.com as well there are some nice options there
2007-02-20 19:39:55 · answer #6 · answered by symbollowercase 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
try to download..."avast" or "avg "anti virus and anti software..
they are free and are good
2007-02-20 19:03:46 · answer #7 · answered by abinawale 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would like to say to "anotherfugitive" thathis answer was superb!! Informative and without nonsense!!! You sure helped me!!!
2007-02-21 00:38:13 · answer #8 · answered by Kuschke 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
AVG @ www.grisoft.com totally cool and easy to setup too.
2007-02-20 19:06:34 · answer #9 · answered by chillipope 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you can get free virus scan AVG 7.5 from http://www.grisoft.com/doc/1
get ad aware from http://www.lavasoft.com/
get spy-bot search & destroy from http://www.download.com/spybot-search-de...
list of free fire walls here
http://www.free-firewall.org/
you can also get a free registry cleaner/optimizer at http://www.hoverdesk.net/freeware.htm......
2007-02-20 19:11:31 · answer #10 · answered by nh_cherokee 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋