# Best free Antivirus?



## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

I've been using Avast for some time now without issues until my system became unstable recently and I found I had a virus.
I eventually managed to run a free ESET online scan which picked up the virus and plenty of other bad stuff and got rid of them so I'm looking for a more reliable programme that I can trust to do a better job where Avast failed.

Any advice would be much appreciated!


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## lunarlander (Sep 22, 2007)

BitDefender has a free version. It has found a nasty infection for me. Also it won some awards last year. Although that is no guarentee of future performance....


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## LauraMJ (Mar 18, 2004)

What OS are you using?


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

Dotty:

No antivirus program all by itself will protect a computer 100%.

What other security-related programs are you using?

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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

lunarlander said:


> BitDefender has a free version. It has found a nasty infection for me. Also it won some awards last year. Although that is no guarentee of future performance....


thanks I'll check it out



LauraMJ said:


> What OS are you using?


Windows 7 Laura



flavallee said:


> Dotty:
> 
> No antivirus program all by itself will protect a computer 100%.
> 
> ...


Malwarebytes and Superantispyware


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

> Malwarebytes and Superantispyware


I also use them, but I've added *AdwCleaner* to the mix because it's good at finding and removing what they don't.

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## mpeet611 (Dec 16, 2013)

I use AVG Free on all my computers and i've never gotten a virus. Like frank already said it won't keep you 100% safe so you should use it alongside programs like malwarebytes & superantispyware. You should also use a firewall because it will help you stay virus free. If you don't have one installed then the built in windows firewall should be on. You may want to look into installing a plugin like McAfee SiteAdvisor, it's free & it will stop you from visiting a site that contain viruses, if it blocks a site you trust you'll have the option to see the site at your own risk. I use it & it's actually stopped me from going to an infected website a couple of times. I'm glad i have it & recommend you at least check it out. Here's a link to the site incase your interested. www.siteadvisor.com


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## Cookiegal (Aug 27, 2003)

mpeet611 said:


> McAfee SiteAdvisor, it's free & it will stop you from visiting a site that contain viruses


White it's a good tool don't let this give you a false sense of safety as it will not block you from a legitimate site's URL that's been compromised in real time. It will only protect you from sites that are in a database and known to be harmful at the time they were tested.


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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

flavallee said:


> I also use them, but I've added *AdwCleaner* to the mix because it's good at finding and removing what they don't.
> 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------


thanks, I'll give it a try 



mpeet611 said:


> I use AVG Free on all my computers and i've never gotten a virus. Like frank already said it won't keep you 100% safe so you should use it alongside programs like malwarebytes & superantispyware. You should also use a firewall because it will help you stay virus free. If you don't have one installed then the built in windows firewall should be on. You may want to look into installing a plugin like McAfee SiteAdvisor, it's free & it will stop you from visiting a site that contain viruses, if it blocks a site you trust you'll have the option to see the site at your own risk. I use it & it's actually stopped me from going to an infected website a couple of times. I'm glad i have it & recommend you at least check it out. Here's a link to the site incase your interested. www.siteadvisor.com


I use the Windows firewall, it's as good as any free app, I have used the Mcafee plugin previously, I think I'll give it another go, it can only help and not hinder


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## CoolBurn (Dec 5, 2013)

Not sure if it's still working, but if you want to try Bitdefender give the link a look.
http://www.bitdefender.com/media/html/60-second/
I posted the link back in May so I'm not sure if you will get a key or not.

Also, every so often I glance at the site below to see how AV's are keeping up.
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-7/


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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

I actually tried to download the free version but it wouldn't run, I've been checking out the free AV's reviews, some say AVG is good but others give it a bad review, I've always liked Avast until now when it failed to find a virus


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## lunarlander (Sep 22, 2007)

Are you running Windows Firewall with outbound blocking active? If so you need to temparariy turn that off.


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## neofan3 (Jan 8, 2007)

I run adwcleaner and it removed some more. Some registry entries. And a file safeguard.secure.search.xml is put in quarantine with a vir . Is it a virus ?

I kind of like it. It doesn't require installation, just run when you like so the chance of interference with other spywares will be none after the run.


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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

lunarlander said:


> Are you running Windows Firewall with outbound blocking active? If so you need to temparariy turn that off.


I just use the firewall's settings and haven't changed any, I don't usually use the Windows firewall so I didn't know about outbound blocking



neofan3 said:


> I run adwcleaner and it removed some more. Some registry entries. And a file safeguard.secure.search.xml is put in quarantine with a vir . Is it a virus ?
> 
> I kind of like it. It doesn't require installation, just run when you like so the chance of interference with other spywares will be none after the run.


checked it out and info says "AdwCleaner is not commonly downloaded and could harm your computer"


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## Coco767 (Jul 31, 2015)

Use AVG Free Version. Even Though I Use AVG 2014 It's Protected Me Even After My Licence Expired. You Might Get The Same. Also I have Never Had A Virus.


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## Coco767 (Jul 31, 2015)

Use AVG Free Version. I Also Use Windows Defender With It .


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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

I opted for the free Panda version after checking out the pros and cons of the most popular offerings


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## Gomar (Dec 9, 2007)

I have McAfee and Malwarebytes which did nothing to remove DNSunblocker and shop ads and etc. I had to remove the files manualy. I used CCleaner to clear cookies and some registry files and god knows what else.


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## Phantom010 (Mar 9, 2009)

dotty999 said:


> I eventually managed to run a free ESET online scan which picked up the virus and plenty of other bad stuff and got rid of them so I'm looking for a more reliable programme that I can trust to do a better job where Avast failed.
> 
> Any advice would be much appreciated!


Soooooo, why not simply ESET?  Not exactly free, but well worth the 40 bucks! Nothing free will compare to it, IMO.


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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

My Panda is protecting me right now


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## lunarlander (Sep 22, 2007)

Hey Phantom010,

What happened to your animated avatar? Or is it the new forum software ?


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## Phantom010 (Mar 9, 2009)

lunarlander said:


> Hey Phantom010,
> 
> What happened to your animated avatar? Or is it the new forum software ?


No more animated avatars on TSG. The new software doesn't support it. My binary face is dead.


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## Cookiegal (Aug 27, 2003)

Phantom010 said:


> No more animated avatars on TSG. The new software doesn't support it. My binary face is dead.


Well at least you're no longer constantly repeating yourself.


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## etaf (Oct 2, 2003)

Just had avast on windows 10 for a week, and it brought this very low spec PC to a halt 
Just uninstalled and the PC is working fine again 
Interesting as I had Avira on before and the PC worked great, infact better than when it was on windows 7


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## Phantom010 (Mar 9, 2009)

Cookiegal said:


> Well at least you're no longer constantly repeating yourself.


Well, you know how it is with some people... I have to repeat myself more with some than others...


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## Cookiegal (Aug 27, 2003)




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## Wepynx (Jan 13, 2013)

All machines react different to certain software. Avast was great but caused Chrome to take forever to open, and Panda Free always disconnected my wireless utility.


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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

There's always a first time for everything. I run both Malwarebytes and SuperAntispyware scans regularly and haven't had major issues until recently, thankfully everything is just tickety boo right now


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## DaveBurnett (Nov 11, 2002)

It is a good idea to run one in the background and to use a different one every so often to do a full scan as well.


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## Radiorails (Jan 31, 2013)

I have used Avira Free for quite a few years - desktop and laptop. Last year I changed to Bitdefender as at the time it had very good write ups and was easier to use. This has been fine until I put W10 on my desktop and found Bitdefender was said to be non compatible. So back to Avira for the desktop.


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## Gomar (Dec 9, 2007)

Spybot seems to be working fine thus far for me.


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## DaveBurnett (Nov 11, 2002)

Spybot is not an antivirus. It should be used in addition to an AV.


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## Cookiegal (Aug 27, 2003)

There are some versions of Spybot that include anti-virus protection but they are not free.


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## TheCoolCate (Sep 14, 2015)

BitDefeender and Quick Heal Are best, give it a try


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## DaveBurnett (Nov 11, 2002)

Opinions on which is best are always going to be personal choice. !!!


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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

Indeed and some work better than others, I still do regular scans and everything is working fine, I also run Spybot and Spywareblaster alongside Panda without issues


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## TechWiz365 (Jul 29, 2015)

Avast, Malwarebytes, and Windows Security Essentials are a great combination of anti-viruses.

And don't forget about using online scanners too such as Virus Total to get more variety.


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## Phantom010 (Mar 9, 2009)

Those using Firefox should definitely install the *VTzilla* extension from VirusTotal. It gives you the ability to scan links and downloads.

For Chrome, use *VTchromizer*.

For IE, use *VTexplorer*.


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## lunarlander (Sep 22, 2007)

Thanks Phantom010


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## Phantom010 (Mar 9, 2009)

lunarlander said:


> Thanks Phantom010


You're welcome!

And let's not forget *Simple Software-Restriction Policy*...


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## TechWiz365 (Jul 29, 2015)

Thanks Phantom, that is a really useful tools!


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## mickel1982 (Oct 22, 2015)

I use the free version of Bitdefender Antivirus in combination with the free version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and the free version of Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit.

1. http://www.bitdefender.com/solutions/free.html
2. https://www.malwarebytes.org
3. https://www.malwarebytes.org/antiexploit/

Bitdefender and Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit are for protection and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for scanning once a week.


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## AlomWare-com (Jan 10, 2015)

dotty999 said:


> I'm looking for a more reliable programme that I can trust to do a better job where Avast failed.


And when that more reliable program fails to stop a new virus, will you then switch back to Avast? Point being: every virus scanner will pick up things that others don't, because they all use their own database of danger.


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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

Without the aid of a crystal ball I couldn't say if my AV *will *work 100% but it's worth giving it a chance to prove its worth. None are totally reliable but if one fails then it seems logical to test another as they all work differently


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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

I've downloaded Avira which has taken ages to complete a scan, I assume it's normal but does it take as long for every scan?


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## DaveBurnett (Nov 11, 2002)

Not normally. It completely scans anything new or changed. So after the first scan it will only scan new or changed files.


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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

thanks!


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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

DaveBurnett said:


> Not normally. It completely scans anything new or changed. So after the first scan it will only scan new or changed files.


I've noticed my pc has become quite sluggish and unresponsive since the installation so I've uninstalled it


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## DaveBurnett (Nov 11, 2002)

That is your choice!!

As I've said elsewhere, one of the first things that viruses do is to look and see if any checker is installed, and if one is, it slows down the system so that the owner removes the checker.
I'm not saying that you have any nasties, but without checking you won't know.
Certainly you are unlikely to get any help from the malware team here if you do not have some form of security.


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## Cookiegal (Aug 27, 2003)

Dave,

I just wanted to let you know that I removed two of your posts and the ONLY reason was because the poster was a spammer and their posts have been deleted so yours no longer make sense. We don't want people wondering what you're on about (or just on, for that matter).


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## DaveBurnett (Nov 11, 2002)

I did wonder why you had left them hanging!! and had a moan about it. I was going to see if I could remove them myself later.


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## DaveBurnett (Nov 11, 2002)

I had wondered if you were going to!


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## Cookiegal (Aug 27, 2003)




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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

DaveBurnett said:


> That is your choice!!
> 
> As I've said elsewhere, one of the first things that viruses do is to look and see if any checker is installed, and if one is, it slows down the system so that the owner removes the checker.
> I'm not saying that you have any nasties, but without checking you won't know.
> Certainly you are unlikely to get any help from the malware team here if you do not have some form of security.


When I said I'd removed the programme obviously I had installed another so I was still protected, I'm not stupid, I've learned a lot from this site over the years and so I do know about the importance of having layers of protection


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## DaveBurnett (Nov 11, 2002)

I did wonder! I use Avast on my system here and it is old and not very powerful. I have turned many of the options off and left just the core AV which uses a lot less resources and still seems to trap any nasties even when I deliberately visit known infected sites for test and support reasons.
I use a second different tool once a week as a stand-alone scan.


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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

I'm trying MSE again to see how it fares, I too use a stand alone scan on a weekly basis, I think I'm overly security conscious at times but then it's better to be that way imo


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## DaveBurnett (Nov 11, 2002)

It uses none of my time as I leave it running while I am preparing and eating food or other necessary functions.


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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

me too!


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## Coco767 (Jul 31, 2015)

I was going to switch to Avira AV. Thanks for telling. Sticking to AVG now.


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## lunarlander (Sep 22, 2007)

Avira doesnt seem to work well on older machines. I once installed it on a Pentium 4. And it took 4 minutes for the systray icon to appear upon login.


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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

it's as slow as a sloth!


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## Jack1000 (Feb 4, 2001)

I like Windows Defender in Windows 10,

It doesn't nag you, runs in the background and keeps it's mouth shut. That, along with the use of Ad Block plus and the Firefox Browser has helped. People say that's not enough, but I am very careful. I have heard good things about Bit Defender Free. You have to register it like Avast, but it is I heard lighter than Avast and does a good job. Avast I think has gotten too bloated over the years. You are prompted with nag ads in the free version unless you pay for a pro version. I also use My Web of Trust (My WOT), which provides color coded safety ratings for websites based on user experiences.

Jack


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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

I use Windows Defender too in Windows 7 as an anti malware programme, not anti virus, I'm currently using Avast again and everything seems to be fine, I don't get nag ads, it simply runs in the background until I run a scan


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## Jack1000 (Feb 4, 2001)

Windows Defender on Windows 7 is ONLY an anti-malware program, not Anti-virus. When I had Windows 7, I upgraded to Microsoft Security Essentials, which is easy to do. MSE in Windows 7 and Windows Vista is a full blown anti-virus.

Windows Defender on Windows 8/8.1/and 10 is a full blown anti-virus.

If you want to use another AV, I have been advised by many computer experts, to turn off Windows Defender as it may conflict. (Or turn off any competing anti-virus for that matter.) *You should only have one real time anti-virus protection running on your computer at any one time. Better yet, uninstall ALL competing anti-virus programs from your system, so you only have one AV on your system.* (Windows Defender, cannot be uninstalled as it is part of the OS, but it should be disabled if you decide to use another AV.)

*To Uninstall Any Competing Anti-Virus Company Software From Your System. (More than one Anti-Virus on your computer will cause conflicts!)*

*1.) Go to Control Panel and Add Remove Programs
2.) Select all instances of the competing anti-virus and remove them all, leaving only the one anti-virus company software that you want to use.
3.) Reboot your computer.
4.) Google search, (or use your favorite search engine of your choice) for the competing companies anti-virus tool for the software you just removed. Look at the URL below the search carefully and make sure it is from the companies' website. Watch out for ads in web page search results! They can instead be malware! Type "[company name] virus removal tool." where [company name] is the name of the anti-virus software you recently uninstalled.
5.) Download the removal tool, follow the instructions to install it. This will remove fragments of your old competing AV software that Add/Remove programs may have missed.
6.) Reboot your computer again when done.*

Jack


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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

Jack, I have already stated I use Windows Defender as an anti malware prog and not an antivirus in Windows 7, it doesn't appear to conflict with Avast and all is running smoothly to date


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## Coco767 (Jul 31, 2015)

It will eventually conflict with defender


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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

why would that be the case when it's an anti malware programme which should work alongside an anti virus


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## Coco767 (Jul 31, 2015)

Oops.


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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

care to elaborate?


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## Coco767 (Jul 31, 2015)

I posted Oops because I didn't think of that.


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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

no problem


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## lunarlander (Sep 22, 2007)

Hi Dotty999, 

What class of CPU are your running on that Avast setup? I have a Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, and doing an Avast Smart Scan reduces it to a single task machine, I can't even edit a document with WordPad while Avast is doing the scan, WordPad won't even open the document.


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## DaveBurnett (Nov 11, 2002)

You need to change to percentage of CPU that gets allocated to tasks.
My P4 2.5Ghz slows down but is still usable - just . If I actually need to do work I just reduce the percentage available to background tasks. I tend to schedule scans - even manually for when I'm doing something else.


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## lunarlander (Sep 22, 2007)

Hi Dave,

How do you change to percentage of CPU that gets allocated to tasks ? I am on Vista.


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## DaveBurnett (Nov 11, 2002)

When I looked for it I realised that I am confusing it with running under Virtualbox where the percentage is allocatable, however you can still alter the priorities under Task Manager.


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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

I have an Intel Core i3 2310M [email protected] 2.10 GHz, probably too much information


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## lunarlander (Sep 22, 2007)

Ah. Then you wouldn't encounter any speed related issues with Avast.


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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

that's good news!


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## metallica5456 (Apr 1, 2013)

I'll chime in my opinion....my arsenal has always consisted of malwarebytes, avg free edition, Spybot s&d and adwcleaner. I haven't had a virus on my computer in prolly 10 years. And I'm not the one that casually browses either. I am around questionable sites and even torrents sometimes.


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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

I too have malwarebytes and Spybot, also Spywareblaster, and superantispyware. I've had the odd virus from time to time so I often check out the latest reviews for anti virus progs and seem to have tried most if not all the free versions so it's difficult to find something that actually works 100% to remain virus free.

I know some will say the answer it to purchase an AV product but I'm not persuaded that any can confirm they WILL keep customers safe from threats and give 100% protection


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## Cookiegal (Aug 27, 2003)

dotty999 said:


> but I'm not persuaded that any can confirm they WILL keep customers safe from threats and give 100% protection


None can do that whether they are paid or free.


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## metallica5456 (Apr 1, 2013)

Like cookiegal said NONE are guaranteed 100% ....spyware blaster and super antispyware however I have used before and both have missed and not detected things that malwarebytes has.


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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

Cookiegal said:


> None can do that whether they are paid or free.


Which is why I wont pay for spyware/antivirus progs


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## DaveBurnett (Nov 11, 2002)

The same applies to ANY software.
No software can ever be proven to contain no bugs. Testing can NEVER ever be 100%.
If anyone ever tells you differently, they are not to be trusted.
It IS possible to to get close to having no bugs in a very small piece of code, but any program of sufficient size to be useful WILL contain bugs. 
That is a statistical probability that cannot be avoided.

I once spent a whole year studying the testing procedures at IBM and we concluded that the best way to reduce the number of errors in programs was to build in reviews and inspections right from the initial feasibility studies. While the approach seemed to waste a lot of time up front, we soon found that the end result was far more error free and actually saved time and money in the long run.


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## dotty999 (Feb 3, 2006)

thanks for the info, I had always assumed paid versions gave more protection, I learn something new every day!


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## metallica5456 (Apr 1, 2013)

Only thing I have noticed between paid and free versions of certain a/v products is a feature is disabled in the free version or might not have real time protection.


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## ibay770 (Nov 6, 2015)

I use 360 Total Security. 
It works great for me


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## Cookiegal (Aug 27, 2003)

dotty999 said:


> thanks for the info, I had always assumed paid versions gave more protection, I learn something new every day!


They can offer more protection in the form of added security features that the free versions don't have but their malware definitions are the same for the basic protection.


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