Best internet security suite?

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Originally Posted By: Familyguy
I'm unaware of any of the big name virus/security suites that aren't absolute pigs with system resources. For people around me that insist on running windows, I've been recommending Avast. It is gentle on system resources, stays out of the way, and is very good about flagging naughty bits. Combined with an occasional run with Spybot Search and Destroy, even the most careless person can enjoy relatively good protection without their "security suite" feasting on their system resources and slowing their computer to a crawl.

http://www.avast.com/ http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html
You'll be amazed at how much snappier your machine will be.



I just had two computers through my hands that I traded out NIS for Avast! One had 25 hits from the offline scanner plus 4 more from the first run of Avast! The second one didn't get used as much; it only had 18 on the offline scan and nothing on the Avast! first run. I had a little trouble shoe-horning Avast! into one because it only had 360MB memory and way too much crud set to autorun. I thinned down the autorun by half but it's still a paperweight for about the first 90 seconds after the desktop first appears. The real pig seems to be the scanner that checks inbound web traffic. The other had almost nothing set autorun and also had ~700MB and it runs Avast! without any trouble.

This was just another example of the uselessness and frustration I've gotten from Norton products going back at least a decade. Ol' Peter should have stuck to debuggers and searching for bad hd sectors and not cashed Symantec's check.
 
Originally Posted By: Lyondellic
Originally Posted By: sprintman
I've worked in IT for nearly 20 years and 14 years in electronics before that. NIS 2009 is so light on resources it's an eye opener but then they knew they had to change it completely.


Check out this link for a comparison of Antivirus/Anti-Spyware software offerings:

http://www.av-comparatives.org/images/stories/test/ondret/avc_report22.pdf

Norton charges $54.99 for a one year renewal, which I feel is too expensive. Avira Premium on the other hand charges ~$25 for both the intial purchase of the software and subsequent one year renewals.

I have noticed virtually no impact on my computer's performance, other than the normal use of some memory. I highly recommend Avira Premium for those who don't need all the bells and whistles in their Security Suite.

Avira free version:
Basic protection
Protects your computer against dangerous viruses, worms, Trojans and costly dialers. New: Basic Anti-Spyware.

Avira Premium (paid) version:
Advanced protection
Along AntiVir Personal it includes: Enhanced Anti-Spyware, AntiAdware, AntiPhising, MailGuard (POP3 and SMTP), WebGuard for safe surfing, RescueCD and more.

Avira Security Suite (paid) version:
Full protection
Along AntiVir Personal and AntiVir Premium, it includes: AntiSpam, Firewall, GameMode, backup, AntiBot, AntiDriveBy, ParentalControl and more.


Avira Suite has better detection and is lighter on resources then Norton as well.
 
Originally Posted By: sprintman
Not according to most reviews on the web.


HUH? Show us. From what I've seen, Avira is tops. And in heuristics, it's light years ahead of the others.
 
Originally Posted By: sprintman
Not according to most reviews on the web.


Long story short, reviews are often written by fanboys of certain programs and nothing beats personal testing on your own machine. I rely on 3rd party virus lab test results and then install trial versions on a test computer before selecting security software.

I also scan each computer with Malwarebytes every 2-4 weeks. I like Malwarebytes so much that I purchased the full version for $24.95. Even though the free version provides the same level of spyware & malware identification and cleaning during on-demand scans, I use the real-time protection afforded by the paid version on my daughter's laptop. I feel that it is always a good practice to support developers of free programs that I use on a regular basis, such as CCleaner and Malwarebytes.

Note: I read some positive reviews of Norton Antivirus 2009. To be honest, the initial cost and renewal fees are too high. I had used Norton System Works for years prior to trying other products. Though things may have changed, Norton products were a bi-atch to uninstall cleanly and were bloated. For these reasons I opted not to install/test any Symantec/Norton programs.

I tested the following software:

1) AVG (free):
Good, but does not contain rootkit protection and it does not scan downloads & IM programs. AVG Pro (paid version) does, but it costs $34.

2) NOD32 (Paid):
Good program for folks that want a program that is light on resources and is respected for its ability to detect viruses. Esset (NOD32) is a fairly new player when it comes to anti-spyware & anti-malware. NOD32 costs $39.99 and annual renewals are 27.99.

3) Kaspersky (Paid):
Well respected and provides very good detection of viruses and spyware. I found that this program slowed my computer down and had some configuration options that may be tedious for newbies. Once configured, it is a "set it and forget it" program. The turnoff for me was the $59.95 initial cost and $59.95 annual renewal fee.

4) Microsoft OneCare Live (Paid):
Decent program, virus detection is not the best, but spyware detection is better than most. It is basically a "set it and forget it" program, that is geared towards newbies. May be installed on 3 computers for $49 and annual renewals are also $49. I didn't like the fact that it had a firewall program, which isn't really necessary since Windows already has one. It's easy to turn off the Windows Firewall though. There is also a system cleanup and disk defrag utility. This program slows down some computers, especially while scans are in progress.

5) Microsoft Security Essentials Beta (Free):
Very light on resources and performed well in 3rd party tests. Microsoft Security Essentials provides real-time antivirus/anti-spyware protection. I am currently using this program on my laptop and it uses very little resources. There are virtually no configurable settings, so it is clearly geared towards newbies. Depending on how it shapes up during the beta, this may be my favorite on portable and older computers.

6) BitDefender (Paid):
I found this program to be a resource hog and newbies may find that it is somewhat tedious to configure. I noticed that BitDefender slowed my computer down, especially when browsing the web. I ended up requesting a refund after less than one week of use. Kudos to BitDefender's customer service, as they responded and refunded my purchase cost in less than 24 hours. It is a low cost program and protection for 3 computers is only $29.95.

7) Sunbelt Vipre (Paid):
Good program that is light on resources. A license for one computer is $29.95, or you can buy a home license for all of the computers in your home ($49.95). Vipre (British spelling for Viper?) has a lot of potential, but I found the program to contain some show-stopper bugs. The associated service would shut down about 1-2 times per week for reasons unknown, though Sunbelt may have resolved this issue by now. Their support and forums are excellent, responsive and based in the United States. In one example, I found that Sunbelt employees had replied to my post within 10 minutes at 03:00 hours on a Sunday! Vipre is clearly the program to keep an eye on.

8) Avira Premium (Paid):
Published 3rd party testing consistently ranks Avira Premium as the best, or one of the best, programs available. Easy to configure, light on resources and virus/spyware signature files are updated every 2 hours. Scanning engine updates seem to average about 2-3 per month, which is not too shabby. It is a "set it and forget it" program. Avira Premium costs 19 Euros, which is about $28 US. This is my favorite program and I use it on all five of my desktop systems.
 
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Since installing NIS our PC is much faster (wifes comment) and neither it, SUPERAntiSpyware, a-squared, Malwarebytes, or Spyware Doctor have found a single thing, very different from before. It will do us.
 
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