Question:
what is the best anti-virus software because i am selling my computer?
2008-05-14 14:41:43 UTC
what is the best anti-virus software because i am selling my computer?
Four answers:
2008-05-14 14:48:03 UTC
These days you need a whole lot more than just a virus protection. Only about 15% of all malware is viruses. The rest is worms, trojans, phishing schemes, spyware, etc.



Here's some ideas to make Internet Security Suite (securitycenter) for free. Free is always the best.



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1. For your Anti-Virus......(Always use only 1 A-V...You must NEVER use more than one anti-virus, Even an expired anti-virus can cause a major conflict...(did I mention that you MUST uninstall any old anti-virus products?)



For your anti-virus needs, I would suggest Avira AntiVir® PersonalEdition Classic. It has excellent heuristics, a virus detection rate that is better than many of "paid-for" anti-virus programs and is light on using your computer's resources. And did I mention that it's free!



Download here:

http://www.free-av.com/



Avoid an anti-virus called AVG (free version). It is wildly popular but has poor virus detection rates.



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2. For your Anti-Adware and Anti-Spyware needs...............(use at least 1 anti-spyware, but 2 is OK). Do a scan with it on a regular basis.



SUPERAntiSpyware:

http://www.superantispyware.com/



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3. For your Firewall..........(Always use only 1 software firewall)



A decent free firewall is PC Tools Firewall Plus. One can either choose "Normal User Mode" Or "Expert User Mode"'depending on the detail of alerts and application custom rules desired.



It is one of the few free firewalls that will work (and work well) on Vista as well as XP and 2000.



http://www.pctools.com/firewall/



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4. And to help protect your computer from ever getting infected with malware in the first place............ (use them both)



SpywareBlaster helps to immunize your computer again certain selected malware.:

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareb...



SiteAdvisor warns you when visiting a potentionally malicious web-site:

http://www.siteadvisor.com/



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5. And always keep your Windows and all your installed software 100% updated and patched with all critical and security updates from the vendors THIS IS A MUST! In Internet Explorer just click Tools then Windows Updates.



Here is a little online (no download) security tool called The Secunia Software Inspector, that checks a computer for un-secure, un-updated and un-patched apps that may be installed on your computer.



The Secunia Software Inspector checks for possibly vulnerable programs like Adobe, Winamp, Java, Windows, Internet Explorer etc. and notifies if critical security updates are needed. !



Will work using IE, Opera or Firefox.



Use it once a month.



Pretty cool and free at:

http://secunia.com/software_inspector/



Great luck! Enjoy!
2008-05-14 15:09:21 UTC
you should only have one antivirus program, but you should always have at least 2 spyware/adware scanners to remove things. certain programs detect certain things that others bypass. i have a few cleanup and program suggestions. choose whichever you like. your computer safety programs might not be the safest depending on what they are. but i can guarentee my suggestions are safe. cleaning up your computer can make it run faster. also go to the start menu, then go to RUN, then type msconfig and choose the startup and you can enable or disable certain programs from starting when you boot your computer. but here are my suggestions:

*AVG is not as reliable as AVAST go to http://download.com and download it (search for Avast home) dont register it and when the demo is up, just uninstall it and reinstall it. it also helps because if you download a bad file from limewire or the internet, it alerts you immediately so you can delete it right away. certain AVG programs will be charging for updates soon and thats not good if you cant pay for them you ushould always keep your antivirus up to date. keep Avast home edition open in your toolbar at all times. it moniters alot of potentially harmful things its really great. if you dont have firewall i suggest downloading Zonealarm (which is free) and if you need antispyware, download Spybot search and destroy and superantispyware free edition

you might also want to download ccleaner to keep your computer cleaner make sure you keep any programs you download (that i suggested) updated



as for cleanup tips i

suggest the following; here are a few things to clean up your computer:first go to the start panel and click RUN then type %temp% then delete EVERYTHING in that file but not the file itself.(this will help you clean up your computer a little bit)

Also go to Mycomputer, Click drive C, then click the Windows Folder, then find the Prefetch Folder Open that (dont delete the folder itself) and delete all the items in that.



http://safer-networking.org/en/spybotsd/

http://download.com

http://superantispyware.com

http://ccleaner.com

i use all of these and my computer has been virus free and running faster then ever
george.anthony58
2008-05-14 14:55:12 UTC
There are many that You can get but look around I mentioned CNET in My last answer as they are very good
West
2008-05-15 13:03:16 UTC
My Review :



GOLD





KASPER-SKY ANTI VIRUS





Ease of Use:

In the past, Kaspersky had issues with their interface and the ease of use associated with it. They have listened to their customers over the years and changed the interface to rival others on the market. Now, simplicity is key within Kaspersky Antivirus. Kaspersky's main menu screen is split into different sections depending on what you would like to accomplish. Protection, Scan, Update, Reports and Data Files, and Support are listed on the left side of the screen with the options pertaining to each in a sub menu or on the right-hand side of the screen. There are also advanced options available through a settings option at the bottom of the screen.





Effectiveness:

Kaspersky Antivirus is one of the most advanced products on the market for virus scanning. Its on-access scanner is extremely fast and doesn't cause any noticeable slowdown of the computer while performing regular tasks such as browsing the web or writing documents or even higher end tasks such as transferring and moving files. The on-demand scanner within Kaspersky Antivirus is very fast as well. Another plus with Kaspersky is its light footprint on your system resources. Memory usage is minimal during the on access scanning times as well as on demand scanning. During a system scan, we noticed about 55MB of memory usage on average with up to 30% CPU usage.





Updates:

Kaspersky Antivirus checks for updates every hour by default. There are other programs out there that also do this but Kaspersky takes it to a new level because of the speed that they respond to outbreaks and release updates. If there is a major outbreak, Kaspersky Labs has an average update release time of less than 2 hours. This is the fastest of any antivirus company at this time.





Feature Set:



Features included with Kaspersky Antivirus are some of the most complete in the market. Beyond protecting your files and email from viruses, Kaspersky Labs took this a step further. They included a scanner that will check all the web pages you visit for viruses as well. This feature is especially useful for people that use Internet Explorer as their web browser due to the history of security holes related to viruses in the Internet cache your computer stores.



Kaspersky Antivirus also includes a registry protector called Registry Guard. This will prevent any unwanted changes to your computer registry.



We were especially impressed with the reporting features included with Kaspersky Antivirus. There are reports available for each scan that is done as well as "live" reports that are generated on the fly for several portions of the program that are scanning all the time.



Ease of Installation:

The installation of Kaspersky Antivirus is extremely simple and posed no problems for us. A single reboot was required to complete the installation.





Help/Support:

Kaspersky Labs offers several support options to help keep your system in top shape. Direct email support, support forums, phone support as well as an impressive FAQ are all available.





Summary:

Antivirus programs are a dime a dozen. Kaspersky makes nearly all of them look like a futile attempt at hanging with the big dogs. Many times Kaspersky has been awarded certification from top organizations such as ICSA and WCL, as well as receiving the TopTenREVIEWS Silver award multiple times. What this all comes down to is that the hard work Kaspersky puts into their products provides us with some of the most elite protection available. Whether you are just a novice or are dining with the digital elite, Kaspersky Antivirus is a great choice to protect your computer from the dark side of the Internet.



Screen shots:

http://www.toptenreviews.com/i/rev/scrn/...

http://www.toptenreviews.com/i/rev/scrn/...







SILVER





BIT DEFENDER





Ease of Use:



Softwin has covered all of the bases with BitDefender. This comprehensive product has an attractive, easy–to–use design that is consistent throughout the software and the manufacturer’s website. Because it is simple to use and updates itself automatically, you can install it on your system, then practically forget it’s there—an ideal solution for any user.



BitDefender has an option to display a small window called the “File Zone” on your desktop that indicates how many files the program has scanned in the past few minutes. You can also drag and drop files into the File Zone for an immediate scan. The program prepares a report of each completed scan so you know exactly what your files do or do not contain and you can instruct BitDefender to disinfect or remove any infected files or messages.



You can also customize BitDefender’s security settings for features such as AntiVirus, Antispam, Antispyware and Parental Control.



Effectiveness:



BitDefender’s customizable settings make the program effective for a variety of users. For example, if you receive legitimate commercial email, you can set BitDefender’s spam filters to allow specific or all emails.



Virus Bulletin rated BitDefender a VB100%, the highest honor for anti–virus software.



The VB 100% logo is awarded to anti–virus products that detect all current “in the wild” viruses during both on–demand and on–access scanning in Virus Bulletin’s comparative tests.



Additionally, BitDefender passed the ICSA 2007—a similar test that certifies the software can detect viruses, prevent virus replication, and doesn’t generate false positives.



Updates:



The live update feature checks for product and virus definition updates at either a user–defined interval, manually or default (every hour). When you do a manual check for updates, you can decide which updates to install. When the software automatically checks for updates, it can update the files immediately or at a specified time that you can determine during setup.



Feature Set:



BitDefender creates a summary log of events that shows the last definitions updates, details on any virus the software encounters, the last time you ran a scan, definitions number and more. And new in 2008, Bitdefender has added a Gamer Feature so it won't interrupt you during intense gaming.



BitDefender’s startup guard will tell you if a program is trying to load itself upon start up so you can choose to allow it or not. This software suite also comes with adware and spyware detectors. Though we recommend using an antispyware scanner, as they are designed specifically for this purpose, it is nice to have two programs working towards a common goal, to keep your computer clean.



Ease of Installation:



Installation of BitDefender is a snap. Uninstalling BitDefender was easy as well. We did find some leftover registry entries and directories after the uninstall completed though.



Help/Support:



When you purchase BitDefender you also receive one year of virus signature and scan engine updates. The manufacturer offers qualified technical support live via the Internet and telephone.



There is also an online database with answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) and they have an email address–they answered our email within 6 hours. An online forum is also available on the BitDefender support site.





Summary:



BitDefender is easy to use, simple to install, has a great feature set and at $24.95, it won’t break your bank account. Anyone who spends time on the Internet knows the importance of anti–virus software; BitDefender will keep your computer virus–free and running smoothly.



Screen Shots:



http://www.toptenreviews.com/i/rev/scrn/...

http://www.toptenreviews.com/i/rev/scrn/...





BRONZE



NOD32



Ease of Use:



ESET NOD32 Antivirus is a changed product. The base features are extremely simple and easy to use while still being effective. The redesigned interface includes a menu on the left with sub options on the right. Several options exist in the sub options to assist in "drilling down" to what you wish to do.



There is little or no base configuration needed to get the NOD32 Antivirus working after install. If you do require custom configurations though, you have a simple advanced configuration menu that gives you all the options needed to customize NOD32 to your specific needs.



Effectiveness:

ESET NOD32 Antivirus is very effective in detecting and cleaning viruses from your computer. The on-demand scanner is fast and effective while still allowing you to do other things on your computer during the scan. The on-access scanner is almost behind the scenes compared to many other options out there. The only time you will notice what it is doing is when it detects a threat.





Updates:



The standard update cycle for ESET NOD32 Antivirus is once a day if needed. They have the ability to "push" updates if there is a significant threat though.



Their response times for new threats are very fast ranging from 1 to 4 hours depending on the threat.



Feature Set:



Included with ESET NOD32 Antivirus are several layers of protection. Antivirus scanning includes integrated real time email protection, web access protection as well as a rootkit scanner and a spyware scanner. All of these features are included and integrated into the on demand scanner. The email protection included with NOD32 integrates directly with MS Outlook and any standard POP3 email client. It surprisingly doesn't include IMAP scanning. This shouldn't be an issue for most people though since POP3 is by far the most used email protocol in use today for local email clients.



Also included to make this version of NOD32 Antivirus much more effective is the ThreatSense engine. ThreatSense is a system developed


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
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