Author Topic: Best Antivirus? (Read 15675 times)

jackh1990 · « **on:** November 13, 2005, 01:20:06 PM »

Hi,
My friend recently had her computer wiped clean because of a nasty virus she picked up and i was just wondering what you guys think is the best antivirus program? My friend doesnt mind paying 40 or 50 pounds. I have heard about the free ones (avg, avast) but it made me think wether they are as competent as the ones you pay for?
Thanks

patio · « **Reply #1 on:** November 13, 2005, 08:40:45 PM »

AVG and Avast are both fine products and both offer a free version.
I run AVG.

patio.

Hopester Doofus · « **Reply #2 on:** November 13, 2005, 09:20:07 PM »

AVG is what you want.

Click here and then click on the file at the bottom of the page (avg71free).

Doesn't cost a penny.

jackh1990 · « **Reply #3 on:** November 14, 2005, 11:22:07 AM »

ok cheers for the info + opinion guys

Odubhthaigh · « **Reply #4 on:** November 15, 2005, 06:01:23 PM »

Bah, I disagree.. I've run AVG a lot at work, and it sometimes is a major pain.. and you can't install in SAFE.. which to most people might not seem like an issue, but when you see 50+ possibly infected computers/day.. those reboots add up... Personally, for home use, I love http://Http://www.ewido.org.. very nice, good free version, highly effective and works well with HiJackThis...

Just my 2 cents

Blackberry · « **Reply #5 on:** November 18, 2005, 08:59:25 AM »

i don't think there is one best antivirus program, i think each program have his good and bad points, i'm using NORTON antivirus 2005 and i'm happy with it

patio · « **Reply #6 on:** November 18, 2005, 06:35:54 PM »

Quote

Bah, I disagree.. I've run AVG a lot at work, and it sometimes is a major pain.. and you can't install in SAFE.. which to most people might not seem like an issue, but when you see 50+ possibly infected computers/day.. those reboots add up... Personally, for home use, I love http://Http://www.ewido.org.. very nice, good free version, highly effective and works well with HiJackThis...

Just my 2 cents

How has AVG been a pain ? ? I'd be interested to know since i personally have been running it for over 3 years now and have installed it on hundreds of client's machines for them with no complaints...Why would you need to install it in Safe Mode ? ?
For that matter what programs can you install in Safe Mode ? ?
Just curious.

patio.

Gaia · « **Reply #7 on:** November 18, 2005, 07:45:00 PM »

AVG really did a number on my Windows 98 computer. Don't know why.

I would suggest Panda Anti-Virus. Hasn't let me down yet.

Fed · « **Reply #8 on:** November 19, 2005, 12:52:23 AM »

Quote

Bah, I disagree.. I've run AVG a lot at work, and it sometimes is a major pain.. and you can't install in SAFE.. which to most people might not seem like an issue, but when you see 50+ possibly infected computers/day.. those reboots add up... Personally, for home use, I love http://Http://www.ewido.org.. very nice, good free version, highly effective and works well with HiJackThis...

Ewido is not an Antivirus program.
The Ewido realtime protection runs out after a couple of weeks in the free version.
No wonder you're getting 50+ possibly infected computers a day.
You should install a good Antivirus like AVG.

Champion_Munch · « **Reply #9 on:** November 20, 2005, 11:23:25 PM »

For a commercial Anti-Virus utility, I would go for Trend Micro. I have used them for a few years now, they are excellent (the firewall aint that great though, but we're talking about the actual AV aren't we?).

Norton AV uses far too many resources, and their newer versions come packed with too many "goodies" that are useless or mostly useless, often with better freeware substitutes.

MacAfee is alright, but it costs far more than Trend Micro.

I have heard good things about Nod32 and Kaspersky, but I haven't used either of them.

As for freeware, Avast! wins all hands down. AVG does a far worse job at not only finding viruses, but also their removal rate is poor. Avast! uses a bit more resources, however, so I wouldn't install it on any machine more than about 3 or 4 years old.

It's also a good idea to use free Anti-Virus online scans every now and again, as a backup for your hard-drive-based one. Trend Micro and Panda both have decent ones:

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/
http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/activescan.asp

with regards

patio · « **Reply #10 on:** November 21, 2005, 09:12:08 AM »

Not to banter about but i'll make my point anyways.
I personally have gone 3 plus years running AVG with absolutely no infections whatsoever...i also work on systems and have for the past 14 years. I couldn't begin to count how many client's machines i have installed AVG on with the same excellent results.

Anyone who says it doesn't perform well or says it caused problems on their machines just doesn't know what they are talking about.

There are more protection programs that need to be used side by side along with any AV program such as Spybot, AdAware, Ewido Trojan Hunter etc...

But to say AVG doesn't do the job or it caused problems is both mis-leading and inaccurate.

There. I'm Done.

patio.

This Rant brought to you by Woody's Chop Shop.

Hopester Doofus · « **Reply #11 on:** November 21, 2005, 04:47:37 PM »

I like your style, patio.

GX1_Man · « **Reply #12 on:** November 21, 2005, 06:38:30 PM »

A case well made for AVG. I use it on my limited number of Windows boxes and always recommend it to others on theirs.

(Of course I don't need it or ANY of this other good stuff with Linux, heh-heh.)

patio · « **Reply #13 on:** November 21, 2005, 06:42:23 PM »

The penguin strikes again !

patio.

GX1_Man · « **Reply #14 on:** November 22, 2005, 03:26:31 PM »

Getting philosophical, the best antivirus is the one you update and use regularly along with other appropriate tools.

In the case of Norton, please disregard and use anything else.

Champion_Munch · « **Reply #15 on:** November 22, 2005, 08:02:27 PM »

Quote

I personally have gone 3 plus years running AVG with absolutely no infections whatsoever...i also work on systems and have for the past 14 years. I couldn't begin to count how many client's machines i have installed AVG on with the same excellent results.

Perhaps it's not picking up anything?

Quote

Anyone who says it doesn't perform well or says it caused problems on their machines just doesn't know what they are talking about.

My own personal experience, with both my own machines and mates' machines, is that AVG won't always remove certain things it finds. To say that I "don't know what I'm talking about" purely because I don't agree with you is crazy. Sure, Avast! won't run well on older machines, but I have found it runs far better that AVG.

Quote

There are more protection programs that need to be used side by side along with any AV program such as Spybot, AdAware, Ewido Trojan Hunter etc...

Absolutely. Another good backup is to run online scans. They can't always remove certain files, but what more can you ask for, for nothing? When you run your AV (and AS/AT programs), you should always do it in SafeMode.

Quote

But to say AVG doesn't do the job or it caused problems is both mis-leading and inaccurate.

Like I said before, in my experience Avast! has performed much better. AVG can do the job, Avast! just does a better one.

Also, at the forums I usually frequent, probably 80% of us lean in favour of Avast! over AVG. I guess people's opinions will vary from place to place.

with regards[/color]

Windows98 · « **Reply #16 on:** November 22, 2005, 08:12:59 PM »

As a old PC user I like to experiment with software and programs on my computer. That is why I refomat my computer once a year. With my experience This I can tell you in my own opinion:

Avast Antivirus: This virus is good for first time computer users. It is free and provide a limited but at least they are trying an adaware detector. The user interfaces is not as easy to use or locate. But the scan is pretty good. I think they are over killing the warnings with the alarms.

Antivir- Another good antivirus. With friendly user interfaces and real time detection. This virus scan is good for low system resource computers. It is a good virus scan though the design is boring but hey. Who needs fancy when we only need it to work.

AVG- This virus scan does not provide real time protection frrom my experience. This virus scan is good for picking up only medium to high risk viruses considering a low virus definition database.. Not recomended for user who use P2P application and wierd stuff. Good for everyday basic use and protection. Easy interfaces to use

Norton: I use norton before. Before there 2003 version it became a system hog and now has become one of the most very dissapointing virus scan for the old computers. Though it is flooded with virus definitions it sometimes can't remove the virus. "Gee I wonder why?" It is a big waste of system resources which again I do not recomend unless you are a P2P user and a heavey surfer of the web with a computer over 800mhz and 128MB RAM

McAfee: It has a very simple interface. Is it really protecting my computer? I have no idea. I haven't used it for a year yet so no opinions here. Will be updated after the year

*Please note Notron and McAfee are not free*

patio · « **Reply #17 on:** November 23, 2005, 02:33:46 PM »

Champion Munch you can rant all you like and take it personally if you prefer, that was not my intention.
I stand by my statements completely.
To state "maybe it hasn't found anything" is silly as well...malware detected or undetected will still effect a machine irregardless of what AV program is installed.
The regular online scans i preform will back up my findings 100%...

There i'm done again.

patio.

p.s. This additional rant brought to you by Grum's Sub Shoppe

Champion_Munch · « **Reply #18 on:** November 23, 2005, 03:34:50 PM »

Quote

...and take it personally if you prefer...

I'm not offended.

with regards[/color]

Odubhthaigh · « **Reply #19 on:** November 23, 2005, 08:54:20 PM »

Quote

How has AVG been a pain ? ? I'd be interested to know since i personally have been running it for over 3 years now and have installed it on hundreds of client's machines for them with no complaints...Why would you need to install it in Safe Mode ? ?
For that matter what programs can you install in Safe Mode ? ?
Just curious.

patio.

Wow, almost hateful... It's been a few days since I stopped by here.. And as to why.. I use antivirus tools to remove virii on a client's machine, as a one time, one stop deal. So maybe I misinterpretted the question. Ewido's the best I've found, so far, in conjunction with Hijackthis, registry line editing, msconfig and what have you for forcefully removing filth from a client's computer. Sure, I would not recommend ewido as a permanent longstanding solution for someone.

As for your comments on the number of virii/machines I see on a day-to-day basis, I can't controll where people go unprotected on the internet and how stupid they are about clicking on pop-ups claiming they've won something super cool... I see the machine when they've driven it into the farq'n ground and the *censored* thing barely POSTS. So sometimes, normal installation is a bear.. so safemode install is the most timely, and efficient manner of dealing with things.. As far as my preference over AVG, towards ewido in application. Notoriously, I've found AVG misses a lot of crap, sometimes at no fault of it's own, if installed on top of a mess, and generally misses a lot of things that ewido will catch. Also, I prefer the way Ewido lays out the location, registry key, and related file structures of the things it finds. I've also noticed that AVG names certain virii by it's OWN naming structure, and not more wildly known of instances of a virii. Avast is also notorious in my experience for that.. NOW, I'm sure that's all well and good if the program removed the virii, and it was your one stop shop.. but for me, it's not.. I only need a suppliment to help me diagnose a machine so I know what I'm working with here, and if removal is even practical, and also to assist me in the actual removal of virii.. Now I've found ewido is much more tenacious at the actual removal of virii than others; as well as being much more.. swift at scan speed. Avast's boot scanning is a very good tool.. BUT, it's over all scan speed, though thorough, is incredibly slow. I've also found that AVG seems to have an issue running out for updates on our proxy server.. NOW that might just be something with our NAT or whatever, but *censored* if sometimes it just won't work.. since I didn't set up, nor am I in charge of maintaining said network, I dont' bother with it.

But, Like I said, I was under the assumption that this dialogue was about which we found the best.. My vote's still on Ewido.. and maybe that's just because my idea of what was the "best" is different from yours.. but.. your cutting comments not withstanding, and very unappreciated, have a nice day mr. diehardmyAVsolutionisthebestandifyoudis agreeimaridiculeyou...

cheers mate

patio · « **Reply #20 on:** November 24, 2005, 10:42:28 AM »

Ewido is a fine product...it is a dedicated Trojan scanner though and is not written to search and find other virii variants.
A good protection arsenal needs more than 2 or 3 tools to be effective.
As to the effectiveness of AVG i still stand by my original statements 100 %.

patio.

R0SS · « **Reply #21 on:** November 24, 2005, 12:33:47 PM »

i wont bother reading all of this but hey lol

the best Anti-virus i think is Trend Micro PC-CILLIN

its great seems to always clear my pc up

R0SS

Champion_Munch · « **Reply #22 on:** November 24, 2005, 05:25:43 PM »

Patio is right... ewido is not a virus scanner, handy as it is at removing trojans/dialers/hijackers. This thread is about the best Anti-Virus utility, not the best all-round utility.

As much as I dislike AVG, I'm sure it picks up far more viruses than ewido does. Things that ewido will pick up won't be viruses. That's like saying that Ad-Aware is a better program than any AV because it picks up spyware/adware that usual AV's won't pick up.

Each computer needs a combination of security protection - anti-virus, anti-trojan, anti-spyware etc. It's better to have several programs that specificially target a particular threat, than one program that will claim to clean everything (often it has poor detection rates).

with regards

subatomicguy · « **Reply #23 on:** November 28, 2005, 01:47:04 AM »

Norton Internet Security 2005 is a great program, but it is such a resource hog. It still takes a while to load even with 1GB of RAM (You should have seen it on my old old old PC with 128MB RAM) It has great scanning options, aswell as an awesome firewall, privacy blocker etc.

ElaineAVG · « **Reply #24 on:** December 04, 2005, 11:34:25 AM »

Best Antivirus !!!!

Ooooooooo I think my username says it all

ElaineAVG

Fed · « **Reply #25 on:** December 04, 2005, 12:21:19 PM »

Welcome ElaineAVG

troosers · « **Reply #26 on:** December 06, 2005, 06:59:37 AM »

id say either zonealarm or panda internet security r the best antivirus i use panda at home and zonealarm for work and have never had any problems i also regularly supply zonealarm to customers and they never complain dont even bother with norton it sucks

ElaineAVG · « **Reply #27 on:** December 06, 2005, 07:29:55 AM »

Quote

Welcome ElaineAVG

Thanks for the welcome Fred

Carl_Padrez · « **Reply #28 on:** December 11, 2005, 08:28:41 AM »

I have tried, among others, Norton, McAfee, Panda, Avast, AVG, PCillin, Kaspersky (KAV), BitDefender and NOD32 because after suffering 6 severe disasters due to failures in McAfee (3) and Norton (3) I became kind of anti-virus obsessed.

Since theres is no free meal, a free anti-virus is, for sure, lacking something. For me the 3 best are BitDefender 9 Std, KAV 5 Personal and NOD32.

BitDefender freezes my PC for anout 15 seconds whenever it updates its virus data bases, but it allows to keep detailed record of every infected object found and has by far the best technical support. Out of the three, it's the second easier to customize.

KAV Personal 5 is too heavy, uses too many PC resources, put "garbage" (KAVICH$:) into my PC --and, even though, takes a long to scan-- and is almost "mute", which is bad for me because I want to keep record of every infected/suspicious object being intercepted. It's the easiest to customize.

NOD32 has the highest virus detection rate, is made in a way that resembles no other one I know of, is no as "mute" as KAV, uses almost no PC resources and fully scan my PC in 1 hour while BitDefender takes 1,5 and KAV 2.5. It's the more difficult to customize. So I have stayed with NOD32 ... till I discover something better.

Fed · « **Reply #29 on:** December 11, 2005, 12:06:38 PM »

Very interesting Carl, which of the free ones did you like the best and why?

(How long does the nod32 trial last for?)

GX1_Man · « **Reply #30 on:** December 11, 2005, 03:04:42 PM »

I have no antivirus, spyware removes, ewido or anything like that on my main box, nothing to update or scan, and have never had a problem despite vigorous internet surfing. (Whoops, just another Linux plug! I don't do it often, but it was time. As you were.

)

Carl_Padrez · « **Reply #31 on:** December 11, 2005, 07:05:35 PM »

I like NOD32 the best. Reasons.
1) It has the highest virus detection rate.
2) It runs fine in one of my old PCs (533 MHz, 184 MB RAM) where KAV and even BitDefender cause problems.
3) Its heuristic detection method seems to me the most effective.
4) It does not update each hour (I suspect that programs that do that are using placebo effect most of the times), but reacts rapidly to crisis. For instance, during the last crisis, some days ago, it updates 6 times during a specific day.
5) It has the shortest scan time.
6) As far as I know, ESET, NOD32's owner, is devoted to this antivirus program ONLY. I believe that fighting viruses is a full time job, and that Champion_Munch is right when said that: "... program that will claim to clean everything often it has poor detection rates".
7) Is has no co-existence problems with any other of my security programs (Spy Sweeper, Ad-Aware, SpywareBlaster, BlackICE). Other anti-virus I have used had this kind of problems.

patio · « **Reply #32 on:** December 11, 2005, 07:08:47 PM »

Quote

I have no antivirus, spyware removes, ewido or anything like that on my main box, nothing to update or scan, and have never had a problem despite vigorous internet surfing. (Whoops, just another Linux plug! I don't do it often, but it was time. As you were. )

I was waiting for this one...

GX1_Man · « **Reply #33 on:** December 11, 2005, 07:27:16 PM »

Which one uses Linux?

patio · « **Reply #34 on:** December 11, 2005, 09:30:43 PM »

Have you tried Ubuntu ? ?
I booted the live CD and i was online and checking my mail inside of 10 minutes with all my hardware recognised.
Impressive.

Fed · « **Reply #35 on:** December 11, 2005, 09:40:27 PM »

I didn't realise nod32 was free, I'll have to recommend it to others as a permanent antivirus solution.

Blackberry · « **Reply #36 on:** December 12, 2005, 05:18:12 AM »

is nod 32 free? i have a demo for 30 days and it won't go farther than 40 days... or do you mean free by illegal downloading it

Fed · « **Reply #37 on:** December 12, 2005, 12:14:22 PM »

Carl says it's free. ^Look up^

GX1_Man · « **Reply #38 on:** December 12, 2005, 06:18:55 PM »

Quote

Have you tried Ubuntu ? ?
I booted the live CD and i was online and checking my mail inside of 10 minutes with all my hardware recognised.
Impressive.

Patio,

Most of the Live CD's can do this. Installing it adds a few more perks. Some are better at hardware than others.

Armando · « **Reply #39 on:** December 12, 2005, 08:55:00 PM »

Just because I am a grammar freak:

Irregardless is *NOT* a word

Fed · « **Reply #40 on:** December 12, 2005, 09:39:43 PM »

Irregardless: Adverb

Regardless; a combination of irrespective and regardless sometimes used humorously.

Armando · « **Reply #41 on:** December 12, 2005, 09:41:44 PM »

ir·re·gard·less Audio pronunciation of "irregardless" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (r-gärdls)
adv. Nonstandard

Regardless.

Note the: Slang or nonstandard

patio · « **Reply #42 on:** December 13, 2005, 08:53:30 PM »

Armando, you have just been promoted to grammar patrol for CH.

Congrats ! It should keep you quite busy...

Champion_Munch · « **Reply #43 on:** December 15, 2005, 05:10:44 AM »

Nod32 for free? Sounds great... linky?

Carl, what kind of machine are you running that it takes 1+ hours to scan with an AV? Even on my dad's machine, which is a couple of years old, it takes at the longest 20 minutes with PC-Cillin.

Quote

Is has no co-existence problems with any other of my security programs (Spy Sweeper, Ad-Aware, SpywareBlaster, BlackICE). Other anti-virus I have used had this kind of problems.

What other anti-virus programs had conflicts with those utilities? I didn't realise that any of the major AVs did have those issues, I would be interested to know which ones you had problems with.

Also, I've never used/heard of BlackIce before, what's it like?

with regards[/color]

Computer Hope Forum

News: