What's the best antivirus for a PC?

[Bapak2ja]

Seriously, the best antivirus for a PC? Simple! Buy a Mac!!

 

[Cameramonkey]

i personally use Security Essentials by Microsoft. I also run Malwarebytes every so often as well and have yet to have a problem.

I use to go with Kaspersky until they made you pay for the service then thats when I switched to MSSE

Just remember you typically get what you pay for. Just sayin...

 

[Scutter01]

Seriously, the best antivirus for a PC? Simple! Buy a Mac!!

I disagree. Macs are not inherently more secure than PC's. Quite the opposite, in fact, but their market share is low and so malware writers tend to not write for them. I assure you, though, that Mac malware is out there in the wild and some of it is pretty nasty. Furthermore, for the average user, changing your platform is a non-trivial task. Generally speaking, there's a pretty big learning curve and there usually are not Mac versions of software they regularly use (Microsoft Office is a big one, as are pretty much all games) so they will have to seek out other packages that perform the same functions and/or re-buy all of the software they use. Lastly, the cost of a Mac tends to be considerably higher than a PC when specs are compared side-by-side. Now, I'm not arguing that one platform is better than the other. I don't care which one you use. I just disagree that switching platforms is the solution to the antivirus question. You will introduce more problems than you solve and all of that needs to be considered.

 

[Snapdragon]

Not going back and reading five pages, but I use Avast for antivirus and SuperAntiSpyware for malware, and I've never had a problem. They are both free. When it's time to renew them, it will look like you have to pay, but there is always a free option hidden somewhere.

 

[BE Mike]

My computer got a virus a few years ago, while using Norton. During my visit to the "Geek Guys" to get my computer cleaned and upgraded, I asked what AV program they used and they highly recommended Kaspersky. I've been happy with it for the past few years.

 

[Tanfodude]

Seriously, the best antivirus for a PC? Simple! Buy a Mac!!

O rly?

Not going back and reading five pages, but I use Avast for antivirus and SuperAntiSpyware for malware, and I've never had a problem. They are both free. When it's time to renew them, it will look like you have to pay, but there is always a free option hidden somewhere.

Change your post/page to 40/page.

 

[Bapak2ja]

I disagree. Macs are not inherently more secure than PC's. Quite the opposite, in fact, but their market share is low and so malware writers tend to not write for them. I assure you, though, that Mac malware is out there in the wild and some of it is pretty nasty. Furthermore, for the average user, changing your platform is a non-trivial task. Generally speaking, there's a pretty big learning curve and there usually are not Mac versions of software they regularly use (Microsoft Office is a big one, as are pretty much all games) so they will have to seek out other packages that perform the same functions and/or re-buy all of the software they use. Lastly, the cost of a Mac tends to be considerably higher than a PC when specs are compared side-by-side. Now, I'm not arguing that one platform is better than the other. I don't care which one you use. I just disagree that switching platforms is the solution to the antivirus question. You will introduce more problems than you solve and all of that needs to be considered.

My post was meant most in jest, but there is an element of truth in what I posted. I have been using a Mac exclusively since 1985. The only time I had trouble with a virus was when I used a version of MS Word written for the Mac. I am constantly on the internet, dealing with business from folks in almost every nation in Asia, as well as with folks in the USA. Never had a virus problem except that one time. You are correct, the bad boys don't write as much malware for Mac. But the malware that is written is found quickly and the issued resolved quickly. I have received a couple warnings from Mac, but I was never a victim except when I used MS software.

You apparently are uninformed about the upgrades in Mac software and hardware. This three-year old MacBookPro will run PC software just as fast as any PC on the market. My son did his baccalaureate degree in computer science at Rose-Hulman in Terre Haute. The school required that he use a PC, and he was required to purchase one as part of his start-up procedures in his freshman year. Everything they ran in that school was written for the PC, and it is high-tech stuff. All engineering programs. It is a tough school. By the end of his freshman year everything Rose demanded to be done on a PC he was doing on a Mac. All the PC programs were running on his Mac without difficulty. He used the PC programs on his Mac. He did not need to buy any additional programs, change platforms, or re-wire the world. He just installed the programs on his Mac and ran them. He is now a Flight Officer in the USMC. He works on PCs all the time on base, and uses PC software to navigate and do the fire control stuff for his pilot. He still uses a Mac as his personal machine.

I stand by my advice, even though it was only meant in jest. Buy a Mac and run your PC software on it. Just pick up the Parallels software first and install it. It is not expensive and it will let a Mac run PC software.

 

[Ian46222]

Download free Malware bytes. Restart your computer in safe mode and run the scan.

 

[sepe]

STOP CLICKING ON RANDOM SPAM EMAILS AND LINKS YOU DON'T KNOW/TRUST. I purposely went without ANY protection for a year while visiting some sort of seedy places online. There was torrenting done in open communities. I never clicked on a link I wasn't at least 75% sure of and I rarely even check my email, so I wasn't clicking on emails from princes of random African tribes. When I reinstalled Malwarebytes PRO, Spybot Search and Destroy, and Symantec Endpoint Protection, I had some minor spyware that was resolved on first scan and 2 false positives for trojans. I know they were false positives because I knew what they were, they came from keygens. I set all 3 for highest level scans and walked away. No real problems with that computer.

 

[Snapdragon]

STOP CLICKING ON RANDOM SPAM EMAILS AND LINKS YOU DON'T KNOW/TRUST. I purposely went without ANY protection for a year while visiting some sort of seedy places online. There was torrenting done in open communities. I never clicked on a link I wasn't at least 75% sure of and I rarely even check my email, so I wasn't clicking on emails from princes of random African tribes. When I reinstalled Malwarebytes PRO, Spybot Search and Destroy, and Symantec Endpoint Protection, I had some minor spyware that was resolved on first scan and 2 false positives for trojans. I know they were false positives because I knew what they were, they came from keygens. I set all 3 for highest level scans and walked away. No real problems with that computer.

So in other words, "it didn't happen to me, so it won't happen to you"?

 

[sepe]

So in other words, "it didn't happen to me, so it won't happen to you"?

No. The majority of people I've spent time fixing their screwups on computers included people randomly clicking on any friendly sounding spam mails like an idiot or randomly installing crap they knew nothing about because it said it would speed up their computer. In other words, stop being stupid with your computer. If you try to practice some sort of awareness in your daily life, do it online as well. A prince in Zaire isn't really sending you $50,000,000 and that email from your bank that has the subject line full of grammar and spelling issues, well, that really isn't from your bank.

 

[mrjarrell]

I disagree. Macs are not inherently more secure than PC's. Quite the opposite, in fact, but their market share is low and so malware writers tend to not write for them. I assure you, though, that Mac malware is out there in the wild and some of it is pretty nasty. Furthermore, for the average user, changing your platform is a non-trivial task. Generally speaking, there's a pretty big learning curve and there usually are not Mac versions of software they regularly use (Microsoft Office is a big one, as are pretty much all games) so they will have to seek out other packages that perform the same functions and/or re-buy all of the software they use. Lastly, the cost of a Mac tends to be considerably higher than a PC when specs are compared side-by-side. Now, I'm not arguing that one platform is better than the other. I don't care which one you use. I just disagree that switching platforms is the solution to the antivirus question. You will introduce more problems than you solve and all of that needs to be considered.

Ummm...are you seriously contending that there is not a Mac version of Microsoft Office? I hate to disillusion you but there is and it's been available for decades. As for this comment....

Quite the opposite, in fact, but their market share is low and so malware writers tend to not write for them.

...do you fail to see the contradiction? For all intents and purposes there is as close to zero a chance of getting a Mac virus or malware, as there can be, (by your own admission). While it won't solve the stupidity problems that most people have where picking up viruses is concerned, it can be a step in the right direction for many, especially if they're prone to opening bad emails or surfing suspect sites. Macs ARE inherently more secure than PC's.

 

[cburnworth]

I sell vipre for business & home users. They offer a lifetime for 10 computers also

 

[Scutter01]

Ummm...are you seriously contending that there is not a Mac version of Microsoft Office? I hate to disillusion you but there is and it's been available for decades.

Of course not. It was poor wording on my part. What I meant was that you would have to re-buy Office and the Mac version isn't necessarily identical to what they're used to using on Windows.

As for this comment.......do you fail to see the contradiction? For all intents and purposes there is as close to zero a chance of getting a Mac virus or malware, as there can be, (by your own admission). While it won't solve the stupidity problems that most people have where picking up viruses is concerned, it can be a step in the right direction for many, especially if they're prone to opening bad emails or surfing suspect sites. Macs ARE inherently more secure than PC's.

"For all intents and purposes" isn't the same as zero. I've cleaned up enough Macs just in the last two years to know that they do get viruses, and when they do it's usually a major pain in the neck because there are so few automated tools to clean them up. Regardless, my comment was about the glib response to OP's question. "Just buy a Mac!" is not a good solution to "What is a good antivirus software?" Can it better more secure than Windows? Yes, but I'm not here to argue the relative merits of the two platforms. What I'm arguing is that switching platforms (in either direction) is a non-trivial task and shouldn't be decided upon based on that one single criterion.

 

[clemracer]

We use VIPRE and really like it. Also run malwarebytes (free)

 

[actaeon277]

malwarebytes

and ESET (multiple computer license)
Purchase Antivirus and Security Software from ESET

 

[draketungsten]

+1 to AVG. I've used it for the last 4 years with no problems. I've tried Avast but didn't like the annual re-registration and GUI. I've used Norton, McAfee, and Panda. Norton was mediocre. McAfee is a HUGE resource hog. Panda lets a Mack truck run through its shield.

 

[wtburnette]

Windows XP goes end-of-life in April. That means any new vulnerabilities will go unpatched (and the malware writers are already prepping dozens of exploits that have never been patched and now never will be). I HIGHLY recommend that you start looking at upgrading to something newer or different soon. XP is a great OS, but its time has passed.

Also, MSE is terrible. It only rates like 70% effective. Spybot S&D is a decent enough tool, but it's on-demand and focuses on spyware rather than viruses. Many viruses will be ignored completely. This is the same problem that Malwarebytes has. You say "problem free", but I'll bet you have something on every one of those PC's, but you don't know it because your tools are inadequate. I say this with 25 years experience dealing with desktop support issues.

My best advice is to keep all of your software patched, don't open attachments from the internet unless you are 100% sure they're clean ("my wife sent it" doesn't mean it's clean!), uninstall Java, install a javascript blocker in your browser (and only allow what you must), and don't do foolish things on your PC. That will take care of 99.99% of the viruses in the wild. Add your antivirus on top of that and you should be fine.

Great advice here, though add making sure firewall is enabled and using a malware scanner on occasion (like Malwarebytes or Superantispyware) is also good advice (I think you'd mentioned that elsewhere in the thread). I use Avast (never seen 40% CPU usage like another member stated) plus paid Malwarebytes. I also have the free version of Superantispyware installed and run it once a week to make sure the other two packages haven't missed anything. Like you, I have over 2 decades of experience with desktop support issues, now working information security. It amazes me how many people can't adequately manage a PC. Another important thing, if you don't need Adobe products, remove them from your computer as they are one of the largest attack vectors. It's a PITA, but I'd rather use Chrome with built in Flash and PDF viewer than to use crappy Adobe software. At the very least make sure you keep the products completely up to date. The advice to get away from WinXP is also very important. Do it now, don't wait.

No. The majority of people I've spent time fixing their screwups on computers included people randomly clicking on any friendly sounding spam mails like an idiot or randomly installing crap they knew nothing about because it said it would speed up their computer. In other words, stop being stupid with your computer. If you try to practice some sort of awareness in your daily life, do it online as well. A prince in Zaire isn't really sending you $50,000,000 and that email from your bank that has the subject line full of grammar and spelling issues, well, that really isn't from your bank.

I agree with most of this, however, it's not always 100%. I've been infected with malware by going to good, well known tech sites (arstechnica, tech-report, Hardocp) because their ad servers were infected. It can happen on ANY site. That said, your advice above works for most infections