Are paid Anti-viruses better than free ones?
- Thread starter lhstud10
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I use Kaspersky right now and have never had a problem, I do alot of surfing and downloading and my hijackthis log is always clean. It has caught many drive by viruses before being installed on my computer. I also will scan with superantispyware every now and then just to be sure. I think if AVG would combine there antivirus and antispyware together in one nice package I might switch though.
Depends on 32 or 64 bit for antivirus paid or free
Concerning whether anti-virus is better when paid for or not -it depends, on your budget, and compatibility issues. For example if you are using 64 bit instead of 32 bit you may be limited as to what you can use.
32 bit vs 64 bit
64 bit has been known to have issues with being limited to certain brands of anti-virus software. "Avast" antivirus or "C/A" (Computer Associates) is something that I know works. If you have 32 bit XP Pro or Vista 32 Pro instead of 64 bit it opens some more doors for you. The new Vista 64 bit non-Beta comes out in Feburary and once the bugs are worked out the software limiting factor may be corrected.
Concerning whether anti-virus is better when paid for or not -it depends, on your budget, and compatibility issues. For example if you are using 64 bit instead of 32 bit you may be limited as to what you can use.
32 bit vs 64 bit
64 bit has been known to have issues with being limited to certain brands of anti-virus software. "Avast" antivirus or "C/A" (Computer Associates) is something that I know works. If you have 32 bit XP Pro or Vista 32 Pro instead of 64 bit it opens some more doors for you. The new Vista 64 bit non-Beta comes out in Feburary and once the bugs are worked out the software limiting factor may be corrected.
antivirus free or paid
Other than the 64 bit situation I agree with Bobo, that AVG is great for a free version. There are other great paid versions, but not all paid software is better than free software. For example I paid approximately 39.95 and 29.95 for McAfee's firewall and antivirus protection and a re-up fee at the end of the year for approx 25-30 each, and it found little or no problems yet I still had some. I put Zone Alarm on by Zone Labs which is only 29.95 for both antivirus and Firewall with only a $20 re-up fee yearly and it found the worm that McAfee could not. I had previously tried Norton's as well and with approx the same price and same results as McAfee. To pay more and get less coverage seems ridiculous and both McAfee and Norton's also have a long mean boot time, which makes them big resource hogs. I would use anything but McAfee or Nortons.
Also I tried Trend Micro's PC cillin and it also could not detect the worm. I went through 4-5 software companies before I found one that could fix the problem. Trend Micro was rated number 1 in 2005 by Consumer Reports and by Fall of 2006 it has fallen to almost 9th or 10th place.
Other than the 64 bit situation I agree with Bobo, that AVG is great for a free version. There are other great paid versions, but not all paid software is better than free software. For example I paid approximately 39.95 and 29.95 for McAfee's firewall and antivirus protection and a re-up fee at the end of the year for approx 25-30 each, and it found little or no problems yet I still had some. I put Zone Alarm on by Zone Labs which is only 29.95 for both antivirus and Firewall with only a $20 re-up fee yearly and it found the worm that McAfee could not. I had previously tried Norton's as well and with approx the same price and same results as McAfee. To pay more and get less coverage seems ridiculous and both McAfee and Norton's also have a long mean boot time, which makes them big resource hogs. I would use anything but McAfee or Nortons.
Also I tried Trend Micro's PC cillin and it also could not detect the worm. I went through 4-5 software companies before I found one that could fix the problem. Trend Micro was rated number 1 in 2005 by Consumer Reports and by Fall of 2006 it has fallen to almost 9th or 10th place.
anti-virus free or paid & all-in-one software
Anti-virus and firewall bundling are good but to include anti-spy or anti-spam as well is not good. All-in-ones seem to falter, because you can't be good at everything. The companies ranking high on the list for anti-spy are at the bottom of the list on anti-virus, according to 3 well known tech sources.
NOTE: Better to have made a purchase from a box so you have the reinstallation CDs. Reinstalling from online is a pain in the -ss even with a fast computer.
Anti-virus and firewall bundling are good but to include anti-spy or anti-spam as well is not good. All-in-ones seem to falter, because you can't be good at everything. The companies ranking high on the list for anti-spy are at the bottom of the list on anti-virus, according to 3 well known tech sources.
NOTE: Better to have made a purchase from a box so you have the reinstallation CDs. Reinstalling from online is a pain in the -ss even with a fast computer.
anti-virus free or paid on toolbars
I have found that the anti-virus or anti-spy that your ISP has or ones on a toolbar like yahoo or earthlink's toolbar are ineffective. Most of the antispam protection with those companies aren't much better. Besides having it on the toolbar with multiple toolbars installed really slows down a computer.
I have found that the anti-virus or anti-spy that your ISP has or ones on a toolbar like yahoo or earthlink's toolbar are ineffective. Most of the antispam protection with those companies aren't much better. Besides having it on the toolbar with multiple toolbars installed really slows down a computer.
Could you please type in black like the rest of us? It really helps the eyes.
Really, no joking..
Oh, sorry...m0nk3ys1ms
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