best free software for protection?

Z

Zohar78

[H]ard|Gawd
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Aug 12, 2004
Messages
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Im wiping dads computer hes had it running over 4 years, and reinstalling everything. What are the best software for protecting or what people are running? i know at one time a coupel years back, MSE which is now windows defender was good. but like cars, what was the best one year isnt the next. AVG with ad aware and?? its also for my computer.
thankyou.
 
Keep it simple don't install multiple applications that run actively as that will just slow things down or cause conflicts. MSE would be the last product I would recommend.

There are plenty of reviews and resources online with data to backup how the protection is so I would start there. Personally I use Avast which is not the best but is very light-weight when configured properly and does okay on 3rd party testing. I also use Malwarebytes as a second opinion.

If he's prone to getting in trouble downloading crap or clicking on links, buy a license of Sandboxie and have it launch his browsers in a sandbox. Set him up as a standard user, not an Admin.
 
The new Avast is crap-ware, always trying to get you to buy other add-on modules, etc. I ran it on my system for one day and then promptly uninstalled it.

MSE is ok if you are a competent user who knows not to click on anything and everything that pops up. With the new malware fake Flash and Java updates, I wouldn't use it anymore as it doesn't even detect that crap even after it is installed.

I ran it for years and finally broke down last week and went with Bitdefender paid.
You can get a 1 year license for 3 computers for $20
http://www.dealarious.com/coupon/bitdefender-internet-security-2015/

or you can get a 5 year license for 1 computer for $76
http://www.dealarious.com/coupon/bitdefender-lifetime-edition/

This is for the "Internet Security" suite which has more than just the antivirus.

They also have a free version of their antivirus.
http://www.bitdefender.com/solutions/free.html

If you go for the free version of BitDefender, I would go with an anti-spyware program as well that offers real-time protection. I don't know of any that do that are free.

Another good antivirus is Kaspersky.
 
Just run Avast in silent/gaming mode and you won't see ads...

Alternatively, bitdefender (paid version) is practically always free on promotion on sharewareonsale.com

Might be a reason for that mind you, I've had lots of problems when I tried it.
 
Go buy a license for Malwarebytes Pro.

There was a guy selling them in FS/FT for like $12-15. Its a lifetime
license, and it's a suitable product, that if it does fail, will be updated rapidly
and have the ability to actually fix the mess.
 
Best option is not use windows at all. Antiviruses don't work. Just a couple of weeks ago my uncle managed to get some infection to his Win8.1 running AVG.

Same thing with my mother, she buys a new laptop with a trial of a paid antivirus, 2 weeks later it's full of infections. Switched my mom to linux (years ago actually) and the problems simply stopped. Uncle is a tougher case since he uses windows mainly for games.
 
At this time, AVG appears to be working well and blocking a great many things.
 
No matter what you use, its always possible to get an infection. The best strategy is to teach your dad how to recover as much as possible. I've setup all my dad's files to be backed up to cloud (free storage on OneDrive/Dropbox is enough) and also keep things like their browser backed up so they can recover easily.
 
After trying multiple antiviruses over the last couple years everything from Avira to Panda I have ended up using Bitdefender. It's definitely been the most trouble free AV I have used, Panda lost my trust with their bricking issues and caused some other issues. I'm really happy with Bitdefender.
 
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