Suggestion on antivirus software for Win7 & XP

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Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Donald
I think I read that MSE just failed a recent anti-virus test.

Do you happen to have a link?

In most of the tests I've seen, MSE scores "good".


I've also seen MSE score POORLY on 2013 AV tests.

Google Anti Virus reviews and there are several sites that run tests to determine what AV works and what doesn't.

MSE doesn't offer any Internet protection, while surfing the web. Norton 360 provides a Pop up blocker, ad blocker and scans everything while you're actively surfing the web. Doesn't seem to slow anything down on my Vista 64 bit Vaio with 4gig of RAM and a 2.6GHz processor.

I had MSE for years but after seeing it score badly on 2013 tests, I decided it was time to pay for a good AV to protect my PC. Norton was a good bang for the buck, giving me a 1 year subscription for FIVE devices which include PC, MAC and even my smart phone / tablet.
 
The problem I have with Norton is that it's a massive resource hog, or at least it used to be. Unless you have a very modern machine, you'll take a noticeable performance hit.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
The problem I have with Norton is that it's a massive resource hog, or at least it used to be. Unless you have a very modern machine, you'll take a noticeable performance hit.


+1 In many cases the single largest user of resources on my PC was Norton.
 
I use MSE, combined with Secunia PSI to keep all programs up to date. I have Win7 set for automatic updates and use common sense when surfing online and reading email. I do not open attachments unless I am absolutely sure where it came from and what the attachment is. Staying off of known malware sites goes a long way too.

I also use a few other tools like Web of Trust, Ad Block Plus, Email Ad Block and Flagfox. I use Firefox and keep it updated. Updated programs and common sense work best. I have no problems with MSE.
 
Just for the kicks, I ended up installing AVG on one of my machines. The one thing I noticed is that its RAM footprint is a lot larger than MSE... a number of processes and many of them not small. But again, if you have plenty of RAM in your machine, it's not really an issue.

Other than that, when I ran a full scan, it found one false positive (rkill.com). Something that MSE knew it wasn't a threat.

Another thing I realized is that you have to configure additional security settings within AVG as well as within your email client to allow it to scan incoming emails if you're using SSL. Seems like a PITA if you have a number of email accounts. I guess it's standard procedure though. AFAIK, MSE doesn't even scan emails, so that's why I never encountered this issue.
 
Thanks to all your suggestions. My 5th grade son ventures all over the internet to find games to play and unknowingly downloads many ad-wares and viruses. I have no choice but buying an AV. After reviewing the user comments of various AV products on Amazon and the AV ratings from PC Magazine I decide to go with Comodo Internet Security Pro 2013 because of high rating from PC Magazine and great customer service. Plus for less than $48 I get 3 years of coverage for 3 PCs which is a good deal.

I just finished installing it on two laptops running Win 7 and XP respectively. Both laptops see improved performance with faster boot time and smooth web surfing. The AV from PC Tools is a resource hog and gets poor rating from PC Magazine. I am glad to make the switch.
 
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The information provided by Microsoft is important. Either Microsoft is not being truthful or else AV-test.org needs to take a serious look at their testing procedures. I would assume that Microsoft is not going to tell flat out lies and Microsoft has data from hundreds of millions of computers.

So why is there a major disconnect between the testing done by AV-test.org and Microsoft? I don't know, but something is very wrong here. For one thing I don't think AV-test.org actually tests that many samples of malware in their real world tests. I don't know where they get their malware samples from. But Microsoft has actual data from a huge number of computers encountering real malware in the real world.

When Microsoft actually tries to find the malware that AV-test.org says MSE missed and Microsoft is unable to find much of that malware there is something really wrong. I am guessing that there are some sort of serious testing issues here. In any case, I rely on AV Comparatives and Virus Bulletin. And in the latest testing that I know of both AV Comparatives and Virus Bulletin certified MSE.

Based on everything I have been able to find out I think MSE is a better AV program than AV-test.org gives them credit for. But I also think Kaspersky and ESET are better. And some other considerations might be important. For example, how well is the AV able to defend itself from attack?

I think for maximum protection I would look at an AV like Kaspersky. But a person can get free protection from Microsoft with MSE (or Windows Defender in Windows 8). And a lot depends on the computer user. The computer user has to employ common sense on the internet and with email. And some other programs like LastPass can help improve security also.
 
Anyone looking for paid type AV should also check with your internet provider. My internet provider gives me 3 licenses for full blown Kaspersky Internet Security 2013 for free. They update the version every year, too.

I know At&t gives free internet security software by either Norton or McAfee. I can't remember which. They are bulky-ish type products but they do provide top notche protection.

I think most ISPs offer some form of free, quality AV software.
 
Originally Posted By: badtlc

I know At&t gives free internet security software by either Norton or McAfee. I can't remember which. They are bulky-ish type products but they do provide top notche protection.


I beg to differ that they are top-notch. They *used to be* top notch. The market is wide open now. Vipre has been my favorite real-time scanning tool, paid or free for years on end. It's lightweight and very good at keeping junkware from running, even if it can't cleanse it, still keeps it contained. A HUGE plus for home users. Too many success stories from using Vipre over the years...cleaning infected machines with McAfee on it, etc...
 
Originally Posted By: ToyotaNSaturn
Originally Posted By: badtlc

I know At&t gives free internet security software by either Norton or McAfee. I can't remember which. They are bulky-ish type products but they do provide top notche protection.


I beg to differ that they are top-notch. They *used to be* top notch. The market is wide open now. Vipre has been my favorite real-time scanning tool, paid or free for years on end. It's lightweight and very good at keeping junkware from running, even if it can't cleanse it, still keeps it contained. A HUGE plus for home users. Too many success stories from using Vipre over the years...cleaning infected machines with McAfee on it, etc...


You can say that all you want but Norton and McAfee regularly test high on detection rates.
 
Originally Posted By: badtlc
[
You can say that all you want but Norton and McAfee regularly test high on detection rates.


I will.
smile.gif
McAfee or Norton are often on the machines Vipre, SAS, MWB and now Eset have to clean up.
 
ESET NOD32, Avast!, Kaspersky gets my vote.

I occasionally get Malwarebytes to perform scans and it works out quite well in my case.

Q.
 
You could use MSE backed up by MBAM and also use the Kaspersky on line scanner. The Kaspersky online scanner would not interfere with MSE.
 
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