New 'Protect Your PC For Free: No-cost Anti-Virus and Other Software' discussion

kwikbreaks

JasX wrote: »

I'd actually reported it again using this thread as an example in another effort to get MSE to change their article... zero chance now that someone has spoken up in AVGs defence that its actually good :mad:

I only said that it's better than nothing. The post above this endorses it more fully than I ever would having suffered my only virus infection ever while using it.

gonzo127

espresso wrote: »

Your continued rants on here regularly stating that "AVG is junk" and "trusting the 'wet paper bag' level of protection AVG provides" are simply your misguided opinion and luckily are ignored by most MSE members.

You can use whatever you want on your machine but continually slagging off various products on here is very immature and unhelpful. There are also a handful of parrots, who seem to think that it makes them look clever if they joint in, making them look equally silly.

The facts are that AVG is by far the most commonly used free antivirus program in the world and it is used by many MSE'ers who are very happy to continue using it without problems.

Take your one man anti AVG crusade elsewhere.

the problem is there are MUCH better anti virus software than AVG, in the last round of on demand scan tests i have seen AVG's detection rate was less than 95% whereas Avira was over 99% in a world with hundreds of thousand or virus's around that leaves a much larger amount of them which AVG will not detect compared to Avira

Knarf44

Some people may or may not be aware that free and paid AV programs are regularly tested by independent organisations such as:

https://www.av-comparatives.org

In Feb 2010 the above company tested most of the popular AV programs in a comparative test for "On-Demand Detection of Malacious Software (including False Alarm and On-Demand Scanning Speed Test)"

The report can be read (pdf doc) via their website.

After the tests it awarded each program a level of Certification - "Advanced + " being the highest; then "Advanced" then "Standard"

Software awarded Advanced + was:

GDATA
AVIRA (version 9.0.0.457) detection rate 99.3%
TRUSTPORT
PC TOOLS
SYMANTEC
F-SECURE
ESET
BIT DEFENDER
ESCAN
AVAST(version 5.0.396) detection rate 97.3%
KAPERSKY

Advanced

MCAFEE
PANDA
MICROSOFT
SOPHOS
AVG(version 9.0.733) detection rate 94.2%

All the tests were conducted using XP SP3.

closed

Knarf44 wrote: »

Software awarded Advanced + was:

GDATA
AVIRA (version 9.0.0.457) detection rate 99.3%
TRUSTPORT
PC TOOLS
SYMANTEC
F-SECURE
ESET
BIT DEFENDER
ESCAN
AVAST(version 5.0.396) detection rate 97.3%
KAPERSKY

Advanced

MCAFEE
PANDA
MICROSOFT
SOPHOS
AVG(version 9.0.733) detection rate 94.2%

All the tests were conducted using XP SP3.

Haven't looked recently, but if I remember correctly the avira tested was the paid for version, making avast the best free on demand scanner, it's also lightest on ram, and no nag screens. None are perfect.

aliEnRIK

closed wrote: »

Haven't looked recently, but if I remember correctly the avira tested was the paid for version, making avast the best free on demand scanner, it's also lightest on ram, and no nag screens. None are perfect.

It is the premium version

But when you compare them ~
http://www.free-av.com/en/products/2/avira_antivir_premium.html

Id say everything in the 'av compare' test is in the free one

fiddiwebb

Characteristic features of parrots include a strong curved bill, an upright stance, strong legs, and clawed zygodactyl feet.

Gee, I must check my toenails again :eek:

gonzo127

fiddiwebb wrote: »

Characteristic features of parrots include a strong curved bill, an upright stance, strong legs, and clawed zygodactyl feet.

Gee, I must check my toenails again :eek:

so your curved bill is alright then, still got it?

euanwozere

Is it correct to presume if you put any of the advanced+ programs on your computer you should be getting a good program that gives few errors?

Saetana

No idea if this has been posted before but Threatfire offer a free version of their heuristic/behavioural malware scanner, this runs in real-time and can be used alongside any traditional security suite or anti-virus software. This software, whilst it downloads signature updates like normal anti-virus programs, is a good way to help prevent against zero-day attacks (new viruses) as it works by looking at how programs behave to detect viruses. It uses hardly any resources, I was running this on its own on my old PC when it was running too slowly for a normal security suite. On-demand scans can also be run with Threatfire in addition to its real-time protection.

Please note this software is NOT suitable for trying to remove an existing virus, you would need the paid version for that. I have been using it for 2 years now and have never had so much of a sniff of a virus on the two PCs I have had it installed on. The link to download the software is:

http://www.threatfire.com/download/

nikzGfx

Microsoft Security Essentials! Never had a prob with it.