New to PC, best anti-virus?

Hi Everyone,

I just got my new Sony Z, my first PC ever (have always had Macs). Followed some of the guides on here and the advice to get rid of the bloatware and get my computer up and running great.

I was wondering what the "best" anti-virus program is? What kind of things should I be looking at? I have heard things about something called ESET NOD32 and Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6 as well as the obvious Norton and McAfee.

I want something that is not overly in my face and does not hamper system performance that much, price is less of a concern if I can get one that protects me while not bugging me/slowing things down.

Thanks so much in advance!

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1046

 

I don't like to pay for AV so my favourite is Avira. Detects more than AVG and Avast and has a smaller fooprint.

But at the moment I'm not running AV to keep my system as fast as possible.

Ps. I moved your thread to the appropriate forum.

 

AVG 8 Free right now seems to be one of the best. There is not absolute, check out a couple and see how it works for you.

 

hmnn avg 8 free version is bets for now if you really want to get a best software....!!

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For free antivirus, go for Avira.
For pay, I prefer Kaspersky.

 

is it bad to try a couple (one at a time obviously) and delete them until I find one that I like? Someone told me that windows can be slowed down by junk staying in the registry even after deleting the program, is this true? I have been wary to try out some of the free ones or even install and delete stuff because of this..

 

Try them out, delete them until you're happy with one. If you're worried about superfluous junk in your machine, download CCleaner; it's a great app.

 

I recommend uninstalling program using RevoUninstaller.

 

I like Norton's a lot.

 

Haha! Thanks for the laugh.


Personally I stay away from the free ones. Despite what others claim you truly get what you pay for. If you do decide to fork out some money for good quality AV then I'll vouch for Kaspersky as well. Nod32 is good as well but Kasersky usually can be found for a really good price.

 

Psh....2008>all other Norton's versions.

 

Actually I have heard that the latest Norton has supposedly been improved a lot. NIS 2008 is on sale @ my LCS for $19.99 which is a very good deal. But I'll stick with KIS.

 

As others have mentioned, Avira for free anti-virus programs and NOD32 or Kasp for paid. I must say that Avira paid ranks right up there with NOD32 and Kasp. Actually I think Avira scored better significantly better (especially in terms of active protection) than NOD32 and Kasp in the recent AV Comparatives test. You can't go wrong with any of these three programs.

While Norton 2008 is better than past versions,

1. That's not exactly hard
2. I still prefer NOD32, Kasp, and Avira over it any day

Bottom line, if you're paying for protection, it should be the best available.

 

That's a **** good deal.

 

Avira, hands down. Don't waste your time with others. 8]