Paid for versus free virus software

sooty

New Member
My missus has bought herself a laptop and wants to install anti-virus software which is clearly a good idea. But I wonder if the difference between the effectiveness of free stuff is a lot inferior to bought software, logic tells me it should be but is it?

If free stuff is good enough what particular one should she use? Subjective I guess but the views of more experienced users would be welcome?

The laptop is using Windows 7 64 and she thought of buying AVG.

Many thanks.
 
free and paid antivirus

yeah,its always good to go for the paid once and make sure you update them regularly
 
The free stuff isn't "lot" inferior, as a matter of fact as anti-virus software they're just as good as their paid-for counterparts. With paid AV software you get additional fancy-pancy features such as e-mail scanners, priority updates, website checkers and other nifty tools that help make your computer more secure. Also, with the free version of avira you'd get advertisments everytime you updated... but if all you're after is simply an AV solution, free versions are fine. Avira, AVG and Avast are the best (and most popular) ones with free versions available.

Generally, free AV software is fine. But knowing her experience with computers as well as uses for her laptop would make it easier to tell whether it'd be worth it to buy a subscription...
 
Not really worth to buy an anti-virus which will expire in a 1 year period ( probably ). The free anti-viruses dont really have a big difference between them and the ones you pay for. So i would really go with a free version if i were you. Even if you pay for one that does not really mean you wont get infected. So just go with a free version and save some money. :)
 
As said above, what you get is not inferior, it's just that you don't get it all with the free stuff. With free AVG there is no firewall so if you are happy with Windows firewall then fine.

AVG comparison here http://free.avg.com/gb-en/download-avg-anti-virus-free

Again the "Internet Security Suites" offer the "newbie" complete protection (there is no such thing but your wife will sleep better at night) :)

The more experienced user will choose free firewall, free antivirus and free spyware protection, usually from different software manufacturers.
 
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ive used norton and kespersky in the past and was let down by both, i have no doubt some of the free anti-virus software is far superior to any of the over rated and over priced paid for software, if i were you id try either AVG 9.0 or MICROSOFT SECURITY ESSENTIALS my personal preference the latter.
 
The free antivirus softwares available are okay,But they lack alot of features that paid for offer,Imo the best paid for antivirus security packages are Eset Smart Security or Kaspersky.

but by all means im not saying free is crap,AVG,Avast etcs free versions are quite good,Microsoft security essentials appears to be doing realy well from reviews etc.
 
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yeah,its always good to go for the paid once and make sure you update them regularly

See I disagree I had bought virus protection and it did not really do its job then I switched to AVG free edition and thats all I have used for years now I am always on the internet downloading and uploading and all that stuff.

I would say go free ware dont waste money
 
it depends on......... A LOT!

Wow, a new computer for the lady. How cool for her! I remember when my fiancee bought her first laptop, she was so proud of it.

I did a few things once she got it, and I had a little help along the way. Once she bought it and got it home she knew she needed security programs because I had talked so much about the things I see on here. She understood many of the risks online, what to be wary of and where/what to stay away from.

She understood the need to avoid download sites like limewire, and that she shouldn't open emails that are suspicious. I had a little help with informing her on why we should be careful online. She had seen the work I did on her parents computer, and the over 600 infections I had discovered and had to clean out. It got to the point though that their computer had become so utterly discombobulated by viruses, trojans, worms, spyware, etc... that I had to reinstall their OS. Her parents lost all the data, files, photos, music, an so forth.

That scared her, she didn't want to lose all her files and photos. So she knew she needed an antivirus program and she needed to scan with malwarebytes as well, in addition to just being cautious. She got AVG free, and it has worked well. I recommend it a lot because it does what it should, it protects and scans well.

BUT, she knows to be careful and what to look out for. However if someone is not careful in what they do, look out. If the person isnt careful then I would HIGHLY recommend NOT going with free versions. This is for the simple fact that they are made for someone who is only going to safe sites and being cautious online. If they arent being careful then the flood gates will be opened and the free version may or may not catch it. Especially since the windows firewall is very poor in my opinion on catching "things". Many free virus programs just dont or or arent made to actively monitor the computer for threats.

In the case that someone is not the most cautious, or maybe under informed, or just isn't as careful as they should be; the paid version is the route to go.

For instance if you have kids or you do a lot of random surfing then I would recommend an antivirus suite that can block sites that you choose. For instance I block sites that are classified as: porn, hate, occult, racism, drugs, unknown, and more... However there are other programs, labeled as parental control programs, that can limit web access. It sounds kind of odd to put controls on yourself, but sometimes its hard to tell what is ok and what isnt as security is concerned.

There are antivirus suites that will offer options to block web pages based on preferences like that, and also offer a better firewall and better scanning and scan scheduling (to name a few options).

If you want to go light on the system, avoid any Norton product (IMO). I believe Norton to be almost as bad or worse than no A/V protection at all. I believe this because I've seen computers that Norton products have scanned, and then were rescanned by other products (like AVG) and lists of malicious software were found.

Norton is also a resource hog, it will eat into your machines ability to run well and fast.

I use TrendMicro internet security, my fiancee uses AVG free, my dad uses AVG paid, and a friend of mine uses MSE. All of them are good, you just have to look at the abilities of each one and determine if it will protect her from the threats she will face online.

If she does nothing more than facebook and email, I'd teach her about the danger that email can pose, not to click the ads on web pages, and be careful of clickjacking/redirects. Then I would use a free version and install a firewall instead of using the windows firewall.

If you are doing any more than that, I would go with a paid version.

Whatever you choose to go with, I would definitely recommend that you install Malwarebytes*, Super Antispyware*, CCleaner, and Hijack This. The asterisked programs are virus removal programs, and they wont interfere with the A/V program, they are an absolute necessity to me and many other people.

And if you want to be REALLY safe, buy an the "gift" of an external hard drive and backup her computer a few times a year. Do it when you are absolutely sure the computer is virus free. I bought a Western Digital 500GB external hard drive for about $120, and it came with the software to backup my machine. Well worth the money! Now I dont have to worry about my hard drive dying and losing all my data.

Though whatever program you choose, only choose ONE. For instance, dont install AVG & Norton at the same time. Two A/V's working at the same time will cause them to miss threats.

I hoped this helped. If she wants to see why she needs to be careful online, just show her the computer security section of computer forum. That should get the point across without you looking like your just trying to scare her.

(EDIT: DUH on me! Check out the list that Johnb provided us with. Its a great place to start looking and comparing. Go here: http://www.computerforum.com/166728-list-security-programs-use.html)
 
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More good advice and thanks to all for taking the trouble to respond.

I've now installed Microsoft Security Essentials which seems to have had some good reviews. I had never heard of it until jamesd1981 mentioned it on the forum in response to my original question, so thanks to him.

Thanks again folks.:)
 
I have loaded MSE on to my wife's laptop and another without a problem but on a third laptop it won't activate real time protection!

The download ran OK and all seems in order but it shows real time protection is switched off. The proper boxes are ticked and the large button which says Switch On when pressed makes no difference.

Anyone had this problem please and if so how do I cure it?
 
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