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What is the best free anti-virus program?

S

stevens

Senior member
My subscription to Norton has run out and i dont want to spend $20 on renewing it, so if there even is any free virus protection, what is the best?
 
I'm still using InnoculateIT from CAI but I don't think it's available for free anymore. You might try AVG which is free. I think you just have to fill out a free registration form to download it.
 
Personally, I wouldn't trust my virus protection to free software that may not be updated or supported regularly. Is $20 really worth the hassle this could cause. Unless you are on a strict daily or at least weekly full backup routine and don't add a lot of important data often, I wouldn't do this. There are better places to save money.
 
Ditto on the above statements. Virus protection updates (definition files) are very important in preventing attacks. If the software isn't kept up to date quick enough, it won't matter if you had virus protection or not. I know this first hand (servers at work). $20 is nothing...
 


<< Personally, I wouldn't trust my virus protection to free software that may not be updated or supported regularly >>



AVG is updated regularly and supports all operating systems including WinXP 🙂.
 
AVG has worked well for me and is updated regularly. I would never waste my money on a subscription for a bloated "service" like NAV or McAfee. They offer NOTHING (except a lighter wallet) that AVG doesn't give you for free. CAI's InnoculateIT PE is also good but it is not offered for free anymore, and it also doesn't work with Windows XP.

Although I will say that without the existence of NAV and McAfee I would have to work a lot harder to earn a living. Thanks to the high number of computers those programs completely hose for newbie users I almost always have a backlog of client computers to fix. They are the most problematic programs I have seen in widespread use.
 
avg seems to be the best available free-av now. but earlier this year esafe
was primo. esafe kept a careful watch on your registry, alerting you to any changes any program
was seeking to make. killed off rogue exectuables that attempted to plant virii. esafe is now
for evaluation only. i am not sure what that means (how long is the evaluation ?), and what
kind of support is currently provided.
 
I personally use a good free antivirus that is updated regularly and which is effectively protecting me. It's totally free, and available here. Test it. It worked fine for me.
 
I use InnoculateIT like Talon and love it. As Talon said I don't think it is still available. It is updated regularly. I might still have the installer - will have to look.
 
I tried to download a few free anti-virus programs, but could never get thru their busy or otherwise screwey servers, and got to thinking, if I can't even download the thing, how much faith can I put in trying to download updates? Especially since one of them was from across the ocean.

So, after my mcafee could not be updated anymore, it was 2 years old, I found Trend PC-illin at Staples, in a staples wrapper, for $20 and figured, gee, its guaranteed in that if I get a virus, I could, if I wanted, haul the box off to the nearest Staples, and they will fix things up for free.

I am really impressed with Trend PCillin, it does an automatic update just about every other to 3rd day.

I figured, man, $20 is a lot less hassle then betting on some free anti-virus from cyber-somewhere and possibly screwing up my computer with a virus. And, the $40 mcafee and $50 norton didn't have any local staples guarantee.
 
HouseCall is good for a freebie -- but the problem with it is that it's a "post-mortem" virus detector. It'll only tell you that you already have a virus; it won't keep you from getting one.

You already have the best free antivirus protection available... your own head! Think about it... how do viruses spread. Stupid downloads. Stupid attachments. hmmmmmmmm....

Rule 1. Never open an attachment you're not expecting from someone you're not expecting an attachment from! (In my work we share alot of info around through attachments. We're all virus-free and know that we're sharing this info. If we do receive something unexpected, we just pick up the phone...)

Rule 2. Get rid of the file-sharing programs! (Ooooo -- I'll probably get flamed for this...) Others out there aren't necessarily as careful as you are (or ought to be), so who knows what diseases .... er ... viruses they've got. Plus various of the file-sharing programs out there (esp KaZaa) are actually installing a trojan. Get rid of 'em.

Rule 3. Routinely check McAfee, Norton, or AntiVirus websites to see what viruses are new and hot. Learn to recognize their symptoms and watch for them. Also watch here in AT -- there's a lot of current virus discussion that goes on right here.


Personally, I'm running McAfee. (The $9.99 from WalMart's discount rack... not the $40+ boxed version) And all I really use it for is to confirm and identify the few rare viruses I receive. Then I can contact the sender about how to fix their system. McAfee has never alerted me to an incoming virus that I personally hadn't already detected.
 
In addition to OZEE's advice, if you're using Outlook or Outlook Express, you should disable the message preview pane. Most people also don't need the Windows Scripting Host which is usually installed by default.
Removing or disabling this will not prevent you from downloading a VBS script virus but it will prevent them from running. You can find simple instructions for removal at Sophos.
 
Just FYI, Symantec increased the subscription cost from $3.95 to $9.94, not $20. You might reconsider just sticking with Norton.
 
I can't download AVG. Keeping getting a SQL error message after submitting the registration form. Looks like they need to do some re-programming on their website. Doesn't make me feel particularly confident in the product...
 


<< I can't download AVG. Keeping getting a SQL error message after submitting the registration form. Looks like they need to do some re-programming on their website. Doesn't make me feel particularly confident in the product... >>

Hmmm, downloaded it last night, no problem. Also downloaded an update, no problem. Must be just one of those things.
 
I still use Mcafee it costed something like $25, and keep it updated for free.
I just download the new definitions from the site and install it no hassle... have been doing
that for more than 2 years without any problems....
 
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