Free anti-virus sof...
 

[Closed] Free anti-virus software

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 Aus
Posts: 1534
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Topic starter
 

Recommendations would be great - have used AVG for a few years but the latest version (8.0) is slowing my PC up horrendously.

Any other good free ones that don't take up loads of CPU?

Many thanks


 
Posted : 06/05/2009 2:08 pm
Posts: 16367
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Avast


 
Posted : 06/05/2009 2:12 pm
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+1 for avast


 
Posted : 06/05/2009 2:13 pm
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Avast and Avira. Use both and they seem as good as AVG did before it went bananas on my Vista PC....


 
Posted : 06/05/2009 2:20 pm
 cp
Posts: 8952
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Avira installed on GF's machine with Win XP. Runs a treat.


 
Posted : 06/05/2009 2:27 pm
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Avast seems good to me too.

If you think the free ones are bad for hogging the CPU try running some of the commercial ones, especially McAffee/Norton.


 
Posted : 06/05/2009 2:31 pm
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Have used both Avast(currently) and Avira. I've got no idea how they compare technically. But on a simple day to day user basis, I'd give Avast the upper hand. Avira didn't appear to slow my computer down when it was updating it's database, which was good, but I got annoyed with the ads to upgrade to the pro package, which kept popping up. Avast slows my computer down when it updates (only for a minute or two), but there are no ads popping up. I won't bore you with the reasons I changed over, but it had nothing to do with being unhappy with Avira, you'll be ok with either.


 
Posted : 06/05/2009 2:46 pm
 Drac
Posts: 50473
 

Avast.


 
Posted : 06/05/2009 2:48 pm
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I'm sort of glad to hear that AVG was slowing someone elses products up.

I ended up hitting my laptop in frustration the other week and its now dead! 😳

Oh well it was 7 years old and getting very flaky, my new shiny laptop is ace though, woohoo.

I'm using Macafee which came with the computer and I "may" end up buying a copy at the end of trial.


 
Posted : 06/05/2009 2:50 pm
 Aus
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Topic starter
 

thanks all - will give Avast a blast


 
Posted : 06/05/2009 2:52 pm
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An interesting table...

[pre]
|-- Percent Slower --|
Boot CPU Disk
Norton Internet Security 2006 46% 20% 2369%
McAfee VirusScan Enterprise 8 7% 20% 2246%
Norton Internet Security 2007 45% 8% 1515%
Trend Micro PC-cillin AV 2006 2% 0% 1288%
ZoneAlarm ISS 16% 0% 992%
Norton Antivirus 2002 11% 8% 658%
Windows Live OneCare 11% 8% 512%
Webroot Spy Sweeper 6% 8% 369%
Nod32 v2.5 7% 8% 177%
avast! 4.7 Home 4% 8% 115%
Windows Defender 5% 8% 54%
Panda Antivirus 2007 20% 4% 15%
AVG 7.1 Free 15% 0% 19%
[/pre]

From [url= http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000803.html ]CodingHorror.com: Choosing Anti-Anti-Virus Software[/url]


 
Posted : 06/05/2009 5:23 pm
 Drac
Posts: 50473
 

That is interesting as last time used AVG it really drained my system but that was around 4 years ago.

Ah now I see the AVG free has less protection so would explain that.


 
Posted : 06/05/2009 5:30 pm
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AVG 8


 
Posted : 06/05/2009 5:34 pm
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Drac: as CheesybeanZ points out, AVG is now on version 8 so that table may be a little out of date. But the biggest message is PePPPeR - don't stick with McAfee!


 
Posted : 06/05/2009 6:26 pm
 Drac
Posts: 50473
 

Yeah see that Graham but it's the lack of live protection that suggests why it would have lower resource usage.


 
Posted : 06/05/2009 9:03 pm