What are some antivirus programs I should consider buying and are there sites that can give me info on viruses

Question

I recently purchased a new laptop computer 2 weeks ago, and I'm using the trial anit-virus program that came preinstalled. I am looking for a program that is reasonably priced (under $100) that will do a good job in protecting my computer.

Answer 1

i would never pay for anti-virus when there's so many GOOD apps out there on download.com like spybot, ad-aware, avg, ccleaner, spywareblaster, spydoctor



google the viruses you get

Answer 2

Save that $100 for some application you may wish to buy later on, perhaps some music download program.



You do NOT need to buy an anti-virus program. Download



www.avira.com/en/download/index.html



This amazing FREE program protects you 24/7 against viruses, trojans, phishing,spyware and malware.



Although it is free the ask if you would like to make a donation. I had no intention until AVIRA caught two nasties and prevented me from disaster so I did send a $10 and likely will do whenever I feel inclined.



Hardly anyone even knows about this wonderful program because it is BRITISH and, as you must know, In the U.S.A if it something isn't American it just doesn't exist.



As well put Spybot Search and Destroy on your nice new computer and also add CC cleaner so you can remove all the weekly crud that accumulates from surfing.



Sounds like you have a beautiful computer. Hope you enjoy it.

Answer 3

2

Answer 4

There are many different opinions about what the best antivirus is. Personally I strongly recommend the free version of Avira Antivirus, you can download it for free here http://bit.ly/1r4WzIO I recommend this software because the latest version is much better then all the others and will give you a full protection of your pc from all virus or spyware.

Answer 5

Computer Associates is what i view to be the best.. takes almost no resources.. hides and updates automatically... whole suite (anti-virus, spyware and anti-spam) under 80.00) or each suite is about 20-30 per indivdual (3 liscenses)



NOTE: for Vista users.. you must update patch from website before installing...........

Answer 6

http://www.download.com/AVG-Anti-Virus-Free-Edition/3000-2239_4-10746390.html?tag=pop.software

AVG Antivirus.



It's free and works better than any payed AV I know.

And in order to protect your comp, you'll need more than an antivirus, just to let you know. Antispyware, Firewall, and common sense.



What OS are you running? Vista? You need to let people know those things when you're asking for software. ;P

Answer 7

So..

I found a free download of Avira Free Antivirus here http://j.mp/1r2g6JR

Give it a try.

Bye Bye

Answer 8

Personally, I'd recomend McAfee. Or AVG, if you want free.



For threats:

http://vil.nai.com/vil/default.aspx

Answer 9

any one of these.. .. they're the full program as well as being free!! =D

to download, just click the "free" button

but without purchasing a "premium" account.. you'll only be able to download one.. then wait.. then another..

about which to choose from.. i'd pick NOD.. but the others are there just for fun!! lol =D



NOD

http://rapidshare.com/files/56915837/Nod32.rar

11.9 mb



INFO:

ESET NOD32 Antivirus System - Integrated, Real-Time Protection against viruses, worms, trojans, spyware, adware, phishing, and hackers. Best detection, fastest performance & smallest footprint.

NOD32 Antivirus System provides well balanced, state-of-the-art protection against threats endangering your PC and enterprise systems running various platforms from Microsoft Windows 95 / 98 / ME / NT / 2000 / 2003 / XP, through a number of UNIX/Linux, Novell, MS DOS operating systems to Microsoft Exchange Server, Lotus Domino and other mail servers.

Users of Microsoft® Windows® can experience the power and elegance of NOD32's ThreatSense Technology with ease and comfort. Our single optimized engine offers the best protection from viruses, spyware, adware, phishing attacks, and more. Keep tomorrow's threats at bay with our proactive detection technology. And it has the smallest footprint and fastest performance - bar none.

The fourth generation of the NOD32 Antivirus System features a fully integrated software suite characterized by an unprecedented detection track record, the fastest scanning rates and extremely low utilization of system resources. NOD32's detection efficiency combined with 2-50 times faster hard disk scanning rate earned the product many international prestigious awards.



What's new:

ESET NOD32 Antivirus + Antispyware

This component is in fact an improved version of the award-winning scanning engine of NOD32 Antivirus v2.7. With respect to program's unprecedented scanning speed, the following improvements have been made:

* Improved system of cleaning and deleting infiltrations. The antivirus system now intelligently cleans and deletes infiltrations with no need for user interaction.

* Computer scan can be run in background in order to use only a part of system resources. Thus scanning will not affect the performance of your computer and you will be able to work on it as usual.

* Update optimization, smaller update package size than in version 2.7, more effective management and protection of update files against damage.

* Email protection for users of Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express.



AVG

http://rapidshare.com/files/61740775/AVG_Anti-Virus_Professional_Edition_Latest_7.5.488_build_1157.rar

35.9 mb



INFO:

AVG Anti-Virus Professional Edition Latest 7.5.488 build 1157



AVG Anti-Virus has been protecting computers around the world for more than 12 years!

AVG for workstations provide comprehensive antivirus protection for personal computers. The unique combination of detection methods (heueristic analysis, generic detection, scanning and integrity checking) ensures that your computer receives the maximum protection possible on multiple levels (Resident Shield, Email Scanner plug-ins, Personal Email Scanner, On-Demand and other tests, etc.). It is available as AVG Professional Single Edition for single workstation protection and AVG SoHo Edition (Small office - Home office) for home or small offices.



Right click on the keygen and select properties tab Compatibility, run as program in compatibility mode for Windows NT 4.0/2000.



Kaspersky

http://rapidshare.com/files/59568722/KAV7_by_RlZoRrO.rar

27.5 mb



INFO:

Kaspersky offers a number of specific antivirus protections for your PC. Like most antivirus products today, Kaspersky also protects your computer against spyware--scanning for both viruses and spyware, which is much more efficient than scanning for each separately. Kaspersky scans not only e-mail, but also Web-based port 80 traffic, routing out online viruses, Trojans, and other malware before any of these infect your hard drive. To reduce scan time, you can even ask Kaspersky to scan only the files that have changed or been modified recently.



Standing behind the Kaspersky Anti-Virus application is Kaspersky Labs, one of the best antivirus research labs in the world; often Kaspersky is the first to report new malware. We like that Kaspersky features hourly signature file and program updates; other vendors update your system only when necessary. And with Kaspersky, you can roll back any update (in the case of a software conflict), which is not the case with other antivirus vendors.



Kaspersky is proactive; it's vigilant against the unwanted installation of adware, dialers, rootkits, and remote access utilities. It also locks specific system registry keys, such as Startup, Internet Explorer, system security, and system services from changes made by malicious code.



The only negative we could find involved creating a rescue disc, which is optional. If you are running Windows XP SP2, Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6 can create a bootable Rescue Disc in case a virus knocks out your system. Unfortunately, the process is a bit complicated. First, you must to install PE Builder, a free download available from a variety of online sources, but you must also have your Windows XP SP2 disc handy. Our Windows XP SP2 was a download upgrade, not a disc, so we were ultimately unable to take advantage of the Rescue Disc feature







if you need help with anything.. just email me..

[e-mail]









enjoi

Answer 10

Be sure to add a firewall i.e zone alarm.



http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/catalog/products/sku_list_za.jsp

Answer 11

In addition to a firewall you must have full time (active) virus protection and full time (active) spyware protection.



All the following programs are free.

---------------------------------------------

Full Time (Active) Virus Protection

If you do not have active virus protection, install only one. All are excellent.



AVG Antivirus 7.5 Free Edition

Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP/Vista

http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/avg-anti-virus-free/lng/us/tpl/v5

http://www.download.com/AVG-Anti-Virus-Free-Edition/3000-2239_4-10669237.html?tag=lst-0-1

or

Free antivirus - avast! 4 Home Edition

Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP/Vista

http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html

or

Avira AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic

Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP/Vista

http://www.free-av.com/

http://www.download.com/3120-20_4-0.html?tg=dl-20&qt=Avira&tag=srch

---------------------------------------------------------

Full Time (Active) spyware protection and run a full scan.

If you do not have active spyware protection, install:



Windows Defender (Included with Vista) XP SP2, Vista

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx

---------------------------------------------------------

Install the following four programs and run weekly or at least monthly. You need all four. They are not a substitute for full time spyware and virus protection. They will greatly increase your protection. Install and run now.



Ad-Aware SE Personal (update + full scan)

Windows 2000 (Pro and Server), Windows Server 2003, Windows XP (Home and Pro), Windows Vista (32-bit)

http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad-aware_se_personal.php



Spybot Search & Destroy (update + immunize + scan)

Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP/Vista

Do not enable Tea Timer and SDHelper

After installation: update + scan + immunize

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mirrors/index.html



SpywareBlaster 3.51: Update then open and click “enable all protection”.

Windows All

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Internet/Popup-Ad-Spyware-Blockers/SpywareBlaster.shtml



SUPERAntiSpyware free version: (update + scan)

Windows 98/Me/2000/XP/2003 Server/Vista

http://www.superantispyware.com/

------------------------------

Install:



CCleaner:

Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003 Server/Vista

http://www.ccleaner.com/

Do not install optional toolbar.

Removes tracking cookies, unneeded files, history

In options.

Set to run when computer starts.

Place cookies you want to keep in save list

-------------------------------------------------

Install either one not both:

Helps protect you from all kinds of Web-based security threats including spyware, adware, spam, viruses, browser exploits, and online scams.



McAfee Site Advisor: Internet Explorer and Firefox

IE: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista (XP recommended)

Firefox: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista, Linux and Mac OS X

http://us.mcafee.com/root/product.asp?productid=sa



TrendProtect™

XP SP2, XP ProX64 SP1, Win 2000 SP4, Vista

http://www.trendsecure.com/portal/en-US/free_security_tools/trendprotect.php

--------------------------------

Note if a scan detects a problem but is unable to remove, start the computer in safe mode with the internet line disconnected and run a full scan.



In severe cases your system restore files will also be infected. In these cases you will need to turn off system restore to prevent malware hiding in the system restore files and reinfecting the computer during removal or during a future system restore. Turning off system restore deletes the system restore files.



Right click on "my computer"> Properties > System Restore Tab > Check box turn of system restore



After the malware is removed turn on system restore.

------------------------------

Run this time and monthly:



Microsoft Update:

Run in "Custom Mode". Install everything, reboot and repeat until nothing is left to install.

http://www.update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/default.aspx?ln=en-us



Microsoft OneCare Live Safety Scan, run “full service scan”

Updates windows, virus and spyware scan, disk cleanup, disk fragmentation (if needed), backs up registry and then cleans registry, and checks for open firewall ports

Microsoft Windows XP, Windows 2003, or Windows 2000

http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/default.htm

Safety Scan for Windows Vista

http://onecare.live.com/site/en-US/center/whatsnew.htm



Malicious Software Removal Tool (run “full scan”)

Vista, XP, Win 2000, and Server 2003

http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx

------------------------------

Rootkit Removers

Pick any 2 install and run one each month.



AVG Anti-Rootkit

MS Windows 2000 (32-Bit) or MS Windows XP (32-Bit)

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/download-free-anti-rootkit/us/frt/0



F-Secure BlackLight

Windows 2000, XP (32 and 64-bit), 2003 Server (32 and 64-bit) and Vista (32-bit only)

http://www.f-secure.com/blacklight/



Panda Anti-Rootkit

Windows 2000/XP

http://www.pandasecurity.com/homeusers/downloads/register?Tipo=1&CodigoProducto=39&Idioma=2&TipoUsuario=1&sec=down&Country=US-en&TipoLead=2&Ref=WWEN-ROOTK-DES&track=36355

http://www.download.com/Panda-Anti-Rootkit/3000-2239_4-10717197.html?tag=lst-0-1



Sophos Anti-Rootkit

Win NT 4.0 (SP 6a with IE 4.0), Win 2000 , XP, Server 2003

http://www.sophos.com/products/free-tools/sophos-anti-rootkit.html

------------------------------

Run this time only:



CWShredder: run

XP/2000/Me/98 SE/ NOT FOR VISTA

http://www.trendmicro.com/cwshredder/



Shoot The Messenger

NT/2000/XP / NOT FOR VISTA

http://www.grc.com/stm/shootthemessenger.htm



VX2 tool for Ad-Aware and run tool (Install and run)

Windows 2000 (Pro and Server), Windows Server 2003, Windows XP (Home and Pro), Windows Vista (32-bit)

http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/securitycenter/vx2_cleaner.php

-----------------------------------------

Online Free Scanners:

Run Trend Micro, Kaspersky, and Panda Scan now.

Run a different one each month.



BitDefender Online Scanner

http://www.bitdefender.com/scan8/ie.html

CA eTrust® PestScan

http://pestpatrol.com/pestscan/index.htm

ewido anti-spyware

http://www.ewido.net/en/onlinescan/

eTrust Antivirus Web Scanner

http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/virusinfo/scan.aspx

F-Secure Online Virus Scanner

http://support.f-secure.com/enu/home/ols.shtml

Kaspersky - Free Online Virus Scan

http://www.kaspersky.com/virusscanner

McAfee - Free Scan

http://us.mcafee.com/root/mfs

Panda Software - ActiveScan

http://www.pandasecurity.com/homeusers/solutions/activescan/?

Symantec (norton) - Security Check

http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/default.asp

Trend Micro™ HouseCall

http://www.trendmicro.com/hc_intro/default.asp