S
Surfer Joe
Can anyone please suggest a good free antivirus?
I'm tired of paying for norton.
I'm tired of paying for norton.
T
Twayne
In
AVG
Surfer Joe said:
AVG
K
Ken Blake, MVP
Besides the cost of Norton, it's probably the *worst* anti-virus
program available.
The two best freeware programs are Avast and Avira. Avg is another
choice that isn't too bad, but is much inferior to either Avast or
Avira.
L
Leonard Grey
And you going to use an antivirus program just because we say so?
N
Nil
And you make mangle sentance like typewriter monkey?
R
Roy Smith
There are several to choose from. Best thing is to download them and
try them out for yourself and decide which is right for you. Here's a
list of some popular free antivirus programs:
Microsoft Security Essentials: http://www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials/
Avast!: http://www.avast.com/index
AVG: http://free.avg.com/us-en/homepage
I'm sure that you will get recommendations for other programs as well...
--
Roy Smith
Windows 7 Home Premium
Timestamp: Sunday, February 21, 2010 9:41:29 PM
T
Tom Willett
Lern grammer and speling befor you criticizse otherz.
: And you make mangle sentance like typewriter monkey?
: And you make mangle sentance like typewriter monkey?
K
Ken Blake, MVP
Trying them yourself and deciding which is right for you is excellent
advice for almost all kinds of software. But the one kind of software
where I think it's poor advice (very poor advice) is security
software. The don't all work equally well, and it's very difficult to
determine for yourself how well each of them works.
S
Surfer Joe
yeah, I don't have a clue if they work or not or what they're doing, so
it's useless to try them out to see which I like.
In this case, it's not like downloading photoshop and gimp and seeing
which one I prefer, so I'm happy to see if some consensus emerges from
my question.
I had heard nice things about agv.
One thing I don't want is to load a bunch of them on my computer and
then have all their crap lingering in there after I unistall the programs.
L
Leonard Grey
"I had heard nice things about agv."
You're the first one. Even Google doesn't know an antivirus program
called agv.
If your idea is to choose security software based on the consensus of
anonymous visitors who happen to be reading the newsgroup at the time,
any or all of whom could be unqualified to give a well-reasoned opinion,
then you'll get what you've earned.
Even those among us who /are/ qualified to give a well-reasoned opinion
will find it impossible to give you a good recommendation, since you
haven't told anyone what you're looking for in an antivirus program. The
best anyone can say is what program /they/ prefer, which could be
totally unsuitable for you.
If you're really serious about your security and privacy, you'll start
by listing what qualities you need to have in an antivirus program, then
use the web for research (professional reviews, user reviews and
independent testing organizations.) That should leave you with a short
list of programs to check out; try them one at a time (never have two
antivirus programs running at the same time) and make your choice.
Even with all that, be prepared to reconsider your choice for the 2011
season, since antivirus programs usually change from year to year, and
not always for the good.
On the other hand, if you're not that serious about your security and
privacy - and I acknowledge this is true for many people - then what the
heck: survey the newsgroup, consult tarot cards or throw darts. Either
way you'll have an equally qualified answer.
You're the first one. Even Google doesn't know an antivirus program
called agv.
If your idea is to choose security software based on the consensus of
anonymous visitors who happen to be reading the newsgroup at the time,
any or all of whom could be unqualified to give a well-reasoned opinion,
then you'll get what you've earned.
Even those among us who /are/ qualified to give a well-reasoned opinion
will find it impossible to give you a good recommendation, since you
haven't told anyone what you're looking for in an antivirus program. The
best anyone can say is what program /they/ prefer, which could be
totally unsuitable for you.
If you're really serious about your security and privacy, you'll start
by listing what qualities you need to have in an antivirus program, then
use the web for research (professional reviews, user reviews and
independent testing organizations.) That should leave you with a short
list of programs to check out; try them one at a time (never have two
antivirus programs running at the same time) and make your choice.
Even with all that, be prepared to reconsider your choice for the 2011
season, since antivirus programs usually change from year to year, and
not always for the good.
On the other hand, if you're not that serious about your security and
privacy - and I acknowledge this is true for many people - then what the
heck: survey the newsgroup, consult tarot cards or throw darts. Either
way you'll have an equally qualified answer.
T
Tim Meddick
Surfer,
I have used AVG [free] for the past eight years, and have found it to be
very reliable.
However, it is a product from a company with commercial interests and, as such, does
contain an element of advertising of it's paid-for sister software.
These "reminders" are sometimes called "nag" screens, and can be an inconvenient
distraction.
I have heard of the recent release of Microsoft's first venture into creating a
fully-functional anti-virus program - Microsoft's Security Essentials (MSSE).
I am tempted to try MSSE but would like to hear some feedback on it's use, if I can,
before I change from an AV that has protected my PC effectively and caught many
would-be attacks in the past...
AVG 9.0 [free] :
http://free.avg.com/download-file-ins-afg-free
MSSE :
http://download.microsoft.com/downl...F6DC28BD8/mssefullinstall-x86fre-en-us-xp.exe
==
Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London.
I have used AVG [free] for the past eight years, and have found it to be
very reliable.
However, it is a product from a company with commercial interests and, as such, does
contain an element of advertising of it's paid-for sister software.
These "reminders" are sometimes called "nag" screens, and can be an inconvenient
distraction.
I have heard of the recent release of Microsoft's first venture into creating a
fully-functional anti-virus program - Microsoft's Security Essentials (MSSE).
I am tempted to try MSSE but would like to hear some feedback on it's use, if I can,
before I change from an AV that has protected my PC effectively and caught many
would-be attacks in the past...
AVG 9.0 [free] :
http://free.avg.com/download-file-ins-afg-free
MSSE :
http://download.microsoft.com/downl...F6DC28BD8/mssefullinstall-x86fre-en-us-xp.exe
==
Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London.
N
Nil
You shall like irony more best if whizz below your top head.
T
Twayne
In
Actually, there are people who will do just that; you never know. Newbies
especially see information as the last word rather than the opinion it most
always is. Many are shocked to discover there are jerks, criminals and
experts, just like in the real world. Everything seems so "official" to
them. Vendors can 't be bothered with education in most cases and it's
basically a buyer beware setup.
Twayne
Leonard Grey said:
Actually, there are people who will do just that; you never know. Newbies
especially see information as the last word rather than the opinion it most
always is. Many are shocked to discover there are jerks, criminals and
experts, just like in the real world. Everything seems so "official" to
them. Vendors can 't be bothered with education in most cases and it's
basically a buyer beware setup.
Twayne
T
Tony
I think if you can not provide a helpful answer then be quiet...this is what
I call smart as...
I call smart as...
A
anon a mouse
Surfer,
I have used AVG [free] for the past eight years, and have found it to be
very reliable.
However, it is a product from a company with commercial interests and, assuch, does
contain an element of advertising of it's paid-for sister software.
These "reminders" are sometimes called "nag" screens, and can be an inconvenient
distraction.
I have heard of the recent release of Microsoft's first venture into creating a
fully-functionalanti-virusprogram - Microsoft's Security Essentials (MSSE).
I am tempted to try MSSE but would like to hear some feedback on it's use, if I can,
before I change from an AV that has protected my PC effectively and caught many
would-be attacks in the past...
AVG 9.0 [free] :http://free.avg.com/download-file-ins-afg-free
MSSE :http://download.microsoft.com/download/A/3/8/A38FFBF2-1122-48B4-AF60-...
==
Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London.
I have AVG (the "free" one) on mine, but every time I put my computer
on, it tells me the anti-virus protection is "out of date", and the
only way I can update it is to spend $30 or $40. Is there a way of
getting the full protection of this stuff without paying for the
"free" version? Or is there another one available that won't want to
charge me in the future? Or am I just doing something wrong?
T
Tim Meddick
Not sure what's happening with your AVG here.
The free version should not need ask for payment for updates.
However, if, in the recent past, you accidentally pressed one of the many "upgrade"
buttons by mistake, you will now *be* running the paid-for version, which WILL ask
for payment.
Check this by waving your mouse over the AVG taskbar icon (nr the clock) - it should
offer a pop-up notice that says [AVG Anti-Virus Free] if you have the "right" one.
Then, open the "user interface" and try clicking on the "Update now" bar on the
left-hand-side.
Again, when you open the "User interface" the words "AVG Anti-Virus Free" should be
written all over it. If it does NOT have the word "Free" in the program title - then
you have installed the wrong version of the program...
In that case - uninstall and download and install the following :
http://free.avg.com/download-file-ins-afg-free
==
Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London.
I have AVG (the "free" one) on mine, but every time I put my computer
on, it tells me the anti-virus protection is "out of date", and the
only way I can update it is to spend $30 or $40. Is there a way of
getting the full protection of this stuff without paying for the
"free" version? Or is there another one available that won't want to
charge me in the future? Or am I just doing something wrong?
The free version should not need ask for payment for updates.
However, if, in the recent past, you accidentally pressed one of the many "upgrade"
buttons by mistake, you will now *be* running the paid-for version, which WILL ask
for payment.
Check this by waving your mouse over the AVG taskbar icon (nr the clock) - it should
offer a pop-up notice that says [AVG Anti-Virus Free] if you have the "right" one.
Then, open the "user interface" and try clicking on the "Update now" bar on the
left-hand-side.
Again, when you open the "User interface" the words "AVG Anti-Virus Free" should be
written all over it. If it does NOT have the word "Free" in the program title - then
you have installed the wrong version of the program...
In that case - uninstall and download and install the following :
http://free.avg.com/download-file-ins-afg-free
==
Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London.
Surfer,
I have used AVG [free] for the past eight years, and have found it to be
very reliable.
However, it is a product from a company with commercial interests and, as such,
does
contain an element of advertising of it's paid-for sister software.
These "reminders" are sometimes called "nag" screens, and can be an inconvenient
distraction.
I have heard of the recent release of Microsoft's first venture into creating a
fully-functionalanti-virusprogram - Microsoft's Security Essentials (MSSE).
I am tempted to try MSSE but would like to hear some feedback on it's use, if I
can,
before I change from an AV that has protected my PC effectively and caught many
would-be attacks in the past...
AVG 9.0 [free] :http://free.avg.com/download-file-ins-afg-free
MSSE :http://download.microsoft.com/download/A/3/8/A38FFBF2-1122-48B4-AF60-...
==
Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London.
I have AVG (the "free" one) on mine, but every time I put my computer
on, it tells me the anti-virus protection is "out of date", and the
only way I can update it is to spend $30 or $40. Is there a way of
getting the full protection of this stuff without paying for the
"free" version? Or is there another one available that won't want to
charge me in the future? Or am I just doing something wrong?