What anti-virus program?

[Bobj616]

I have been running Norton for years and my subsciption is running out in 30 days. Norton seems so invasive and uses a lot of my limited system resources,so I was wondering,what other antivirus I might use.* I did a search here and read that some of you use little or no protection,you just keep a knowledgeable eye eye on things. That is not an option for me because* 1. I really don't know that much about these things 2. I am not the only one using this computer. If it matters ,I am connected to the internet on cable and I am on a PC.* Any help would be appreciated. Bob

[brian.austin]

I typically run AVG's Free Edition on my home equipment: http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1

I've heard good things about Avast but haven't used it: http://www.avast.com/eng/free_virus_protectio.html

FYI: most free editions will have a banner ad pop up once in a while, usually during startup (with AVG at least). The same companies offer pay versions, too. I'm willing to put up with the banners since they are very non-intrusive and only once during startup. AVG is very lightweight, too, much more so than Norton.

[Rense]

I use spysweeper and the virusprotection from zonealarm pro.

[jfrancho]

I don't use virus protection, but this isn't for everyone. The list of things I do to prevent viruses, spy ware, and network attack s is way to exhaustive to go into here. For my friends and family, I recommend eTrust, ZoneAlarm, or McAfee depending on their technical knowhow. I still have a valid Norton license, and I run a virus scan once in a while, but most of the time I use sensible surfing, hardware firewall, and a few other tricks.

[metalstorm]

i use McAfee for my virus scanning and Spysweeper for my spyware.

[JDArt]

Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition...by far the least obtrusive I've used.

[brian.austin]

Originally Posted by JDArt

Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition...by far the least obtrusive I've used.

The Corporate Edition is, indeed, a smaller footprint than NAV and much less intrusive. It's not something the average home user is going to be able to get, though.

[JDArt]

Originally Posted by brian.austin

It's not something the average home user is going to be able to get, though.

That's a pity. Why can't they make no-nonsense software for all?

[brian.austin]

Originally Posted by JDArt

That's a pity. Why can't they make no-nonsense software for all?

Because, in the tradition of HP, Symantec, Logitech, and most other driver/utility app publishers, they think users are idiots who don't realize that two or three processes can do the same job that ten different processes are doing in their bloated apps.

A clean, out of the box with enough services running to get on the network, installation of WinXP Pro will have roughly 33 processes running. My work laptop, with all the fixin's and Logitech keyboard/mouse with extra buttons, etc., STARTS with 66 processes!! UGH.

[JDArt]

Originally Posted by brian.austin

My work laptop, with all the fixin's and Logitech keyboard/mouse with extra buttons, etc., STARTS with 66 processes!! UGH.

No wonder it ends up taking XP six minutes to boot up.

[soxOZ]

Hi Bob....

Have used most of them, Norton, Vet. MacFees, CA Inoculate etc, and the most effective, and least obtrusive one that I have tried and still use is NOD32...

Here is a link to a chart comparing the top few...
http://www.eset.com/products/compare.php

This chart may be a little bias, but still worth a look...

[Bobj616]

Thanks for the replies. Seems like there is no clear cut winner I will keep reseaching for a while before I make my decision. Bob

[Paul Shields]

We use Kaspersky at work on linux boxes and it does a good job of filtering 10m messages a day. I tried Kaspersky on a home PC once and it crippled it , which echoes the above comment about the differences between a corporate and a home environment.

I know this is probably the wrong thing to say, but these days I don't run any form of AV on any of my Windows PC's. I'm either very careful or very foolish - regardless, never had an infection in many years usage.

[SidinUSA]

AVG from Grisoft is free and I also have Comodo. Comodo is free as well and they also fo a firewall and some other goodies on their site. SSL Certificates Two Factor Authentication Security Services from Comodo™ Certification Authority

[Malakor]

I use NOD32 as well. Small and neat with no system slowdown.

[notsotechie]

yes so many to choose from I personally use AVG Free I find it dosen't bog the system down like McAfee or Norton IMO.

[Gruver]

In theory, I agree with jfrancho and Paul Shields. If you use good common sense and a good firewall you're pretty safe. That said, I feel it's better to err on the side of more protection than less in todays world. So, besides my normal protective measures, I also run the free, personal use version of Avira. I've found it to be an excellent AV program, and for free it's even better. If I were buying an AV software, I would get AVK from Gdata. It's as good as anything available and better than most ( according to AV evaluation sites ) and reasonably priced. I hope this is useful.
Dave

[Drake]

I use the absolutely free AVG. It updates definitions automatically atleast every 2 days.

AVG Free Advisor: Free anti-virus, anti-spyware and anti-malware tools

[swampthing1117]

NOD32 is BY FAR the best AV program you'll use. Kasperksy is 2nd. Symantec ANYTHING is pure garbage. Mcafee is a close 2nd for garbage.

Get nod32, it's lightweight and doesn't bring your computer to it's knee's and i've yet to see a virus it wouldn't clean.

[JDArt]

Never heard of NOD32. Do they keep it updated?