Need to choose an Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware, etc Program

[Jeff Strouse]

I checked a couple of review sites, and all have some pro's and con's. They all seem like they can do the basic job, but some slow up the system more than others...

http://www.consumercompare.org/internet ... xgodWl9Xug

Identity Gaurd is too much, bitDefender seems more for gamers, Trend Micro looks interesting but one review said the ID theft protection isn't so great.

Another site rated Shield Deluxe the best at only $20:

http://www.pcsecurityshield.com/lp/shie ... +antivirus

And of course it gets even more confusing when they each have different levels of protection you can puchase!

It would be nice to have one program that would do everything (spyware, phising, trojans, worms, malware, etc). In my old system I used Norton, Spybot, and MalWarebytes.

I like the idea of free...there's AVG or McAffe via my ISP. I'd prefer to use one of these if it will do the job. But I tried McAffe years ago and it crashed my system. I've never tried AVG.

I just don't want a memory hog like Norton used to be. A geek squad tech said Norton has fixed that with 2009, but I'm a little hesitant to try it due to past experience. It was also difficult to ever fully delete Norton from your system, but I hear there's a fix for that now, too.

One tech loved CA, but another one said it's terrible...he preferred Kepersky or Webroot.

I want something that won't hog the system, and that I can remove 100% of it, should I want to delete it.

Oh, and if the new program has a firewall feature, can it run concurrently with Windows Firewall, or should I disable one of them?

Thanks for any help!

[Wiz Feinberg]

I checked a couple of review sites, and all have some pro's and con's. They all seem like they can do the basic job, but some slow up the system more than others...

http://www.consumercompare.org/internet ... xgodWl9Xug

Identity Gaurd is too much, bitDefender seems more for gamers, Trend Micro looks interesting but one review said the ID theft protection isn't so great.

<snip>

It would be nice to have one program that would do everything (spyware, phising, trojans, worms, malware, etc). In my old system I used Norton, Spybot, and MalWarebytes.

I like the idea of free...

I just don't want a memory hog like Norton used to be.

I want something that won't hog the system, and that I can remove 100% of it, should I want to delete it.

Oh, and if the new program has a firewall feature, can it run concurrently with Windows Firewall, or should I disable one of them?

Thanks for any help!

:)

Jeff;
That is quite a mouthful of details and questions!

Your comment about Trend Micro has me curious, because their Internet Security Pro 2009 does provide identity theft protection, via hi-level encryption. It even gives you a virtual keyboard to use your mouse to enter keystrokes into login boxes, avoiding any danger posed by keyloggers.

In addition to the virtual keyboard and ID theft protection, TMIS Pro also provides protection against all types of malware, like spyware. adware, viruses and bots. It also contains a 2 way firewall and obtains updates constantly. Further, it blocks access to web pages that contain hostile code. Trend products check downloaded files for known malware patterns by reaching out to "the Cloud," where the company uploads all new definitions.

Most security products turn off the Windows Firewall to avoid conflicts and slowdowns. It is not recommended to run two software firewalls, or anti-virus programs at the same time. It is advisable to have a hardware firewall, in a separate router, between your broadband router and your PC. That box must then be secured against hackers, which includes changing the default password, applying WPA2 security codes and disabling remote administration and UPnP.

If you want to stay with freeware anti-virus/anti-spyware protection, try Avira Anti-vir Free.

[Jeff Strouse]

Hi Wiz -

The article that mentioned the identity protection is here:

http://www.nextadvisor.com/internet_sec ... 20software



The next reviewer (below) said it can cause significant slowdowns, whereas the reviewer in the first link (up above) found no impact on the speed of the PC.


http://anti-virus-software-review.topte ... eview.html

I like how Trend Micro is customer service and user friendly. That's very important. I recall it being almost impossible to get through to Norton.

I'll read up on the Avira. Are there any downsides to the free service?

I should probably get something tonight or tomorrow, as I have no protection right now...


Thanks!

[John Roche]

Jeff, try this one, you will get a shock, it will find everything.... free trial...
http://www.prevx.com/

[Wiz Feinberg]

Jeff;
If you would like to try Trend Micro Pc-cillin free for a month, visit my Trend Micro web page, read about the Internet Security Pro version, then use the trial download link for it. When you install it select the option to register it as a trial version. If you decide to keep it, just go back and click through, or use the link in the program, to subscribe by the (1,2,3) year(s). Also, check back at my web page for any current discount codes that you can input into the shopping cart, if you buy into the program.

Hi Wiz -

I'll read up on the Avira. Are there any downsides to the free service?

Thanks! :)

Avira free Anti virus/spyware pops up a gigantic nag screen, to induce users to buy the product. It is very irritating and cannot be ignored.

[Calvin Walley]

wiz

what do you think about ms live one care ?

[Wiz Feinberg]

wiz

what do you think about ms live one care ?

I think it is about to become dead.

It was fairly decent at protecting and optimizing Windows computers, while it lasted, but in no way was it up to the competition from the major security suites. In fact, it was rated close to the bottom in several anti-virus and anti-spyware comparisons. The most recent version improved its ratings, but Microsoft has decided to pull the plug on it.

[james sluder]

avg the new version works great ! It was buy it but they are doing away with 7.0 & the new one is now free !! Dump norton ! It works great for me !!

My 2 cents worth !

[Wiz Feinberg]

avg the new version works great ! It was buy it but they are doing away with 7.0 & the new one is now free !!

AVG has always had a free version, for non-commercial users. Version 7.x was available for free, or paid, as is 8.x.

Version 7.x stopped being updated last summer. Version 8.x is a bloated resource hog and is now part of the Intel family.

Casual surfers can get away with using free anti-malware products, if you keep up with ALL Windows and third party plug-in updates and you use an account with less then full Administrator privileges. If you operate as an, or the Administrator, you better have commercial security installed and updated multiple times every day.

If you have a broadband connection and can afford to pay for a security subscription, try to use a program that searches for malware definition matches "in the cloud," on the fly. These include the 2009 versions of Norton and Trend Micro Internet Security suites, both of which have less drag on the system than previous versions. They also check for updates often, sometimes hourly, and apply new detections to current threats as they become available.

Note, that all security suites have more impact on resources than straight anti-virus, or anti-spyware programs. It is possible to cobble together a very good combination of individual protections from various vendors, if you try before you buy, then uninstall the ones that don't play nice, or work well enough.

For instance, one of my less used PCs has Avira's AntiVir free anti virus, Spybot Search and Destroy, Trend Micro's Web Threat Add-on and ZoneAlarm Personal Firewall installed and working fine together. Of course, updating most of them manually is a ritual, but it is only used part time and not that big of a deal.

[Bill Hanson]

I build computers and have tried most all. I highly recommend Vypre - very small resource hit and does it all extremely well. It's about $39 per year but that includes definition updates that come out almost daily. You need the latest updates to stay ahead of the variations of infestation that these eggheads keep developing.

[Jack Stoner]

I had Windows Live One Care for a couple of years and didn't have any problems. Since One Care was going to be discontinued and my subscription ran out I was looking for a new security package. RoadRunner offers a vesion of the CA Security package free to RoadRunner customers but I had that before One Care and it noticeably slowed down the PC. I got an ad from buy.com for McAfee Internet Security for $9.99 after rebate for a three system version. I use to use the free McAfee version back in the DOS days but for one reason or another quit using it. This new version seems to not be a "bloatware" product like some and I haven't had any security issues since I started using it back in December. I get updates daily, even on weekends.