AntiVirus Software? What do you have, if any, and do you pay for it or use a free download?
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I have been with McAfee Anti-Virus Software and two weeks ago it expired and as a result the whole programme just shut down. I was going to upgrade it to McAfee Total protection and they quoted me £64.99 to renew at this level and with a three PC licence ( I have two PC's on line at home). Even without the upgrade it would have been £54.99 and thank goodness I turned off the 'auto renew' feature as they would have simply taken the money. In the end I sourced the latest 2010 version of McAfee Total Protection ( 3 PC licence ) on Ebay for £15 post free, deleted my old McAfee software and installed the new and upgraded edition. The result, I instantly saved £50! And recently I was talking to an internet security consultant and he stated that a great free alternative is Microsoft Security Essentials which is an anti-virus, spamware and malicious threat protection software that runs quietly in the background and is constantly updated. So the confusion goes on ... buy or pay for, and if you buy, why are say Ebay prices so low? What does everybody else do for anti-virus protection out there? And what are your thoughts on this matter? And how happy are you with the protection that you have in place? I must admit to a liking for McAfee at the moment as it does flag every dodgy email that I receive and every website with a suspicious nature, almost to the point of frustration. But their stated renewal fees are far too expensive. All view and opinions welcome.
Responses (15)
Personally, I've never found a paid anti-virus that works well without slowing my PC down. I use Avast Free, which is highly effective and doesn't affect my PC speed. It's always updating itself, it runs quietly in the background, and I've yet to come across anything it can't handle.
Having read your comments above, I can see that neither cpj1987 or you yourself, Snoopy48, are Norton fans! I have used Norton for years and don't have problems with it. I currently use the latest version of Norton 360 on both my pcs which in my opinion is the best yet from Norton. I have heard good things about the free versions of both Avast and AVG though!
Snoopy 48. Have you tried Comodo Internet Suite.Its the best free internet suite software outthere. I have used for months now and it uses far less memory than McAfee and does the same job. Check it out on facebook and you shall see just many people are impressed with it.
That's what I love about theswe questions ... such a great pool of helpful advice and information. Cheers!
I got Kaspersky free with my bank account. Has seemed fine so far...
I've always experienced performance issues with Norton & McAfee, and the fact that their software is a nightmare to remove has permanently put me off them. I use Kaspersky - updates every hour and never impacts my machine's performance.
Having tried Norton and McAfee I now use Avasti which in my opinion is on a par with these rather expensive programmes.Give it a try its a free download so nothing to lose.
Hi Snoopy48
I use Avast Free which I have found excellent, I have had a small problem with it which did not affect it's effectiveness, but I contacted Avast Customer Service and they came back promptly will all the information with links to sort the issue out. I have also been informed about a new spyware bug which masquarades as a security package but logs your keystrokes to send back to the creator, it was mentioned on the news and bbc click programme, the only way to get rid of it is with Malwarebytes from CNET, so I have Malwarebytes anti malware (this doesn't run unless you start it up and it scans).
Thank you Vettriano .. you are truly the queen of thought provoking responses! I bought a PC to enjoy but it's bad enough with bugs coming through the cracks in the wall, let alone down the phone line! At times like this, I go make a cup of steaming tea in a builders mug ... makes all my cyber-worries go away!
hi all i noticed this and though i would chip in i use bulldog i pay for it because some of the freeware does not have after care with it and do not allways cover a full security pack that said freeware security is getting far better than it was a few years ago and i always have one on standby waiting to install, but like so many of you have noticed some are better than others and you can even run multiple antivirus at same time without slowing your pc, but it is very important to note that some like norton leave tags behind after deletion of the programme this has been a major problem for a long time as norton does like to control things and microsoft bought the coding for norton about 18months ago best thing is find one your happy with and stick to it until it goes wrong.
For info, having recommended AVG free anti-virus on another similar thread on this site I read today (4 Dec 2010) that there is currently a problem with the latest free edition AVG update on 64-bit Windows 7 machines. (It crashes your PC)
For info see here:
http://forums.avg.com/ww-en/avg-free-forum?sec=thread&act=show&id=132999
I currently have McAfee which I got free for 12 months when I took out my Sky broadband package. However, prior to this I was using the Microsoft Security Essentials package which is free to download and appeared very effective and I had no problems whatsoever. When my McAfee cover runs out I will definitely go back to using this. I have previously used Norton in the past and have had all manner of viruses and I was paying for the privilege too!
It sounds as though you didn't have it set up properly, I've used Norton for years and never had a virus.
I agree with Fruitcake - you shouldn't have been getting viruses as long as Norton is set up for auto update and you do a regular scan to check for any virus that has got through the system. Even with an anti-virus in place you do still need to be vigilant.
I have McAfee, yes I think it is very good. I'm being warned that it is running out soon and likewise is quite costly to renew. I've been told it is set to renew automatically unless I opt out with notice which I could do. I would like to find cheaper alternative.I have sometimes put my lap top into a local computer business and just asked them to clean it up if it is going slow or getting bogged down with spam etc., and they then just charge me when I pick it up.If I had enough faith in my own ability to erase old and insall new, by sourcing it myself cheaper, i would love to.
Doesthat mean you buy a c.d which you then physically install?
I have the same problem instinct, a McAfee subscription supplied with a new PC and coming to an end. AND you can always find the same product much much cheaper by shopping around, either on Ebay or Amazon. I have found these own company invitations to renew a complete rip off!
Oh and incidentally, like frenchwoodgirl below, I have been using Microsoft Security Essentials on my second PC ( that I use for work only ) and have no problems whatsoever .
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows/products/security-essentials
Yes Instinct ... I have simply bought a boxed replacement through Ebay or similar. I have always uninstalled the previous McAfee antivirus ( using program uninstall ) but the new program ( assuming you are using McAfee again ) will pick up that your previous subscription was using the same email address. I have never found that a problem. I think the last McAfee invite I got was for a £40 renewal and I secured exactly the same on Ebay for £11.50. So it does mean a fresh CD to install from.
Many of the banks offer free anti virus packages which could be worth investigating. It is in their interests as well as yours to keep your computer virus free so I'm sure that they would be quite effective.
instinct hi again don't pay for a cleaning service of internet rubbish from a shop its easy to do, if you use windows vista or above with in private browsing it will clear your history from your browser when finnished this will help with clutter as for spam most email services use a spam filter but some do get through when yo look in your email box just tick the item you don't want and click spam this will remove and store for future reference and if the same company try to send you mail again it will send it to your spam box yahoo does this quite well.
I have been with plusnet for nearly two years which I find fine and cheaper for provision of my broadband. I have received an e-mail inviting me to to get security from them and just pay for it monthly as an add on to my direct debit retainer for my broadband. It is called something else which i can't recall off hand, but has mcafee within the name of product they are offering.It appears to work out cheaper over the year. I am tempted but a bit scared of doing this way. Wonder if it would be ok.?
Hi Instinct... it is probably MacAfee rebadged for the Plusnet service ... it all depends on the monthly cost I suggest and exactly what protection is being offered ... yes, I know mind boggling sometimes! I would not run shy of it as it's probably a reasonable deal for now unless you consider the true annual cost prohibitive!
hi instinct don't pay for something from your internet provider, that you could get cheaper or even free, check what the cost is for the service and do a price check over the net, avg is very good for starting software and others like zone alarm try a few see how you get on befor buying a subcription as you could save a great deal of money
Instinct, have a look at these reviews of free anti virus
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-anti-virus-software.htm
microsoft security essentials very good came top for free software Mcafee has a free anti-virus not on there home page .typ in free anti-virus to get it . hi Snoopy48 fish2.
AVG on our two laptops. So far so good!
hi guys sorry been away very busy, if you are ug-dating a subscription or buying anti virus /security for pc or laptop here is a bit of know how, first most free or open source products do not always give full protection but that does not mean they are rubbish choose one according to your needs, but buying a tried and tested like mcaffe can cost an arm and a leg to keep it running, so shop around some places offer OEM versions these are full licence copys of genuine products but at a fraction of the price because they are sent out for use buy system builders who build pcs, don,t renew with the company direct quite often it seems like a discounted price but you can find many of the products from norton and macaffe alike for a fraction of the cost from online stores, also check out your bak or internet provider they often give good anti virus and security packages for free AVG often have free software for use for all platforms, a few good tips for security are clean your browser history, delete cookies, use secure online payment methods like verisign offered from banks and don't let your browser save your passwords, also be carefull of spoofing and a big tip is trust your instincts if it does not seem right then go somewere else, and when buying anything regardless of what it is, don't use cash transactions to pay for it unless your happy to take the risk or know them well. as a point i just updated my security to bullguard for £13gbp for 3 pcs the main reason is I use my pc for a lot of different things and not just browsing and i get piece of mind knowing it has online 24hr support and regular updates, but remember it is all down to personal choice as anyone who goes online is at risk and you will not get 100% safety unless you don't bother to go online at all, you can only reduce the risks.
Thanks, davros27, nice to see you back with us again. :-)
thanks fruitcake good to see people are still giving out free advice, buy the way you can get some fre pc programmes from www.giveawayoftheday.com free stuff each day take a look
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I guess it's a question of what works for you and your computer set up. I did download Avast Free just before my new set up and I found it made my system freeze on every scan I tried. I understand that could be because I am running Windows Vista 64 bit version which can be fussy with so many things. I have no objection to paying for something reliable, it's just the seemingly rip-off prices that I don't like. Again it's down to consumer ignorance I guess. I changed from Norton in 2006 to McAfee as Norton slowed my system to a crawl. But, as said, it depends on your operating system, your PC spec and what else you are running. I applaud you for finding something that works well for you and above all free!
I completely agree about Norton. When I tried that out, I'd never seen my PC run so slowly - and it seemed to miss every virus it came across!