Anti-virus not good for your computer?

[Laughingman12]

I heard from somewhere that it is best not to get any anti-virus for your computer. Anyone know why?

 

[phisrow]

From the hardware perspective there is no reason at all. Running antivirus will slightly increase CPU load, and lead to a few more HDD reads; but the difference is minimal.

On the software side, antivirus is a good idea. It's just that certain antivirus options *cough,norton,cough* are a terrible idea. I'm not the best person to ask; but I hear the best things about nod32 and Kaspersky. Stay the hell away from Norton and McAfee(possibly others as well. I've not run a Windows box in two years, so I'm not up on the latest).

 

[oynaz]

Yep, McAfee and Norton are more trouble than they are worth. I use Antivir, and it works fine, and keeps to itself.

 

[Nocturnal]

I wouldn't trust myself without some type of antivirus. Good luck not having one!

 

[Allio]

My work computer recently had the newest version of Norton installed on it. Now I have to wait about five minutes after the desktop first appears when I turn it on before I can do anything.

 

[Roguestar]

AVG Free is good value for money and certainly does the job well. It'll start coming bundled with ewido in february iirc, as AVG bought ewido.

 

[Lemon law]

In all honesty, there are some tiny risks in using an AV product (1) An AV with too much huerististics can have a false positive and remove legitimate program files. (2) Some can be bloatware and impact boot times. But in MHO, I would feel naked without an AV---and anyone without one is at risk on the internet. I happen to run Avast---which is often slightly higher rated than AVG---and equally free.

Were I to go paid--I would probably use Kaspersky---but one can always run free on line scans with other AV products to hedge your bets.---but those are only passive after the fact scans--for the sake of others if nothing else---run an active AV at all times--or you can become a virus carrier---and infect others.

 

[Seekermeister]

The problem with Kaspersky is that it requires too much time and resources to run. And if you happen to run x64, the firewall in their Internet Security package is not compatable, despite the fact that their packing says that it is. . Currently, I'm running AVG Free, but it's update service is poor. Of what I've tried, I prefer Nod32. If there were any hardware damage done, I would prefer that to be because of an AV than a virus.

 

[Boyo]

I would make sure that you have an anti-virus program. I like BitDefender 10.

 

[geokilla]

I use Norton AV 2006. It's pretty good. As soon as I get the virus Norton removes it for me.

 

[Don66]

NOD32 is my favorite.

 

[oynaz]

Originally posted by: geokilla
I use Norton AV 2006. It's pretty good. As soon as I get the virus Norton removes it for me.

Unfortunately, it eats up a lot of system resources.

 

[applexxe]

You Need an Antivirus !
NOD32 is the best for game !

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: Seekermeister
The problem with Kaspersky is that it requires too much time and resources to run. And if you happen to run x64, the firewall in their Internet Security package is not compatable, despite the fact that their packing says that it is. . Currently, I'm running AVG Free, but it's update service is poor. Of what I've tried, I prefer Nod32. If there were any hardware damage done, I would prefer that to be because of an AV than a virus.

I disagree about Kaspersky requiring "too much time and resources to run." Where's this coming from? What's the most recent version you've tried, and what are your system specs that you can't run Kaspersky on it?

Laughingman12, no, antivirus is not bad for your hardware. If you need some good antivirus that's free for non-commercial use, use this one, except uncheck the box for the optional security toolbar during installation. 24 updates a day, very effective, and designed to yield CPU time to games and other intensive stuff.

 

[ShellGuy]

AVG free no longer exists after 01.07.07 FYI.....


Will G.

 

[Roguestar]

Originally posted by: ShellGuy
AVG free no longer exists after 01.07.07 FYI.....


Will G.

Incorrect. AVG FREE 7.1 will be discontinued but AVG FREE 7.5 will take over as a replacement product. Read the site http://free.grisoft.com

 

[Seekermeister]

mechBgon,

I disagree about Kaspersky requiring "too much time and resources to run." Where's this coming from? What's the most recent version you've tried, and what are your system specs that you can't run Kaspersky on it?

From experience. I have Kaspersky Internet Security 6.0, which I purchased very recently, so I doubt that it has been updated. I never said that I couldn't run the AV on my systems, but that the firewall is not compatable with x64, and that is not a matter of opinion, because kaspersky agreed that it would not run on x64. My hardware specs are in my signature, so what is the question? If you are happy with Kaspersky, then I'm happy for you.

 

[JargonGR]

NOD32 hands down, I used to sell it ages ago when IT people did not know it and and its amazing how much less overhead it has for your PC compared to other like N...on.

 

[dderolph]

Originally posted by Seekermeister:
Currently, I'm running AVG Free, but it's update service is poor.

Hmmm, what's poor about it? It automatically updates just about every morning when I start my computer.

 

[Seekermeister]

Originally posted by: dderolph

Originally posted by Seekermeister:
Currently, I'm running AVG Free, but it's update service is poor.

Hmmm, what's poor about it? It automatically updates just about every morning when I start my computer.

As far as frequency, Nod32 updates each hour, rather than daily. I'm not an expert on this, but the size of AVG's daily updates are smaller than Nod32's hourly updates. That may be due to the format that they use, but it implies that there is a more complete update service through Nod32.

 

[Seekermeister]

Another issue that I have with AVG is that when it performs a system scan, it causes my HD to click. That may be the HD's fault, instead of AVG's, but that is the only time that it does click, so I tend to suspect AVG.

 

[w00t]

AV is very important

I would say though stay away from Norton and McAfee they use too much system resources. there are two free ones that I can think of that are good AVG, and Anti-Vir ( I've heard Anti-Vir is better ).

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: Seekermeister
mechBgon,

I disagree about Kaspersky requiring "too much time and resources to run." Where's this coming from? What's the most recent version you've tried, and what are your system specs that you can't run Kaspersky on it?

From experience. I have Kaspersky Internet Security 6.0, which I purchased very recently, so I doubt that it has been updated. I never said that I couldn't run the AV on my systems, but that the firewall is not compatable with x64, and that is not a matter of opinion, because kaspersky agreed that it would not run on x64. My hardware specs are in my signature, so what is the question? If you are happy with Kaspersky, then I'm happy for you.

So your problem isn't that Kaspersky takes too much time and resources, it's that you use a non-compatible OS, is that correct?

I use KAV6 with the Windows Firewall on 32-bit XP Pro myself, and don't find it to be a problem with "too much time or resources," and my system is slower than yours. So yes, I'm happy with it. Hunt Zlob trojans a couple times a day for 6 weeks, see which antivirus vendors do/don't detect them, and you will probably conclude that Kaspersky > * too.

 

[John]

Originally posted by: Seekermeister
The problem with Kaspersky is that it requires too much time and resources to run. And if you happen to run x64, the firewall in their Internet Security package is not compatable, despite the fact that their packing says that it is. . Currently, I'm running AVG Free, but it's update service is poor. Of what I've tried, I prefer Nod32. If there were any hardware damage done, I would prefer that to be because of an AV than a virus.

I'd rather have the best detection rate and a slow scanning time than a fast scanner with an inferior detection rate. Not to mention you can schedule scans to occur while you are sleeping.

The AVG update server has gone down several time over teh past couple of weeks.

My advice to you would be to uninstall both Kaspersky IS and AVG, then switch to AOL Active virus shield. Think of it as Kaspersky 6.0 Lite with real-time file + email scanning and identical detection capabilities. The resource usage is under 8MB on my pc's and there are only 2 running processes (unless something is in svchost).

Do you really want to speed up scanning times?

Right click the AVS tray icon > settings > scan > customize > check "scan new and changed files only" > ok and the window closes > look under other scan tasks at the bottom of the window > apply > yes > now click apply on the bottom right > ok . After the 1st full scan it will be faster than NOD32.

I have no idea where you were going with the 'hardware damage done'......

Originally posted by: Seekermeister
Another issue that I have with AVG is that when it performs a system scan, it causes my HD to click. That may be the HD's fault, instead of AVG's, but that is the only time that it does click, so I tend to suspect AVG.

I'd be inclined to download your HDD mfg's disk diag and run it just to be on the safe side.

 

[ShellGuy]

Sorry I stand corrected..



Will G.