A good AntiVirus that is both effective and lite?

[cudzich09]

I already tried Norton and it slowed my compuer a lot. So please help me picking the right antivirus. I appreciate it.

 

[BlueWeasel]

Antivir

 

[Rhonda the Sly]

+1 for AntiVir.

 

[Schadenfroh]

+2 for Antivir

checkout the detection rate thread:
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...id=76&threadid=2047460

 

[law9933]

Yes AntiVir, but if you don't like it Avast.

 

[Nizbot]

AVG Free V. 8 Comparable to AntiVir. It really does not use as many resources as people will say it does.

 

[Scouzer]

I think NOD32 is normally the unanimous champ of fast+detection..

 

[nordloewelabs]

+4 for AntiVir.

Originally posted by: Nizology
AVG Free V. 8 Comparable to AntiVir. It really does not use as many resources as people will say it does.

yes, it is....most unfortunately. i had AVG7.5, upgraded to AVG8, but settled with AntiVir 8. reason below:

Free AVG 8.0
avgrsx.exe | 40,024 K
avgtray.exe | 3,720 K
avgwdsvc.exe | 9,304 K
TOTAL | 53,048

Free AntiVir 8.1
avgnt.exe | 1,024 K
avguard.exe | 48,156 K (shrinks to ±6,000 K after minutes)
sched.exe | 540 K
TOTAL | 49,720 (shrinks to ±7,564 after minutes)

 

[LightningRider]

Kaspersky.

Lots of tweakable settings to adjust performance if needed.

 

[MadAmos]

If you tried one of the older versions of Norton you should really give the 2009 version a try it is very fast and has the smallest memory footprint mine is less than 8mb there is a free 15day trial at the Norton website and it installs in less than 2 minutes and 2009 uninstalls clean if you don't like it. No I don't work for them but I do like to support a company when they step up and improve a product. check out this thread at virtualdr

 

[gorcorps]

Originally posted by: MadAmos
If you tried one of the older versions of Norton you should really give the 2009 version a try it is very fast and has the smallest memory footprint mine is less than 8mb there is a free 15day trial at the Norton website and it installs in less than 2 minutes and 2009 uninstalls clean if you don't like it. No I don't work for them but I do like to support a company when they step up and improve a product. check out this thread at virtualdr

Friends don't let friends use Norton. They consistently have lower ratings than the top 5 FREE antivirus products.

 

[MadAmos]

Sorry I have to call FUD on that Norton did very well in the last A/V comparatives and again I am not talking about the older versions, the 2009 software is very different and is worthy of another look. Things change look at AVG, it is not the system friendly software it used to be, and even Kaspersky has caused problem with slowing systems down. It just bugs me when people keep repeating the same old tune without any basis for it. I gave Norton a chance on a test unit I have while 2009 was in the beta phase, and was impressed how light it is and how well it did against common attacks, and yes I did take more risks with my test system as I have a image that I keep for emergency's. I am very aware that there is no one perfect a/v solution and that the most important part in computer security is BKAC.

 

[accguy9009]

Norton, IMHO, has the worst customer service if you should ever need it. I would never use it as my personal AV software. AVG 8 is different but is simple to set up and use. The 2009 Norton AV may be lean and mean but I will not use it.

 

[hclarkjr]

NOD32

 

[MadAmos]

I notice on the Norton site they now have new policys on support as well, so it seems they are trying to address this as well, also they have support and development staff that participate in their forums on an ongoing basis.
"Need Help? Symantec provides free, unlimited 24x7 email, chat and phone support for a period of one year from initial installation of this product."
The last time I needed a question answered it was very quick using the online chat support and they have been helpful when I have needed it in the past as well. Just goes to show how different people can feel about how problems are dealt with I guess, and yes the person I chatted with was in India but was friendly and knew how to resolve my issue and that in the end was all I wanted.
Again I am only presenting this for information, a good debate is often that which drives improvements in any product all I am trying to say is don't knock it until you have tried/really looked at the new version.

 

[Auric]

At no cost I recommend Avira and disabling the pop-ups. However, Kaspersky can be had for almost free after rebates (see frys and amazon) and is the best for high risk useage.

 

[MadAmos]

I have no doubt that Antivir is a top notch product but I do think it is important to note what you don't get with the free version Chart the lack of driveby protection and e-mail scanning along with the other omissions for me are a deal breaker. Most of the free versions of a/v software are just provided to entice you to pay, and are often weak on features that can make a big difference IMHO.I would rather pay and get the protection level I want and even that is often not necessary. I bought my current Norton NIS2009 three system Licence for Free after rebates from frys shipping was under $10.00. I have used Kaspersky, Trend Micro, and fsecure in the past all great products and all have had problems with false positives and missed detections over time. There is no one right answer, so use what works for you just take the time to see what you get for your money... :beer:

 

[Ika]

There's currently a deal for FAR (no FS unfortunately) Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 (which, I believe, is their all-in-one package). I picked up an FAR Kaspersky Anti-Virus a couple months ago and I love it. I've been on the lookout for a free Kaspersky ever since AOL dropped their free AVS service (which used the Kaspersky engine).

 

[nordloewelabs]

Originally posted by: MadAmosMost of the free versions of a/v software are just provided to entice you to pay, and are often weak on features that can make a big difference IMHO.I would rather pay and get the protection level I want and even that is often not necessary.

a free antivirus product -- even if not greatly rated -- is more than enough if the user is logged as a Restricted User and has DEP enabled. furthermore, using Firefox with FlashBlock, AdBlock and NoScript results in an even tighter security.

on the other hand, for those who read any email, click any link, open any attachment and install any app, no antivirus will ever suffice.... commom sense is essential.

 

[PokerGuy]

Norton is complete bloated garbage, and it even costs more. Why in the world would anyone even "give it a try" when there are FREE alternatives available that are not only "just as good", but in most cases BETTER than Norton?

I like Avast, and I've also used antivir with good results.

 

[compman25]

Originally posted by: PokerGuy
Norton is complete bloated garbage, and it even costs more. Why in the world would anyone even "give it a try" when there are FREE alternatives available that are not only "just as good", but in most cases BETTER than Norton?

I like Avast, and I've also used antivir with good results.

Which versions did you test and try? Can you post results of those tests? Anything to back up your claims?

 

[cudzich09]

Thank You everyone, helped me a lot

 

[Scouzer]

Wow, finally decided to try AntiVir and it kicks butt. Already saved me from one sneaky trojan. I won't be going back to my legitimate Kaspersky.

Is the Premium version worth it? It doesn't seem to add much...

 

[darincm]

NOD32

 

[phantom404]

I'm using Vipre from sunbelt and works like a charm...it includes counterspy built in so another plus