I used to have Norton Antivirus, but my subscription expired. Is it worth it to pay to renew my subscription, or should I just download a freeware antivirus program?
What are some excellent free antivirus software? I keep hearing about Avast and AVG?
Best answer:
Answer by Georgiaboy17
With AVG the only thing that you do not get with the free version that you get with the paid version. is tech support. Other than that, from what I have seen, it is the same.
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after being with a p,c over 11 years i have found not to buy anything to do with p.cs like norton get avg free you wont go incorrect i have 7.5 version
The thing to remember is you get what you pay for. The reason you pay for those security harvest is because you are paying for the investigate. The free versions don’t offer the same levels of investigate and development.
If you wanted to use a free version, I would recommend AVG. As for renewing Norton, I personally prefer McAfee but any way would be excellent.
I have used AVG Anti Virus, Zone Alarm Firewall, Spy-bot Search and End and Ad Aware both spyware killers for years. They are all free for personal use and I have had no distress with Viruses Trojans Hackers etc. I have just upgraded to AVG free 8.0 and all seems excellent so far. Zone Alarm allows a lot of personal configuration unlike the Windows Firewall. They can all be downloaded from http://www.download.com/ I also use Windows Defender from the Microsoft site. It is safe to use two anti-spy harvest 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
There are a few choices when it comes to security, primarily in the AntiVirus department. Some very excellent, free anti-viruses available to download are:
1)AVG 8 AntiVirus. Simplest interface to use, very quick scanning and doesn’t lag your computer at all. Only has a 78% detection rate, but cathes the most harmful of viruses. If you’re a normal home user, you’re not in too much danger of higher level viruses and this is the AV for you:
http://www.free.grisoft.com
2)Avast! 4 AntiVirus. Smaller, sleeker skin, average scanning speed, but reports alot of safe files as viruses, so you force need to watch out for that. 78% detection rate, but alot more complicated than most other free AVs. Use this if you are handy with a computer and you know what needs to be scanned:
http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html
3)Avira AntiVirus. Simple layout, which even the most basic of users can navigate. Incredibly quick scanning, with a 90% detection rate. Not as simple on the eyes as other AVs, and you need to know what you’re doing to get the more advanced features, but it is certain a candidate:
http://www.free-av.com/en/download/index.html
Personally I use AVG, but only because I go for looks. If you are paranoid about viruses then the only real option is Avira. But if you just want normal protection, then any of the three will do it for you.
And for any spyware problems, get SpyBot – Search and End:
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mirrors/index.html
Also, for protecting your personal info and files, use Ad-Aware 2008 Free Journal:
http://lavasoft.com/harvest/ad_aware_free.php
All of them are free, as powerful as paid programs, like McAfee and Norton (which only has a 6% detection rate!), and don’t use up as many resources.
Just boot into Safe Mode (Press F8 when rotary on the computer) and run full scans.
Hope that helps.
Check the not more than site for FREE Anti-Virus Software (Mcafee,Norton,Zone Alarm etc)
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