Anti virus

[consoleconvergence2pc]

so i heard that you don't need anti virus on your pc to protect itself from virus's.

Some people have said they use other pieces of software that protects its pc.

I've heard of stuff such as ccleaner and advanced systemcare but have no clue what they are.

I'm currently using Norton anti virus for the past 3 years and each year if runs out then you have to pay to renew it again.

 

So what i'm asking is, are there any software's on the market for free that protects your pc from virus's or are there any that you can just pay for and would last forever.

 

Edit: Has also been posted to Operating systems and software 

[Ajhaden]

Theres a free program called spybot search and destroy, works great for me

[Bluethulhu]

I use Avast + MalwareBytes + Spybot 2

[killcomic]

You can try Avast free edition, Avira free edition, AVG free edition, Ad-Aware free edition. All of these do a reasonable job of protecting you against viruses, but the best virus protection is the one between the chair and the computer.

[flibberdipper]

Get avast! Free 2014, and back it up with Malwarebytes.

[MeltyMoon]

I use Microsoft security essentials and a copy of MBAM Pro

[Bonsai99]

Avast and Malwarebytes

[flibberdipper]

I use Microsoft security essentials and a copy of MBAM Pro

MSE is terrible though. Avast nabbed 6 that it let through.

[ObeseWalrus]

I use Avast on silent mode and run Malwarebytes once in a while.

[Goliath002]

if you have windows 8 or 8.1 you will have something called windows defender, it is an antivirus like microsoft security essentials and its free

you dont need to install other antivirus

[MeltyMoon]

MSE is terrible though. Avast nabbed 6 that it let through.

I scan everything with MBAM, mse uses like no system resources so i just leave it running.

[GamerGuy]

Is it a bad thing if I never use antivirus? Not even firewall, and haven't for 4 years? (Have a virus or two about every 6 months, and even then... not a big problem to fix it) (compared to others)

[consoleconvergence2pc]

Thanks guys i just installed avast free edition and also got mbam pro

[killcomic]

Is it a bad thing if I never use antivirus? Not even firewall, and haven't for 4 years? (Have a virus or two about every 6 months, and even then... not a big problem to fix it) (compared to others)

If you don't have an antivirus, how do you know you only get a virus or two every six months? How do you detect them?

[GamerGuy]

If you don't have an antivirus, how do you know you only get a virus or two every six months? How do you detect them?

I was referring the virus I get once in a while to a problem I get after downloading a program or just randomly. My grammar isn't the best sorry

[killcomic]

I was referring the virus I get once in a while to a problem I get after downloading a program or just randomly. My grammar isn't the best sorry

Anyway, I would strongly advise against not using some sort of antivirus with real time protection.There are some many good, free ones out there that there really is no excuse.

[GamerGuy]

Anyway, I would strongly advise against not using some sort of antivirus with real time protection.There are some many good, free ones out there that there really is no excuse.

I honestly feel that they make my computer slower, take space and are useless but I might just give them a second try, after all it mostly comes down to preference. What anti virus do you recommend that I should try?

[killcomic]

I honestly feel that they make my computer slower, take space and are useless but I might just give them a second try, after all it mostly comes down to preference. What anti virus do you recommend that I should try?

You can give Avira a try. Barely any performance hit (if any) and has a really good detection rate, although it is a bit paranoid and it does pop up an ad when it updates.

I also recommend Avast (which I use), less paranoid than Avira but it does scan a tad slower.

Seriously, the performance impact you'll get is minimal and the space they take is tiny. So unless you're running a Pentium 3 with a 1Gb HDD  and 128Mb of RAM, the benefits of an antivirus far, far outweigh any perceived problems.

[Tam3n]

I use the Security Essentials, it's very light weight, fast and free - and in my oppinion all you need.

[brob]

so i heard that you don't need anti virus on your pc to protect itself from virus's.

Some people have said they use other pieces of software that protects its pc.

I've heard of stuff such as ccleaner and advanced systemcare but have no clue what they are.

I'm currently using Norton anti virus for the past 3 years and each year if runs out then you have to pay to renew it again.

 

So what i'm asking is, are there any software's on the market for free that protects your pc from virus's or are there any that you can just pay for and would last forever.

 

Edit: Has also been posted to Operating systems and software 

 

Some people say that wearing tin foil will stop aliens from reading your mind. Others say that the world is flat.

 

I use AVG free at home for protecting against viruses. I use Malwarebytes and SpyBot Search and Destroy to detect and remove other threats.

[Dragonzeanse]

Just use Spybot, immunize your system every few months, and install Malwarebytes and call it a day. You really don't need anything else. There are so many good free options out there that I cannot recommend paying for an antivirus, ever.

[Scottonpc]

I use Norton Internet Security 2013 + Malware Bytes PRO for scans.

[neon]

Is it a bad thing if I never use antivirus? Not even firewall, and haven't for 4 years? (Have a virus or two about every 6 months, and even then... not a big problem to fix it) (compared to others)

 

Yes it is bad, esp not using a firewall (but if you are using a router then that can almost be forgiven - almost)

let's put it this way it is a very real possibility that you are infected, that you are part of some botnet out there, top notch malware can pretty much fully disguise themselves from detection, there is no good reason not to secure your computer, performance hit? none in everyday usage (visiting LTT, facebook, email, installing files) the worst that can happen is a slightly slower boot time from power off but even if it adds something ridiculous like 60 seconds extra to boot it is worth it (boot time is vastly overrated anyway), as it offers very real protection that benefits you and everyone else.

 

I wish that they taught proper real life IT skills in school, if they did pretty much all malware in the home would be stamped out.