Is there any free permanent anti-virus program that will give similar protection that renewing Norton will?

Question

Renewal time again! AVG used to be good and free but now appears to be free only on a trail basis, any altruistic companies left out there?

Answer 1

Smudeward, Bullguard offers a 60 day trial. I know that's not what you asked, but for what the yearly subscription is, it's very much worth what you get.
You get Anti-Virus, real time protection updates every 8 hours, firewall, spam protection, back-up hard drive space, anti-spyware, and live support, if you need help (via live chat) and for you, the plus is you would be supporting your own economy it's made and published where you are.
I think it's still $59.00 (US) per year. I have used it four years now, and have had NO successful attacks. Even in the P2P environment. Plus they will license up to three systems with the same subscription (if you have more than 1 computer).

I also use Spybot Search & Destroy, it usually does not find anything, since I run BG, it never hurts to have a second line of defense.

Here is the link: http://www.bullguard.com/

Answer 2

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Answer 3

AVG is still free.
Go to http://www.download.com and do a search for AVG Free. Download and install it.

Norton is far to much money when there are FREE programs that do the same thing and more.

Good luck.

Answer 4

I am a professional developer with Microsoft, and have about 10 years of experience in the field of Computer Engineering. Most problems with PC's are the result of malicious software that infected a Computer. Examples of this are things such as malware, viruses, trojans, spyware, adware, root kits, and worms. In other cases, they are the result of stability issues due to crashes, freezes, or Hardware Issues. Some examples of hardware issues could be a dirty cooling fan causing the computer to overheat, or low memory due to lack of RAM, which could cause the PC to run slowly. You may think it could be a virus, or malware, or registry issues, but it could be something else entirely. As a computer layman, one may find it hard to really ascertain what exactly is causing the problems, without having a professional do an in depth analysis of your PC.

As professional computer repairs can be quite costly, I would recommend to you a Software that many of us in the tech department here at Microsoft use personally and professionally to diagnose and repair computer problems very quickly. It is a software called Reimage, from https://tr.im/ReimageRepairs .. In my personal experience, and in the experience of many of my associates, this is probably the best software ever created for those experiencing computer troubles. This is likely to remedy just about ANY problem your computer could possibly be having, and have it running like new. Reimage has won several awards, and been featured in publications such as PC Mag.

Answer 5

I recommend Avira AntiVir Personal Edition Classic ( http://www.free-av.com ). it is free for a time and, to make it permanent, reinstall Windows every time the trial expires and then install it again.
Also, Avira is much better than notrton or any other single-engine Antivirus, and it also consumes very little resources

Answer 6

I'm afraid nothing better than Norton is free. But Max Registry Cleaner is pretty good and its a whole lot cheaper. You should try it. Also if you get viruses i reccoment you chat to a member of the Synthetic staff and they can sort out your computer for a very reasonable price. Mine was very slow until i got someone to fix it. It took him 3hours but he did a very good job and now my computer is as good as new.

Answer 7

AVG has a free basic version

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1/us/frt/0

Avast is another one

http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html

Answer 8

AVG is still free! I just set it up on a friends comp yesterday...

Answer 9

Most ISPs are including an AV/Firewall program with their service. I have Comcast, they include McAfee, Time Warner includes Zone Labs.

Answer 10

Awesome question