Best antivirus?

Question

I have Avast. i don't think it is good enough. Can anyone tell me which one is the best antivirus for my laptop.
many thanks

Answer 1

There is no 'best' - all such progs are only as good as the last update. Avast updates daily, it is free, it is excellent.



Forget it and get on with your life.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Avast is quite a good antivirus program which picks up most viruses and trojans out there at the moment. It uses less computer resources than some other well known brands like Norton and McAfee but its media type user interface is not to everyone's taste. It also requires periodic re-registration to continue operatiing.



AVG Free, created by Grisioft, has been doing the business since 1992 and is now at version 7.5. It is a very popular brand - I use it myself - and has been very efficient in catching and removing unwanted viruses and malware programs.. It is free for home use, has free updates which can be scheduled and downloaded automatically and is not intrusive or heavy on the system's resources. It also has a very useful email scanner - something which not all antivirus programs have in their "free" versions.



So I would say AVG or possibly Kespersky which is a commercial product and has excellent properties.



Finally, you should back up your antivirus software with a good Malware or antispyware package like Spybot and Prevx which is brilliant. Plus always use a good firewall - even Windows inbuilt firewal is useful when permanently turned on.



And lastly, you should never run more than one type of each program on your system since conflicts and problems will occur within the operating system's settings whenever a trojan or virus is found.

Answer 4

have used AVG Anti Virus, Zone Alarm Firewall, Spy-bot Search and Destroy and Ad Aware both spyware killers for years. They are all free for personal use and I have had no trouble with Viruses Trojans etc. AVG does not slow the system down as much as some other products and Zone Alarm allows a lot of personal configuration unlike the Windows Firewall. They can all be downloaded from the following link. http://www.computeractive.co.uk/... On the home page select downloads and then the appropriate category.I also use Windows Defender from the Microsoft site. It is safe to use two anti-spy products but never use more than one A/V as it can cause conflicts. You should run A/V and anti spy weekly. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

I've been using NOD32 for about 2 years and I haven't had any viruses at all. Also it isn't resource hungry like some of the other antivirus products so it is good on a laptop.

Answer 6

There may be better but I have used Avast for 4 years and have never had a virus get past it. I like that I don't have to mess with it at all.

Answer 7

I see the AVG fanboys and cheerleaders are out in full force again here on Yahoo Answers!



AVG Free is crap!



Mostly noobs, the naive, the computer illiterate, and children use AVG Free. These types love AVG because they say it is easy to use and almost never bothers them with any pop-ups or warnings. Of course AVG Free never bothers them, it hardly ever finds any virus to warn them about!



In test,

http://www.virus.gr/english/fullxml/default.asp?id=82&mnu=82

after test,

http://www.av-comparatives.org/

after test,

http://antivirus.about.com/od/antivirussoftwarereviews/gr/avgfree.htm

after test ,

http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showpost.php?p=891307&postcount=1,

after test,

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,130869-page,1/article.html,

after test,

http://techsupportalert.com/issues/al_current.htm#Section_0,

after test,

http://winnow.oitc.com/AntiVirusPerformance.html

etc. etc. etc, ad nauseam, AVG fares poorly.



AVG has proven itself to be a miserable performer at best. Missing almost 20%, while trying to detect known malware, in some tests. Not to mention almost non-existent heuristic detection and infrequent "once-a day" updates.



AVG. = Average, at best!



There are much better free alternatives such as Avria Anti-Vir:

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

and Active Virus Shield:

http://www.activevirusshield.com/antivirus/freeav/index.adp?

Answer 8

most virus are spread through IE. IE is not a safe browser.



you should use a more secure browser to protect your PC from virus. i recommand you to use firefox with Google toolbar.



firefox can block any any popup and disable any virus and adware, spyware on webpage, so, firefox is much safer than IE browser.



as you know, most of virus spread throught internet and webpage.



besides, firefox is much smaller than IE, so it run faster than IE. download firefox for free, Just have a try:



http://www.seconddoor.net/firefox/



Good Luck !

Answer 9

the best lite working antivirus is kaspersky... take it from me, norton has many problems specially with the internet... and upgrading... it detects emmidieatly the bugs and viruses and fix them automaticcally

Answer 10

AVG is free and performs great. Not a memory hog like Norton or the Mac.

Answer 11

avg 7.5 pro

Answer 12

NOD32..no doubt

Answer 13

I have avg and it picks up things that my norton doesnt!

Answer 14

The best anti-virus is a good firewall. If something get into your computer most any anti-virus software is as good as another.

Answer 15

i agree with jibbarjabar & doug955 & rusty3995

Answer 16

I have Norton and although people say it aint much good, i find it excellent,. I had a virus the other week and Norton saved my computer from it. So there you go, it says it all...

Answer 17

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. This because the program you download can get infected.



Disable "System Restore" for Windows Me and XP, then restart your PC to clean your system restore points for viruses, spyware, adware etc.



Now restart in safe mode.

To get in safe mode Press "F8" upon bootup.

Select "Safe mode with Networking".

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 system scan. If something is found, 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".



Online virus, adware and spyware removal.

http://www.precisesecurity.com/antivirus/online-scan.htm

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

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, firewall, add blocker, mail spamfilter, pop up blocker etc) Ad Aware, Spybot and more 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 use antivirus and firewall. Firefox is standard.

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

Mozilla Firefox and Opera are safer browsers to use then Internet Explorer.

http://en-us.www.mozilla.com/en-US/products/

http://www.opera.com/



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.

http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/nav.nsf/docid/2000031316555206

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 is helpful.

Good luck.

JTB.

Answer 18

AVG

Answer 19

Jeez, one person said Norton and got 3 thumbs down! I like Norton (I personally use it myself), but it is a resource hog, and is not a good idea for a laptop, unless you have the power. Avast is fine, but make sure that you have some spyware/adaware cleaners and active time protection ( not to mention a firewall, like ZoneAlarm, it your not using Vista. If you have Vista turn on your two-way firewall (by default it is turned off, Windows claims it doesn't want people to have a bad out of box experience, I guess Windows wants to save that for later.) Anyways, tryt these other softwares:



I prefer Avast, but AVG is just as great.



AVG AntiVirus

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1



Avast Home Antivirus

http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-...



You may also want some other tools to run and use as well



SpywareBlaster

http://www.download.com/spywareblaster/3...



Spybot S&D

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mirro...



AVG AntiSpyware

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/20/lng/us/tp...



Adaware (Lavasoft)

http://www.download.com/ad-aware-2007-fr...



If you are currently having a problem:



◙ Download and install AVG. Use it first and see if it finds any viruses or trojans.



☞ http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1



◙ After running AVG go here and run this virus scanner online. There is no need to install it on your computer.



http://housecall.trendmicro.com/...........



◙ Microsoft's New Live Safety Center. Download this scanner to check and remove spyware, viruses, get rid of obsolete files and junk off your computer, and improve your PCs performance.



☞ http://safety.live.com/site/en-us/defaul...



◙ The Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool checks computers running Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003 for infections by specific, prevalent malicious software—including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom—and helps remove any infection found. When the detection and removal process is complete, the tool displays a report describing the outcome, including which, if any, malicious software was detected and removed. You can run this tool online FREE.



http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/detai...



◙ Before downloading email attachments in Gmail and Yahoo Mail click on the link that says, "Scan With Norton Antivirus".



◙ Before downloading any software from the internet type it into http://groups.google.com/ to see if that title is known for spyware or viruses. Google Groups has over 1 billion posts spanning 25 years to help you. Even after checking it there ALWAYS scan it before opening it. You just can't be too careful. -- Smart Computing Magazine



◙ A lot of the download sites like http://www.download.com/ and http://www.tucows.com/ scan software before releasing it to the public. But just for safety sake you should still scan it yourself.



◙ Here is a really great article on browser hijacking. This will show you how to get rid of it. There is a tutorial and software to get rid of part of it. You'll need to make some changes to your computer's registry to get rid of the rest of it. Click on the chatroom link on their main page if you need help.



☞ http://www.spywareinfo.com/articles/hija...



◙ Here is Yahoo!'s Internet Security section.



☞ http://security.yahoo.com/



◙ Below is Mcafee's Site Adviser. Type in a URL in the form here and you will find out if the site you want to go to is known for phising (getting your personal info under false pretenses), viruses, spyware, and many other things. You can use the tool on their site or download an program to do that.



☞ http://www.siteadvisor.com/



◙ Get more information at these PC Magazine Web sites.



☞ http://www.pcmag.com/

☞ http://www.smartcomputing.com/



◙ Top 100 Computer & Software Magazines.



☞ http://netvalley.com/top100mag.html........



★★ TOOLS FOR SPECIFIC VIRUSES & TIPS ★★



◙ Sometimes you'll get a particularly nasty virus that cannot be removed with conventional tools. For times like these you can (quite often not always) download a removal tool for that specific virus. Below are some sites you should look at.



☞ http://www.grisoft.com/doc/utilities/ing...

☞ http://www.symantec.com/security_respons...

☞ http://www.bitdefender.com/site/download...



◙ Below is a tool called "Stinger" that Mcafee put together with all 54 of it's tools in it.



☞ http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/............



◙ GLOBAL VIRUS ALERT -- The latest virus outbreak alerts from F-Secure, Trend Micro, Panda, and Sophos. Each anti-virus fighter is reporting the state of the Virus Battles on its front, which reflects a unique customer and geographic profile.



☞ http://www.trimmail.com/news/tools/#glob...



◙ Add free virus alerts to your web site.



☞ http://www.trendmicro.com/syndication/vi...

For Trojans try these ( free to try),

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

Or

http://www.misec.net/trojanhunter/.........

Or

http://www.agnitum.com/products/tauscan/...





And always scan once a week with these free and trusted scanners as well if you go to gaming sites and porn and etc.

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/...........

http://www.webroot.com/freescan............

http://www.kaspersky.com/virusscanner......

http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/ac...

http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/virus...

http://www.bitdefender.com/



First, you need anti-virus software - download, install and update AVG anti-virus (it's free for personal use) - you can find it here - http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1



Then remove your System Restore points (viruses love to hide in the System Restore files), but be aware that if you do remove your existing Restore Points you will not be able to "roll back" your computer to a previous configuration. To find out how to disable System Restore see this page - http://www.pchell.com/virus/systemrestor...



Just to be sure you don't have other malware on your computer I recommend that you download SpyBot Search & Destroy and Adware - both are free spyware/adware detection and removal software.



Next, start the computer in Safe Mode - (as the comptuer is starting up, keep tapping the F8 key on your keyboard until you see a special start-up menu) - more on how to start in Safe Mode here - http://www.microsoft.com/resources/docum...



Using AVG - run a full system virus scan while in Safe Mode



After the viruses have been detected and removed, run SpyBot and AdAware (full system scans) then restart the comptuer, enable System Restore again and enjoy a virus-free computing experience.



If the problems are still there, try using MSCONFIG to help figure out how to manually disable the Trojan from starting up - see more about MSCONFIG here - http://netsquirrel.com/msconfig/...........



To help protect against malware you should install a firewall, Zone Alarm works perfectly well and is free – http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/c...



Also, don't forget to keep Windows up-to-date - using Microsoft Windows Update!



After following these instructions go to: http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/must-read... they will help you for free, no credit card or personal information needed, and they will analyze Hijack This logs for you, to make sure that your computer is safe. HijackThis helps If persistent spyware is bogging down your computer, you might need HijackThis. The tiny program examines vulnerable or suspect parts of your system, such as browser helper objects and certain types of Registry keys. Pressing the Scan button generates a log of dozens of items, most of which are just customizations. Don't check off an item and hit the Fix checked button unless you're sure it's malware. Clicking Info on selected item tells you why the entry was flagged as suspicious, but not whether it's actually malware. To find that out, search the Web for that item's name or go straight to a forum, such as SpywareInfo or Computer Cops. Saving the log creates a text document you can post to these forums.



The latest version adds powerful tools to the Config window. The process manager and hosts file editor help you excise virulent infections. The unique ADS Spy tool scans for alternate data streams, which some browser hijackers use to hide from spyware removers. The program still installs into whatever directory in which you unzip the file, which can make it hard to locate. HijackThis is a serious tool for any user who needs to root out a serious infestation, but wield it with caution. So, go to the site I gave you above, and they'll help you step by step.

Free registry cleaners:

CCleaner does not specialise in cleaning the registry, it's mostly used to speed up your computer by cleaning up your recycle bin, temp files/internet files, browsing history, application errors, log files and so on.. which frees up some space in your harddisk





I've tried these 10 free cleaners

http://www.regsofts.com/freeware/freereg...

I would recommend the following(click on the webpage and follow):



Free Windows Registry Repair(first one) - rather effective, the first scan i did after about a year showed over 500 problems with the registry, fixed them all



RegSeeker(2nd one) - fixed another 300 problems after using the previous one.



and like the two of them said, Eusing Free Registry Cleaner and Abexo Free Registry Cleaner(30 day trial)



Just run them all that'll fix most problems! But dont expect 100% fixes because programs might recreate registry entries when used and so a second scan might still show the same few errors. (ignore such errors)







those are all freeware, hope i'm of some help



P.S. First go to: http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/defau... Choose full service scan and let it install any active x components

Answer 20

norton