# Best Antivirus Program?



## Buffy (Jun 12, 2002)

Hi,

I'm currently only using the free version of AVG for virus protection, but I don't feel completely secure with it. I have it set to scan for viruses every day and it automatically downloads the updates. But a few months ago I used an online virus scanner, I think it was Panda and it found and got rid of a virus that AVG had missed, so this made me kind of nervous wondering whether I should buy a better antivirus program or not. I'm wondering, what does everyone recommend for an antivirus program?


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## Dark Star (Jun 8, 2001)

Buffy,

The free version of AVG for virus protection is just fine and I'd suggest that you keep it updated and continue to use it.

While the choices are many, the choices of free A/V software is less and of all the free ones available I think AGV is one of the better ones The opinions as to who makes "the best" are varied and many, but everyone seems to agree on one thing ... There's no ONE particular A/V available that's 100% even the best of the best will miss one every once in a while but there's not one that's 100%.

I use NAV... I like it and it works fine for me, however NAV is not one of the free ones. If you look around in here you'll find there's other threads that ask the same questions. It comes down to "use whatever one works for you and be sure that you keep it updated regularly" the best ones wont help if they're not kept updated with new definitions regularly.

I use one of the online A/V scans to verify that NAV hasn't missed one and I suggest that you do the same just to be sure.

DS


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## Buffy (Jun 12, 2002)

Thanks for your response. I've used AVG for over a year and the one virus it missed was the only one I've ever gotten, so I think I will continue to regularly use the online scanner once a month kind of as a back up.


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## Dark Star (Jun 8, 2001)

Good choice .... 

here's a couple of online scanners that I use just as a backup to be sure that NAV hasn't missed anything.

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/com/activescan_principal.htm

Good luck

DS


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## codexaenir (Aug 27, 2002)

In my opinion, the best antivirus program on Earth is Kaspersky Antivirus.


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## Luthorcrow (Jun 1, 2002)

Buffy,

I have a slightly different point of view from Darkstar. I would agree with his advice if your post was another free AV. If being free is critical for you then buy all means stick with you what you like because none of the free AVs are all that much better than the other. Although, if I were stuck with a free one I would lean towards Avast.

Here is link with the details of why I think AVG is best avoided unless free really is critical for you:
http://forums2.techguy.org/t120667/s.html

Now, if you we are talking retail AVs you have several really good choices, but keep in mind all most all of the retail AVs will run circles around AVG, so you pretty much can't go wrong. That said, I would say, be an informed consumer, and research for yourself rather than listen to my or anyone else's opinion here. Here my tips for an informed AV consumer:

1. Never bother with computer magazines, CNET, and other sources will have will reviews and will present than themselves as experts with tests, etc, but in fact are not. These sources are major sources of disinformation. Link below on "False Authority Syndrome":
http://www.claymania.com/info-fas.html
http://www.vmyths.com/fas/fas1.cfm

2. Use well known and respected AV Test Centers for performance data. There are very few actual AV experts in the world. But there are lot of IT Security folks out there that will pretend to be experts beyond network administration and are also major sources of disinformation.
(see links after Tip 4)

3. Don't listening to anyone else's opnions on what is good or bad. Usually these opinions amount to no more than personal preference. Instead, after you have narrowed your field of options down to a few AVs, download a trial copy and use if for a month before deciding.

4. Lastly know what you want from your AV: do you want a strong unpacker to scan archives/compressed files?, do you want a strong malware/trojan detection function? Does your AV need to be light on the resouces? Ease of use? Etc.

AV Test Centers
(premiere site)
http://www.virusbtn.com/vb100/about/index.xml

(make sure to select All Categories and High Detail on test results)
www.av-test.org/

(hard to read but has lots of info)
http://agn-www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/vtc/eng1.htm

Finally, if you want my personally biased opinions check out this thread:

excerpt (my top choices):
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,5909236~root=security,1~mode=flat;start=0

"A quick question before I list my choices, how many of the 70 so folks thaf voted for NAV actually chose it or did it just come as part of your package build when you bought your PC?

1. KAV/AVP 4
2. NOD32
3. F-secure
4. Dr Web
5. Sophos
6. E-trust
7. Norman
8. PC-Chillin
7. Panda
8. Avast32

*AVK would have been on the list if I could find a site with an english version...but alas I don't speak or read German

Apps that will never be installed on my drives

1. NAV - privacy
2. MCaffee - privacy
3. AVG - performance"


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## Luthorcrow (Jun 1, 2002)

For those looking for a simple and light on the resouces verision of KAV, consider KAVlite 4.5. It costs $19.95 is about as easy as an AV can get.
http://www.kaspersky.com/buyonline.html?chapter=610707


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## codexaenir (Aug 27, 2002)

Heres my list:

1. Kaspersky (GOD)
2. NOD32 (JESUS)
3. Dr. Web (Excellent trojan/malware detection)
4. F-Secure (Same above)
5. Sophos (Fast.. excellent ITW detection)
6. Pc-cillin (Easy to use.. sleek and fast.. great detection)
7. Panda (good detection.. quite fast)
8. Command (very speedy and solid protection)
9. Vet (High quality solid program... fast and great detection)

---------------------------------------------------------------

In between:

Avast! 4 (Ok.. so so..)
Avast32 3 (Ok.. so so..)
Norman VC (old fashioned but still fine)
E-Trust (not bad)
RAV Antivirus (fast.. but could need some work on ITW detection)
AntiVir (YIKES! causing problems..but still OK)

---------------------------------------------------------------

I would suggest you stay away from these:

Quick Heal (never got to install...)
AVG (horrible detection rate)
Bull Guard (eh.. no)
Norton (slower than a snail glued down with epoxy)
Mcafee (nice.. but unstable and um... wierd)


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## edsod (May 25, 2002)

You can't live without posting 
now that Wilders Forums are closed !!!


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## GoJoAGoGo (Dec 26, 2002)

Hi:

I use NAV 2001 and never had any problems. I used McAfee for a very short period and didn't like it as it drained all my memory every time I used it. I always run an online scan (as suggested in other posts) each time after I run NAV.


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## LD1 (Mar 14, 2003)

yep, it seems that KAV, NOD32, F-secure and Dr Web seem to be listed as the best. However, I would recommend NAV 2003 PRO over those ones.

Yeah, many people complain about NAV...and no it didn't came preinstalled on my system. The one thing I know is it works, I haven't had a single infection since using Norton's. I don't know much about the technical stuff, but I do know some people who are hardcore virus/trojans gurus. They did recommend the AV's I listed above, but after a 24 hr test trying to attack a system with everything imaginable, to the surprise of everyone and despite being a memory hog, NAV 2003 PRO came out on top.


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## telecom69 (Oct 12, 2001)

Hi there this is my experience last week I was losing free space quickly,too quickly NAV had reported nothing,so I ran my stanby AVG it immediately picked up worm/Kwbot, with 8000 files affected,it coudnt clean it,but bit~defender did eventually,stick with AVG


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## Luthorcrow (Jun 1, 2002)

Telecom69, Kazaa fan, eh? I was reading up on the description for Kbot. The fake files names it goes by are mainly warez and porn, what ya been doing?

To bad it wasn't caught before download. Nice thing about KAV (or another AV with a strong unpacker/archive/compressed file scanner) is that it catches stuff like this before it is evenly downloaded, much less before you unzip/execute it (by stuff I do not mean warez).


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## telecom69 (Oct 12, 2001)

Hi there no I dont use Kazaa,I use Kazaalite,I suppose we all take a chance in downloading anything from file sharing sites,Kazaalite used to have a virus scan that scanned before downloading,it seems to have dissapeared of late though,it did take a while to do its job though,Im pretty certain I got that virus from downloading from the K azaalites forums verified files site,from their message in their forums there are some right nutters in there lol,and it was software I was downloading at the time believe it or not lol,a lot of renaming of files goes on in there for some reason,you are never quite sure what you are going to get.....thanks for the message anyway....take care have a good day


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## happy wander (Mar 13, 2003)

I downloaded a business card from kazaa and I got 90 extra exe files with it, I didnt find any porn in mine, lol.

Its lucky AVG picked them up they were stored in C:/windows/user32 and like you say they were a mixed bunch of fake exe files, some were cracks, alot were files I would never of downloaded in my sleep, but I had them, and somehow even though they were not in my kazaa shared folder, they managed to appear in my kazaa files, dont ask me how they got there I dont know, but people were actually trying to download them from me. I am pretty sure it was the business card exe that I downloaded as it would not install that exe when I tried to open it. But it gave me a couple of nasty viruses that took me awhile to get rid of and they ate away 3.46 gig of memory in the process.


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## Hijack (Mar 9, 2005)

Buffy, I have tried virtually all of the free ones. I think avast was probably the best with AVG a close second, however in my opinion, the absolute best is Kaspersky. I had stuff on my machine that had been there for a year or so and Norton never found it, nor did any of the free ones find them. When I installed Kaspersky, I ran a scan and found them all. It updates virtually at any interval that the user selects and can be set to scan at any interval. It costs less than Norton or McAfee and does a better job. Good luck


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