Best Antivirus software?

Rob Babcock · « **on:** 29 Jun 2004, 05:43 am »

I've used Norton for a few years, but it doesn't seem to catch everything. Okay, no AV catches 'em all, but is there something better? I've heard that BitDefender is among the best, can anyone offer advice?

Also, is Adaware the best anti-spyware program out there or is there something better?

TheeeChosenOne · « **Reply #1 on:** 29 Jun 2004, 05:55 am »

Bitdefender and Panda are considered the best.

I uninstalled Bitdefender as it slowed my system down. MANY have reported this problem.

Panda is much leaner in not hogging up resources. I'm happy with it.

AdAware and Spybot are all you need for your other needs. Download them at cnet.com.

rha61 · « **Reply #2 on:** 29 Jun 2004, 06:14 am »

I've tried Norton , Panda and Kaspersky and i prefer Avast , it's freeware !

rha

DeadFish · « **Reply #3 on:** 29 Jun 2004, 07:01 am »

I used to like Norton Desktop for Win 3.1 a lot, but lost my faith with their system software which all too often clashed with my hardware/software config.
Have been using the free version of AVG for years and have been very happy. They seem to update as often as 'the big guys', especially when some new threat makes the rounds.
Like said before, none of the softwares are perfect, but this one ain't bad.
'Specially at the price.

Regards,
DF

EchiDna · « **Reply #4 on:** 29 Jun 2004, 08:46 am »

the free version of Grisoft AVG gets my vote as well

MaxCast · « **Reply #5 on:** 29 Jun 2004, 10:36 am »

Here are some more thoughts on the subject.

I didn't realize there were so many other options available. Marketing....

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #6 on:** 29 Jun 2004, 11:14 am »

Thanks for the refresher. By following the yellow brick road, it looks like BitDefender is about the best AV extant. Even though I've paid for Norton I still might delete it and go with BitDefender. Norton has come up wanting in my own recent experience.

jermmd · « **Reply #7 on:** 29 Jun 2004, 01:35 pm »

I second Avast. Its free and very good.
http://www.download.com/Avast-Home-Edition/3000-2239-10285256.html?tag=lst-4-8

Joe M.

JoshK · « **Reply #8 on:** 29 Jun 2004, 01:40 pm »

I have always had issues with Norton, whether it was a home copy that I purchased a work official copy for telecommuting or whatever. Norton has always clashed with either my hardware, computing software (Matlab, Splus, SAS, etc), or just mal-installed no matter how barebones your system was. I think Norton blows.

Double Ugly · « **Reply #9 on:** 29 Jun 2004, 02:43 pm »

I've used or tried a lot of those mentioned, and have free access to Norton AV Corporate Edition through a DoD contract with Symantec. But after a lot of research and several 30-day evaluations of highly-rated AV programs, I decided to pay for NOD32.

Besides being highly regarded in industry circles, NOD32 sports a very streamlined code. Virus protection capability should always be priority one when evaluating AV programs (and was during my search), but NOD32's ability to provide superior protection without putting a strain on my computer's resources was (and is) a nice bonus.

DU

Double Ugly · « **Reply #10 on:** 29 Jun 2004, 02:47 pm »

I've used or tried a few of those mentioned, and have free access to Norton AV Corporate Edition through a DoD contract with Symantec. But after a lot of research and several 30-day evaluations of highly-rated AV programs, I decided to pay for NOD32.

Besides being highly regarded in industry circles, NOD32 sports a very streamlined code. Virus protection capability should always be priority one when evaluating AV programs (and was during my search), but NOD32's ability to provide superior protection without putting a strain on my computer's resources was (and is) a nice bonus.

DU

Levi · « **Reply #11 on:** 29 Jun 2004, 03:05 pm »

There are lots of Antivirus software out there. Which one should I trust?

The one that I normally see in small businesses to large corporations are the following two that are my favorite:

McAfee Virus Scan for personal use and McAfee Virus Scan Enterprise for small to Enterprise level and Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition 9.x for small to Enterprise level. Why because both Companies have excellent website that gives you up-to-date information on the latest bug threat out there for FREE. They also have free bug tools and latest DAT updates for your Antivirus software etc. Knowledgebase are also excellent tool for troubleshooting anomalies.

I currently use Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition 9.x unmanaged for personal use. It is configured to download automatic updates daily. Set it and forget it.

It is also best practice to have the latest virus definitions updates so it can catch the latest bugs out there in conjunction with Microsoft security patches if you are using MS products. I don't know much about Mac products so cannot comment on those.

One last tip... Do not open email attachment if you are not sure what it does. It normally has .exe, .vbs, .reg... extension etc. It is also a good practice to keep your MS Service pack and MS security patches up-to-date (for MS products). Download the latest virus update on a weekly if not daily. You know basic stuff common sense stuffs.

Finally, you have plenty of pop-ups? Your Virus Scanner will not protect you from spywares or spam emails.

Just my .02

Levi

Thump553 · « **Reply #12 on:** 29 Jun 2004, 08:37 pm »

In the last two weeks I've found trojans on both my mother-in-law's computer (Norton 2003) and my sister's (McAfee).

I'm partial to AVG myself-it updates very often, seems rock solid and is free. I removed the Norton from my mother-in-law's computer (subscription was near expiration) and installed AVG, which is how I found the trojan. Problem is AVG can't seem to isolate or remove part of the infection. The virus is downloader keenvaal J as I recall. Anyone have any ideas before I do a format C: and start over? I'm not looking forward to that.

srclose · « **Reply #13 on:** 29 Jun 2004, 09:56 pm »

I just used the free online virus scan from Panda to rid by daughter's computer of multiple viruses:

http://www.pandasoftware.es/activescan/activescan-com.asp

It worked well for the particular problems that she had.

Best of luck

SRC

TheeeChosenOne · « **Reply #14 on:** 30 Jun 2004, 12:08 am »

Antivirus Comparison:[/b]

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=33&threadid=1248485&highlight_key=y&keyword1=antivirus

Levi · « **Reply #15 on:** 30 Jun 2004, 01:53 am »

Quote from: Thump553

In the last two weeks I've found trojans on both my mother-in-law's computer (Norton 2003) and my sister's (McAfee).

I'm partial to AVG myself-it updates very often, seems rock solid and is free. I removed the Norton from my mother-in-law's computer (subscription was near expiration) and installed AVG, which is how I found the trojan. Problem is AVG can't seem to isolate or remove part of the infection. The virus is downloader keenvaal J as I recall. Anyone have any ideas before I do a format C: and start over? I'm not looking forward to that.

fyi..
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/downloader.bo.html

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #16 on:** 30 Jun 2004, 02:07 am »

After reading the links here, I used Panda to remove a virus that Norton id'd but couldn't remove or quarentine. For the time being I've removed Norton from my machine- like some of the posters here, I've found it to have persistent problems playing nice with the other software I use. I installed the 30 trial version of BitDefender, and so far I'm happy with it. I'll try it out and if I like it, that'll be my new AV.

Thanks for all the advice; I'll keep following this in case there's something better out there.

mattybumpkin · « **Reply #17 on:** 30 Jun 2004, 03:05 am »

I use Panda too. I also use Spyware Blaster (free) for spyware.

Good luck,

"M"