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Need help choosing antivirus

M i n a t o //

Listen to the Stereo
295
Posts
16
Years
    • When my cousin gave me my laptop, he also gave me a 2 month subscription for Norton. It's almost expired so I need to get a different antivirus. Should I get McAfee or Avast? Or is there any other good antivirus that's free?
     
    twocows

    twocows

    The not-so-black cat of ill omen
    4,307
    Posts
    15
    Years
    • M i n a t o // said:
    When my cousin gave me my laptop, he also gave me a 2 month subscription for Norton. It's almost expired so I need to get a different antivirus. Should I get McAfee or Avast? Or is there any other good antivirus that's free?
    Click to expand...
    Avast is free and one of the highest rated AVs available. McAfee is a crappy overrated antivirus that leave most of itself on your computer even if you uninstall it. Also, I don't know where you're getting this "it's free" businesses, McAfee costs money.
     
    Shadow

    Shadow

    Original Flavor Darkness
    2,863
    Posts
    20
    Years
    • avast! is your best bet. AVG has fallen behind in terms of quality lately and there's really no other truly free one that isn't complete bogus and/or junk, that I'm aware of.
     

    beauty. proletariat

    Banned
    1,501
    Posts
    18
    Years
    • Avast! Home Edition 4 is your best bet for a good, free anti-virus.
    AVG is also free, but it detects nothing lol.

    If you can pay money, Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2009 is the best one in my opinion.
     

    Archer

    3,956
    Posts
    17
    Years
    • I've also had good experiences with Avira Antivir. It has a much more professional interface compared to Avast's, in my opionion. On the other hand, the update servers seem a bit slow, but if you have a decent connection, that's shouldn't be an issue. From what I've heard, they both have a very similar detection rate.
     
    Zet

    Zet

    7,690
    Posts
    16
    Years
    • Avira Basic is the best free antivirus you'll get though you won't get a web shield or anything, so you'll need to go out and find programs for that. If you want a webshield, firewall etc and don't mind slow boot times, a slow laptop. Go with Avast
     

    Gerri Shin

      
    3,582
    Posts
    16
    Years
    • As others have said, Avast! is your best bet for free, but if you feel more secure paying I would definitely recommend trying out NOD32 from ESET.
     

    Sweet Jasmine

    s m i l e :)
    1,040
    Posts
    15
    Years
    • I've prefered Avira Anti-vir.. My dad uses it because every hour it got updates in your computer and it's pretty strict :3.
     
    pokerus34

    pokerus34

    Labyrinthine Rhapsody
    830
    Posts
    15
    Years
    • I was using AVG before I bought my LAPTOP. That was in the past 2007, maybe? And it was only free, but unregistered/not full...

    But now, I use Norton 2009 on both My PC and Laptop... I decided to order a registration key to unlock the full version.

    Sucks though, because before i have unlocked my Norton, my PC caught an auto shutdown virus...

    Still, Norton Works best for me... :)

    --- Hey, does McAfee work for you guys?---
     

    Max™

    Needs to scarfduggy
    142
    Posts
    16
    Years
    • I prefer Avira AntiVir, it's nice and easy to use and like archer said, good detection rate iirc
    I've had serious problems with Avast but that may just be me, do whatever works for you
     
    Shadow

    Shadow

    Original Flavor Darkness
    2,863
    Posts
    20
    Years
    • Max™ said:
    I've had serious problems with Avast but that may just be me, do whatever works for you
    Click to expand...

    I've known avast! to effectively brick non-traditional version of Windows. I've also had it refuse to uninstall once. Other than that, nothing has come out of it for me.

    I'm going to look into this Avira, though, thanks to this thread (and I wasn't the topic creator!).
     

    Vednix

    :D
    253
    Posts
    14
    Years
    • Seen Dec 13, 2010
    I woud suggest AVG free edition 8.5
    But thats just me. Probably coz its free and does great secturity.
     

    Eureka1

    Yay IIDX! :D
    773
    Posts
    17
    Years
    • Age 33
    • Seen Jan 21, 2023
    I use nothing on all my computers.

    I'd like to think Avast is the best AV though, free at least.
     

    Blue Nocturne

    Not THAT one.
    636
    Posts
    15
    Years
    • Age 28
    • Seen Mar 6, 2013
    McAfee works really well for me, its blocked quite a few viruses and doesnt seem to slow down my computer which is a problem i had with norton. To my recollection they do provide a free trial. From my experience that is what i would recommend, as i havent tried avast
     
    Rukario

    Rukario

    Banned
    7,597
    Posts
    21
    Years
    • I strongly suggest you use Norton AV 2009 (pay to unlock/renew it) - use the AV ONLY, not the suite.

    Very good detection, will remove or quarantine found viruses, and, since the 2008 version, is very light on system resource use, and finally, updates multiple times per day.
     
    twocows

    twocows

    The not-so-black cat of ill omen
    4,307
    Posts
    15
    Years
    • McAfee is garbage. Never use it.

    Norton is better than it used to be, but I still don't recommend it, as there are better solutions. If you insist on a Symanetc/Norton product, you should opt to go with Norton AntiVirus 2009.

    Here's the short answer. If you want to pay money, use Kaspersky Anti-Virus or ESET NOD32 AntiVirus 4. If you do not want to pay, use avast! Home Edition or Avira AntiVir Personal. If you choose to use avast! Home Edition, you must register yearly (this process is free and can be done in a few minutes from this page).

    AVG also has a popular free soultion, but I no longer recommend it. It's bloated and its detection rate isn't as high as some of its competitors. If you wish to use it anyway, here is the page for AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition.

    @Rukario:
    Are you going to avoid Tetris games from now on, as well? Kaspersky has been one of the highest rated AV programs for years; I used it on my primary computer from 2004-2006 and didn't get a single virus (and not from lack of opportunity, either). I see no reason why people should avoid it.
     
    Last edited:
    Rukario

    Rukario

    Banned
    7,597
    Posts
    21
    Years
    • Kaspersky Anti-Virus <-- remember, you get what you pay for.. (I, for one, will NEVER trust any, ANY product that comes from Russia, ever.)
    NOD32 isn't too bad, as long as you keep it updated.
     
    Zet

    Zet

    7,690
    Posts
    16
    Years
    • Rukario said:
    Kaspersky Anti-Virus <-- remember, you get what you pay for.. (I, for one, will NEVER trust any, ANY product that comes from Russia, ever.)
    NOD32 isn't too bad, as long as you keep it updated.
    Click to expand...
    Kaspersky never worked for me, and this was a few months ago(and a few years ago to see if it was better than trend micro) to see if NOD32 missed anything, only avira found some false positives so yay me
     
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