Best free anti-virus software out there?
 

I've been using AVG for about two years, but I think it's no longer free. I have the AVG 7.5 version and every morning I get a notice that 7.5 is no longer supported and I have to go to 8.5 to stay current, which, of course costs $$. Any other good freebies out there?

I've been using Avast for a couple of years and have yet to get a virus. Course I also use mozilla firefox for my web browser too.

I've been using Trend micro for a while and it seems to work really well. I bought it on Amazon.com and saved some money. These days when you buy it you can install it on up to 3 computers. It seems to get updates almost every day.

$28 for 3 comps

Rick, you can upgrade to 8.5 for free. It's just a new version.

How? The page I have on it says nothing about it being free and asks for a credit card to download.

I just downloaded AVG on three computers and it was free.
It seems to be better, at least more user friendly than what I was using before (both McAfee and Norton).

I went to CNET downloads and routed to it from there. That might be the best way to "find" the free version.

Jim

You're clicking the wrong icons then. You have to read closely, but there is an option to upgrade to the free version of 8.5. Read each page VERY closely and you'll get there, I've done it on both of my computers. As Jim said, the UI is a bit more friendly.

You can get the CA suite free with rebates.

Just look around for it.

Good for a year then the following year just find the rebate again.

They are trying to gain market share and the net to zero rebate has been their anchor for 4-5 years now.

I was the Creative Director for CA a few years back.

They absolutely honor their rebates.

Has anyone ever tried Windowcare, not an anti-virus but it does check for the other nasties. I used it yesterday and it found more than my usual

Still using AVG and its free but as Matt says, you have to be pretty careful about the icons.

Yeah...just did two AVG installs, still free.

I know nothing, I follow you guys. I have Avast and it still announces every day that the virus database has been updated. Yes, I went thru the 8.5 business and thought I wasn't getting it. I'm getting something.

I think Avast actually deserves my money, they're helping me.

+1. Avoid the "Upgrade to 8.5" button and look for the "Upgrade to 8.5 free" button.

There is a FREE AVG version and a trial version - make sure you follow all links for the free. You have to read closely and avoid at attempts made by AVG to get you to download the trial or upgrade versions.

Uninstall 7.5 first, then go to AVG's website.

AVG sucks balls and slows down your puter, and you cannot uninstall it

Malwarebytes is far superior. (and free too)

I just had a major war with a variety of viruses and the pelican experts got me all hooked up. Malwarebytes was the tip of the spear of my counteroffensive.

Seriously- AVG sucks and does NOT find the things malwarebytes does.

Don't waste your time.

AVG is for viruses and MWB is for spyware, malware, etc. Two different products for two different purposes. I actually use them both.

Incorrect

MWB zaps Vundo and other viruses dead. Ask me how i know.

I just went though a major infection, MWB, and MWB alone killed the infection. Defender and AVG both failed miserably. The whole ordeal was posted here under the thread name:

"Ruh roh, just got a puter virus"

AVG does not kill the root of the infection, MWB does.

MWB is a far, far superior product IMO. AVG, quite frankly- sucks. It slowed my computer down so much it might as well have been a virus itself.

And you cannot uninstall it. The best you can do is start in safe mode and delete a bunch of files so it won't run. I would never reccomend AVG to anyone. It's crap.

Windows defender is little better, however it does have a few nice utilities that make it useful to keep around.

Not really interested in getting into a pissing match about this, so this will be my last post on the matter. Feel free to get in the last word.

Virtumonde (Vundo) is malware. I have survived several iterations of it on various machines. The last manifestation was so nasty that even MWB couldn't touch it. Ended up making a Unix boot CD and nuking it with an antivirus/spyware package from there. (As a rule I usually refuse to just wipe a machine, I will battle an infestation to the bitter end....on GP). Once I had it diagnosed, I played around with it for a while to see how deep it went. The control it exercised over the machine was shocking. The browser hijacking, in particular, was really unnerving.

AVG and MWB look for different activities & patterns, which differentiate malware/spyware and traditional viruses. No matter if you don't like AVG, you should install some kind of virus scanner. MWB is an amazing program to be sure, but it is not a complet solution.

The lines between spyware/malware etc. and viruses ARE starting to break down and I assume packages will get better at dealing with both varieties. I haven't found one yet that I deem up to the challenge, so I continue to run two apps. Sorry you don't like AVG, you're the first person I've ever run into that doesn't like it. I've never had a problem uninstalling or updating it, either.

I've used AVG on a number of computers that I have tested compatibility with AV products and other products. I have uninstalled and reinstalled it without problems numerous times on the same machines.

This was all on XP.

If you hit the uninstall for 8.5 it even gives you a prompt that the feature will be added later.

It may be an 8.5 specific problem.

I used AVG, Windows defender, Ad-aware, and malware bytes. Only malware bytes had any effect at all. AVG would find and remove stuff, but it was back at reboot. Same for defender.

One scan with Malwarebytes, boom- it was gone.

SloDave also reccomended combo fix as well. There are links to all of it in my thread.

I'm not an expert- but i know what worked for me, and i had one seriously nasty infection.

PS: AVG REALLY slowed my machine down just in normal operation. That's why i wanted to uninstall it to begin with. I ended up having to reboot in safe mode and manually remove those files it would let me remove.

BTW, cleanliness is next to godliness when it comes to avoiding infections. CCleaner is a great free utility that I run on a daily basis.

I have that too. :)

Ccleaner rocks. It's amazing how much garbage Windoze dumps all over the place - registry, etc. As an operating system it's an organizational mess. That little app has helped a lot.

Thanks for the heads up on Ccleaner & Malwarebytes...
Just downloaded them and they worked great.

I use and like Nod 32. It's free if you pirate it. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/suppo...amingdevil.gif

glad to help bro.

the downloadable version of MS windows defender has some nice utility features too, though as an actual anti-virus it seems thoroughly useless.

I'm using AVG and really like it better than Norton/Symantec. I might be the only one that actually bought the package. It's 3 machines for 2 years, so 6 years worth of protection for about $25, if I remember correctly. Anyway it does everything I ask of it, so well worth it.

AVG is still updating my 7.5 version even though I keep getting the dire warnings about it not being supported after April 12th.

+1 on Avast. The best free one out there IMO.

Here is the link to the latest version of AVG Free.

http://www.avg.com/filedir/inst/avg_free_stf_en_85_287a1483.exe

Ever try to get Norton/Symantec off of your computer?:eek:

I've had very good luck with Norton 360 ver 2 recently.

My dad's puter tech calls it the most effective virus ever written.

LOL

Art,

Is Norton free these days? It used to be on every new computer sold.

Its too much of a memory hog for me to keep it.

Joe A

Blink

My wife works for Symantec, as did I for many years.

here is the deal. The last few products SUCKED. SEP11 (what a brilliant product name huh?!) has taken down more machines than the virus that it supposed to protect you from.

I can get it free and I won't install it. The only thing worse was the consumer products like Norton 360. We would drop off boxes of it at customer sites for their home use. We would get them back with angry notes all the time. Total garbage.

That said the new NIS2009 is good. The prime directives were to make it be accurate and have LOW resource impact. It even has a graph that shows you resource consumption.

Anyway, you probably can get it for free or heavily discounted if you look around.

For the record there are two things I will mention.

I was on the data protection side of the house (not security/virus side). (Formerly Veritas). We didn't like the Symantec team diluting our reputation. Therefore, I am not a true expert.

There is no secret virus lab at Symantec that generates virii so that they can justify their products. (I looked!!). Seemed obvious to me. Write viruses to "test" your product and help sell your product.

t.

Guys I need your help, When this thread started I downloaded the programs that some of you suggested, they worked great without any issues however the other day I wondered into unknown territory and now none of the anti virus software that I have installed will work.

I removed all of them in an attempt to downloaded them again and now my PC won't even let me download them, If my lucky enough it will download almost to the end then it will stop with a error message, most of them I'm receiving the following error,

What can I do ?


Internet Explorer cannot display the web page

Most likely causes:
You are not connected to the Internet.
The website is encountering problems.
There might be a typing error in the address.

What you can try:
Diagnose Connection Problems

More information

This problem can be caused by a variety of issues, including:

Internet connectivity has been lost.
The website is temporarily unavailable.
The Domain Name Server (DNS) is not reachable.
The Domain Name Server (DNS) does not have a listing for the websites domain.
If this is an HTTPS (secure) address, click Tools, click Internet Options, click Advanced, and check to be sure the SSL and TLS protocols are enabled under the security section.

For offline users

You can still view subscribed feeds and some recently viewed web pages.
To view subscribed feeds

Click the Favorites Center button , click Feeds, and then click the feed you want to view.

To view recently visited web pages (might not work on all pages)

Click Tools , and then click Work Offline.
Click the Favorites Center button , click History, and then click the page you want to view.

Juan,

First question, which OS (Vista, XP or what) are you using and how long has it been on your machine?

If the OS (operating system) has been on the computer longer than a year or so, its time to backup your data and format the hard drive. Then re-install the OS and start fresh again. Once the computer has been running for a year or so it gets full of crap and there is simply no better way to do it right.

I just did this with my desktop and laptop and was really surprised at the increase in performance. Might give a thought to starting over this way if you are having problems.

Joe A

I have Vista which came with the PC that is a 1 1/2 year old, according to what I'm reading I have 44.0 KB free of 72.0 GB but I think thats another issue all together because every time I try to back up the system it says that the system is full, I have an external hard drive thats is is 386GB Free of 465 GB.

I hope that helps so you guys can help me:D

Thanks !