Best free anti-virus?

[OzzyR1]

Just got rid of McAfee paid as it is causing more problems than its worth.

What would you recommend for an interim solution / check-up? Was looking at AVG + malwarebytes.

Anything else you could recommend?

Am an IT dullard so please don't get too technical.

[grumbledoak]

Microsoft Security Essentials / Windows Defender is as good as any free. Pretty lightweight, too.

I run Malwarebytes manually every so often too, just in case.

[Blib]

I've used Avast for years. I've never had any problems. So, I assume that it must work well.

[Zad]

I use Avast too, it nags now and then, and isn't as lightweight as it used to be, but it is pretty good all the same. I used to use AVG but that all got rather fat and bloated. Microsoft Security Essentials seems to have a lot of fans among techies, so I would probably try that first.

[PVN]

+1 for Avast. Been with them 4 years and no problems to date.

[Baron Greenback]

If you bank with Barclays you get full version of Kaspersky suite etc! V good antivirus!

[Shadow R1]

grumbledoak said:

Microsoft Security Essentials / Windows Defender is as good as any free. Pretty lightweight, too.

I run Malwarebytes manually every so often too, just in case.

Agreed.

You guys running avast, please run a free test with kaspersky and report back the real results.
http://www.kaspersky.co.uk/security-scan

[OzzyR1]

Cheers folks, will check out the recommendations above.

Any others more than welcome.

[mike9009]

I have been using AVAST for about five years. Never had any problems although the Kaspersky scan did find 13 issues. These 'issues' were not virus or malware related and were mainly related to various autorun things around CD/DVD??? Try to solve it and it takes you to a web page to buy the full product....

Not really what I would call 'free' antivirus as the OP requested.....

Mike

[aizvara]

bitdefender seems OK. I switched to it after Microsoft's own offering started getting poorer ratings in the detection tests.

[sgrimshaw]

Shadow R1 said:

You guys running avast, please run a free test with kaspersky and report back the real results.
http://www.kaspersky.co.uk/security-scan

As requested, hope it helps.

[AlexC1981]

aizvara said:

bitdefender seems OK. I switched to it after Microsoft's own offering started getting poorer ratings in the detection tests.

I like bitdefender. Avast and Commodo have become annoying with popups and slowdown during updates. As you say, MSE scores very poorly.

[mike9009]

sgrimshaw said:

Shadow R1 said:

You guys running avast, please run a free test with kaspersky and report back the real results.
http://www.kaspersky.co.uk/security-scan

As requested, hope it helps.

That's pretty much what mine came up with too. I suspect it is all pretty irrelevant? .....to entice people to buy the full package??

[sgrimshaw]

mike9009 said:

That's pretty much what mine came up with too. I suspect it is all pretty irrelevant? .....to entice people to buy the full package??

Absolutely nothing to do with Virus or Malware!

Just standard settings of windows which might be considered as a potential security risk.

The scan found no viruses, no malware and the system is not vulnerable.

I've been using the free version of Avast for many years without any problems.

Edited by sgrimshaw on Tuesday 2nd September 22:42

[tr7v8]

Yup just had the same results with Kaspersky on my lappy. Been running Avast for quite a few years after AVG lost the plot. Only ever got virused once when I had a paid for Norton. Virus arrived, switched off Norton & completely trashed the system.

[Who me ?]

sgrimshaw said:

Absolutely nothing to do with Virus or Malware!

Just standard settings of windows which might be considered as a potential security risk.

The scan found no viruses, no malware and the system is not vulnerable.

I've been using the free version of Avast for many years without any problems.

Edited by sgrimshaw on Tuesday 2nd September 22:42

Another vote for Avast. But I also run Rogue Killer.

[FlossyThePig]

Who me said:

Another vote for Avast. But I also run Rogue Killer.

I was an Avast user but I've recently gone over to the dark side and bought an iMac.

[cuneus]

Not MSE anymore (and it never did scan Outlook)

Avast (you can configure to get rid of nearly all the nagging) or Bitdefender

[jbudgie]

Another for Avast.

[lbc]

Avast here also.