# Best Free Anti Virus



## Jimmy 2004 (Sep 30, 2006)

So which free anti virus do people on techpowerup use? I've listed the five major free AV products in the pole, just vote on whichever you use. I used to use AVG Free but I just changed to AntiVir (which supposedly has a better detection rate) and I personally prefer the way that there are more options to configure it to my liking and it uses slightly less system resources. The downside I've noticed so far is that at boot it uses more system resources than AVG for a few seconds and there is a splash screen you can't get rid of. Post your commments below, you can chose more than one if you use more than one, and I've also thrown in paid for AV and no AV.


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## Riker (Sep 30, 2006)

avast! FTW!


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## technicks (Sep 30, 2006)

I use AVG.


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## Jimmy 2004 (Sep 30, 2006)

I guess I use Avast as well as Antivir actually... it's on Vista...


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## Canuto (Sep 30, 2006)

AVG all the way.


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## pt (Sep 30, 2006)

Avg


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## b1lk1 (Sep 30, 2006)

AVG.  And if anyone is dumb enough to use that AOL one, I'd suggest uninstalling it immediately because it is known as the worst possible available.


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## tofu (Sep 30, 2006)

AVG! (lol free edition)


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## zekrahminator (Sep 30, 2006)

Avast, no question. Ironically, it's better then Mcaffee. I had it for a while with my parents AOL subscription, and when it needed to prove itself, it FAILED. Avast, google, and a couple programs designed to kill the specific virus I had worked great. Besides, Avast yells at me (literally) when I'm about to get a virus (and then deletes it ).


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## Canuto (Sep 30, 2006)

I see no one really pays for an AV.


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## giorgos th. (Sep 30, 2006)

eventhough i use NOD32 i give my vote to AVG.


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## zekrahminator (Sep 30, 2006)

Really...I think it has something to do with the outrageous sum of cash we spend on everything else lol. 
(Not the actual amounts of money me or my parents spend on computer parts)
Computer- $2000
5Mb/s Internet- $50 a month 
Games- $20-$50 each, or $0 if you're good  (kidding). 
Security software- $0. 
Computer building certainly shows our priorities .


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## b1lk1 (Sep 30, 2006)

Pay anti-virus is the least effective out there.  McAfee and Norton's are notoriously ineffective and are huge system hogs.  They are definitely something to not use.  NOD32 is about the only other a/v I would even consider.


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## Canuto (Sep 30, 2006)

Kaspersky is the only AV i could see myself paying.


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## Apamedvapen (Sep 30, 2006)

AVG here.


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## pt (Sep 30, 2006)

zekrahminator said:


> 5Mb/s Internet- $50 a month



 
i only pay 25€ a month for 4mb/s
and i will pay 35€ in a near future for 20mb/s


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## Alec§taar (Sep 30, 2006)

*"Close call" between AVG & AntiVir*

*QUESTION:* I haven't read thru the thread, but have you guys seen results diff. than what I noted in tests examples in the URL's below? 

If so?? WELL, can you point us to a URL of the tests you have seen? 

Thanks... 

*HERE ARE THE TESTS I HAVE SEEN, FOR YOUR USAGE/REFERENCE:*

(Yes, 1-2 years ago, & things might have changed on them since then, results-wise, as for example, in the first case? It has been updated/retested)

http://www.av-comparatives.org/seiten/comparatives.html

(That test above got updated every so often in the year 2004, so look @ ALL of their results in charts)

&

http://overclockers.com/articles1260/

(A more recent test, done in mid-2005 - here? AntiVir won iirc)

* YES - Tests aren't "everything", admittedly, & can have inaccuracies (or, have results change over time too)!

However, imo @ least? They're a decent indicator... & I haven't tried EVERY AntiVirus program under-the-sun, but I have given those 3 I note a shot here on/off over time on diff. Windows NT-based OS'... 

I haven't tried others.

APK

P.S.=> IMO, @ least, it's TOO close of a call between AVG &/or AntiVir, to be blunt about it... both are really STRONG contenders in the AntiVirus test comparisons I have seen online!

Typically, in what I have seen? The order of most detections is typically:


*#1* - Norton/Symantec

*#2* - AntiVir

*#3* - AVG
(And, it is VERY close, but typically in that order iirc - Admittedly, I have not looked for another solution other than these 3 though, because of what I had seen in tests compariing their efficacy, etc.)

AVG comes with Email scanning though, whereas the "freebie" model of AntiVir does not (last time I used it was before AVIRA got ahold of them though)... so, that said?

I have to 'give the nod' to AVG...



Canuto said:


> I see no one really pays for an AV.



I do & I use Norton/Symantec though, corporate edition client 10.x model!

Mainly, because of the test results I have seen in the past showing it to be VERY effective (and, the fact it is updated daily of course + has email protection in it)... 

Still, I voted AVG here (I did not note there was a "PAID FOR" candidate vote, & I cannot change my vote now)!

(Even though AntiVir shows more virus' found, I voted AVG - mainly because it has email scanning in the FREE model (big plus, email's a HUGE infector vector nowadays & for a LONG while now)).

apk


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## Jimmy 2004 (Sep 30, 2006)

Well on my folks PC AntiVir detected a few mild viruses/ security vulnerabilities that AVG hadn't... plus you have way more control with AntiVir than with AVG free, I recommend you try it if you haven't yet. I've also decided to install a firewall again (I was relying on my router's firewall but I changed my mind ) and now I'm using a free firewall called Comodo, and I'd recommend it over ZoneAlarm I think, it has some of the pro features like internet sharing and program info and seems nice and easy to configure except for the things that are always difficult in software firewalls.


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## zekrahminator (Sep 30, 2006)

pt said:


> i only pay 25€ a month for 4mb/s
> and i will pay 35€ in a near future for 20mb/s



Like I said, not my actual quotes . My parents pay $30 a month for high quality 3Mb/s DSL. And those high internet speeds make me want to move to Europe lol.
PS Jimmy- Having more then one firewall is redundant unless you're worried about anything you've installed accessing the internet lol.


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## Canuto (Sep 30, 2006)

Come to Portugal  lol


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## JC316 (Sep 30, 2006)

I use Avast, it's probably the most user friendly one out there and it does it's job quite well.


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## Jimmy 2004 (Oct 1, 2006)

zekrahminator said:


> PS Jimmy- Having more then one firewall is redundant unless you're worried about anything you've installed accessing the internet lol.



That's the exact reason I installed it. I trust my router to block just about all inbound attacks (it achieves a full stealth rating) but it can't really block outbound attempts from trojan attacks. Therefore, I install Comodo as a second line of defense as it's unlikely to get past my AV and Comodo.


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## Alec§taar (Oct 1, 2006)

Canuto said:


> Come to Portugal  lol



That MAY be a great idea... 

E.G.-> Many of the coders I have worked with from India, China, Russia, & all over the world? 

They spend years here working, & make the money HERE in the states, & take it back home with them after say, 5-10 years here... & LIVE LIKE KINGS (because the dollar tends to usually go WAY farther in other nations).

* I think I MAY just do the same one day, when I am retired (24 years from now, but who KNOWS what the state of the dollar may be then)... 

(I.E.-> Take my savings &/or SocialSecurity + 401k etc. over to another nation where the dollar is stronger, & live well for the "twilight years"... hey, if the outsourced guys I have met do it? So can I! It does make sense... dollars & cents!)

APK

P.S.=> Sorry for going off topic guys, I just noticed that... oh well! apk


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## Jimmy 2004 (Oct 1, 2006)

So they use the Dollar in your discrete point in the space-time continuum do they Alec?


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## Alec§taar (Oct 1, 2006)

Jimmy 2004 said:


> So they use the Dollar in your discrete point in the space-time continuum do they Alec?



LOL!

(Yes!)



* @ least for now...

APK


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## 144 and UP (Oct 1, 2006)

I use Panda Titanium...............I will try a free one when this expires.


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## Jimmy 2004 (Oct 1, 2006)

144 and UP said:


> I use Panda Titanium...............I will try a free one when this expires.



Give AntiVir a go and see what you think, the only downside is that it doesn't have email scanning but you could still scan you attachments before you open them anyway.


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## xylomn (Oct 1, 2006)

Personally I use BitDefender on my main PC, I also have 1 PC running Avast and another running AVG.

If I used a free antivirus on my main PC I would probably use AVG.


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## AsphyxiA (Oct 1, 2006)

Antivir, its really good, its german, and it use little rescources


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## Alec§taar (Oct 2, 2006)

Jimmy 2004 said:


> Give AntiVir a go and see what you think, the only downside is that it doesn't have email scanning but you could still scan you attachments before you open them anyway.



It is good... agreed, & I used to use it in my Windows 2000 & Windows XP use periods (circa 1999-mid 2003).



AsphyxiA said:


> Antivir, its really good, its german, and it use little rescources



All true!



APK


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## Solaris17 (Oct 2, 2006)

Avast FTW!!!


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