Looking For Virus Protection?

For what it's worth...

I've seen a few posts on and off topic when it comes to anti-virus protection. It can be a touchy subject for a lot of people due to poor customer experience when it comes to 'paid-for software' and just finding one that will do the job without 'messing' with their computer. Sometimes, 'uninstalling' an anti-virus' program in itself can be frustrating.

I have often put my two cents in and have been an advocate for Avast. I'll tell you why.
1. It's free. Like Adaware, you can run a free version or upgrade to the paid PRO version.
2. Unlike some other free programs, it covers all the bases. It works on P2P, email,messenger and everything else you would want it to.
3. It updates frequently, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day. (That is, if you choose to run the automatic updates)
4. It does a 'boot-time' scan.
5. It's skinnable! (Like WinAmp or some other Apps, you can make skins for it or download skins.)

I switched to AVAST after going through Norton, MacAfee, and AVG. My particular problem was running across viruses that the one would detect and not the other. Or one 'mistaking' the wrong file for a virus. Or..one finding a virus but not being able to remove it. I bit the bullet and tried AVAST and have had NONE of those problems since. I deleted my 'paid-for' version of Norton and have been running AVAST for the past 7 months with NO problems. To the best of my knowledge, it has caught everything that has tried to get on my PC. It woks great with Limewire, messenger, and my email.

Some 'reader' reviews on CNET say it is a system hog, has slowed down this and that. When I installed it, my PC only had 256mb of 'shared' memory and it didn't affect my PC's performance at all, with the exception of the automatic updates. When they occured, things would lag a 'little', but not enough for me to turn off the automatic updates.

AVAST does require that you register even the free version. No fee involved. Again, some people seemed to have a problem with this at CNET. Basically, because they thought it was just 'inconvenient'. And, again, I did register and have suffered no problems because of it.

For me, this App has worked better than NOrton, AVG, and MacAfee. I have had absolutley no problems. The ONLY software conflict has been with ZoneAlarm. If you have it installed, AVAST will detect it on install and give you the option to shut off the AVAST setting that conflicts, leaving your ZoneAlarm just as it is and NOT affecting AVSTS performance!

So why am I going on about this. AVAST, for what it's worth, has just won SC MAGAZINES READER CHOICE AWARD 2006 for best ANTI_VIRUS Program. So if your looking for a new or better anti-virus program, this may be the one to check out.

AVAST wins award>Link

SC MAGAZINE AWARD WINNERS>Link

21,289 views 33 replies
Reply #1 Top
AVG Anti-virus is also a nice anti-virus program and unlike Norton it won't rape your system
Reply #2 Top
I have used Avast! for quite awhile and have been very pleased with it.
Reply #3 Top
I've been using AVG for 3-4 years. Never had a problem, and it updates 2-3 times a day.
Reply #4 Top
I have been using Avast for two years. Now I switched to Avg.
Reason being that Avast found a virus and would not let me do anything with it, It would not let me move it to the valt,delet it or fix it. So thats when I tried AVG.

Now having said that Avg did not pick up on the virus at first, It took about a week and then it found it. Virus is now gone.

So I beleave that Avast and Avg has some bugs in detecting viruses. But will in time find them. Both are free and work.
Reply #5 Top
AVG Is great, but being "man-made" is not at all fool proof...
I use AVG exclusively but I also use an assortment of other AV software,
1.Avast
2.Mcafee Stinger
3.Trend Microclean

All decent programs but not perfect..

I have heard of one thats so far seems to be perfect so far NOD32, I have never tried the program but I have heard nothing but great reviews....

So theres a few out there, but do not trust just one...
Reply #6 Top
Note : MCAfee Stinger is in no event a full antivirus programm. It is a virus-cleaner, not more.
Reply #7 Top
I have heard of one thats so far seems to be perfect so far NOD32, I have never tried the program but I have heard nothing but great reviews.

I have been very pleased with NOD32.

Reply #8 Top
I use AVG exclusively but I also use an assortment of other AV software


This sentence doesn't seem to jive with my definition of "exclusively"!
Reply #9 Top
yes but it's foolish to only rely on one program's definitions. granted, you never want more than one AV program running at a time, with an infected system you must rely on multiple tools. no one program gets them all.
Reply #10 Top
That is the reason I use G-Data AVK. It has Kapersky and Bitdefender built in.
Reply #11 Top
This sentence doesn't seem to jive with my definition of "exclusively"!


Well allow me to "enlighten" you as to what I meant since your having an issue understanding..

I have AVG running on my PC %100 of the time...
If & when I feel a need to check AVG's effectiveness I pop in my UBCD4 cd and run AV software from it..Trend Micro, Avast, Stinger..etc..etc..

I do not run these "other" AV programs "Exclusively" only when I feel the "need" to do so...

Was that any less complicated to understand?
Reply #12 Top
Sorry. Didn't mean to make an issue. I'm a teacher and find myself picking up on interesting word choices. That was just my red pencil reaction!
Reply #13 Top
I'm a teacher and find myself picking up on interesting word choices.


Well I hope you'll reconsider my grade.."Failing" isnt one of my favorite things to do.
Reply #14 Top
ex·clu·sive

1. Excluding or tending to exclude
2. Not allowing something else; incompatible
3. Not divided or shared with others
4. Not accompanied by others
Reply #16 Top
Ok wheres my friggin eraser...


LoL
Reply #18 Top
So it's ok to run both zone-alarm and avast at the same time, without conflict??


Should be just fine...
Reply #19 Top

I use AVG exclusively but I also use an assortment of other AV software,

That really IS a silly statement....Spell checker

Reply #20 Top
So it's ok to run both zone-alarm and avast at the same time, without conflict??

Yes. When you set up AVAST, it will check your ZA to see if any of the features it is running will conflict with AVAST. If there is one, AVAST will let you know and give you the option to turn off the 'AVAST' feature that conflicts, leaving your ZA as you have it.

Avast states that they are currently working with Zone Alarm so that the 2 will be fully compatible.

Reply #21 Top
That really IS a silly statement....


Uh-oh, Now I have been "Jafo'd" Boy I wish I could find my eraser!, LoL

Hmmmmmmm, heres a thought, why dont we run that statement on the front page in the "poll" section? at least it will give us all something else to vote on!

Reply #22 Top
We should have a poll to see if that should be a poll.
Reply #23 Top
We need to have a petition first, to see if we should have a poll on the poll.
Reply #24 Top

But we still need to finish the petition about stopping petitions before any more petitiions are posted.

Reply #25 Top
so...we need a poll as a short petition to see if the petition to stop petitions should go ahead so we can post a petition to have a poll?