free Virus checker

[Jeff]

I've used AVG which in years of use never detected any viruses on my system.
I then switched to AVAST which has occasionally stopped a virus and I think
is more effective.

However, despite my having a fast PC, Avast definitely slows my system very
perceptibly, to the point that I am considering dropping Avast and switching
to another free AV.

Have others noted the slowdown with Avast or other AV checkers? Is it just
inherent in that it scans more thoroughly than faster virus checkers? Are
there suggestions for other free AVs that would be equally effective without
being such a drag on performance?

 

[Dave Smith]

I've used AVG which in years of use never detected any viruses on my
system. I then switched to AVAST which has occasionally stopped a virus
and I think is more effective.

However, despite my having a fast PC, Avast definitely slows my system
very perceptibly, to the point that I am considering dropping Avast and
switching to another free AV.

Have others noted the slowdown with Avast or other AV checkers? Is it just
inherent in that it scans more thoroughly than faster virus checkers? Are
there suggestions for other free AVs that would be equally effective
without being such a drag on performance?

Avast has been the best, light weight scanner I have used. Like you, I used
AVG for years and switched to Avast. Avast has done a pretty good job
detecting incoming viruses before they're written (usually forwarded email).
I have used Symantec and McAfee on this machine as well, but those slowed
the machine down dramatically compared to avast.

One thing you can do to lighten-up avast is disable the providers you are
not using, such as the outlook/exchange provider, or the p2p provider.


gVeloper
(gveloper.com)

 

[Vanguard \(NPI\)]

I've used AVG which in years of use never detected any viruses on my
system. I then switched to AVAST which has occasionally stopped a virus
and I think is more effective.

However, despite my having a fast PC, Avast definitely slows my system
very perceptibly, to the point that I am considering dropping Avast and
switching to another free AV.

Have others noted the slowdown with Avast or other AV checkers? Is it just
inherent in that it scans more thoroughly than faster virus checkers? Are
there suggestions for other free AVs that would be equally effective
without being such a drag on performance?

See www.av-comparatives.org.

Regarding coverage only:
Freebies:
AVG = 87% <-- crap
Avast = 91% <-- crap
AntiVir = 93% <-- crap
BitDefender = 97% <-- good
Commercial:
TrendMicro = 91% <-- crap
F-Prot = 96% <-- okay
KAV = +99% <-- great
McAfee = 98% <-- good
Norton (AV only) = 99% <-- great
NOD32 = 98% <-- good

BitDefender is the old version 8 (they are at version 9), which is what the
comparative used. I don't their impact on system performance. I use CA's
EzAntivirus (http://www.my-etrust.com/microsoft) to get a 1-year
full-version trial of their product (so I can decide later what to replace
it with). Of the above, I've tried AVG, Avast, McAfee, and Norton.
EzAntivirus has far less impact than those (don't bother loading their LSP
module for e-mail scanning, however; no loss/improvement in performance but
can interfere with outbound e-mails, as all AV products can).
Unfortunately, av-comparatives.com does not include EzAntivirus in their
testing (it used to be called InoculateIT).

I haven't tried BitDefender but it's yet another freebie that you could
trial (and has better coverage than AVG and Avast).