What Free Antivirus Do You Install On Windows? 896
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by
timothy
from the is-clamav-no-longer-good? dept.
from the is-clamav-no-longer-good? dept.
Techman83 writes "After years of changing between AVG Free + Avast, it's coming time to find a new free alternative for friends/relatives who run Windows. AVG and Avast have been quite good, but are starting to bloat out in size, and also becoming very misleading. Avast recently auto updated from 4.8 to 5 and now requires you to register (even for the free version) and both are making it harder to actually find the free version. Is this the end of reasonable free antivirus, or is there another product I can entrust to keep the 'my computer's doing weird things' calls to a minimum?"
Uh...Avast? (Score:5, Informative)
I still use Avast. Oh noes, it took me 2 minutes to fill out the little form. It takes up few resources, it has updates for it nearly every day, it's free as in beer, and I have gotten a virus in ages. What's not to like?
Microsoft (Score:3, Informative)
I mean, if anyone knows about viruses, it'd be Microsoft.
Microsoft Security Essentials (Score:3, Informative)
Doesn't do as well as Kaspersky and some other payware ones, but does better than most of the free ones.
And is certainly less bloated than the McAfee and Symantec crap[1].
[1] Why install AV software that makes your computer behave like it's infected by loads of viruses...
Re:Microsoft (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Uh...Avast? (Score:3, Informative)
I've found Avast registration to be even easier now. I don't even have to go back to the website to register and get a key from my e-mail address. I can just register right in the program itself.
It gets the job done for me.
Install through ninite.com (Score:1, Informative)
Both Avast and AVG are on that site. Using there installer avoids all of the searching through six layers of pages, and it avoids all of the crapware. And you can bundle installers for multiple apps into one file. Quick and easy. You may be able to make an installer and mail it to your relatives and have them run it. I don't know though as I haven't tried it.
Microsoft Security Essentials (Score:3, Informative)
clam (Score:3, Informative)
Although it is missing an on access scan, I am not sure if that is a plus of a minus.
Avira (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Microsoft Security Essentials (Score:3, Informative)
I concur, Security Essentials is pleasantly small to download, fast to install, easy on resources, and reasonably effective. Be aware though it does validate with Genuine Advantage.
Registration isn't new (Score:5, Informative)
Obviously you've never actually used Avast. You've always had to register for the free version, and renew the regsitration once a year. They're giving it away for free, I honestly don't see registering as a big deal.
And the new version is actually a lot better, it finally detects rootkits... If you're looking for something that actually does its job and yet doesn't take up any space or processing power, I doubt you'll find anything...
If you're gonna pay for your operating system, and then complain about free antiviruses, you might want to consider changing to linux...
A few options (Score:3, Informative)
There are quite a few options actually. I'll list them in order of effectiveness.
1. BSD or Linux. You won't get hit by viruses or any crap like that, unless you're enough of a moron to run everything as root and go out of your way to make the system open. Unfortunately neither option will run 100% of your Windows software.
2. Unplug your Windows box. Guaranteed 100% effective. The drawback is that apps won't run. ;)
3. Comodo antivirus; http://personalfirewall.comodo.com/free-download.html [comodo.com] I have been trying it on various workstations and have found it to be reasonably good. Less effective than the above options! ;) Seriously though it's pretty good. It's not antispyware though, and it doesn't slow the system to a crawl like some other programs. That should be a non-issue. If not, then why are you running MSIE after you've been warned for years? ;)
4. Microsoft Security Essentials: Microsoft actually did a very good job with this basic suite. It's not bloated at all, is straight and to the point, and catches some spyware even malwarebytes misses. It's good now, but then again, Microsoft has dropped the ball with every antivirus and antispyware software they have installed to date.
5. You could try Norton Internet Security. I understand they've completely rearchitected it and brought over NO legacy code and are not bloated so you might want to try it, but I haven't looked at the Norton suite since the 2003 version that turned their antivirus into a failed abortion.
I was using Moon Secure on various systems for a while: it's free, open source, etc. but it has not been updated in forever and is rapidly becoming less and less effective, plus it has quite a few defects including making the Windows logon process EXTREMELY slow on some configurations.
Re:Microsoft Security Essentials (Score:4, Informative)
also beware of the fake Security Essentials that does bad things and also tries to get you to pay money:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/02/26/microsoft_security_essentials_rogue/ [theregister.co.uk]
Re:Microsoft Security Essentials (Score:5, Informative)
I respectfully disagree with your notion that Kaspersky is better than MSE. I had Kaspersky's basic anti-virus for 2 years before MSE came out, and it was a terrible resource hog. And not just during scans; the actual real-time protection would increase the time to open a video file from ~2 seconds after double-clicking to ~15 seconds.
Additionally, when it detects a suspicious file, the program issues the most gut-wrenching squealing noise I've ever heard. And it does this by default; you have to go into settings to disable the noise.
[/anecdote]
Ars technica review of MSE (Score:5, Informative)
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/09/first-look-microsoft-security-essentials-impresses.ars
An in-depth look at Microsoft Security Essentials, it made me decide to try it out on my girlfriend's laptop (I run OS X myself) and it's worked great.
Re:Install a linux of some sort (Score:4, Informative)
Web accelerator is nothing more than a cacheing proxy. install a proxy to replace it.
emulators, sorry, but bothand more are available under linux.
flash works fine.
Opera 10 - dont know I dont use it.
Realplayer-- WHY? Who cares?
Ipod mp4 video works perfectly fine. did you even try?
Sorry but 80% of all your claims have not been true for 2 or more years now, and some are simply forever false. I've played SNES games under linux for over 10 years now.
I can add to your list that Linux will run IE6 and IE7 AND IE8 fine under wine. as well as REalplayer if you really want that.
I'll try opera 10 tonight, but I suspect it will work perfectly under Ubuntu 9.10.
Oh I can also play WMA and WMV files as well as other non linux file formats.
P.S. I'm really sad for you, having to live with a Dialup ISP must suck. You cant get broadband at all? no WISP service? How about CDMA?
Re:Microsoft (Score:2, Informative)
It's reasonably unobtrusive, not incredibly. Try opening and reading a few thousand small files with it active, and then try the same with it inactive.
Re:Smaller AV programs? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Antivirus 2009 (Score:1, Informative)
You know 2010 is out now, right? Lots of useful new features. Don't sweat it though, it'll be on your machine shortly.
Re:Uh...Avast? (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Microsoft (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Uh...Avast? (Score:5, Informative)
I think it was a CNET comparison I read of 19 products. Microsoft Security Essentials was something like 2nd out of 19 products in detection, it was the only free product at the top, and it has the smallest footprint out of all 19 tested.
You'd be hard pressed to argue there is a better free product right now.
Re:i stopped using avast because of popups (Score:5, Informative)
Are you sure it was Avast? Because it is Avira that gives popups asking for update.
MS Virtual PC (Score:2, Informative)
Even better than fdisk: Microsoft Virtual PC.
Create a VM and stash away clones of the files it creates.
Browse the web in the VM with no protection. If it ever gets hosed by malware, just overwrite the VM files with the clones you made, and start over.
What could be simpler? Of course, it's not for my 73 year old mom...
Re:clam (Score:4, Informative)
Clam sentinel is a program that detects file system changes and automatically scans the files added or modified using ClamWin. Require the installation of ClamWin. For Microsoft Windows 98/98SE/Me/2000/XP/Vista/Windows 7.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/clamsentinel/ [sourceforge.net]
Re:Microsoft Security Essentials (Score:2, Informative)
Kaspersky doesn't make that noise anymore. Your information is obsolete and needs an update :p
Re:That's what we use (Score:3, Informative)
Seconded on both counts. If you simply want top notch, and are willing to pay for it, then NOD32 is it. If you want free & "just works", then MSE is probably the easiest choice to go with these days.
One bonus point for MSE is that it fetches virus signature updates (as well as version updates for itself) through Windows/Microsoft Update. That's one less "Foo Updater" process running on your PC.
Oh, and it scores pretty well in tests. Not top of the line, but generally above average, and certainly competitive with other free offerings.
Re:Microsoft (Score:2, Informative)
Avast registration a new thing? (Score:3, Informative)
As for good free AV, theres Avira, Avast, and MSSE, all of which are decent. More to the point, antivirus is the LEAST important thing you can do for friends and family-- FIRST, install firefox, update IE, uninstall Adobe Reader, and install foxit. This will prevent 100x more viruses than any AV will.
Re:i stopped using avast because of popups (Score:2, Informative)
...but really, who knows if they're working.
is there a way to evaluate antivirus software?
Eicar (antivirus test file): http://www.eicar.org/anti_virus_test_file.htm [eicar.org]
Re:That's what we use (Score:1, Informative)
From the Microsoft EULA
"If you comply with these license terms, you have the rights below for each license you acquire.
1. INSTALLATION AND USE RIGHTS.
a. Use. You may install and use any number of copies of the software on your devices in your household for use by people who reside there or for use in your home-based small business. "
It clearly states that you can only use this only in home or home-based small business. So unless you work out of your home you are violating the EULA by installing it.
Re:buy a mac or install linux (Score:1, Informative)
Wow, you have drunk the apple Kool-Aid!
You think macs don't have viruses? Think again. The truth is Macs have fewer viruses than pc's, but they still have them.
Re:I dont use... (Score:2, Informative)
I do work with network security (that is, I monitor clients traffic on a network, looking for suspicious traffic) and I can tell you that Bittorrent is not the way people get virus/malware today. Neither is it via the network (a worm), and seldom via e-mail.
It is by visiting a website, which contains malware via Flash, Iframes and/or Ads. A so-called drive-by. This usually happens either by someone linking to a "dangerous" website in Facebook, Twitter or a public forum and saying it's a funny video of some kind. Or a popular website has gotten an Ad from a 3rd party where the Ad contains some dangerous Flash-code.
As long as you do not run the latest version of Firefox/IE/Adobe Flash/Adobe Acrobat Reader and you are at the wrong site at the wrong time, you get infected! And sometimes the latest version of that software is exploitable too.
Re:Panda Cloud (Score:4, Informative)
Here:
http://web.archive.org/web/20060713211614/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/05/03/panda_software_linked_to_church/ [archive.org]
The French are scandalised by the idea that an estimated six to nine per cent of the revenues paid by its police ministry for Panda's Global Virus Insurance might have gone into the coffers of the Church, which was founded by L Ron Hubbard.
In french:
http://web.archive.org/web/20010512221513/http://www.lexpress.fr/Express/Info/Societe/Dossier/scientologie/dossier.asp?nom=place [archive.org]
The french article also mentions Diskeeper...
Re:I dont use... (Score:3, Informative)
That is why I would recommend to TFA that he install Comodo [comodo.com] as so far the detection rate has been excellent. It's free, doesn't suck up resources (currently using a whole 10Mb) has a MUCH better firewall than the one built into Windows, is easy for noobs to use, in short it "just works".
So if he wants something simple, easy, and free, with a really good detection rate and no bloat, I'd go with Comodo. I've even given it to my most clueless family members and so far nobody has had a bit of trouble understanding or using it. Comodo tries to make the alerts in plain English, doesn't pop up alerts unless there is something reasonable, very easy to manage. But you are right running without AV in this day and age is just stupid, especially when there are good AV programs like Comodo that doesn't cost a penny.
Re:Uh...Avast? (Score:1, Informative)
I'll third this. MS Security Essentials, along with Spybot Search & Destroy, and I also use PeerBlocker. All free, all work well, and none of the B.S. such as I've experienced with other "free" programs.
Re:Microsoft - why no AV in Windows install? (Score:1, Informative)
It wasn't just they were shipping a free browser with the OS. It was integrated with the OS. A bad idea even by today's standards. Why do it then? Embrace, extend, extinguish (or own) the internet. Sounds laughably evil? Sure it does.
Re:Microsoft - why no AV in Windows install? (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Uh...Avast? (Score:1, Informative)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWWNG0JBMCg [youtube.com]
Re:Uh...Avast? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Uh...Avast? (Score:4, Informative)
Try Comodo [comodo.com]. I have tried AVG, AntiVir, Avast, and MSE, and out of all of them I've found Comodo to be the best when it comes to resources, lack of irritation, and catching nasties. And if you are worried about PC usage? I'm typing this on a 1.8GHz Sempron I use as a netbox, and Comodo is using 0% CPU and just 12Mb of RAM ATM, and that is with both Comodo AV and Firewall.
What I've found the best about it is that you can have it both ways. If you just want to install it and walk away that's fine, as its defaults are sensible without anything needing to be touched. On the other hand if you are the type that wants to tweak every setting or get really fine grained on the firewall, well it supports that as well. It really is a nice AV that doesn't bug the shit out of you with popups like many do.
It'll take it around 3 days to learn your routine, after that you may get a popup once a week when you do something unexpected or an app suddenly tries to call home. It is so quiet I even leave it running while gaming and it doesn't bother me or slow things down. I really can't say enough good things about it, and it sucks that nobody ever seems to bring it up on the big review sites. I have some relatives that can pick up more viruses than a Bangkok whore and Comodo has kept them squeaky clean, and that's saying something!