Best antivirus etc. for me

[Harith Aslam]

hi guys. avast works perfect on my laptop, but it slows down my PC like A LOT. i have windows def. and eset already. avira was incompatible with win def. can anyone plz tell me the best antivirus and anti-malware and spyware, or if i need or dont need that kind of stuff because i'm inexperienced with virus dealing. thanks.

 

[nikorr]

Kaspersky Lab, Malwarebytes and Comodo Firewall : ) All 3 are pretty light on system.

http/www.filehippo.com/download_kaspersky_antivir/
http/www.filehippo.com/download_malwarebytes_anti_malware/
http/www.filehippo.com/download_comodo/ select install FW only

What laptop do u have?

 

[mrmaia]

Antiviruses usually slow down the system only while they are scanning it - they must access all files you have, and it's a very heavy job.

You can try setting your Avast to scan the system only when it's idle, it may help.

 

[Harith Aslam]

so will microsoft security essentials have all the anti spyware, malware features?

 

[Hawkeye22]

I think the BEST antivirus software for pc thats MICROSOFT SECURITY ESSENTIALS. Its 100% free. And never slow your pc. I give my five ******

I've seen several malware slip past MSE that malwarebytes has caught. I'm not saying MSE is bad, just that you sometimes need more than one tool to catch everything.

@OP: What version of avast were you running? I'm running the most current version, 6.0.1289 and it seems pretty light on resources.

 

[mrmaia]

I think the BEST antivirus software for pc thats MICROSOFT SECURITY ESSENTIALS. Its 100% free. And never slow your pc. I give my five ******

No way, it is awful. I've intentionally downloaded malware to test this antivirus and it didn't catch even 40% of them, even when I scan it later.

For me the very best protection solution is ESET Smart Security, but it's quite heavy.

 

[Harith Aslam]

eset is already in my pc. the problem with avast!free version was that the pc would sometimes get stuck or load slowly on the password screen or some updates would not install, but would stuck during installation

 

[Hawkeye22]

eset is already in my pc. the problem with avast!free version was that the pc would sometimes get stuck or load slowly on the password screen or some updates would not install, but would stuck during installation

Odd, I have it running on XP Pro 32 bit and Win 7 ultimate 64 bit. Other than taking a few extra seconds after entering the password, it has never put a strain on the system and has had no problems getting updates.

 

[mrmaia]

eset is already in my pc. the problem with avast!free version was that the pc would sometimes get stuck or load slowly on the password screen or some updates would not install, but would stuck during installation

So you have more than one antivirus running simultaneously? Well, this is definitely not recommended for a number of reasons - one of them, severly slowing the PC.

 

[Harith Aslam]

ok so would the two which are already installed do the job for me?

 

[nikorr]

ok so would the two which are already installed do the job for me?

Keep using Avast and install Malwarebytes.

More Than One Antivirus: Good or Bad?

The simple answer is, “No, it’s not okay to run more than one antivirus program at the same time.”

It makes sense that we, as computer users, assume that if we have more than one antivirus program on our computers, we will be better protected from outside threats. We all think that if one of them doesn’t catch something, the other surely will. Well, this just isn’t true. Using more than one program (or even multiple versions of the same one) will likely cause you some problems. Here are a couple of the biggest ones spelled out for you.

You will use up too many resources on your computer. Doing this will more than likely slow your system down and it will truly affect your computer’s performance.

You could receive false virus alerts. Antivirus programs work by using an actual virus to detect another one on your computer. So, if you have more than one piece of software running at the same time, each program will think the other is a virus. The two programs will conflict in many ways, but this is one of the majors.
http/www.worldstart.com/more-than-one-antivirus-good-or-bad/

 

[Harith Aslam]

so what do you guys recommend. i have had bad experiences with avast when i installed it. somehow, eset says that it is not activated even though it runs scans etc. just fine please tell me what i should do as i have uninstalled avast. win def and eset are still there .

 

[nikorr]

so what do you guys recommend. i have had bad experiences with avast when i installed it. somehow, eset says that it is not activated even though it runs scans etc. just fine please tell me what i should do as i have uninstalled avast. win def and eset are still there .

Not one AV will stop all infections. That's why people recommend a couple of programs to fight the pest. And if u install AV without the first scan over infected system (if it will let u), it will lead to an unpleasant experience too...

Example:I have seen people get desperate enough to turn off AV and firewall to install a program that was infected, but a friend told them it is a clean program, no virus there. And through all the warnings they got from AV, they still atempted to install. AV did not let them, so they turned AV off and there u have it. It is the user, who is the weak link, not the AV.

MICROSOFT SECURITY ESSENTIALS is like a car with manual windows, no remote lock/open and without air conditioning. Sure, it will drive, but the quality is not there.

So, decent AV +good malware fighter + great free Firewall = Decent security.

Kaspersky Lab or free Avast, Malwarebytes and Comodo Firewall is good combo.

 

[nikorr]

Free full version software check IT

Hey freshrakesh, we don't condone piracy on Tom's Hardware forum.

 

[Pyree]

@freshrakesh

We shouldn't encourage piracy and I suggest you to be a good person and buy genuine software or use free alternative.

 

[Harith Aslam]

so i uninstall win def, eset and windows firewall and download these three? will it be all cool then?

 

[nikorr]

Scan for virus first. U can run Belarc Advisor - Free Personal PC Audit, it will give u detail info and tell u the score to your security system. Takes a minute..... or 2.

Also it will tell u if important updates are missing or are out of date.

http/www.belarc.com/free_download.html

 

[Harith Aslam]

and then installing the other three will be fine?? thanks...

 

[nikorr]

and then installing the other three will be fine?? thanks...

Yes, just fine.

1. AV running all the time.

2. A malware program is not AV.

3. Firewall - it stops attacker from getting in and have a control what goes in and out.

U can just disable the Windows firewall or keep using it.

 

[Harith Aslam]

Best answer selected by Harith Aslam.