Free Anti -Virus/Malware/Spyware Recommendations?

A

aphasia

[H]ard|Gawd
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Jan 15, 2011
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as the thread title mentions, looking for some solid free 'Anti- Virus/Malware/Spyware' software.

it's for my brother's family PC which i've just finished building. not looking for perfect cover, just something that's 'fire & forget' or enough to keep 'em out of trouble so they're not calling me every few months to fix their machine. i know a single piece of software isn't going to do the job (tho consolidation would be nice) however ideally should run automatically in the background with little user input.

after having a quick look at the 'How-to Guide' sticky,
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1426658

thought these 3 suggestions might cover their PC;
-Avira AntiVir Personal
-Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
-Spybot Search & Destroy

would running these on my brother's PC be enough or should i be looking at something else?
 
for a couple of years now, and so far it's been effective for me. Check some sites like CNET or other online PC sites for recommendations. good luck!
 
AVG is really terrible these days, they used to be good, not anymore.

Go with MSE plus something like Malwarebytes Pro (you can find the licenses on deals from newegg every now and then for like $10).
 
Grentz said:
AVG is really terrible these days, they used to be good, not anymore.

Go with MSE plus something like Malwarebytes Pro (you can find the licenses on deals from newegg every now and then for like $10).
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This. ^^

I can throw in a recommendation for Avast in place of MSE though. If your system is decently spec'd, it works well.
 
Grentz said:
AVG is really terrible these days, they used to be good, not anymore.

Go with MSE plus something like Malwarebytes Pro (you can find the licenses on deals from newegg every now and then for like $10).
Click to expand...

Haven't used AVG in years.

I currently use MSE or Avast + MalwareBytes Pro on any Windows system I encounter.
 
No reason to use anything other than MSE, nor anything in addition to it. MalwareBytes (free edition) is reactive- your system is infected and possibly damaged before it does anything. MalwareBytes Pro is pro-active, so it can possibly interfere with other anti-walware. Follow recommendations and best practices: run only one anti-malware solution on your desktop.
Follow best practices on your windows desktop and you will avoid 99.9% of threats out there:
Up to date anti-malware program
IE9's Smart Screen Filter or equivalent ON
UAC on

Anti-malware is not a talisman- more is not better. Use the layers of security built-in to your product as designed, and stop buying into the myth of the magic bullet.
 
The only thing I might add, Rocket, is OpenDNS. It's certainly not perfect, but it's an extra layer that has helped protect clients of mine from malware.
 
AVG has always been junk. Use MSE, Avira, or Avast. I also do recommend OpenDNS (note: it must be set in the router, not on the PC)
 
XOR != OR: Good Catch. My main point was not to treat security as a cross, or garlic, or whatever you wave in front of the vampire of malware. Specific products become less important if you make sure the layers are there. No single layer is going to stop everything (except the connection layer :D )
OpenDNS adds a new and useful layer of protection which is easy to implement and use.
 
YeOldeStonecat said:
MSE or Avast
Add OpenDNS to the WAN settings of the router
Use Chrome for your browser
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Chrome with adblock plus++ ( being sure to whitelist the forums. Because you support the awesome sites. Not even being sarcastic there ) and flashblock.
 
I heard avast is good..



I always felt like anti virus was gimmiky and lame. are they actually saving me from anything? i format every 6 months anyways ;P
 
dremic said:
I always felt like anti virus was gimmiky and lame. are they actually saving me from anything? i format every 6 months anyways ;P
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MSE on this laptop I'm typing from has jumped up and bagged 3 or so rogues in the past year.

Formatting every 6 months...LMAO...I used to do that back in the Windows 95 days when I didn't know what I was doing and I'd install and uninstall tons of junk on my computer. But christ...since the Win2K days...formatting like a bored madman days are loooong gone.
 
Another vote for MSE and MalwareBytes Pro. I used to use McAfee,but it hasn't been that great of late and it slowed down or totally screwed up my start up with some of it's buggy updates.
 
michael.pa2 said:
Another vote for MSE and MalwareBytes Pro. I used to use McAfee,but it hasn't been that great of late and it slowed down or totally screwed up my start up with some of it's buggy updates.
Click to expand...

It was never good. Look through old tests on AV-Comparatives if you don't believe me.
 
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