Best antiVirus program for Win7?

[Dana]

opinions?

 

[itsmeJonB]

AVG free

/thread

 

[Springsteen]

avg free

/thread

+1

...

 

[mrotterdam4]

My favorite 3 are Avast, Avira and ZenOK, the las one has an online backup option

 

[itsmeJonB]

You have to pay for Kaspersky. I'm on a budget. Does everything I need it to do, and I dont have a single virus.
I'm getting my money's worth I'd say

 

[Natasha]

I agree that AVG was crap when I had it (before I had Windows 7)...I prefer Avast.

 

[TommyTooter]

i lost a lot of time and a little bit of hardware using free antivirus programs.

i fell into pc tools antispyware doctor with antivirus for 40 bucks per year after it was the only thing to heal an infection from the phony antivirus software virus. it has definitely been worth it. since june, it has removed hundreds of bugs and it's pro-active, warning about trouble on sites and often blocking them.

 

[Tim]

I don't run antivirus software nor have I for years. It slows down the computer too much and is annoying as a virus itself.

Hell, I haven't had a virus in a very long time and when I do get one, I just spend a few minutes cleaning it up. If you add up all the time messing with antivirus programs over the years, I bet it's a hell of a lot more time and aggravation than just dealing with the occasional virus.

 

[Ciara]

I use MSE (Microsoft Security Essentials) on my desktop and laptop the second gen version is lighter and faster then its first release and I will probably use MSE on my next build as it does all I need and its free

 

[darkcgi]

Use avast with spybot search and destroy both free
Im a programmer and IT wiz since 1988
Friends called me human sponge or rain man

 

[retro]

I know this is an old thread, but...

Norton Internet Security
http://us.norton.com/internet-security/

Absolute best product out there if you're looking for quality protection. It's what I run on my personal computer, laptop, and media center PCs. Very little performance impact, and the security it provides is absolutely top-notch.

 

[darkcgi]

Nortons does protect the best but its pricey and a huge memory hog HUGE

 

[Zorak]

I know this is an old thread, but...

Norton Internet Security
http://us.norton.com/internet-security/

Absolute best product out there if you're looking for quality protection. It's what I run on my personal computer, laptop, and media center PCs. Very little performance impact, and the security it provides is absolutely top-notch.

:eek

Are we talking about the same norton?

 

[Ciara]

I understand that Norton IS and 360 have been revamped but at £50 to £60 a year I wont be using it.

 

[Panacea]

I've heard Norton is horrible for your computer

 

[retro]

Nortons does protect the best but its pricey and a huge memory hog HUGE

Nope, it's not even close to being a memory hog anymore.

:eek

Are we talking about the same norton?

Indeed... it's been completely revamped from previous versions. This is as of last year's version, and this year isn't any different.

I've heard Norton is horrible for your computer

Nope... McAffee is horrible for your computer though. Norton wasn't ever "horrible", but it was a system hog unfortunately. So I used PC-cillin for a while, and then moved back to Norton. It's expensive, but you can get a 3-pack for $50. It's obviously more expensive than something like AVG, but with AVG you're getting what you pay for. It used to be really, really good, but those days are gone. If I had to recommend a free AV software, then I'd say to go with Avast... it's infinitely better than AVG.

 

[BadBoy]

Norton and McAffee are the worse. Its the first two targeted by viruses to be disabled. Once that happens, you are screwed, so then what?

I run F-Secure. I've never had a virus since installing 2 years ago and I don't even realize it is running.

 

[brieze]

Avast. :nod:

 

[retro]

Norton and McAffee are the worse. Its the first two targeted by viruses to be disabled. Once that happens, you are screwed, so then what?

I run F-Secure. I've never had a virus since installing 2 years ago and I don't even realize it is running.

You do realize that if you have an updated anti-virus application, a virus (unless it hasn't been discovered yet) gets caught by the AV before it can actually do anything, right? Plus, most AV software out there utilizes heuristics to determine if an application or file is exhibiting virus-like behavior, and quarantines them immediately if they are. That is if you have an AV software worth a damn and you keep it updated. Norton has the best track record of finding and stopping viruses before they do any damage to your computer, and it's anti-spyware properties are getting better as time goes on.

What it really comes down to is being smart about what you download and install from the internet. Also, not believing misinformation is always a good thing to do.

 

[retro]

Avast. :nod:

That's actually what I'm running on my work computer right now because I have Windows 7 and I can't buy a new corporate AV software until next year because of budget issues.