I need anti-virus software help

miamoo

I dont know anything about computers and I am abit worried I dont have enough anti-virus software.
I have AVG free edition 2012 anti-virus.

Because of my work I need to go on alot of websites, some of which may be unsafe, and if I get a virus, I wont be able to work, so I need to get sorted.

I read the threads about which virus software people use, but it doesn't really help me as I dont know what they all do.

Please could someone recommend me something I can use alongside the AVG for extra protection, or should I get rid of AVG and use something else? thanks for reading

fosterb

You could try Microsoft Security Essentials, it is FREE and it does a load of anti spyware / malicious software stuff as well as anti virus and it does a good job of just keeping out of the way and updating itself in the background (if you tweak the settings). You can use it instead of AVG rather than having both.

danthemoneysavingman

folk on here seem to champion Avast free, or Microsoft Security Essentials. I use the former and it's rather good, and an improvement on AVG free (I believe this is still the case). You can only run one antivirus on your computer so you can just stick with AVG and let it auto-update, you'll (probably maybe cant say for certain) be totally fine with it. Or you can pay for "better" protection - see what others suggest...

jayme1

you can install malwarebytes alongside AVG for on-demand scanning, but the consensus on this forum is that Avast is the best free antivirus (I use it)
therefore I would uninstall AVG and install Avast in it's place and also install malwarebytes for on-demand scanning.

dogmaryxx

Use this http://www.sandboxie.com/

miamoo

Thanks I will have a look at Avast, and malwarebytes.
Dogmaryxx wow that looks great, I have never heard of anything like that before, and for my work it looks perfect. Is it easy to use if you dont know much about computers?

waddler_8

Because of my work I need to go on alot of websites, some of which may be unsafe

You can help mitigate any threats from compromised websites by making sure your OS, browser and installed programs are kept up to date - with older, vulnerable versions removed.

http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/online/

Secunia's OSI can show outdated programs that are a security risk. Installed programs to particularly watch out for include those that install a browser add-on/plugin - Adobe Flash & Reader, Java RE etc.

ARTHUR

well for a start only have ONE antivirus installed on your computer otherwise you will have conflicts, AVG free is fine although I prefer avira free, I would also download "malware bytes free" and "super antispyware free" and do the occasional scan to deal with spyware, you can get them both from www.download.com
you might also think about downloading a free firewall such as "zonealarm" but remember to disable windows firewall before installing one.
Regards Arthur

gonzo127

not being rude but why do you need to visit riskier sites? and do you need to use specfic software on the computer?

i only ask because someone who needs to visit riskier sites than the average user would probably benifit from migrating to Linux - or at least having the ability to boot into linux when you need to visit the riskier sites - this is because virus's are written for windows and not linux

it also has the bonus that you can have it set up to run from a normal USB memory stick so can be kept seperate from your main operating system and it is also portable (so long as your system supports booting from USB - something most motherboards have been able to do for the last 5 years or so)

anyways if you insterested in this solution say so and we can post links

OTHERWISE of the paid for solutions Kaspersky is currently classed as the best - handy as its free if you bank with barcleys

free ones Avira or Avast are the better ones

any one of the above should be backed up with malwarebytes anti malware on demand scanner, sandboxie, and something like noscript in your browser

GunJack

after my recent trial, in this order...

1. Avira
2. Avast
3. AVG
4. MSE but only if you're desparate

Mupette

fosterb wrote: »

You could try Microsoft Security Essentials, it is FREE and it does a load of anti spyware / malicious software stuff as well as anti virus and it does a good job of just keeping out of the way and updating itself in the background (if you tweak the settings). You can use it instead of AVG rather than having both.

ditto this, seems just for a change Microsoft hit no.1 spot for anti virus and its free