Preferred Antivirus Software

[StableSolutions]

I recommend Avast! for both my home and business users.

Why Avast vs others is what I'm curious about though.

 

[nonchalant]

Why Avast vs others is what I'm curious about though.

Check out http://www.av-comparatives.org/en/comparativesreviews

Personally I dont think you can go past Avira for all-round detection & removal but they need to get rid of the advertising they have incorporated into their latest free version before I will give it another look. Comparing Avast to Avira for detection rate alone, Avira has a 99.4% detection rate while Avast has a 98% detection rate (which in my opinion is not too shabby). Where Avast falls down is in the removal tests where Avira scores 80 points while Avast only scores 52 points, but then Avast has fewer false alarms. Also, not having read the whole removal tests report in full I dont know if they uses Avast's 'boot time scan' in the tests, which I suspect removes more viruses than when scanning in Windows alone.

The reason I put Avast on customers PC's is because of its ease of use & because it doesnt 'nag' the user with popups asking them to upgrade. In my opinion a good AV is one that you dont know is there until you get a virus & here Avast fits the bill nicely. The latest version also includes some 'firewall' capabilities and having used it myself while trolling a few (lets say 'less reputable') sites its quite clearly blocked a couple of infections.

 

[marianoemilio]

Free: MSE
Paid: ESET

 

[Aescaepulus]

I use Kaspersky for home user clients, primarily because it has a good base configuration that doesn't leave casual users with a lot of questions. If money is tight, then AVG free or MSE.

For networks, I use Cisco 5500 series firewalls with Kaspersky enterprise edition. I use Kaspersky Workstation because I feel it uses fewer system resources, and doesn't pester the users for interaction very often. I also put rkill on the desktops just in case someone web surfs to an infected site and gets zapped.

 

[Cambridge PC Support]

From my experience AVG is pretty ineffective. It's bloated and slows down the machine. Anytime I get a customer with AVG on, I always encourage them to let me swap them over to the free Avast. Same with McAfee and Norton, for obvious reasons.

And IMO, Xander wasn't bullying, he just said it like it is. There should be an age limit, it's a forum for business owners or soon-to-be business owners, not kids. Of course there's nothing to stop 'em from browsing the forums to learn.

 

[computerdoctor]

My trial of ESET NOD32

Based on the early advice, I downloaded the trial of ESET NOD32. I noticed a few things. I put it on my dad's computer which he had Webroot on and it found 55 infiltrations. The first run it only cleaned 1 infiltration. The second time I set it to no auto cleaning so that I could see what it found and take it off. It let me highlight all the infections but even when I did Delete all it only says it cleaned 38 out of 55. Am I doing something wrong.

I tried it on the virtual machine on my Mac, which had avast!, and it found 16 infections but almost all potentially unwanted programs, which it let me remove all of.

It took my dad's over 3 hours to scan. It seems to be sensitive but if I can't get rid of the infiltrations that it finds, what good is it. I Must be doing something wrong.

 

[computerdoctor]

Both were Windows 7.

 

[Rosco]

free= avira coupled with zone alarm

paid= vipre by gfi (imo the best antivirus it can take anything you throw at it!) it even deactivates pirated windows. its awesome. better than anything i have used in resent years!

I know a lot of us have checked out gfi by now, but if you haven't it is definitely worth looking at.

 

['putertutor]

Free = MSE

Paid:
I have been using Kaspersky and have had good results with that, but I will be testing eset, based on the feedback in this group.

@Xander:
I understand you point, but seriously? He's 12, let dad handle what you were trying to do. Yes, you were correct, but you were also overly harsh, critical, and even insulting. There are times when it is better to be nice than to be right - this was one of them. If that's how you are, fine, I can handle it, and so can most everyone else here, but to be that way with a 12 year old boy, looking for some encouragement is not right. If you want to correct his (admittedly) incorrect thinking, encourage him, don't beat him up.

That being said, if this is to be a business oriented forum, I would also be in favor of an age limit.

 

[PCX]

1) I know you're 12 but lay off the smileys.
2) Do some homework before you recommend what is now a bloated, less-than-competent piece of software. Find me any trustworthy comparative (e.g. not someone's blog) which proves AVG is worth more than the box you'd buy it in.

AVG, over the last 2-3 years, is now to antivirus what Ad-Aware/Spybot is to antimalware. It's passé. I had so many infected machines last year with the fakeAV infections that had AVG on them, it was ridiculous.
Not getting a virus is as much about one's surfing habits as it is the AV -- it's anecdotal, not proof of anything.

AVG is crap.


For the OP, I recommend Kaspersky for paid, Avast for free. But, if you'd done a search like Altrenda recommended, you'd have already found a thread with that in there.

So, I just wanted to weigh in on this a bit. When I first saw that a 12 year old was on here I was a little concerned. Why, because there are some of you who are grown adults who cannot take things straight and have to have things sugar coated. If that is the case for some of you adults (not most of you, but some) then how is a little girl going to react?

Well, after thinking about it for a while, this is the conclusion I have come to. AlaDes seems to be a pretty smart guy and while I would not let my 12 year old on here, I am sure that he has at least warned her about how things work on an adult forum. I am sure that she is prepared for blunt and straight forward answers and will not cry to her daddy every time someone says something she does not like or thought was mean. If she were like this, I am sure AlaDes would not allow her to post on here. That said, as adults, be sure not to say anything inappropriate to her . . . . I will not go into obvious detail.

Since AlaDes seems to be a pretty level headed guy, I am under the assumption that he feels that she can take what ever you dish out. If that were not the case, I feel that he should not have let her on the forum. We should not have to walk on egg shells now that a 12 year old is on here. If she wants to be on an adult forum, then she needs to learn how to conduct her self as an adult and learn how to take things as an adult and we should treat her as such. If she cannot, then she should not be on the forum. If Destinator wants to be on here and AlaDes approves, then she will quickly learn how to get along on the forum. If not, hopefully she or her father will decide that it is best that she not be on the forum.

With all that said, if you are blunt and straight forward, then continue to answer all posts in the same manner with some discretion and tact. Even I have to learn to hold my tongue at times.

Finally, a personal note to Xander.

1. Let her have an personality, if you do not like smiles, get over it.
2. I absolutely agree.

 

[codegreen]

And, Simon, you're partly right (except for the anger part). At 12, the kid can neither start a legitimate repair business nor be employed by one so, by that alone, shouldn't be a member here. I have asked Bryce to consider setting an age minimum on the forums.
While we don't go around sharing "adult" links or posting pics, there are some topics that simply aren't age appropriate for a 12-year old. My son just turned 14 and I wouldn't invite him here to discuss the legalities of what should be done when child pornography is found on a client's machine.

I think our current requirements are fine: the forums are for professional technicians, or for people in the process of becoming professionals. destinator is serious about this type of work. Her dad is a member here, and she is here with his knowledge and permission. It's up to her parents to determine what is age-appropriate.

By the same token, members should not be expected to curb every response they provide in case it might be upsetting to a child.

Agreed. If a young technician wants to participate here, they need to realize that this is a forum for professionals, and we speak bluntly around here (some of us more than others ). A readiness to defend your technical recommendations with solid evidence and a somewhat thick skin are required.

Also, getting back on topic, AVG is not a good choice. Many of my clients bring in infected computers running AVG. AlaDes, are you really using that in your shop/home? There are much better options!

 

[codegreen]

I've been using and Trend-Micro for quite a while now but I'm interested to hear what y'all think of it and why one vs the other.

I'm not a fan of Trend-Micro's products. While posting competent scores in AV-Comparatives tests, they are consistently beaten by Kaspersky, ESET, F-Secure and AVIRA. When I'm recommending a paid security solution to my clients, I'm looking for the top-tier. Trend-Micro just doesn't cut it for me.

 

[Paul Rodgers]

Up until recently I used avast. Personally I think they are going to fall out of favor in the next few years and I don't want to be responsible for problems caused by their software.

Currently I'm testing GFI's Vipre. I have heard good things about the software.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Currently I'm testing GFI's Vipre. I have heard good things about the software.

I've also heard good things about Vipre from fellow colleagues...relatively new to the US market over here....but catching on quickly.

 

[Paul Rodgers]

I've also heard good things about Vipre from fellow colleagues...relatively new to the US market over here....but catching on quickly.

That's what I'm counting on. Instead of losing customers with a product that is slowly on its way out, I would prefer to gain customers with a relatively new product.

 

[Simon Yates]

AlaDes seems to be a pretty smart guy and while I would not let my 12 year old on here, I am sure that he has at least warned her about how things work on an adult forum.

My concern is that AlaDes is trusting that in the knowledge that we are dealing with a 12 year old girl, we as adults would take that into consideration when posting a response to her.

We can't assume AlaDes warned her about anything!

Todays "it's not my responsibility" attitude doesn't fly as far as i'm concerned.

I am in full agreement that this forum is not a suitable place for minors and should be restricted to members 18 years or older which is the minimum age an individual can fully own and be responsible for the most basic business entity, a sole proprietorship.

 

[Simon Yates]

Back on topic...

Residential: Avast
Small Business: MSE

All clients: Education

 

[bigdessert]

We used to use trend micro worry free for business but just got done migrating 400 clients over to vipre. We save a ton of money and in my testing it's catch rate is better. I am however battling an issue on a couple of exchange servers that are getting locked by vipre. We don't really deal with many home users.

 

[gunslinger]

On my systems, none. On customer systems AntiVir or MSE.

 

[Rosco]

imo we should just forget about what the kid said.... no need to make such a big deal. shes here and her dads ok with it. I not going to change how i post and neither should anyone else. Can't we all just get along?