Free Anti-Virus Programs - Comments Page 5

i had seen only anti-virus software,so can i also get free pc performer/speed maximizer?

I use System Mechanic Pro.Have tryed all the free ones over the years but thier only half good as the paid ones.Will stay with System Mechanic Pro.

You may have mentioned it in the past and I thought it was silly, but the "pirate talk" that can be set as an Avast software language option breaks up my day in a wonderfully happy manner - it is awesome.

Warning re: AVG "Technical Support". AVG's "FamilySafety" is a paid add-on ($20/yr.) A look at the forums will give anyone a clear indication of how frustrating it is trying to get the product to work and get any kind of support.

Well Bob You Didnt Help Me At All ,All I Wanted Was To Get Protected From Virus Free Clean My PC But I Dont See Anything Thats FREE So Us Poor Pepole Just Have NO LUCK In Your World Thanks Alot Pal........

EDITOR'S NOTE: Not sure where you looked, but I have lots of recommendations for free anti-malware and PC maintenance tools on AskBobRankin. Try here:

http://askbobrankin.com/free_antivirus_programs.html
AND/OR
http://askbobrankin.com/free_pc_maintenance_tools.html

Bob, I really enjoy your Newsletters and look forward to them. I wanted to mention to you some Freeware Programs that I have been using for almost a year and they are extremely good. I have these on my PC: Kingsoft Anti-Virus, Kingsoft PC Doctor and Kingsoft Office Suite.

I have Charter for my cable and also internet. So I get F-Secure free, but I uninstalled it as it just bogged down my PC. I use the free AVG now. What is you thoughts on F-Secure?

EDITOR'S NOTE: I have not used it for years, but I hear good things about F-Secure, and it scores well in the lab tests.

Hi Bob,

I've been using Comodo Internet Security for the past several months and have been impressed; for best results, however, the default installation requires tweaking to enable the full sandbox capabilities of the program. I'd been using Norton Internet Security for the past couple years; no problems, but just decided to see what was available in the freeware arena. I'm thinking of giving Emisoft's Anti-Malware (it's both anti-virus and anti-malware) a try. Have you or your readers had any experience with that one? Emisoft doesn't include a firewall, but the free version of ZoneAlarm has always served well in past usage.

Generally good article but it definitely needs updating, especially since it is featured in your site menu.

Microsoft's antivirus is getting better and is only good for _casual_ users who don't do much and also don't know much. False positives are essentially zero but detection is still not very good (2013).

CA detection is sub par when compared to AVAST, AVIRA (formerly AntiVir), and AVG and has been for years.

For 2013 I prefer AVAST for its performance, features, and interface, then Avira, then AVG (no rootkit and other missing features) but all are good if supplemented.

BitDefender Free is hard to find on their site and is offered some years and not others. For 2013 it has very limited features (e.g., it just removes any malware it finds -- completely unacceptable to me) but great detection. It might serve for those who otherwise default to Microsoft or are given CA for free by their internet service provider.

McAfee has fallen down over the last few years. Norton has improved over the last few years.

A couple of the cloud scanners are decent (e.g., Panda) but they don't (or didn't) provide protection when disconnected from the web or if the connection to their server fails for any reason -- AND USERS ARE NOT WARNED, so appropriate for supplemental use only.

You should also mention several of the supplemental scanners available. I use BitDefender Quickscan online scanner for a quick (2 min) check of loaded processes, startup programs, etc. It reminds you to run it every few weeks.

OPSWAT has an interesting free metascanner that I like to use. The Metascan Client was updated in early 2013 to scan loaded processes (

The HitmanPro free trial doesn't expire as long as you don't try to use its removal tools nor register it. I use it every time I boot as a supplemental scanner but it definitely affects performance on older or lighter systems while it is running. It also supports full system scans.

Add periodic Malwarebytes (MBAM) and SuperAntiSpyware (SAS) scans to AVAST/AVIRA/AVG and one of the above tools and while you may get an infection, at least it will be found.

My non-tech-friend-recommendation for 2013 is AVAST (or AVIRA or AVG if already used/recommended by someone else) plus Hitman Pro and BitDefender Quickscan.

I also _always_ submit any downloaded files, attachments, and any file flagged by another tool to an online metascanner which uses 20 to 45 different antivirus engines:
a) www.VirusTotal.com now owned by Google and upgraded to support 64MB files (add VTUploader to submit files via the context menu; also integrates with Firefox downloader and probably soon with Chrome);
b) www.metascan-nnline.com from OPSWAT with a 50 MB limit; or
c) vscan.jotti.org (slower, fewer engines, smaller file limit; search for JottiQ tool to submit files via context menu)

I do a full scan with Avast once a week. My question is on the rare occasions it finds something is it better to delete it or move it to the chest? Or does it even matter? Thanks

Re: free anti-virus program. There's a program that is available to all Comcast (Xfinity) subscribers free. It is called Norton™ Security Suite and it is almost identical to Norton 360. Comcast is bad about telling its' customers about this, so there are lots of Comcast subscribers that don't have it. Here's the url...http://xfinity.comcast.net/constantguard/Products/CGPS/norton/?cid=NET_33_641

I have used a paid subscription to Kaspersky for about three years now. It is always updated daily sometimes more often and I have had no issues since installing it. I recently was able to get a 3 year subscription for Kaspersky pure 3 which is multi computer combo suite for just $129 so I am happy. their customer service has also always been responsive.

I hate both AV and CA because they install components on your machine that do not come off with uninstall you need to go to a site and get a cleaner to get everything. CA also come under the name total defense and their is a new one called something armor or armor something they have recently set up. Tiger direct offers it and when you actually look at the software and all the components the CA link is buried in their.

I'm not sure why you can't recommend MS Security Essentials. I've read other articles where a head-to-head test was done against most of the big players, and MS SE identified issues about 90+% of the time, whereas none of the others got above 70%. I wish I could remember where I saw the article, I'd link it. I would never again use anything from Symantec - it's cumbersome, slow, nearly impossible to remove. I've tried AVG, Kaspersky, Avast, CA, Panda, cAfee and Zone Alarm to name a few. I used to build custom high-end PC's, and have not found anything that can surpass MS Se, whether free or paid.

Been going crazy for three weeks with Internet Explorer and Google VERY VERY slow loading of pages. After much searching with problem still unresolved I uninstalled a 'new' program - Avista AV. Eureka!! All my problems disappeared at the same time. Now to give Avira a go.

Just today downloaded the FREE AVG. One word - JUNK!! It was so bad I uninstalled it which took forever as well. The program slowed my PC down to less-than-a-crawl. Useless piece of software. I would NEVER recommend this product. It was TERRIBLE!

I renewed my Avast security suite. I got called away and when I came back it had installed Google Chrome and tool bar. I do not use Chrome. I am fine with Internet Explorer. I went to log into my bank and it would switch to Google Chrome. Since I do not use Chrome I un-installed it. Internet Explorer would only go to my home page. msn.com. I called support and they said they wanted to charge me to fix my computer. I said no. I did not get my money back either. I had read somewhere they have a outside oufit do support. They want to sell you computer repair.

I paid for Avast in December 2013 after trying the free version and was satisfied. Then, after a hard drive crashed (not my boot drive), I tried re-installing Avast to find that my keyboard no longer worked. After a RESTORE FROM BACKUP, my keyboard worked again.
On their Avast User Forums, I discovered this keyboard driver thingie is a common problem with no obvious fix.
I asked for a refund. After waiting 4 weeks for any response from them, they told me I was beyond the 30-day guarantee period, so I was out of luck. NEVER AGAIN.

Need to connect two monitors to allow independent viewing of specifications and such. Need advice on what devices are needed for this application? My laptop is a Dell using windows 7. Have purchased 'NETGEAR' and 'Kensington Display Link,' but have no idea their value or connection.

Why is there no mention of Vipre in this discussion?
It is shown as #1 at this web site.
http://www.pcantivirusreviews.com/Comparison/Editors-Choice-2014.html?avrtsid=2&gclid=CPWvqoCNmL4CFYcDOgodl04AaA

This article needs updating. Spybot Search & Destroy and Super Anti-Spyware are both way past their heyday, and MalwareBytes is the still the best for spyware protection.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Which is pretty much just what I said, right? :-)

Here are the recent tests on A-V software: http://securitywatch.pcmag.com/security-software/323990-some-antivirus-tools-wildly-effective-against-zero-day-malware

EDITOR'S NOTE: That article doesn't mention MBAM or any other on-demand anti-malware tool. It''s focused on real-time anti-virus tools.