Should I Buy Anti-Spyware or Anti-Virus Software?
"Task Manager shows I have 50+ processes running, and I have no idea which ones are slowing down my system. Should I regularly run SpyBot, AdAware and other freeware, or should I pay for a supposedly better program? I read so much negative about every program and I am quite confused about them. If they really are worth the money, I am willing to try them. Can you give me your opinion on the best anti-virus, anti-spyware and popup blockers?
Geeks Bearing Gifts?
You are correct to be wary of downloading certain freeware "solutions" for spyware, viruses and popups. Some of the freebies circulating in cyberspace are in fact rogue programs designed to open your computer to a massive invasion of spyware and viruses. One notorious example is Winfixer, which purported to fix all manner of ills on your Windows PC.
In reality, it's a "malware funnel" that most of the commercial anti spyware tools cannot touch. My daughter's computer became infested with Winfixer, and it was a mess -- popups everywhere, and new viruses coming in by the truckload. If you need help with Winfixer, see the solution in my Removing Winfixer article.
Mixing Up a Malware Cocktail
I hear from some readers who run two or three anti-virus programs, and half a dozen anti-spyware tools. Personally, I think that's overkill. WAY overkill. In fact, anti-virus programs can end up fighting with each other, and cause system lockups. And running multiple anti-spyware tools at once WILL slow down your computer.There are at least a dozen highly touted anti-virus and anti-spyware tools -- some commercial and some free. So I understand your confusion as to which ones are best for you. It's natural to assume that the paid-for variety is of higher quality, but that's not always the case.
Here's my personal arsenal against viruses, spyware and annoying popups:
Works For Me!
This is what works for me. They're all free, they all come from trusted sources, and they work great. Automatic updates in each program help them keep pace with changes in the malware universe, and I have to say the proof is in the pudding. I do a LOT of web surfing, downloading and email handling. And so far, so good!
If you have a set of anti-virus, anti-spyware and popup blocker tools that do the trick for you, let us know here. If you use a PAID tool or service, tell us why you think it's better. Post your comments below.
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Posted by Bob Rankin on January 8, 2006 06:21 PM
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Article information: AskBobRankin -- Should I Buy Anti-Spyware or Anti-Virus Software? (Posted: January 8, 2006 06:21 PM)
Source: http://askbobrankin.com/should_i_buy_antispyware_or_antivirus_software.html
Copyright © 2005 - Bob Rankin - All Rights Reserved
Most recent comments on "Should I Buy Anti-Spyware or Anti-Virus Software?"
(See all 141 comments for this article.)Posted by:
Angelica
07 Sep 2009
Thank you for your very helpful website.
I did the free scan from CA Antivirus after reading your article today. It had also been recommended by the Microsoft Tech that I had talk to by phone. I knew that I had some issues after getting the Blue screens you mentioned in another article. I have tried a number of scans over the last week, Norton, Webroot, Doctor Spyware, Windows Defender, etc. CA was the most through in finding issues, BUT when I downloaded the "free 90 day trial"...which also told me I had to remove Windows Defender, I clicked on "remove" on the CA scan and was then ask to pay $80. I contacted customer service and they said "pay" or no removal. So, I now have a list of the 65 threats on my computer, but I am not sure I want to give $80 to a company that misleads people about the trial offer. There is nothing on their website about the trial not allowing you to remove anything.
Their customer support is based in India and the company is out of Islandia according to their tech support person?
I am a computer absolutely non-techie person. Windows Defender nor One Care found any of the issues that CA found. Does that make sense? I need something simple to protect my computer and not major expensive.
EDITOR'S NOTE: I'm pretty sure you downloaded something OTHER than Computer Associates Antivirus. What you described sounds like a rogue program, and I recommend you remove it immediately. Use System Restore if neccessary. Then install one of the freebies I recommend here: http://askbobrankin.com/free_antivirus_programs.html
Posted by:
Tori
10 Sep 2009
I am helpless right now.. I got loads of trojan viruses on my computer on monday and i have been struggeling to find a virus program that will manage to get rid of them. Spyware detector only found 2 different ones, but i can't remove the rest.Trojandownloader,trojan-spy etc. What should i do? Is a system restore any good idea?
EDITOR'S NOTE: I recommend you start with a good antivirus program, such as AVG, Avast or Avira -- all free. Then install Windows Defender to scan for spyware. At this point, System Restore might just roll back to a different set of corrupted files.
Posted by:
Rich
30 Sep 2009
CA anti virus comes free from my ISP... After reading all the horrible things all the so-called big wigs said ( PC World, PC Mag , C/Net, as well as other testing sites......I have discovered CA's detection rates are dismal.....I know people love to bash McAfee ... but I've been using it with Firewall etc ..... no problems ..... BUT can I achieve similar results with one of the free AVs? I also use Malwarebytes Anti-Malware .. Great program!
EDITOR'S NOTE: The detection rate tests can be misleading, because the obscure viruses that your anti-virus program misses will probably never threaten you anyway. I used CA for many years (until I switched ISPs) and it always worked well. That said, the freebies do an excellent job, too. See http://askbobrankin.com/free_antivirus_programs.html for more info.
Posted by:
Rabimba
05 Oct 2009
Well I persoanlly use nod32 in my laptop and used Kaspesky in my desktop.And i'm quite OK with them.
For the other users that ask me I recommend avira or avast.
AVG i really don't like.
Reasons: Avg fails to dtecetc mane even known viruses even with latest updates. Avast generates a lot of false positives. It identified my own three programs THAT I WROTE TO CLEAN MALWARE as viruses. Its just too much hard on the packers.
On Avira. The gphone.exe varient i was testing on recently successfully penetrated avira(free edition) with full update on my virtual pc.
Anyway...no Antivirus is perfect. If i rewrite a couple of codes of a know virus,pack it differently and mutate it a littlke much it can even fool nod32,kaspesky,bitdefender and norton too (TESTED). So along with antivirus (and of course updates) a little bit of caution I think is necessary
Posted by:
David
19 Oct 2009
Just downloaded the newest version of AVG free on 10/13. To say that it slowed down my computer to a crawl is an understatement! I dumped it on 10/19 and I am now back to a more normal speed.
Beware of version 9! It is a killer!
Posted by:
MarkL
01 Dec 2009
MalwareBytes has saved my cookies several times. It not only detected the bad guys, it also removed them.
Posted by:
Deanna
10 Dec 2009
Bob, thank you for your recommendation of CA. I used it a few years ago and forgot how powerful and thorough it is. I've gotten rid of Norton and am VERY happy with CA. Thanks!
Posted by:
Muraleedharan
11 Dec 2009
Sir, I would like to know which firewall/trojan remover I should use along with my Avast! Professional Edition for protecting my laptop. Are they available free of cost or should I purchase? Your reply will be of great assistance.
Muraleedharan, India
Posted by:
Frank
24 Dec 2009
i use a software called Pc Laptop Guard for years now.
It helps me fix the damage caused by infections in seconds.
Pc Laptop Guard doesn't prevent an infection. Instead fixes the damage and removes the infected agent as well.
Its not free, but the cost is well worth it.
www.labellpcsolutions.com
Hope it helps.
Posted by:
Purpleraver
22 Jan 2010
I would say that Comodo Internet Security is the best as it includes a firewall for your pc it has a real time anti-virus scanner all for free.
but that's not all, it also takes up as little as 2mb ram space when running. here is the link to Comodo's free internet security http://personalfirewall.comodo.com/download_firewall.html