Free AV for XP that won't bug me

[Muse]

I'm running AVG Free on my XP HDTV-centric midtower PC. The mobo won't run a higher version of Windows.

AVG keeps bugging me. It wants to reboot, offers me various add-ons (presumably they want $XY.99 for those), it feels like they are hijacking my system, when I don't want interruptions in my HDTV viewing/recording activities, and etc. These annoyances are occurring with great frequency, like every time I use the machine now!

I never used to have such problems with free AV. Would Avira Free be better?

Can you suggest an alternative? Thanks.

 

[PliotronX]

The last time I tried avira, it was fairly chatty and noticeably slowed down disk access. I have since found that bitdefender free is the best free av out there. Its silent and efficient. I have not tried it out with XP but if it works you will not find better.

 

[Muse]

The last time I tried avira, it was fairly chatty and noticeably slowed down disk access. I have since found that bitdefender free is the best free av out there. Its silent and efficient. I have not tried it out with XP but if it works you will not find better.

Thanks, I'll give it a go.

 

[bruceb]

I run Avast Free on my XP SP3 Dell 8200 P4 system and also on my Toshiba Laptop Windows 10 Home 64 bit. Works good on both, but I do a full Custom Install and only select which options I want. I would suggest you do that as well if you try Avast Free

 

[Fanatical Meat]

The last time I tried avira, it was fairly chatty and noticeably slowed down disk access. I have since found that bitdefender free is the best free av out there. Its silent and efficient. I have not tried it out with XP but if it works you will not find better.

I've used the paid version of Bit Defender and it worked well however it slowed my start up substantially. I honestly can't recommend it unless the free version is lighter.

 

[John Connor]

Bitdefender Free might not work in XP, I can't remember. If it does it will require SP1. I can't run it on my netbook so I use Immunet which does work in XP.

 

[John Connor]

I've used the paid version of Bit Defender and it worked well however it slowed my start up substantially. I honestly can't recommend it unless the free version is lighter.

The free version is lighter. Been using it for years and installed it on many computers.

 

[Muse]

The last time I tried avira, it was fairly chatty and noticeably slowed down disk access. I have since found that bitdefender free is the best free av out there. Its silent and efficient. I have not tried it out with XP but if it works you will not find better.

I just installed bitdefender free. I turned off sending them anonymous info because I want as little interaction with anything as possible on this HDTV-centric machine. Anything popping up can cause trouble in the DRV app.

Bitdefender Free seems to be running (first I uninstalled AVG Free and AVG Webtuneup, I don't remember allowing that to install!). BD Free has a registration process, creating an account with email address and password authentication. Do you do that? What's the upside/downside to registering with them?

 

[John Connor]

Do you do that? What's the upside/downside to registering with them?

It's fine and you have to in order to continue using the software. I rarely ever get an E-mail from them.

 

[xgsound]

I have been using bitdefender free (suggested by John Conner I think) for a few years now for myself and about 12 relatives. I registered ~ 4 computers on each of my 3 emails and have received only 1 email in all that time. The computers range from XP SP3 on a Pentium 4 to Win10 on a newer system. No complaints.
So several computers can be on each account and up to 4 is OK for sure.

 

[Muse]

I have been using bitdefender free (suggested by John Conner I think) for a few years now for myself and about 12 relatives. I registered ~ 4 computers on each of my 3 emails and have received only 1 email in all that time. The computers range from XP SP3 on a Pentium 4 to Win10 on a newer system. No complaints.
So several computers can be on each account and up to 4 is OK for sure.

You like on Windows 10, more than MS's built in AV?

So far, I'm not sure. I registered. When my HDTV machine comes out of suspend there's a big bitdefender box on the right lower corner of my XP desktop saying my account is pending (this a day or two after registering). There's no close X in the upper right corner of that box. I want stuff like that to disappear so I can compute without being nervous for events. Also, it covers up whatever is beneath it.

 

[Muse]

Each time I waken the XP computer, the Bitdefender big box is there at the bottom right of the screen (has no X to close it) and it says "Account is pending validation." What's up with that? I logged in a couple of times and it goes to their website where it wants me to update to Bitdefender 2017. I assume that's the "professional" version or something like that, IOW $29.95 or something. Color me confused.

 

[lxskllr]

I like immunet on xp. Not that good, but no hassle either. On win10, I jist used defender. Same as immunet. Not that good, but no hassle.

I have little faith in av. I'd use something that causes close to zero problems, cause why not? Any hassle whatsoever tips the balance to not using it at all. The web browser is a better place to concentrate security efforts.

 

[Muse]

I installed Bitdefender Free on this XP machine. The big box in lower right when I come out of suspend says "Account is pending validation." This is for many days now, every time I bring the machine out of suspend. When I go to the link in the email I received when I first logged it, I am sent to their website where I log in using the credentials I already chose and it says "there are no devices associated with this account." There's a button saying [Click here to download and install Bitdefender software]. However, there's a icon in my tray whose tool tip is "Bitdefender is active."

WTH is going on?

 

[PliotronX]

Did you receive the one email with the activation link? It should have a resend function somewhere, you might have to log onto the site using the account to get it. Its free and the only email they've ever sent to me.

 

[Muse]

Did you receive the one email with the activation link? It should have a resend function somewhere, you might have to log onto the site using the account to get it. Its free and the only email they've ever sent to me.

Yes, I hit that today... again, and I'll do it again right now. Here's a blow by blow description of what happens:
- - - -

Welcome to Bitdefender
You are almost done. To confirm your Bitdefender account, please click on the button below.


CONFIRM EMAIL
- - - -
I click CONFIRM EMAIL and this happens:
- - - -
I'm to log in. Since I've done so before and my system remembers my credentials, all I have to do is click [Login]

I do that and I get the following (after around 8 seconds of digestion):
- - - -
THERE ARE NO DEVICES ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR ACCOUNT!

[CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL BITDEFENDER SOFTWARE]
- - - -
If I click that, I am pushed to the Bitdefender store.

As I said, of course, I've already done the BD Free installation and the icon in my tray says "Bitdefender is active."

This is some wack software, sorry. OK, maybe it's the best free AV around, sure, but so far I have to wonder. It's not making my life easy here, no real clue what's going on. I could uninstall/reinstall, but I have no reason to believe anything different would happen. I had uninstalled AVG and rebooted before installing Bitdefender Free in the first place. Naturally, I figured I should post here where I have gotten a number of endorsements for this AV.

If you guys think I should uninstall, reboot and then reinstall BD Free I will. But I will wait for your opinions.

 

[xgsound]

After I clicked the link on the verify email it took a day or so for the first device to be recognized at the login website.
I left click on the tray icon and get the " system is protected" box. I leave on Virus shield, shut off auto scan, and My Bit Defender says "you are logged in". There is also a display button there. When clicked, that button should log you in and display the status screen from bit Defender which should say how many devices are registered to that email account.

If that does not occur in a few days, I would uninstall bitdefender free, reboot, and reinstall with a fresh download. Once it is installed it will be worth this effort for a dependable, trouble free, efficient, and free A/V for this machine and several others. I have registered 4 machines on each of my emails.