Which anti virus do you recommend & why?

Hi everyone,

So I had been using ESET for at least 5 years, & I was upset that they told me I had to switch to Win 10 from Win 7 otherwise they wouldn't support me (What???), plus getting support from them was always a pain.

So I decided not to renew & trust me, they didn't care.

I tried Avast & had issues with them and my old ergonomic mouse that they literally STOPPED me from using on my computer LOL

After wasting 2-3 hours with my website coder trying to figure out why my mouse wasn't working, I figured out it was Avast. Also, changing my e-mail address on their forum didn't work, so they are clearly no good.

Bit Defender I thought was great until I started to notice CPU or memory issues. I went to their forum & realized I'm not the only one having this issue.

So, looking online is pointless, as all I get are sites listing the top 10 software & they are all paid sites by the anti-virus companies.

Any suggestions? And please explain why you recommend said software. I can just go back to Malwarebytes, but I'm still not sure if that's a good replacement for anti virus.

I prefer free, at least to start, so I can make sure I like it.

Thanks a ton
 
Try them out and find what suits you. As you already know free solutions work well enough and often these are available from vendors of AV software. Difficulties will inevitably increase as you won't update the OS. I'm happy with Windows own security backed by occasional scans with SAS and Malwarebytes.
 
I second the motion...bazz2004 is right the one-two punch of the free built-in Windows Security Antivirus on Windows 10 is good enough and if you must, then Malwarebytes paid version works well too (they have a free trial). The free version of MBAM removes items but it doesn't jump up to save you in realtime.

Having said all that....

Your behaviour is the best defence against infection. Are you going to the dark side of Internet to download and steal software you know you should be paying for? Downloading key generators, cracks, free TV/movies, copyrighted music? All this type of behaviour brings infections in.
 
We've all grown up with an AV that required scanning the disk ... again, again, Ad nauseam. Sadly most of it isn't even executible. This is known as a Reactive AV; react once it's on the HD.

I've grown into the alternative approach -- Proactive -- where the Gremlins are found before they get planted on my HD. Lots to be said for avoiding repetitious scanning! To this I added an Ad Blocker (to sanitize my little brain) which makes clicking on bad links almost impossible.

The proactive component scans all inbound (outbound if necessary) email and website links for traps which lead to infections.

I'm using Avast Free! now for years
 
So I didn't go with any of your suggestions & most didn't read what I wrote or understand it, but for others looking, I wanted to tell you what happened b/c they may also need an AV program..

I ended up trying out Kaspersky's anti virus for the free trial & WOW.

Their software found viruses & trojans that NO OTHER AV found.

I wrote a much longer review on my site as their tech support isn't great, but I care mainly about the software itself.

Thanks
 
Well you did do what was suggested - try them out and decide for yourself what suits. Be aware that what looks great today may not look so good going forward. Tht's what the competition is all about. I once subscribed regularly to Norton then Spyware Doctor but found that they were in later incarnations slowing my computer down considerably. Kaspersky did the same when I tried it though it had ace reviews. I find Bitdefender free pretty good - worth a try. Unless you do a lot of dodgy surfing it's unlikely that there will be issues.
 
So I didn't go with any of your suggestions & most didn't read what I wrote or understand it,
hmm; I did --
"Any suggestions? And please explain why you recommend said software. I can just go back to Malwarebytes, but I'm still not sure if that's a good replacement for anti virus." ...​

"I've grown into the alternative approach -- Proactive -- where the Gremlins are found before they get planted on my HD."​
 
There's no Silver Bullet in AV! No single solution is 100% effective nor perfect.
a) yes, some are better at scanning/removal -- if that's your approach
b) if fact, there is NOTHING wrong with multiple solutions -- just don't run more than one at the same time.

Run that solution that is Proactive to stop as many infections as possible. THEN, manually use your toolbox to scan for infections that have squeaked onto your HD.

You are wise to have multiple tools in your toolbix -- just make sure that ONLY ONE runs as a default. Later you can manually scan with any tool availible to you to pick off the junk.
 
I haven't done a ton with my PC in recent years, but I'm on it probably 85% of my desktop PC use in the last year. I say that just to qualify that I run no AV outside of Windows Defender, nothing, and I don't fear anything. Maybe I'll get burned, but a bit of thinking of what you click on, and thats all you need.
 
Like the others here, I too use good behaviour (no surfing to the dark side of the Internet, no stealing programs/music/movies/shows). I use Windows Security since it is built in and I might call in MalwareBytes if I want a 2nd opinion. I tried running the Chrome browser with JavaScript off for a few years and it was a real pain but I think it helped me a ton to understand how automatic websites and browsers operate and how the bad guys leverage scripting. You too can try your own experiments. Keep a good backup of your data (Ideally air gapped) and keep a list of programs you need to reinstall and take comfort that you are just a few hours away from a complete wipe-rebuild if anything goes wrong. =)
 
+1 to Windows Defender and the occasional MBAM scan just incase of sneaky crap making it past WD I also use common sense and look at what programs are doing when I install them no blindly clicking OK Yes Continue as that's how a lot of garbage ends up being installed
Downloading key generators, cracks, free TV/movies, copyrighted music? All this type of behaviour brings infections in.
And that Ladies and Gentlemen is a load of FUD it only takes a few seconds to read comments or look at file size to realize if it's real or if it's fake
 
I had to look up FUD. It isn't clear what Athlonite is talking about here or why. Is the post saying that using common sense is stupid? Perhaps a new thread would help.
 
I had to look up FUD. It isn't clear what Athlonite is talking about here or why. Is the post saying that using common sense is stupid? Perhaps a new thread would help.
No I am saying that just using a Torrent site to download stuff is not going to lead to getting Viri or Malware if you use common sense and take the time to read comments or look at what the uploader has uploaded before you should be quite safe also using well known torrent sites
 
The best antivirus 2021 in full:
  1. 1. Bitdefender Antivirus.
  2. 2. Norton AntiVirus.
  3. 3. Kaspersky Anti-Virus.
  4. 4. Trend Micro Antivirus.
  5. 5. Avira antivirus.
  6. 6. Webroot SecureAnywhere AntiVirus.
  7. 7. Avast antivirus.
  8. 8. Sophos Home.
non of the above all you need is what comes in Windows 10 already and some common sense
 
I would suggest trying Avira - my reasons are light on resources, low amount of false positives, decent administrations, and it does not bother me constantly.
I would stay away from Avast, AVG as they often act not like "anti"virus but a proper virus.
As mentioned above uBlock Origin and NoScript are good extensions for browsers.

AVs are a tough topic, as they are usually complex and people often have personal horror stories to share with one or another ... I am certainly not an exception .. bashing AVG and Avast.
 
At home this is what I do:

First switch to windows 10, windows 7 is no longer supported and you're asking for issues.

Next stick with the anti-virus built into windows 10 it works quite well and its free.
Next I use malware bytes anti-exploit, its free but perpetually in beta.
Ublock origin as mentioned previously
I use firefox as it seems more secure than Chrome these days but that is up to you.
Next I use a secure and curated DNS such as OpenDNS.
I use openDNS on the kids computers and 9.9.9.9 on the adult ones.

Curated DNS's block harmful websites, and they fix spelling mistakes so accidentally typing in faceback takes you to facebook rather than a porn site etc. They also watch for known attack sites and give you fair warning (ublock does the same).

Kids machines only get a standard user account. Adults get a local admin account except for my Mom who still gets a standard account but also knows the admin pw.
 
Adults get a local admin account except
Any adult without common sense should get standard accounts because you know PEBKAC is the major concern, anyone I fix a PC for for malware or viri is given a short but useful tutorial on how to not be dumb online or when installing programs they've downloaded most times I never see them back with the same issues
 

Notice that Windows Defender is ranked just as high as Avast etc. and its free.
I would also point out that Windows Defender usually ranks at the top of another list that is just as important. Windows Defender is well known for causing the FEWEST performance, system, and compatibility issues. I highly recommend it!
 

Notice that Windows Defender is ranked just as high as Avast etc. and its free.
I would also point out that Windows Defender usually ranks at the top of another list that is just as important. Windows Defender is well known for causing the FEWEST performance, system, and compatibility issues. I highly recommend it!
Defender is known for being a crap.
It's usually a resource hog, it produces a ton of false positives, it's a pain in the *** to set up all the exceptions etc.
 
Defender is known for being a crap.
It's usually a resource hog, it produces a ton of false positives, it's a pain in the *** to set up all the exceptions etc.
when was the last time you used it because I have absolutely none of those problems now early versions of Defender were a little shitty but it's really a good AV now as seen here on AVtest.org


vs Avast on the other hand which slow you down way more

 
when was the last time you used it because I have absolutely none of those problems now early versions of Defender were a little shitty but it's really a good AV now as seen here on AVtest.org


vs Avast on the other hand which slow you down way more

As I am a "technician" who's job is to admin quite a few customers (almost 200 "companies") I would say I am dealing with it quite often.
Defender, Avast, AVG, Norton are something you do not want to ague with ... defender even blocks "certificate" files as it suspects they can be dangerous ... signature certificates ... the thing you use to authenticate or sign a PDF.
I know a lot of AVs got really good scores on "test" sites, but it does not make them non-obtrusive and often borderline acting like a malware.
 
Sure I've seen all kinds of issues with anti-virus heck I've been working with computers for 30 years. But for minimum acceptable anti-virus / anti-malware with the least issues and least performance drag Defender is it. Sure there are better ones but they can cause weird issues or degrade system performance and they are certainly not free.

I work with some really finicky software such as Allen-Bradley for programming plc's, Faroarm, Autocad, Photoshop and Acrobat.
These are all notorious for weird issues and Defender works fine with all of them.

I've never seen any issues between Defender and any kind security certificates.
 
As I am a "technician" who's job is to admin quite a few customers (almost 200 "companies") I would say I am dealing with it quite often.
Defender, Avast, AVG, Norton are something you do not want to ague with ... defender even blocks "certificate" files as it suspects they can be dangerous ... signature certificates ... the thing you use to authenticate or sign a PDF.
I know a lot of AVs got really good scores on "test" sites, but it does not make them non-obtrusive and often borderline acting like a malware.
Then you don't know what your doing and probably shouldn't be working in IT doing anything other than build jobs or perhaps you should just learn how to add those certs to defenders allow list it's not hard to do
 
Hi everyone,

So I had been using ESET for at least 5 years, & I was upset that they told me I had to switch to Win 10 from Win 7 otherwise they wouldn't support me (What???), plus getting support from them was always a pain.

So I decided not to renew & trust me, they didn't care.

I tried Avast & had issues with them and my old ergonomic mouse that they literally STOPPED me from using on my computer LOL

After wasting 2-3 hours with my website coder trying to figure out why my mouse wasn't working, I figured out it was Avast. Also, changing my e-mail address on their forum didn't work, so they are clearly no good.

Bit Defender I thought was great until I started to notice CPU or memory issues. I went to their forum & realized I'm not the only one having this issue.

So, looking online is pointless, as all I get are sites listing the top 10 software & they are all paid sites by the anti-virus companies.

Any suggestions? And please explain why you recommend said software. I can just go back to Malwarebytes, but I'm still not sure if that's a good replacement for anti virus.

I prefer free, at least to start, so I can make sure I like it.

Thanks a ton
I use Norton because I've been using for years. But I also use Malwarebytes along with Norton. I do recommend you use a professional version of whichever software you us to get real time protection. Some free versions don't have real time protection and you have to manually run a scan to remove malicious things.
 
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