Best virus protection? (If possible in comparison to Norton 360)

jenniewb

I've just finished a 2 year stint with Norton 360 Virus protection. (Before anyone throws things at me; I didn't pay, I got it for free!) They now are asking for £20. For a year.


I don't want to pay but will pay if I can't find anything better than what else I've tried. I had AVG which had so many pop-ups and advertisements that I went without any virus protection for the best part of three years, just running the odd malware and cc cleaner scans to do what I could. Prior to AVG I'd used McAfee which just made everything really slow and took a long time to scan everything I so much as glanced at and somewhere inbetween there was another which I think was Avast! and just..pop-up after pop-up... lasted only a few months on my computer.


I understand the free versions come with downsides. This is because they are free. But there must be some that are easier to use and grin and bear than others! I have had Norton for 2 years and have only good things to say about them but I want to avoid stumping up £20 if I can at all avoid it.


If anyone has any positive experiences of any free Virus Protection and if at all possible, positive in comparison to Norton 360 I'd be really grateful to hear about them.

jenniewb

To add: I have a PC, not very old, purpose build with a heavy-on-the-graphics side, average memory/RAM if that helps understand where I am coming from.

Malmo

Windows Defender / Microsoft Security Essentials (assuming you're using a Windows machine), in combination with Malwarebytes are all you really need.

henm2

Avast free edition with occasional use of the free edition of malwarebytes is sufficient for a windows machine. This is what I use for the few times I am not using a linux based operating system such as Linux Mint.

tgon

Malmo's combination is all I use as well. My internet use dosent warrant any more and the combo is pretty good IMHO

bod1467

+1 to henm2's suggestion. That's what I have.

This is the eternal question ... and you'll get a multitude of suggestions - as always in threads like this.

To paraphrase The Oracle in The Matrix, you'll just have to make up your own damned mind.

agrinnall

I'm with henm2 and bod, but if you wait for long enough you'll get every answer under the sun. I personally wouldn't bother to pay for AV when the best free options are so good (and in some case, considerably better than paid for versions).

JJ_Egan

AV comparatives carry out monthly tests .
In 99% of these tests the basic MS product is vastly inferior .
Long term top ranked over many years Eset and Kaspersky .
Free currently Avast .

But as said many many different opinions on this subject ranging from i don't use any and never have a virus to those that lock everything down free or not .

Kinty

Avast on silent mode, never had any issues and no annoying notifications etc.

AndyPix

Microsoft security essentials - (Free)
Malwarebytes - (Free edition)

And a bit of common sense

Are all you need

benjus

I have a Barclays account and so get Kaspersky for free, which seems to do a good job. The only think I don't like (and have disabled) is the secure browser for online banking and payments, which most of the time just seems to interrupt the transaction and means I have to start again with the secure browser disabled.