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General discussion

Which antivirus utility protects your computer?

Jan 14, 2005 4:01AM PST

Which antivirus utility protects your computer?

AVG Anti-Virus (love or hate it?)
Kaspersky Anti-Virus (love or hate it?)
McAfee VirusScan (love or hate it?)
Norton AntiVirus (love or hate it?)
Panda Titanium Antivirus (love or hate it?)
Trend Micro PC-cillin (love or hate it?)
Other (what is it?)
I don't need no stinkin' antivirus app. (really, why not?)

Discussion is locked

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My Money is on EZ Trust Antivirus 7.0.5.3
Jan 18, 2005 6:29AM PST

This one from Computer Associates does its job well, in the background, is non-agravating, uses little resources, updates daily. It has always caught and stopped any viruses that tried to sneak in on emails etc. I have used it for more than 5 years since the days it was called'
'InoculateIT.' I am totally sold on it as my primary anti-virus program. Together with its Firewall counterpart and PrevX Pro, my computer is extremely well protected.

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My Money is on EZ Trust Antivirus 7.0.5.3
Jul 14, 2005 2:46AM PDT

I'm wondering if I DO NOT pay for the updates that are currently due for the McAfee program that I've been using for emails, etc. and download the EZ Trust program which is FREE with my use of SBC YAHOO DSL program, ....will I get the same or better protection.

Thanks for your opinion.

Kay M.

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ez trust
Jan 7, 2006 1:08AM PST

I was running AVG on one laptop. I just installed EZ trust and it found 4 additional issues.

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antivirus
Jan 18, 2005 6:29AM PST

I use Trend pcillin

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AVG is clearly the best Antivirus program
Jan 18, 2005 6:31AM PST

Norton is not an virus remover, but instead only a virus detector. It found 2 files of adware, and one trojan dropper virus in c:\command.exe

Was it able to fix anything? Nope. I went to their website and it said to just delete the file. So I did. Guess what? Now windows won't load.

And, you have to pay for updates to norton after a year.

I then found AVG free edition. Way better than norton, and free too! Upgrades are even free. There is no longer a point in wasting my time and money (a lot) for Norton when it doesn't do anything. Get AVG instead.

here is the link:
http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/2/

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AVG vs Norton Anti Virus
Jan 18, 2005 8:37AM PST

I used to run Norton Antivirus but became tired of having to spend relatively big dollars each year to continue to with updates. Then I also discovered AVG free edition and now run that and find it to be as good as Noton's in my opinion. I have trialled AVG Pro edition but will stick with the free edition. Why pay for something when you can get it for free.

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AVG Wins!
Jan 18, 2005 8:57AM PST

I used to run norton until my hard drive was rendered useless. Put it as a slave to a machine running AVG and it found 13 viruses (Virii?) That Norton missed. Besides, norton tends to infest your machine whereas AVG is simple to install and remove/

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Avast
Feb 10, 2005 5:05AM PST

Don't forget about Avast, it has a "Boot time scan",

Protects you from multiple Chat programs (ICQ, Trillian, Gaim, MSNM, YIM, AIM, Mirc ...

Protects you on the pop3 port (Who cares what email client you use)

Has enhancements for Outlook/Outlook Express

The Pro version Adds Network support & Script blocking for browsers, (Yes ActiveX, VBS & JS can have Viri)


Is Skinnable

The Home Version is FREE !!!!!

any reports on NOD AntiVirus (http://www.nod32.com/home/home.htm) ?

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another vote for avast
Nov 24, 2005 8:51PM PST

along with all that, avast auto updates . it does so whenever there is new code to be added and as frequently as necessary, at times more than once a day, not once a week as the commercial ones do.

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Yet another vote for AVAST
Nov 24, 2005 10:19PM PST

Use it, the free version, on all my computers. Particularly like the frequency of updates.

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Avast is the one
Nov 25, 2005 7:28AM PST

I tried McAfee first and it worked great but I didn't like the yearly fee. Then someone told me about AVG and I used it for awhile and it worked ok. Then when I got a new PC I tried the free trial of Norton which I didn't like at all. The Norton Version 2005 worked ok but it used too many resources and I didn't like the fact that it would pop up and run a scan at all times of the day and I couldn't even customize those settings. So I went back to AVG. Then about 6 months ago my PC got some kind of virus that changed the date on my PC to a month ahead. I didn't realize what the problem was but I knew that AVG would not update and it would not find the problem. So I looked around and found Avast downloaded it and ran it. It found 6 viruses that AVG could not and cleaned them. Immediately, my Date and Time Properties popped up and I saw my date was wrong. I reset it and I haven't had a problem since. I haven't even had a virus in the last 6 months. With AVG I had one virus after the other pop up just about daily. And you may not believe this, but you don't even have to worry about running the full scan at all with Avast. The background protection keeps your pc safe at all times. I run it about once a week just to ensure that all is well. I will never use another program. Avast works and best of all it is FREE.

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Another happy Avast user here
Nov 28, 2005 5:11AM PST

I've been using Avast for about two years now, and I'd have to say, it's never given me one problem and has always kept my system free of anything. (It's warned me several times of impending disasters and has always deleted the culprit without fail.) What's more, it runs like a charm in the background with no system slowdown that I can detect (and I have just 256 megs of RAM). Try it and see for yourself. If you use it for personal use it won't cost you a dime, so you have nothing to lose. I'm one happy camper!

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BitDefender
Feb 13, 2005 10:37PM PST

BitDefender is the best antivirus program. Much better than AVG or whatever. I used AVG, and after a while i uninstalled it, and start to search for other antiviruses, and when i put Bitdefender up, i found some viruses that others couldn`t find. For me is the best. It has built in firewall and automatic updates from 3 to 3 hours, by default, for free. See http://www.bitdefender.com/

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Bitdefender
Mar 23, 2005 11:32AM PST

Hello!!! Bitdefender I think is one of the best Antivirus
Programs out there. 1 because it does not run full time
which is good because it will not slow down your computer
any... So good unlike AVG. Avg is a good virus program
but it slows down your computer to much. With bitdefender
you can do anything without having a virus program watching your every move... And Bitdefender is free and
can find viruses in compressed files unlike Norton and other big expensive programs.

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avg causing your machine to be slow
Nov 24, 2005 10:39PM PST

Maybe you should upgrade to tadys spec for a computer and your machine would be slow. How about the other stuff that you have running on it also. Mine runs great no slow downs or lock ups. So i don't understand what you people are talking about except to be talking out your %#@$%.

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BitDefender
Nov 24, 2005 9:47PM PST

I went to the BitDefender website to check out the product and found a little note there on the free version that says if you are online on a constant basis, please use a more aggressive version, dah!! I want a more agressive version always!!! This is a product that you use now and then to scan software I suppose. I want something that guards my gates to stop the stuff from getting in, don't tell me about it after it is in tearing up my software. TWO THUMBS DOWN

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McAfee Antivirus
Jan 18, 2005 6:37AM PST

The program was complimentary to my Verizon-MSN DSL plan. I have no complaints.

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McAfee Antivirus
Jan 18, 2005 11:04AM PST

Don't remember how I started with McAfee Antivirus. I have no complaints either. I find it easy to use. I find it is easy installing updates. Since McAfee is doing the job it is intended, I have no intention of changing my antivirus software unless someone out there can make me a better offer and prove to me that there is a better antivirus software out there.

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McAfee for years
Jan 18, 2005 3:45PM PST

My PC came loaded with McAfee online update 4 years ago and I have continued to use it since. I have never been infected with a virus, McAfee caught the 3 that have tried to install instantly and eradicated them. This year I had a problem with double billing. I called and got a live English speaker within a couple of minutes and got the problem taken care of within a couple more. No complaints here!
Polgaratex

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Re: McAfee for many years
Nov 25, 2005 7:03AM PST

Like you, I too have had McAfee since first buying my computer 6 years ago. I have since changed to DSL and now have their firewall as well. No complaints as it seem to be working great.

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free avg edition
Jan 18, 2005 6:43AM PST

It's free; it works; and it stops the annoying messages from MS Security Center!!!

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AVG........ no arguments!
Jan 18, 2005 8:16AM PST

The new version of AVG is vastly superior to the last, not that I have had any probs with it in the past 6 odd years I have been using it. I am a pc engineer, and I have lost count of the number of times I have come across machines running NAV, with full updates on board, yet having failed to spot viruses which AVG spots immediately. As everyone has said, it is free, it updates itself and runs itself regularly, it doesn't take up oceans of space, and it doesnt NAG!!

I usually use it in conjunction with either Pandascan or Trend.

Paid for AV guards? For my mind, NOD32 takes a lot of beating. Not as expensive as the others, unobtrusive, and I have never found a problem with it when I have used it, or installed it on other's machines.

AVG gets my vote every time.

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The jury is still out- Anti virus protection
Jan 18, 2005 6:44AM PST

My Norton subscription recently ended. Upon the recommendation of CNet & my web-designer, I decided to try Trend PC-cillin. So far (2 weeks) there haven't been any virus problems. So my conclusion is the protection is equal. However, I find Trend's scheduling options more flexible; it is less expensive; and takes up less space. Furthermore, Norton is slow and cumbersome. When it is scanning in the background, operations are sluggish.

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Norton only because usually free via rebates, etc.
Jan 18, 2005 6:44AM PST

I get/keep Norton only because I can upgrade to latest version of Norton AV for free (or maybe $10) via rebates, etc., but I agree: it is a resource hog & tough to delete.

PC-cillin came on new PC & I liked it until time to re-new (I am cheap & it cost).
.

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cheap
Nov 24, 2005 10:53PM PST

You bought the new pc so get a good antivirus cheap guy.

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AVG and Kaspersky
Jan 18, 2005 6:50AM PST

I use both(not at the same time though). Kaspersky is too big and takes up too many resources to run all the time, so I run AVG all the time then scan with both. There is NOTHING these two combined can't find. AVG alone is very nice, but Kaspersky catches everything.

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AVG , Kaspersky and the others
Jan 19, 2005 2:08AM PST

I have been reading the Virus protection utilities that everyone uses or has used within this topic.

I tend to use AVG and Kaspersky, they do the job enough to find any nasties that may be lurking. I also scan with F-Prot, McCaffee Online, Norton and MicroSoft as well as any added Trojan patches that appear as a quick fix to the latest nastie doing the rounds.

AVG updates loads ,it's free and easy to use. Kaspersky updates quite regular too, I found out it was russian and instantly thought eastern block nasties, it did make me wary at first, but I was wrong it is a really good package and seems stable.

As for Norton, when uninstalling it always seems to make a mess of the system or never appears to remove all its files, and the PC never works quite right after unless you format and start again with a clean install. mine and others experiences with Norton. Anyone else experienced that?

I have tried McCaffee, but as with Norton it never seems to find all viruses, but in saying that neither does AVG (that has missed a few to). I believe in todays climate you cannot really trust just one anti-virus software provider, they all miss some viruses and catch others, so use as many as you want, Panda, Avast, PC-Cillin, etc, by doing this you will most probably be nearly fully entirely protected from known viruses. But you do find that by the time to you have scanned for viruses, you have either forgot what you initially turned the PC on for, or the Midnight oil is burnt out and it's morning.

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Anti Virus
Jan 18, 2005 6:53AM PST

Just tried Microsoft Anti Spyware Beta1, and it's done the best job on my computer. Finally free of spyware, popups, and other junk that was driving me crazy.

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Trend Micro PC-Cillin
Jan 18, 2005 6:55AM PST

No offense everyone but PC-Cillin is way better than Norton. I found this out 3 years ago when Norton didn't catch a virus sent in an email and totally crashed my system. I reinstalled Norton and it happened again. I thought heck with this and tried PC-Cillin and i havent had a virus wipe me out since. I have family that still use Norton and they have had to have their computers sent in to fix because of virus' going through. So keep up the good work Trend Micro!!

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No Offense Taken But ...
Jan 18, 2005 7:12AM PST

No offense intended either but .. Everytime I hear these stories about Norton missing a virus that some other AV {PC-Cillin, AVG, etc.} caught, I have to chuckle. I take these stories with a grain of salt.

On various forums on the Net, everytime someone has posted a {bogus??} story like this, I have PM-ed them and ask them to send me the sample they claim Norton missed. So far, almost no takers. It is always some lame excuse: they don't have time; they deleted the virus; it got stuck in virus vault and can't be retrieved; etc.

The few times someone has actually sent me a sample they thought Norton missed, when I tested it on my PC, Norton was detecting it !! I have to conclude that:

1. Norton AV may be disabled or misconfigured on the PC in question where the poster *claims* a virus was missed; or

2. The original poster is being deliberately deceitful and "spinning a tale" that he/she cannot back up with fact; or

3. The "missed" sample may have been a non-viral sample, e.g. adware or spyware or joke/hoax, that only the latest versions {2004 & 2005} of Norton are designed to detect as expanded threats; or

4. Some other unexplained anomaly.


Folks, Norton AV has every bit as good a testing record as these other AVs. It beats the socks off of PC-Cillin at Virus Bulletin, for example. I don't know where y'all are getting your facts, or if you are simply speculating wildly based on one lone anomalous sample or two, or what.

As for me, I have tested Norton on about a Gigabyte's worth of samples, I know full-well that the detection rate is excellent, and until someone can be on the up-and-up, cooperate, and actually send me a sample that Norton actually does miss, I won't be convinced by such stories as this .. no offense.

Each to his own, there are several good products on the market today. All the respectable AVs do a good job at detecting in-the-wild {ITW} viruses that the average user is likely to encounter on his internet journeys. Have a nice day.