Who has the most effective and affordable virus (computer) protection?

Question

so many have grandios claims that i don't know who or what to believe.

Answer 1

some of the best antivirus and antispyware software out there are free. Dont waste your money on the bulky suites that the company puts out that you "must" buy.

Antivirus:
1. Avast Home Edition Free
http://www.download.com/Avast-Home-Edition/3000-2239_4-10680976.html?tag=lst-0-2

2. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition
http://www.download.com/AVG-Anti-Virus-Free-Edition/3000-2239_4-10703202.html?tag=lst-0-7

AntiSpyware:
1. A Squared Free
http://download3.emsisoft.com/a2AntiMalwareSetup.exe)

2. Spybot - Search & Destroy
http://www.download.com/Spybot-Search-Destroy/3000-8022_4-10401314.html?tag=lst-4-2

All of the programs are free and GREAT if not better than the ones you pay for.

Answer 2

I like Active Virus Shield. A lot. Active Virus Shield is made by Kaspersky which is one of top-rated anti-virus vendors in the world. Best of all it's free.

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.
Full test chart is here:
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 ram)

Active Virus Shield detects and removes spyware, also.

And it updates up to 15 times a DAY with new virus definitions, 7 days a week!

Good stuff, free for everyone from:
http://www.activevirusshield.com/antivirus/freeav/index.adp?

Answer 3

I am a board certifed clinical psychiatrist and have a moral and legal obligation to keep my pc 100% clean.

Here are program I use that will give you 100% protection. Ofcourse you must also have all your critical updates installed from Microsoft.

I use the free zone alarm firewall for many years. Excellent with free updates and all new versions free. Protects you from rouge incoming packets and keeping your private data from leaving your pc.

http://www.zonealarm.com Download their free home for personal use.

Antivirus program I use. You only pay a one time fee of $29.99. and you get all updates and all new versions for life.

Read the webpage and if you like what you read this is the antivirus of choce I have used for over ten years and never one virus.

By culture the Chinese are very secret just about everything and that includes their software.

This antivirus program out of Beijing, China that is also used by the Government of China.

This antivirus program does not have the Govt. permission to be rated with all other known antivirus programs.

What I can assure you is that you pay only a one time fee for life that will include all auto updates, and all new versions for life. The Chinese don't believe in having to pay an annual fee for updates or new versions.

I can tell you their technology is light years ahead of any other known antivirus software out there.

If you open a webpage and there is a hidden virus it will clean in realtime. Anything that you download and has even a trace code, it will kill the download and ask you to upload the trace code for investigation. In real time the upload will tell you if it is clean or not.

Will not allow you download, Real Player, because there is a hidden file that is a trojan keylogger. The file was uploaded and traced back to the United States Army, Intelligence Services out of London, England. (Removal of the file Real Player will reject the installation).

Read for yourself at their webpage. I have never had one virus in ten plus years. Plus it will catch any progam with it's dynamic defense system, for software that you download and it does not have a publisher or lic., included.

Twister Trojan Antivirus V7

Very low on resources with scanner running in background.

http://www.filseclab.com

Minddoctor, France

Answer 4

Kaspersky Anitvirus easily. I've been absolutely virus free for over a year now since using it. It catches suspicious activity before it even has a chance to mess with anything on your computer.

To the answer that Norton is best you have been mislead. They actually install the equivalent of a trojan on your comp with their software. Avoid at all costs. They just make sure their software is preinstalled on new computers even though they are not even close in best protection comparison.

Answer 5

Norton is the top dog in antivirus protection.....if you're willing to cough up dough monthly.

Avast is the new kid on the block. It's free and updates frequently and performs well. It does not have the same virus protection features as Norton, but if you're short-handed and needed a good one right now, Avast is the way to go.

Answer 6

If you wish loose then I advocate Avast , superantispyware and Malwarebytes. coupled with Comodo firewall They are all loose for private use . It is reliable to make use of 2 anti-undercover agent merchandise however on no account use a couple of A/V as it will probably rationale conflicts. You will have to run A/V and anti undercover agent weekly.

Answer 7

All of these are ones that I personally use and all are free.After you install any of them,make sure you update them to get the full affect.

Download Grisoft AVG 7.5 Anti-Virus,Anti-Malware.(free)

AVG is a collection of anti-virus protection tools that gives you full protection against viruses, worms, Trojans and malware. AVG provides you with all that you need to be completely protected: including a tool for scanning your hard drive and e-mail, as well as a real-time shield to prevent infections.
Top Features

» Provides automatic update functionality
» Its a reliable anti-virus scanning engine
» Provides free Virus Updates for life
» Options to define file name extensions
» Real time protection with resident shield, email scanning
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/5390/lng/us/...






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.
http://www.spybot.info/

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!

http://superantispyware.com/

Yahoo toolbar offers FREE anti-spyware:
Scan your computer for potentially destructive programs.
Review suspicious-looking programs.
Remove the programs you don't want. Keep the ones you do.

http://new.toolbar.yahoo.com/toolbar/features/norton/


Here is another free anti-virus-
PC Tools AntiVirus Free Edition feature highlights
Protects your PC as you are working, surfing and playing
Detects, quarantines, disinfects and destroys Viruses, Trojans and Worms
OnGuard™ protects your computer against threats in real-time

Automatically checks for frequent updates against the latest threats.
http://www.pctools.com/free-antivirus/

*Never install more than one anti-virus on your PC, as they may conflict with each other. On the other hand, its always good to install more than one anti-spyware.

Answer 8

AVG Free works great for me.

http://free.grisoft.com

Answer 9

get Avast
http://browseraddons.friendpages.com

Answer 10

I personally prefer Norton Internet Security 2007, but really there are many great AntiViruses. Soem great free ones are:

I prefer Avast, but AVG is just as great.

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

Avast Home Antivirus
http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html

You may also want some other tools to run and use as well

SpywareBlaster
http://www.download.com/SpywareBlaster/3000-8022-10196637.html?part=dl-SpywareBl&subj=dl&tag=button

Spybot S&D
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mirrors/index.html

AVG AntiSpyware
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/20/lng/us/tp...

Adaware (Lavasoft)
http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-2007-Free/3000-8022_4-10045910.html?part=dl-ad-aware&subj=dl&tag=top5

If you are currently having a problem:

◙ Download and install AVG. Use it first and see if it finds any viruses or trojans.

☞ http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1

◙ After running AVG go here and run this virus scanner online. There is no need to install it on your computer.

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

◙ Microsoft's New Live Safety Center. Download this scanner to check and remove spyware, viruses, get rid of obsolete files and junk off your computer, and improve your PCs performance.

☞ http://safety.live.com/site/en-us/defaul...

◙ The Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool checks computers running Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003 for infections by specific, prevalent malicious software—including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom—and helps remove any infection found. When the detection and removal process is complete, the tool displays a report describing the outcome, including which, if any, malicious software was detected and removed. You can run this tool online FREE.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=AD724AE0-E72D-4F54-9AB3-75B8EB148356&displaylang=en

◙ Before downloading email attachments in Gmail and Yahoo Mail click on the link that says, "Scan With Norton Antivirus".

◙ Before downloading any software from the internet type it into http://groups.google.com/ to see if that title is known for spyware or viruses. Google Groups has over 1 billion posts spanning 25 years to help you. Even after checking it there ALWAYS scan it before opening it. You just can't be too careful. -- Smart Computing Magazine

◙ A lot of the download sites like http://www.download.com/ and http://www.tucows.com/ scan software before releasing it to the public. But just for safety sake you should still scan it yourself.

◙ Here is a really great article on browser hijacking. This will show you how to get rid of it. There is a tutorial and software to get rid of part of it. You'll need to make some changes to your computer's registry to get rid of the rest of it. Click on the chatroom link on their main page if you need help.

☞ http://www.spywareinfo.com/articles/hija...

◙ Here is Yahoo!'s Internet Security section.

☞ http://security.yahoo.com/

◙ Below is Mcafee's Site Adviser. Type in a URL in the form here and you will find out if the site you want to go to is known for phising (getting your personal info under false pretenses), viruses, spyware, and many other things. You can use the tool on their site or download an program to do that.

☞ http://www.siteadvisor.com/

◙ Get more information at these PC Magazine Web sites.

☞ http://www.pcmag.com/
☞ http://www.smartcomputing.com/

◙ Top 100 Computer & Software Magazines.

☞ http://netvalley.com/top100mag.html......

★★ TOOLS FOR SPECIFIC VIRUSES & TIPS ★★

◙ Sometimes you'll get a particularly nasty virus that cannot be removed with conventional tools. For times like these you can (quite often not always) download a removal tool for that specific virus. Below are some sites you should look at.

☞ http://www.grisoft.com/doc/utilities/ing...
☞ http://www.symantec.com/security_response/index.jsp
☞ http://www.bitdefender.com/site/download...

◙ Below is a tool called "Stinger" that Mcafee put together with all 54 of it's tools in it.

☞ http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/

◙ GLOBAL VIRUS ALERT -- The latest virus outbreak alerts from F-Secure, Trend Micro, Panda, and Sophos. Each anti-virus fighter is reporting the state of the Virus Battles on its front, which reflects a unique customer and geographic profile.

☞ http://www.trimmail.com/news/tools/#glob...

◙ Add free virus alerts to your web site.

☞ http://www.trendmicro.com/syndication/vinfo/
For Trojans try these ( free to try),
http://www.ewido.net/en/
Or
http://www.misec.net/trojanhunter/......
Or
http://www.agnitum.com/products/tauscan/...


And always scan once a week with these free and trusted scanners as well if you go to gaming sites and porn and etc.
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/
http://www.webroot.com/freescan
http://www.kaspersky.com/virusscanner
http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/ac...
http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/virus...
http://www.bitdefender.com/

First, you need anti-virus software - download, install and update AVG anti-virus (it's free for personal use) - you can find it here - http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1

Then remove your System Restore points (viruses love to hide in the System Restore files), but be aware that if you do remove your existing Restore Points you will not be able to "roll back" your computer to a previous configuration. To find out how to disable System Restore see this page - http://www.pchell.com/virus/systemrestore.shtml

Just to be sure you don't have other malware on your computer I recommend that you download SpyBot Search & Destroy and Adware - both are free spyware/adware detection and removal software.

Next, start the computer in Safe Mode - (as the comptuer is starting up, keep tapping the F8 key on your keyboard until you see a special start-up menu) - more on how to start in Safe Mode here - http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/boot_failsafe.mspx?mfr=true

Using AVG - run a full system virus scan while in Safe Mode

After the viruses have been detected and removed, run SpyBot and AdAware (full system scans) then restart the comptuer, enable System Restore again and enjoy a virus-free computing experience.

If the problems are still there, try using MSCONFIG to help figure out how to manually disable the Trojan from starting up - see more about MSCONFIG here - http://netsquirrel.com/msconfig/

To help protect against malware you should install a firewall, Zone Alarm works perfectly well and is free – http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp

Also, don't forget to keep Windows up-to-date - using Microsoft Windows Update!

After following these instructions go to: http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/Must-Read-Before-Posting-Hijackthis-Log-t2852.html they will help you for free, no credit card or personal information needed, and they will analyze Hijack This logs for you, to make sure that your computer is safe. HijackThis helps If persistent spyware is bogging down your computer, you might need HijackThis. The tiny program examines vulnerable or suspect parts of your system, such as browser helper objects and certain types of Registry keys. Pressing the Scan button generates a log of dozens of items, most of which are just customizations. Don't check off an item and hit the Fix checked button unless you're sure it's malware. Clicking Info on selected item tells you why the entry was flagged as suspicious, but not whether it's actually malware. To find that out, search the Web for that item's name or go straight to a forum, such as SpywareInfo or Computer Cops. Saving the log creates a text document you can post to these forums.

The latest version adds powerful tools to the Config window. The process manager and hosts file editor help you excise virulent infections. The unique ADS Spy tool scans for alternate data streams, which some browser hijackers use to hide from spyware removers. The program still installs into whatever directory in which you unzip the file, which can make it hard to locate. HijackThis is a serious tool for any user who needs to root out a serious infestation, but wield it with caution. So, go to the site I gave you above, and they'll help you step by step.
Free registry cleaners:
CCleaner does not specialise in cleaning the registry, it's mostly used to speed up your computer by cleaning up your recycle bin, temp files/internet files, browsing history, application errors, log files and so on.. which frees up some space in your harddisk


I've tried these 10 free cleaners
http://www.regsofts.com/freeware/freereg...
I would recommend the following(click on the webpage and follow):

Free Windows Registry Repair(first one) - rather effective, the first scan i did after about a year showed over 500 problems with the registry, fixed them all

RegSeeker(2nd one) - fixed another 300 problems after using the previous one.

and like the two of them said, Eusing Free Registry Cleaner and Abexo Free Registry Cleaner(30 day trial)

Just run them all that'll fix most problems! But dont expect 100% fixes because programs might recreate registry entries when used and so a second scan might still show the same few errors. (ignore such errors)



those are all freeware, hope i'm of some help

Good Luck!