# Looking for a free and light weight virus scanner



## -1nf1n1ty- (Dec 10, 2010)

Are there any? I dont have viruses but you never know!


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## Phxprovost (Dec 10, 2010)

MSE


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## Batou1986 (Dec 10, 2010)

AVG used to be non intrusive but that changed,I like my AV to work and leave me the hell alone.
My vote go's to MSE


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## kenkickr (Dec 10, 2010)

+1 to MSE. Antivir is pretty good too but I got tired of the "purchase full" popup everytime it updated.


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## -1nf1n1ty- (Dec 10, 2010)

I am currently using AVG but Im not sure if its trustworthy so I will give MSE a shot


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## mrw1986 (Dec 10, 2010)

My vote goes to Avast.

EDIT: Forgot about Panda Cloud.


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## newtekie1 (Dec 10, 2010)

I swear MSE uses more resources than AVG, I've been wanting to compre both side by side, but haven't had the chance.

I went to MSE just because of AVG's last fuck up that hit me last week.


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## -1nf1n1ty- (Dec 10, 2010)

mrw1986 said:


> My vote goes to Avast.
> 
> EDIT: Forgot about Panda Cloud.



I really hated Avast, I just didnt like it I remember trying it once and I installed it ran a virus scan then immediately removed it




newtekie1 said:


> I went to MSE just because of AVG's last fuck up that hit me last week.


What happened?


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## newtekie1 (Dec 10, 2010)

-1nf1n1ty- said:


> I really hated Avast, I just didnt like it I remember trying it once and I installed it ran a virus scan then immediately removed it
> 
> 
> 
> What happened?



 AVG Failed badly

I never really liked Avast's UI, and back when I had it they required you register it every year which was a pain in the ass.  Plus it broke the 16-bit sub-system on WinXP which sucked since I still used some 16-bit POS systems back when I tried Avast.  The odd thing was that it didn't break it when you installed Avast, it broke it when you uninstalled Avast.  And something just rubbed me wrong about Avast purposely breaking part of Windows when it was uninstalled...very virus like IMO.  And I say they purposely did it because I talked to them about it, and they said they knew it did it and there were no plans to correct the issue since it only happened when the program was uninstalled and they don't want people uninstalling the program anyway.


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## Crap Daddy (Dec 10, 2010)

I think MSE. Very discreet. No pop-ups telling you different stupid info. And it's effective.


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## NdMk2o1o (Dec 10, 2010)

mrw1986 said:


> EDIT: Forgot about Panda Cloud.



Hmmm I been running avast for about a year now thought it was fine, just 





> installed


 Panda Cloud and it found mpk.exe (KGB Keylogger) less than a min of being installed  

Not sure if thats a malicious keylogger or one I have tried out in the past to keep tabs on whats happening on my pc when other ppl are using it, as I have also tried Refog keylogger ?


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## mrw1986 (Dec 10, 2010)

NdMk2o1o said:


> Hmmm I been running avast for about a year now thought it was fine, just  Panda Cloud and it found mpk.exe (KGB Keylogger) less than a min of being installed
> 
> Not sure if thats a malicious keylogger or one I have tried out in the past to keep tabs on whats happening on my pc when other ppl are using it, as I have also tried Refog keylogger ?



It's most likely the latter of the two.


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## sttubs (Dec 11, 2010)

I'm also quite happy using Avast! in several computers at home.


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## hat (Dec 11, 2010)

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is great if you just want to run a scan. It doesn't do real-time protection.


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## Flak (Dec 11, 2010)

AVG is complete fail.  They are the only AV company I know of that doesn't receive an outcry when they release epic fail database and program updates.  I mean come on, people still use them when at least TWICE a year they release an update that causes massive issues, in some cases requiring a format and re-install of windows???

Avast has gotten really good with their latest release, probably the lightest in terms of usage, especially with it's new scan caching.

AntiVir has the best detection of all the freebies, handily beats/ties the grandaddies like Kaspersky.  It is very light on resources, but there is the nag screen (though you can block it).

Panda Cloud is nice, but it does require an internet connection to be effective.

MSE is nice and unobtrusive.  But I have had some users machines get infected with it installed.  Those users have now been switched to Avast and are chugging along nicely.

Rising AV is also decent, I have it on some test machines/test users.  They have been infection free as well.

Comodo's freebie I've tried before.  It always ends up randomly blocking emails if you use a program rather then web based emails.  And you don't know it until you uninstall it and see some emails coming in from months ago and such.  Maybe they fixed that issue now, haven't used it since that was discovered.


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## Completely Bonkers (Dec 11, 2010)

http://www.comodo.com/home/internet-security/security-software.php


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## Kreij (Dec 11, 2010)

I would say just pick one that you like. none are 100% effective.
Your internet habits determine your likelyhood of getting malware more than anything.


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## AsphyxiA (Dec 11, 2010)

Antivir all the way!  I read a post somewhere where someone compared antivir, MSE, Avast, and AVG.  What it came down to was Antivir and MSE are the best options out there while the rest really suck quite a bit.  Antivir was better on resources than MSE.  MSE integrates better into Windows slightly and doesn't have an annoying daily popup (little software hacking fixes this on Antivir though ).


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## sneekypeet (Dec 11, 2010)

I would say use the search feature and see what was said in the other 50 threads exactly like this


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## rossfrom (Dec 11, 2010)

+1 mse


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## Athlonite (Dec 12, 2010)

+10 for MSE I use and install it on every comp I work on unless they have an paid sub version of something else but even then I'll try and talk them into switching once their subs are due


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## pigulici (Dec 12, 2010)

+avira


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## 95Viper (Dec 12, 2010)

sneekypeet said:


> I would say use the search feature and see what was said in the other 50 threads exactly like this



+1 agreed.

There is a thread like this started, at least, once a week; if, not more often.
Try the different programs and check the results for yourself.  Use the one you feel is best suited for your needs.

A search of other threads here at TPU.

List of popular anti-virus software at Majorgeeks; try some and see.

Oh, I am not trying to be belligerent or condescending at all, but you will get twenty different opinions from twenty-one different people.


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## InnocentCriminal (Dec 12, 2010)

hat said:


> Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is great if you just want to run a scan. It doesn't do real-time protection.



It does if you buy it. F'ing love MBAM... as a removal tool. 

In regards to free AV - MSE all the way. We provide AVG at work and it seriously sucks donkey balls.


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## GENTLEMEN (Dec 12, 2010)

For me, Avast + MSE = no viruses (so far) and very un-intrusive. Haven't tried any other freeware (or paid), though.


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## InnocentCriminal (Dec 12, 2010)

GENTLEMEN said:


> For me, Avast + MSE = no viruses (so far) and very un-intrusive. Haven't tried any other freeware (or paid), though.



You use two AVs at the same time?


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## GENTLEMEN (Dec 12, 2010)

Not exactly. Avast in the background, and MSE for removal.


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## InnocentCriminal (Dec 12, 2010)

GENTLEMEN said:


> Not exactly. Avast in the background, and MSE for removal.



Phew!



Replace MSE with Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware. Far superior removal tool!


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## Mussels (Dec 12, 2010)

InnocentCriminal said:


> Phew!
> 
> 
> 
> Replace MSE with Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware. Far superior removal tool!



far inferior rates when it comes to false positives. name any file keygen.exe and see what it does.


MSE is king of the freebies atm.


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## InnocentCriminal (Dec 12, 2010)

Mussels said:


> far inferior rates when it comes to false positives. name any file keygen.exe and see what it does.
> 
> 
> MSE is king of the freebies atm.



I've not received any false positives with it. Changed a Word document to keygen.exe and Malwarebytes stated it wasn't a threat.


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## Mussels (Dec 12, 2010)

InnocentCriminal said:


> I've not received any false positives with it. Changed a Word document to keygen.exe and Malwarebytes stated it wasn't a threat.



well maybe they finally fixed that, if so, i may have to revise my opinion.


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## VulkanBros (Dec 12, 2010)

If the "realtime" scanning is´nt a "must" then ClamWin is a good alternative...

But then again......if you ones have lost data because of virus/malware...then imo, no freeware
AV can replace Kaspersky, ESET Nod or similar god scanners......

One of the few things I gladly pay for is: decent AntiVirus software........


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## Mussels (Dec 12, 2010)

alright i checked out malware bytes again, they have improved somewhat. they still falsely catch out on one of my test files however, so yes, false positives ahoy.

Test file is a Nero keygen that i specifically use to test out AV's, as it IS clean. see screenshots.











23% of their test AV's catch it out as a virus, but look at what its detected as. a keygen? umm, ok. harmful indeed. 'not a virus' 'heuristic' and 'generic' on the other results kinda mean that of that 23%, many actually think its harmless, or its just a generic heuristic algorithm with a high chance of misdetection anyway (false positives)

kaspersky, MSE and most other AVs say its clean, a few low end no names and MBAM say its not.


To me that puts MBAM back in the category of 'just guesses what is, and what isnt a virus' - its better than when i last tested, but its sure not that good either.


people fall into two logic traps with antivirus.

1. my AV never finds a virus, cause my PC is clean! - logic trap, if your AV is crap, how would you know?

2. my AV finds more viruses than the others, so its DEFINITELY better/safer/superior. Umm no, its likely just finding false positives. like how OCCT was falsely seen as a virus for a while, or programs like MSI afterburner got detected as keyloggers, since they listened for certain key combinations to activate profiles. you want your AV to actually catch the viruses, not just catch a few cookies, call them "harmful super dangerous hijack tracking file!" and wag its tail at you.


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## LAN_deRf_HA (Dec 12, 2010)

I've tried a number of things in the past 6 months. Avast, MSE, malwarebytes. Was clean, now I just installed antivir and it's finding stuff I've been carrying around for ages, 45 hits. Makes those other programs look like crap all the sudden.


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## slyfox2151 (Dec 12, 2010)

Mussels said:


> people fall into two logic traps with antivirus.
> 
> 1. my AV never finds a virus, cause my PC is clean! - logic trap, if your AV is crap, how would you know?
> 
> 2. my AV finds more viruses than the others, so its DEFINITELY better/safer/superior. Umm no, its likely just finding false positives. like how OCCT was falsely seen as a virus for a while, or programs like MSI afterburner got detected as keyloggers, since they listened for certain key combinations to activate profiles. you want your AV to actually catch the viruses, not just catch a few cookies, call them "harmful super dangerous hijack tracking file!" and wag its tail at you.





OH GOD THIS NEEDS A STICKY!


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## newtekie1 (Dec 12, 2010)

Mussels said:


> alright i checked out malware bytes again, they have improved somewhat. they still falsely catch out on one of my test files however, so yes, false positives ahoy.
> 
> Test file is a Nero keygen that i specifically use to test out AV's, as it IS clean. see screenshots.
> 
> ...



False positives are a good thing.  In most cases the virus scanner that is reporting a false positive is doing so because the file exibits behavior that is most commonly seen in viruses.  I'd rather a virus scanner pick up on that and warn me about it and let me decide if it is a legit file or a virus than just ignore it.  I never understook this logic that if a AV gives the occasional false positive it isn't good.  So it is better that it ignores common virus activity, that makes a better AV?

So, yeah, I'm with you here.


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## Mussels (Dec 12, 2010)

how can false positives be a good thing? its your AV proving that its only guessing based on heuristics, and its guessing POORLY.

for every false positive, it might as well be a real virus that it let get past, since it was only 'guessing'


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## newtekie1 (Dec 12, 2010)

Mussels said:


> how can false positives be a good thing? its your AV proving that its only guessing based on heuristics, and its guessing POORLY.
> 
> for every false positive, it might as well be a real virus that it let get past, since it was only 'guessing'



Except that is false logic.  It isn't just guessing randomly, it is picking up behaviors that are common to viruses.  How is totally ignoring these bahviors better?


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## Mussels (Dec 12, 2010)

newtekie1 said:


> Except that is false logic.  It isn't just guessing randomly, it is picking up behaviors that are common to viruses.  How is totally ignoring these bahviors better?



its not false logic, but it is imperfect ill give you that.


picking up virus like behaviour is one thing - but calling a keygen a trojan is not 'virus like behaviour' its 'false positives' 'scaremongering' and other fancy words i cbf thinking of at 2:34am



if MBAM actually said "keygen" like one did in that list, thats one thing. or if it reports 'hacking tools' and such like MSE does, thats fine too.


blatantly calling a file that has low or no risk at all to a system a virus, is just scaremongering. its no better than programs that tell you you're infected with malware and security risks just because it found a few cookies.


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## newtekie1 (Dec 12, 2010)

Mussels said:


> its not false logic, but it is imperfect ill give you that.
> 
> 
> picking up virus like behaviour is one thing - but calling a keygen a trojan is not 'virus like behaviour' its 'false positives' 'scaremongering' and other fancy words i cbf thinking of at 2:34am
> ...



Ok, I'll agree with that.  But that is just coming down to symantics, and I'd still rather have it reported to me and let me decide what it really is.


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## Athlonite (Dec 12, 2010)

so you'd rather go through this 20 times everytime your AV does a scan then, I know I sure as hell wouldn't MSE calls it it like it is


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## newtekie1 (Dec 12, 2010)

Athlonite said:


> so you'd rather go through this 20 times everytime your AV does a scan then, I know I sure as hell wouldn't MSE calls it it like it is



Once you confirm it isn't a virus you add it to the exceptions. So it doesn't happen every time the AV does a scan.


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## Mussels (Dec 13, 2010)

newtekie1 said:


> Once you confirm it isn't a virus you add it to the exceptions. So it doesn't happen every time the AV does a scan.



thats a fair plan, but fairly time intensive.


also, i can guarantee that you're an exception and the rest of MBAM users would happily delete these non viruses without a second thought.


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## newtekie1 (Dec 13, 2010)

Mussels said:


> thats a fair plan, but fairly time intensive.
> 
> 
> also, i can guarantee that you're an exception and the rest of MBAM users would happily delete these non viruses without a second thought.



Chances are if they are downloading keygens and pirated files, they aren't going to delete them if they come up as a virus because they know what they are.


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## mdsx1950 (Dec 13, 2010)

Avira Antivir or Avast!


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