Best Anti Virus Suite for Windows 7 that is paid for?

TechJeff

Limp Gawd
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Mar 25, 2009
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I did a google search and it seems there are now or soon will be at least 2 security suites for Windows 7:

1. Norton Internet Security Suite 2010

2. Kaspersky Security Suite 2010

According to the reviews, it seems that both do an OK job, but still in Beta until closer to Windows 7 shipping. Just wondering what others think may be best. I am looking for REAL good, not cheap or free.

There was a good write up on the Norton Security Suite 2009 in Maximum PC recently and they said they have made good progress and it now has a much smaller memory footprint and is a lot better than before. They think 2010 will be as good or better. Does anyone know if it has a "game" mode or such where it still protects but takes the least amount of memory? I think Kaspersky has this in the 2010 suite.

Thanks for any thoughts.
 
Why do you need a suite?

If I had to pick, I would probably get Windows Live Onecare as it outperformed both Kaspersky and Norton in the last AV-Comparatives tests.
 
Microsoft Security Essentials. It's free, very light on resources & highly rated. Did I mention that it's free?
 
Why do you assume that a product that is cheap or free can't be good?

Microsoft Security Essentials is free and received the highest score on av-comparatives.
 
Avira...............Free.............version 9 is what I'm currently using.

Only drawback is the free version doesnt scan email............the paid for version is around 26 bucks a year.

I think it as good or better than NOD32 (eset) and cheaper.:D

Avira Premium edition has a game mode.
 
Is there a difference between Microsoft Security Essentials and Microsoft Live Onecare?

Onecare was the one specifically named in the AV-Comparatives May tests. They apparently have two different websites... what's up?
 
MSE is currently in beta, and if I'm not mistaken, is going to replace OneCare.
 
Companies like Norton have such a huge grasp on the 'paid for' market that there's little competition. Their product is nothing but average. They sell copies based on the name. However the free market has a ton of competition which yields much better results. When it's free, the only incentive to have someone install yours, rather than the competitions, is to be more lightweight and have better detection.
 
for a paid AV, you can't beat NOD32. I can't recommend it enough... does a great job protecting and it's as light as a feather
 
As I noted in another thread in the News forum where Symantec lashed out at "free" AV products and claimed they're not worth anything compared to commercial AV software (meaning their products):

Symantec/Norton has been offering huge rebates the past 2-3 years on their craptastic code, sometimes to the point where you end up getting a complete refund on the cost. Happens at Fry's all the time - find something from Norton, say it's $79.99 and then when you get it paid for the cashier hands you the receipt and then another one for the rebate which turns out to be something like $80.00 so you're out the tax if required.

So that puts Symantec in the "free" class as far as I'm concerned... :)

If the OP must pay, then get Avira at this point, or Eset Smart Security, either of them do a fine job.

But I'll stand by the MSE recommendation because it just works, and it should only get better.
 
no one AV is perfect unfortuantly, just have to find the best and hope nothing gets by.
 
I'm running Kasperky's beta suite right now. Seems good so far. Firewall nags me too much but most of them do.
 
The av-comparatives tests sighted are old, some as far back as May. So far the reviews are not enough to go on because most of the 2010 suites like Norton and Kaspersky are in Beta so the tests are not accurate until final product is out.

One thing that I forgot to mention is is has to work in Windows 7 64 bit and have a "game mode" or "low overhead" mode for reducing the footprint when required.

Right now I am going to go with anything free to get me by until the 2010 suites ship and then pick from one of them. I just always like the interface and how they perform overall better than the free stuff and I use my computer for work so price is not a big issue. I also plan to check av-comparatives site later after Windows 7 ships to see if they have any updates which they should by then.

Thanks for the replies, I think things will shake down more once the Betas are done and Windows 7 ships.
 
The av-comparatives tests sighted are old, some as far back as May. So far the reviews are not enough to go on because most of the 2010 suites like Norton and Kaspersky are in Beta so the tests are not accurate until final product is out.

One thing that I forgot to mention is is has to work in Windows 7 64 bit and have a "game mode" or "low overhead" mode for reducing the footprint when required.

Right now I am going to go with anything free to get me by until the 2010 suites ship and then pick from one of them. I just always like the interface and how they perform overall better than the free stuff and I use my computer for work so price is not a big issue. I also plan to check av-comparatives site later after Windows 7 ships to see if they have any updates which they should by then.

Thanks for the replies, I think things will shake down more once the Betas are done and Windows 7 ships.

"Game mode" is nothing but marketing bullshit and has been discussed a lot on these forums. AV has no effect on frame rates on today's hardware.
 
One thing that I forgot to mention is is has to work in Windows 7 64 bit and have a "game mode" or "low overhead" mode for reducing the footprint when required.
Would this be for your rocking Pentium III gaming system? It's 2009, for chrissakes. You don't need a "gaming mode". Today's multi-core processors combined with Windows 7 are in "gaming mode" all the time.
how they perform overall better than the free stuff.
See, that's the thing. When you do your research, right after you find out how BS "gaming mode" is, you'll also notice that the free apps perform on par, or better than paid suites. Avira/MSE paired with Malwarebytes Antimalware is about the best combination you can get today, and both are free.
 
The av-comparatives tests sighted are old, some as far back as May. So far the reviews are not enough to go on because most of the 2010 suites like Norton and Kaspersky are in Beta so the tests are not accurate until final product is out.

One thing that I forgot to mention is is has to work in Windows 7 64 bit and have a "game mode" or "low overhead" mode for reducing the footprint when required.

Right now I am going to go with anything free to get me by until the 2010 suites ship and then pick from one of them. I just always like the interface and how they perform overall better than the free stuff and I use my computer for work so price is not a big issue. I also plan to check av-comparatives site later after Windows 7 ships to see if they have any updates which they should by then.

Thanks for the replies, I think things will shake down more once the Betas are done and Windows 7 ships.
I guarantee that MSE is "lighter" and uses significantly less system resources than both Kaspersky and Norton. I bench marked games with MSE on/off and there was 0% difference. The UI is incredibly simple and it works perfectly with 7 x64 (my setup is proof).

I feel sorry for the guy who's money you are spending so that you can "feel" safer, when in fact you are not. You have 'bought in' to Norton and don't seem much interested in changing to something better, for less.. It's quite sad really, considering you are a tech.

Most purchased AV = bloat, bottom line. The real competition to be light, fast and efficient is in the free market. Have a nice day.
 
Why would anyone use anything other than Avira or MSE? (or ESET if you feel the need to pay...)
 
While I appreciate the professional replies trying to help, I most certainly do NOT appreciate the ones lacking in professionalism. I did not ask for nor do I care for personal opinion about such things as money matters when the question posted did not pertain to it. In fact, I specifically said in the thread title "PAID FOR". That should mean out of the commercial applications I was seeking to hear from those that use or have seen tests on those packages. It was not a debate over free vs paid or any of the other comments that had nothing to do with what I was asking.

For those asking also, it has nothing to do with spending another person/companies money. There are individuals that have a home office for business or job related and thus any equipment or software bought for work purposes is tax deductible in the USA. But again, how this was brought up when not part of the original question posted I do not know and is simply ones personal conjecture.
 
Its called the Internet, get used to it.

It was brought up because there are free options that are equally if not more capable than most paid options. This is a beaten to death fact around these parts.

Simple, really.
 
There are individuals that have a home office for business or job related and thus any equipment or software bought for work purposes is tax deductible in the USA.
For any business owner, free is still better than a tax-deductible expense.

As for your rant, I believe your original question has been answered. Rant unnecessary.
 

It's a simple matter of you asking for something you're apparently not knowledgeable about and people who have experience in the subject telling you what the best option is. If you are using it for business, then almost all of the 'free' av software... which is far far better than anything Symantec has or ever will (most likely anyway) put out.. have a commerical alternative to their personal offerings. You've now got both of your criteria satisfied; you have the best AV available and you get to pay for it.

Also, Windows 7 is so close to Vista that there is not reason to have a 7 specific version of the software. Drivers maybe, but not software. So Norton selling their next piece of crapware (even though leaps and bounds better than their previous crapware... is still crapware) and saying they developed it specifically for Windows 7 is a crock.
 
While I appreciate the professional replies trying to help, I most certainly do NOT appreciate the ones lacking in professionalism. I did not ask for nor do I care for personal opinion about such things as money matters when the question posted did not pertain to it. In fact, I specifically said in the thread title "PAID FOR". That should mean out of the commercial applications I was seeking to hear from those that use or have seen tests on those packages. It was not a debate over free vs paid or any of the other comments that had nothing to do with what I was asking.

For those asking also, it has nothing to do with spending another person/companies money. There are individuals that have a home office for business or job related and thus any equipment or software bought for work purposes is tax deductible in the USA. But again, how this was brought up when not part of the original question posted I do not know and is simply ones personal conjecture.


Well the irony is that despite your allergy to "free things" you are receiving here free IT consultation services, so a more informal atmosphere is to be expected.

Furthermore, if you were to do a bit of research all of the products recommended here are commercial and free in only very specific circumstances. Avira for example is free ONLY for personal use with limited support, for extended support and commercial implementation you will have to PAY!

I doubt even the mentioned MSE is fully free, (someone who read the EULA for it please correct me if I'm wrong) for support again I'm sure you'll have to pay Microsoft and for commercial use you might need to use Forefront.

If anything I believe there is just one AV application that is 100% free of any usage limitations: ClamAV
 
For any business owner, free is still better than a tax-deductible expense.

As for your rant, I believe your original question has been answered. Rant unnecessary.

First, you obviously have never had your own business or understand how taxes and finances work on some of the principles by your statement above. It is fact that many individuals and/or companies NEED a tax write off and thus look for many ways for tax deductions at tax time. Some buy entire holdings, real estate properties, etc. that actually lose money during the year just to have the write off. The more they lose the more they make.

Second, there was no "rant", only a personal observation that my original post was taken off topic by personal conjecture. If someone chooses to reply it would be of benefit to both if it remained on topic as to not waste ones time with needless discussion pertaining to personal views.
 
First, you obviously have never had your own business or understand how taxes and finances work on some of the principles by your statement above. It is fact that many individuals and/or companies NEED a tax write off and thus look for many ways for tax deductions at tax time. Some buy entire holdings, real estate properties, etc. that actually lose money during the year just to have the write off. The more they lose the more they make.

Second, there was no "rant", only a personal observation that my original post was taken off topic by personal conjecture. If someone chooses to reply it would be of benefit to both if it remained on topic as to not waste ones time with needless discussion pertaining to personal views.

Having managed several small businesses in the past (read: owned), you have no idea what you're talking about. Tax write offs are easy to find, and are usually used as reasoning to buy something that normally would not be worth it (i.e.: upgrading a business trip to first class and a five star hotel because you can write it off).

Either way, the point is moot. You do realize you can buy whatever AV software you want, write it off as an expense, and not actually use it?

EDIT: and yes, free is better than a tax-deductible expense, because I'm sure you can find something else you need that you can write off as an expense instead.
 
EDIT: and yes, free is better than a tax-deductible expense, because I'm sure you can find something else you need that you can write off as an expense instead.
This is an excellent point. TechJeff...good luck in your business. I sincerely hope it isn't anything tech related, despite your username. I don't mean that to sound like an ass, I mean it truthfully. If you would ignore a better, cheaper product, for a ridiculous reason, I wouldn't want you giving others the very same advice.
 
It is fact that many individuals and/or companies NEED a tax write off and thus look for many ways for tax deductions at tax time.
It sounds as if your clients don't know what they're doing, to be quite honest. But that's neither here nor there.
 
See, that's the thing. When you do your research, right after you find out how BS "gaming mode" is, you'll also notice that the free apps perform on par, or better than paid suites. Avira/MSE paired with Malwarebytes Antimalware is about the best combination you can get today, and both are free.

What DF said.
 
Between built in Windows Vista security and noscript on Firefox, my antivirus has been doing nothing but wasting resources. I haven't found so much as a tracking cookie since I installed Vista. I've been using AVG free, but I'll have to look into MSE.
 
Would this be for your rocking Pentium III gaming system? It's 2009, for chrissakes. You don't need a "gaming mode". Today's multi-core processors combined with Windows 7 are in "gaming mode" all the time.

See, that's the thing. When you do your research, right after you find out how BS "gaming mode" is, you'll also notice that the free apps perform on par, or better than paid suites. Avira/MSE paired with Malwarebytes Antimalware is about the best combination you can get today, and both are free.

This, I use Avast over Avira though. Don't like the pop-up.
 
What popup? The one that appears when you update? The one that you can disable in a few seconds?
 
Joe, they disabled that with v9, unfortunately. Now, if you disable AVNotify.exe, the update gets borked.
 
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