Which is the best computer anti-virus software?

Question

How can one minimise virus attacks to the computer? We seem to be having more virus attacks and they are becoming more lethal if not sophisticated? I have lost a good number of valuable documents when my note-book was recently found having a virus infection.

Answer 1

I've had good luck with the free AVG Avast product. It has a great balance between protection and interference.

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

They are all bad. Why? Because all antivirus software is 'reactive'. In other words, if a new virus comes out today, you could get infected and your virus scanner will *not* catch it until an update is released. While you do need a virus scanner, I certainly wouldn't pay for it. Try AVG free edition.



Your best defense against viruses starts with you, the computer user. People typically don't get viruses if they don't open attachments that aren't expected, keep their computers updated and patched, and don't download junk off the Internet.

Answer 4

no.1 is till now of course kaspersky internet security !



Kaspersky Lab’s flagship personal anti-virus solution that protects against viruses, Trojans, spyware, rootkits and other malicious programs, has received a double accolade from PC World, one of the world’s most influential and trusted computer magazines. The product was named the ‘Best Buy’ in a review of leading anti-virus solutions; and has been cited by the magazine as one of the ‘100 Best Products of 2007’.





June 2007



Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0 finished first place in a comparative test of 12 personal antivirus products, which was conducted by ComputerBild, a major European IT magazine. According to authors of the review, “Kaspersky Anti-Virus has demonstrated excellent ability to detect and disinfect both new and rare malicious programs.” ComputerBild experts emphasized that the Kaspersky Lab product treated infected files very carefully and did not damage a single file. The testing also showed record-fast updating of antivirus databases: it took an average of only 28 minutes after the appearance of new threats before receiving the necessary updates, according to the magazine’s testing specialists.



For the highly effective detection and removal of malicious programs, safe treatment of infected files and fast new threat response time, Kaspersky Anti-Virus received the prestigious ComputerBild Test Winner award.

Answer 5

Hi,



I agree with TECH on the fact that users play a big role protecting their systems. You should know what you are downloading, what you are installing and what you're running. avoid visiting bad rated sites (you can install mcafee advisor for free, it will advise you about a site rating) can protect you very well.



You still need an antivirus and an antispyware in case you get a virus by chance. AVG free is not that good, so go to something like Avast, AOL virus shield, Avira free. Some antispyware programs like spyware terminator are not bad if installed with antiviruses.



well good luck

Answer 6

use the following combination of antivirus, firewall, etc: AVG free, ZoneAlarm (firewall free), AD-Aware SE Pro, Ad-Watch SE Pro.

I've had the above programs for a long time and since then, i've had zero problems with my computer, considering that it's on usually 24/7 and has broadband connection. Plus many people use my computer (flash drives, etc.) and still I've had no problem.

Answer 7

I like Norton Internet Security. I have used Norton for eight years and never had a virus slip by it. There is also a list of downloads to erase all known viruses.

Answer 8

I like Avast. www.avast.com.



It's legitimately free, updates for 14 months after you register, and has a much smaller hard drive and memory footprint.



I think it's shameful that the two major big-box electronics retailers push their so-called "security package" of *orton *py Sweeper, because those two programs together slow computers down terribly.



Just use Avast in concert with manual Ad-Aware and Spybot scans and you'll be fine.

Answer 9

Norton antivirus products are good. We have been using them from more than 7 years.

Answer 10

Definetly, the best antivirus,anti-spyware and all these is the Panda Antivirus.Its the best.The second best maybe its Kaspersky.McAfee is good too.

Answer 11

i have used norton antivirus for the last 4 years with no probs

Answer 12

Try a online antivirus scanner and a online anti-adware/malware/spyware scanner in safe mode with network to clean up your computer BEFORE you download anything.



Turn off system restore before you boot up in safe mode with network to clear your system restore points for viruses, spyware, adware etc.



To get in safe mode tap F8 when booting you computer.

Choose "Safe mode with network".

Go to Start – Run - type iexplore http://www.bitdefender.com/scan8/ie.html Enter(ok).

Do a full system scan. If something is found, delete it, reboot and do the same again in safe mode with network.

When that scan does not find anything you reboot again in safe mode with network.

Go to Start – Run – type iexplore http://www.ewido.net/en/ Enter(ok).

Do a full scan. If you find something, delete it, reboot and do the same again in safe mode with network.



**NOTE: Do NOT do anything else with your computer when scanning. This because you can start virus/adware/spyware/malware manually.



When no one of these scanners are showing anything you can reboot back to normal mode.

Turn on system restore.

------------------

You need to get one antivirus program, one firewall and some spyware/adware/malware removers if you don't have it.

I use Norton Internet Security (antivirus, spyware, add blocker,mail spamfilter, pop up blocker etc on my desktop running XP Home SP2 with Firefox and Yahoo Toolbar with pop up blocker.

On my laptop i have Ubuntu 7.04. No security needed in Linux, but i have antivirus and firewall.

I have no virus, spyware, adware, pop up etc on my computers.



Here are some free programs.

BitDefender Anti-Virus Free.

http://www.bitdefender.com/PRODUCT-14-en--BitDefender-8-Free-Edition.html

Avast Anti-Virus Free.

http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html

AVG Anti-Virus Free.

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/2/lng/us/tpl/v5

Avast Virus Cleaner - free virus removal tool.

http://www.avast.com/eng/avast-virus-cleaner.html



Firewall Protection.

ZoneAlarm Firewall Free.

http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/catalog/products/sku_list_za.jsp?dc=34std&ctry=&lang=nb&lid=trial_zaFamily

Easy-to-use firewall blocks hackers and other unknown threats.

* Systematically identifies hackers and blocks access attempts.

Automatically makes your computer invisible to anyone on the Internet.

Use ZoneAlarm if you normally use Windows Firewall.

Disable Windows Firewall after downloading ZoneAlarm if it's not done automatically.



Ad-Aware 2007 Free.

http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad_aware_free.php

Ad-Aware 2007 Free remains the most popular anti-spyware product for computer users around the world, with nearly one million downloads every week. Our free anti-spyware version provides you with advanced protection against spyware that secretly attaches and takes control of your computer, resulting in aggressive advertising pop-ups, sluggish computer activity, even identity theft through stolen bank details, passwords, and credit card account numbers. If you want real-time scanning capabilities, consider upgrading to Ad-Aware 2007 Plus for real-time protection against spyware, all the time.



SUPERAntiSpyware Free.

http://www.superantispyware.com/



AVG Anti-spyware Free.

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/20/lng/us/tpl/v5



Spybot - Search & Destroy detects and removes spyware, a relatively new kind of threat not yet covered by common anti-virus applications. spyware silently tracks your surfing behaviour to create a marketing profile for you that is transmitted without your knowledge to the compilers and sold to advertising companies. If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you haven't intentionally installed, if your browser crashes inexplicably, or if your home page has been "hijacked" (or changed without your knowledge), your computer is most probably infected with spyware. Even if you don't see the symptoms, your computer may be infected, because more and more spyware is emerging. Spybot-S&D is free, so there's no harm giving it a try to see if something has invaded your computer.

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mirrors/index.html



AVG Anti-Rootkit Free.

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/39798/lng/us/tpl/v5

AVG Anti-Rootkit is a powerful tool with state-of-the-art technology for detection and removal of rootkits. rootkits are used to hide the presence of a malicious object like Trojans or keyloggers on your computer. If a threat uses rootkit technology to hide itself it is very hard to find the malware on your PC. AVG Anti-Rootkit gives you the power to find and delete the rootkit and to uncover the threat the rootkit is hiding.



CCleaner is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. But the best part is that it's fast and contains NO spyware or adware.

http://www.ccleaner.com/



ClearAllHistory - clears browser history, cache, cookies, clipboard and remove other computer activity tracks.

http://www.clearallhistory.com/delete-passwords.html



**NOTE: Only have one antivirus program and one firewall installed on your computer.

Anti-adware/malware/spyware are ok to have more of.



Also scan with online scanners sometimes.

http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/home.asp?langid=ie&venid=sym&plfid=00&pkj=VOONYHGBYNCJEIMXQKC&bhcp=1

http://www.bitdefender.com/scan8/ie.html

http://www.ewido.net/en/onlinescan/

http://www.kaspersky.com/virusscanner

http://support.f-secure.com/enu/home/ols.shtml



Also run Windows Updata http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/

and defragmet you harddisk(s)

How To Analyze and Defragment a Disk in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/305781



Hope this was helpful.

Good luck.

JTB - Security adviser from Norway.