[tinkerbell]

Hi there, my Norton anti virus runs out in a a few days time. I was reading a fw threads and realised that many people use free anti virus programmes. My question is that which free programme is a goodd reliable and recommended one to use? Does it mean that if its free its not as good as the one we pay for?
Finally could anyone be kind enough and send me the link to the suggested one. Thanks all.

[Dave Hybrid]

I use Avast and wouldn't use anything else, paid or otherwise.

[tinkerbell]

Point taken thanks. There is another thread with a list of links and avast is in theere i believe its the same avast you are suggesting?

[Dave Hybrid]

Yup, i think it's in our downloads section.

[cheesepuff]

Avast hands down. did a side by side comparison with AVG vs Avast, AVG only caught about 70-80% of what Avast caught

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[tinkerbell]

I am not doubting what you are saying about AVG/avast but i was chatting to my cousin the other day and she said that cos I have router my pc was more vulnerable to virus' and i should get something like norton or Mcafee. I am confused again is this true ?

[SocialWarfare]

Nope that is not true at all, actually it barely makes any sense at all if any

[evilfantasy]

Originally Posted by tinkerbell I am not doubting what you are saying about AVG/avast but i was chatting to my cousin the other day and she said that cos I have router my pc was more vulnerable to virus' and i should get something like norton or Mcafee. I am confused again is this true ?

Originally Posted by SocialWarfare Nope that is not true at all, actually it barely makes any sense at all if any

Sounds like you/she are confusing antivirus with a firewall. Some routers come with a built in firewall, some don't. Either way you should still use a software firewall even if there is a built in hardware firewall with the router.

Any computers vulnerability to virus begins when you connect it to the internet.

Clicking the mouse is the next biggest security risk.

Antivirus is only as good as the user behind it.

[ashubetta]

There are some very nice free anti-viruses available, some of which are even more effective than Norton. Avast! Home Edition is my personal favorite, as it comes a LOT of features and shields, and has an excellent detection and removal procedure. AVG Free edition is the most popular anti-virus at present, and is very light on your system. There are many other free options like PC Tools free anti-virus, AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic, ClamWin, Comodo anti-virus 2.0 beta etc. but I will recommend you to use Avast! or AVG. Always remember to use only ONE anti-virus at a time, keep it updated and scan your computer every week or so.
:)

[mrdaveyk]

cheers for listing the antiV's dude!

[evilfantasy]

Note that clamwin is a standalone, i.e. it does not offer real time protection or update. You need do download a fresh copy before each use or it is no good. clamwin is portable, which is why it is liked.

Comodo is still in beta, beta means that it could damage your computer or not work as intended.

[tinkerbell]

Do I need to uninstall Norton before downloading Avast? My subscription run out tomorrow. Does that affect the performance if its not uninstalled?

[mrdaveyk]

it means it wont be updated you can still do scans and still protects on its current virus data base as far as i know

[SocialWarfare]

Yes you should definitely uninstall Norton first as they will conflict with each other
You should also use Norton Removal Tool to make sure it is uninstall completely