AntiVirus, Who needs AntiVirus?!

[RageProphetXIII]

So I wanted to ask....I know we have a lot of computer geeks here. So what do you guys think? Is it worth paying for antivirus? and if so, What do you guys use?


I use the free version of Avast, I've always liked it I don't use my computer much so I don't spend too much time sharing info on the web. I mostly use my phone or tablet. Now I do pay for Avast on my mobile since I like all the features I get.

[Light496]

I use norton 360. I really needed the anti virus because when I ran a scan with my free virus scanner and it told me everything was fine, but I knew something was wrong because my laptop was going too slow. When I downloaded Norton and ran the scan again a lot viruses and malware showed up, some bad other not so much. But Norton isolated and got rid of them and now my laptop runs fine I guess you could say. I like norton so far even though some people don't think its good

[KuroiStar]

I just use Microsoft Essential (free AntiVirus) and then I use Super Anti Spyware to go with it to sweep out everything else. Works well so far, even with all the porn websites lol jk

[k1gibson]

I use Avg on my phone and pc seems to work good, no virus that I know of.

[RaTix]

The best free options to go with, AVG and Malwarebytes. I use on my own PC and never have any issues. The premium version of malwarebytes is also good if you hate having to remember to manually run your scans. Blocks a lot of sites that host viruses.

Instead of Norton 360, try to locate a "borrowed" version Symantec Endpoint Protection, it works a lot better with a lot less drain on the system resources.

[RegentOne]

Yep, agree with Ratix on best free of AVG and MalwareBytes together.

[RageProphetXIII]

I dont like avg . Ive always try it and just makes everything run so slow. i buy avast for my phone and use free version of avast. Never have problems with it but i am thinking of buying a full version of avast on pc. Since i go tomschool and the wifi is open i dont want to expose myself to people sniffing around.

[RaTix]

All AV will bog down the system a little. I would be wary of any that didn't as it means it's not doing active/live scanning. Most good AVs will do live heuristic scanning of any file/folder that is being accessed. You go into your torrent download folder looking for the file you just downloaded, the AV should kick in and scan that folder before you open something by mistake. This is what makes most AVs a resource hog.
You'll also want to make sure it's scanning email and websites you visit. Malware bytes paid version does a great job of blocking any malicious sites you might visit by accident.

But I think what you were referring to, is more of a firewall aspect in regards to ppl sniffing around. Windows firewall is good enough for that, you just have to be diligent in not keeping every port open and only opening the ones you need.

Other advice,
Keep your profile and default admin account separate on the system (Past Windows XP you really don't need to worry about this)
Make sure your PC doesn't have any shares setup and proper permissions are in place.
Use a secure password. 8-10 characters MIN, using numbers, letters, upper and lower, and symbols.

[BOSS]

I agree about Malwarebytes. Been using it along with Avast and haven't had any issues.

[RageProphetXIII]

boss do you pay for Avast?

[BOSS]

boss do you pay for Avast?

I have the free version.