Recommened Anti-Virus Software

khado · 26-12-2006, 17:36

im not usually prone to viruses, (but now being back on windows)
im looking for a anti-virus program (dont say norton or mcafee) , looking for a program that doesnt start-up on boot, is low on resources, doesnt nag me or annoy me, and just does its job of finding and removing viruses or other mal-ware.

Thanks

p.s. im not worried about the price, im ok to pay for it

MadGamer · 26-12-2006, 17:50

AVG Free 7.5

smicer07 · 26-12-2006, 18:09

Avast.

Delta Whiskey · 26-12-2006, 18:21

NOD 32 - http://www.eset.com/

DW

crazybones · 26-12-2006, 18:24

Kaspersky. You have the option of whether to start it at boot up and is light on resources.

The support via their forums and tech support is superb.

www.kaspersky.co.uk

Taf · 26-12-2006, 18:52

NTLs own free Netguard? ???

Toto · 26-12-2006, 19:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taf

NTLs own free Netguard? ???

Yes....but if you want better protection.

NOD32

crazybones · 26-12-2006, 19:51

I would agree that Nod32 is good. However, I understand that it relies on heuristics which, if my understanding is correct, would rely on the program continually running.

khado made the point that he doesn't want the program to start on boot, therefore the heuristics detection won't be running. Kaspersky relies heavily on signatures, so may be more suited to on demand type scans.

Much of the choice comes down to personal preference. I tried 6 major AV's by imaging my system and then trying each in turn. You have to find one which does not slow your system and also suits your style. Kaspersky or Nod32 are both excellent.

c1rcle · 26-12-2006, 20:26

I've just recently gone over to AVS (Active Virus Shield) it's based on Kaspersky but it's free http://www.activevirusshield.com/ant...eav/index.adp?

**Hugh** · 26-12-2006, 22:32

AVG Free (imho).

Why don't you want it to start up on boot - surely that is the safest way?

26-12-2006, 22:51

Kaspersky... unless you want cheap and nasty then just pick another one

Loads of different views here..

luvclub · 26-12-2006, 23:05

I'd recommend AVG free too. After switching from the resource hog that is Norton AV I've found my system starts up quicker, is more responsive and far less prone to crashes. Best of all it's free!

Toto · 27-12-2006, 00:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazybones

I would agree that Nod32 is good. However, I understand that it relies on heuristics which, if my understanding is correct, would rely on the program continually running.

khado made the point that he doesn't want the program to start on boot, therefore the heuristics detection won't be running. Kaspersky relies heavily on signatures, so may be more suited to on demand type scans.

Much of the choice comes down to personal preference. I tried 6 major AV's by imaging my system and then trying each in turn. You have to find one which does not slow your system and also suits your style. Kaspersky or Nod32 are both excellent.

It doesn't just rely on Heuristics, it uses signature based analyst techniques also. The program footprint (memory) is between 23kb and 50kb depending on what level of threat detection you want to run, and therefore has one of the smallest footprints out there. I have pretty much everything running at the moment, and NOD32 is only using just over 24Kb

From a security point of view an anti-virus program that is passive (on demand, and not loaded into memory) is simply not effective enough as it cannot prevent infection, it can only detect (and hopefully remove) after the fact.

NOD32 is not the only program out there that can do this with minimal use of resources, but from experience I would have to say its one of the best, and worth every penny I spent on it.

Mal · 27-12-2006, 01:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toto

It doesn't just rely on Heuristics, it uses signature based analyst techniques also. The program footprint (memory) is between 23kb and 50kb depending on what level of threat detection you want to run, and therefore has one of the smallest footprints out there. I have pretty much everything running at the moment, and NOD32 is only using just over 24Kb

I have to agree with this. Having used the "dreaded Norton" and Avast previously, NOD32 is the least resource hungry of the lot and very effective at that.

Plus, for me anyway, it gets updated far more frequent than than those two.

khado · 27-12-2006, 01:26

im so sorry to ` rain on the parade` but urmm after using XP for around 2/3 hours (about the time i made this thread) i had gotten so fed up, that i re-installed ubuntu (luckily for you guys on a dual boot) so your suggestions arn't a total waste,
i have used nod32 before but like many users have commented it runs at startup which i truly despise,
anyway im back on ubuntu so im alright for now,
kaspersky seems favourable and the idea of signatures is an advantage for a person who will only boot into windows once a month or so,

thanks everyone (sorry again, should of posted earlier but forgot to check with all re-installing etc)