# Low resource antivirus - any suggestions?



## Error 404 (Apr 25, 2008)

I've installed Vista on my laptop, but it is a very slow laptop. (Pentium 3 @ 850 MHz, 512 MB RAM, small hard drive).
Vista runs fine, because I cut out all the crap I didn't need, but I _do_ need a good antivirus program, or even a whole security suite, that will run on it without slowing it down too much (unless it is scanning: it can slow down then), yet is freeware.
I've tried Comodo Antivirus, but it isn't compatible with Vista.
Any suggestions for a good, free, low resource AV?


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## pt (Apr 25, 2008)

nod32


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## dark2099 (Apr 25, 2008)

Dunno exactly about how low source AVG is, but I use their AV (only free component) on all my computers and have had no problems, for spyware and such I use SpyBot which is also free.  AVG has a built in spyware scanner too, but I haven't tried that.

http://free.grisoft.com
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html


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## Error 404 (Apr 25, 2008)

pt said:


> nod32



Is it free?

@dark2099: I've got AVG on my good PC, and I think it would take up a few too many resources.


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## ex_reven (Apr 25, 2008)

Not free.


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## Error 404 (Apr 25, 2008)

I'll try Avast! Antivirus; it looks free, but hopefully doesnt slow down my laptop.


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## ex_reven (Apr 25, 2008)

Avast is pretty low resource.
Been using it for ages now, never had a virus to date.


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## pt (Apr 25, 2008)

ex_reven said:


> Not free.



?
nod32 IS FREE, LASTS FOREVER, AND IS ONE OF THE BEST


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## ex_reven (Apr 25, 2008)

I didnt see any free edition on their website 

Only trial versions and purchased versions.


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## pt (Apr 25, 2008)

ex_reven said:


> I didnt see any free edition on their website
> 
> Only trial versions and purchased versions.



google nodfix, imo it's not ilegal, some ppl say it is


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## ex_reven (Apr 25, 2008)

It is


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## pt (Apr 25, 2008)

ex_reven said:


> It is



lol let's not discuss this here
nod32, avg, kaspersky


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## spearman914 (Apr 25, 2008)

dark2099 said:


> Dunno exactly about how low source AVG is, but I use their AV (only free component) on all my computers and have had no problems, for spyware and such I use SpyBot which is also free.  AVG has a built in spyware scanner too, but I haven't tried that.
> 
> http://free.grisoft.com
> http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html



AVG is popular but I got one word to described it. CRAP. IT only detects 87% of all the viruses made so therefore "no good". If you want some excellent antivirus get AVAST! Bitdefender 9 or 10 free edition. They both detect up to 90%+ of all viruses.


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## Error 404 (Apr 25, 2008)

I have installed Avast! Home Edition, and it seems to be working quite well. It is currently doing a one-time preboot scan of my hard drive. Quickly.


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## ex_reven (Apr 25, 2008)

spearman914 said:


> AVG is popular but I got one word to described it. CRAP. IT only detects 87% of all the viruses made so therefore "no good". If you want some excellent antivirus get AVAST! Bitdefender 9 or 10 free edition. They both detect up to 90%+ of all viruses.



What if the remaining 13% of viruses wernt viruses that affect windows? Or arnt viruses that are common anymore? Its all a bit of a scam if you ask me lol.

The majority of problems with enthusiast computers will probably be malware/spyware/bloatware related anyway. Most AV's will be sufficient for the job.
I just tend to steer clear of Trend Micro, Norton and Macafee. They tend to be annoying and intrusive.


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## spearman914 (Apr 25, 2008)

ex_reven said:


> What if the remaining 13% of viruses wernt viruses that affect windows? Or arnt viruses that are common anymore? Its all a bit of a scam if you ask me lol.
> 
> The majority of problems with enthusiast computers will probably be malware/spyware/bloatware related anyway. Most AV's will be sufficient for the job.
> I just tend to steer clear of Trend Micro, Norton and Macafee. They tend to be annoying and intrusive.



LMAO 13% of the viruses don't effect windows. What the **** are you talking about. The major slowdown of systems is bloatware and installed bionic shit. For XP its mostly an unknown reason for vista its memory performance hog and all that security crap. Everytime you click something it tells you to scan or "Have you ever used his program before if you do not know make sure you know what you are doing click yes or no".


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## das müffin mann (Apr 25, 2008)

i've been running avast for a while now VERY low resource great av i would recommend it


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## spearman914 (Apr 25, 2008)

das müffin mann said:


> i've been running avast for a while now VERY low resource great av i would recommend it



Its very low resource but it slows down download speed dramatically with standard and web shield turned on. So I turn the shield off when downloading and scan it when I finish.


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## ex_reven (Apr 25, 2008)

spearman914 said:


> LMAO 13% of the viruses don't effect windows. What the **** are you talking about.



It was a hypothetical question.
Please note the "what if" and the question mark at the end of the sentence.
It was a question to you regarding whether those statistics are accurate, or whether they are in place by way of marketing to steer you towards a product.



> The major slowdown of systems is bloatware and installed bionic shit.



Bionic shit? Computers are _not_ bionic.
Btw, when I was referring to computer problems, I was speaking within the context of viruses (i.e. internet based problems).



> For XP its mostly an unknown reason for vista its memory performance hog and all that security crap. Everytime you click something it tells you to scan or "Have you ever used his program before if you do not know make sure you know what you are doing click yes or no".



The XP vs Windows debate is irrelevant when talking about antivirus software. The antivirus program uses the same amount of memory across both platforms regardless of whether you want it to or not. UAC is optional. And the Vista/XP performance debate is subjective to the user, everyone has a different experience with different software.


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## wiak (Apr 25, 2008)

buy NOD32
nothing else beats it, most other antiviruses want you to sleep while updating you pc every singel time you start your pc, NOD32 on the other hand is updating it self automaticly, so its like install and forget kind a deal, and peope say nod32fix is a virus, better BUY the legit license than using some illegal ticks that eset can easly fix and then you lose ANTIVIRUS... and your will be open to the world wild web, given the fact NOD32 Licenses is flying cheap if you buy for for the family etc, you can get 4 licenses for less than a norton one year.. 

and yes no activation. you get one username and password for all pcs, no need to worry about one pc gets messed up with activation


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## newtekie1 (Apr 25, 2008)

Error 404 said:


> Is it free?
> 
> @dark2099: I've got AVG on my good PC, and I think it would take up a few too many resources.



I have AVG installed on my computers.  It is using about 2MB of memory right now.  That is pretty low resource for an active scanner.


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## ex_reven (Apr 25, 2008)

newtekie1 said:


> I have AVG installed on my computers.  It is using about 2MB of memory right now.  That is pretty low resource for an active scanner.



Howd you calculate that?


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## deathvirus_me (Apr 25, 2008)

NOD32 anyday ... it uses ~25 MB ram with ALL the features up and running .. and even then u should hardly notice it being there ...


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## Error 404 (Apr 25, 2008)

I'm not going to run a hacked/cracked version of NOD32, and I've already installed Avast! which seems to be working well.

@ Spearman914: How do you deactivate the insternet sheild for downloads? The menu system is all new to me.


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## newtekie1 (Apr 25, 2008)

ex_reven said:


> Howd you calculate that?



Using process explorer to look at the memory usage of all the processes associated to AVG. or Grisoft.


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## Black Panther (Apr 25, 2008)

If I understood you correctly...

Double click the Avast Icon, select Web Shield, press Customize and in Web Scanning Tab select 'scan files of selected type only' which you can leave blank.


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## tomkaten (Apr 25, 2008)

newtekie1 said:


> I have AVG installed on my computers.  It is using about 2MB of memory right now.  That is pretty low resource for an active scanner.



It can't possibly use 2 MB of memory with a resident active scanner installed. It just can't. You're probably missing another service or executable that relates to AVG. They all use 20+ MB of memory.

I use free Avira, which scores great on the official charts and doesn't hog my system at all. Its detection is top notch. If there's something I dislike about it, it's the update procedure... It's pretty slow to connect to the servers (probably tons of free users), but then all goes well.

Not sure how it performs on a low-end computer, though... Still, maybe you should give it a try.

Oh and man.. How can you even think that Nodfix is legal when the first hit on google is a site telling you that it contains spyware and the second one is a cracker's paradise ? Lol... That ought to get you thinking


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## Exavier (Apr 25, 2008)

I'm with some of the others on NOD32; I've been using it nearly two years, and I've not had any infections due to its' great quality. 
I mean, if you don't want to pay for protection, you're gonna get less.
But that much is up to you, I'd wholeheartedly recommend nod because of it's low usage and great performance.


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## ex_reven (Apr 26, 2008)

newtekie1 said:


> Using process explorer to look at the memory usage of all the processes associated to AVG. or Grisoft.



Dont some operate below the radar though?
Like svchost services.

No offence but I just found 2mb way to unrealistic a figure for memory usage.


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