Best windows antivirus software?

[PaperclipGod]

Anyone have thoughts on which one is best? Just did a fresh format and id like to see what you guys think before i load up my old standby BitDefender.

 

[StevenYoo]

first stickied thread in the Software Forum

it's a great thread to read up on, it'll answer all your security needs

 

[BW86]

Kaspersky or NOD32

 

[Ultralight]

What BW86 said. Either of those two. I have NOD32 and I haven't had an issue since. However, I do know those that swear by BitDefender and I have come across nothing that would say otherwise.

 

[Zenoth]

NOD32

 

[PaperclipGod]

Gah, sorry i missed that sticky thread.... Thanks for the help, guys.

 

[mad0maxx]

I say it is ethier Bit Defender or Kaspersky... some swear by one or the other... I personally use Bit Defender because it has won alot of awards and Kaspersky is an AOL product but if I could go back and make the choice again I would probally choose Kaspersky but I read that kaspersky slows down a computer compared to BitDefender with all the settings turned up...

Check out http://www.av-comparatives.org/ for a test of some Anti Viruses on the market today...

But if you want the best of the BitDefender and Kaspersky engines get AVK by G Data...

 

[John]

Originally posted by: BW86
Kaspersky or NOD32

Kaspersky versus Nod32

Another Best Antivirus: With Results

Free Kaspersky Antivirus from AOL

FWIW the AOL Kaspersky uses less resources than the original Kaspersky v6.

 

[tuteja1986]

trend micro

 

[archcommus]

Kaspersky and don't listen to anyone else! Refer to John!!!

 

[Scouzer]

kaspersky

 

[mechBgon]

I have a whole one-week collection of a certain family of Trojans that the bad guys keep changing in order to evade detection (presumably). The first company at VirusTotal.com to have them on the radar, after the bad guys repack them for the nth day in a row, is usually Kaspersky. Do they ever sleep? I have samples several days old that AntiVir, AVG, and Avast still don't recognize, while Kaspersky had them nailed in hours.

So I would vote for Kaspersky, especially since home users can use a "lite" version of it for free: http://www.activevirusshield.com

Speaking of VirusTotal.com, you can upload stuff up to 10MB in size and it'll scan it with about 25 different antivirus products and show you what the results are. Another such site is http://virusscan.jotti.org/, and Sunbelt came out with another toy, an online "sandbox" that'll run the file you submit and tell you what it would do: http://www.sunbelt-software.com/Sunbelt-CWSandbox.cfm

 

[mad0maxx]

Also use Cyberhawk in addition with your anti virus... Cyberhawk is a standard program the Department of Defense uses... http://www.novatix.com/cyberhawk/

 

[KoolDrew]

Originally posted by: BW86
Kaspersky or NOD32

:thumbsup:

I use NOD32 myself.

 

[dyna]

I tried out the latest versions of NOD32(2.7) and KasperskyAV(6.0). Kaspersky dragged the system down more, although not terribly bad. But it had a serious effect on upload bandwidth. I would be interested to hear if anybody else noticed this? I took Kaspersky off and upload performance was normal.

Before Kaspersky:
5000kb download
1800kb upload

After Kaspersky:
5000kb download
900kb upload

NOD32 had no effect negative effects on bandwidth.

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: dyna
I tried out the latest versions of NOD32(2.7) and KasperskyAV(6.0). Kaspersky dragged the system down more, although not terribly bad. But it had a serious effect on upload bandwidth. I would be interested to hear if anybody else noticed this? I took Kaspersky off and upload performance was normal.

Before Kaspersky:
5000kb download
1800kb upload

After Kaspersky:
5000kb download
900kb upload

NOD32 had no effect negative effects on bandwidth.

You might go into Settings, down to Service > Network Settings, and click the Port Settings button, try disabling monitoring, and see if your result changes or not. Basically, it appears to sit in the middle of the network traffic and watch for Bad Stuff on-the-fly.

I heard good things about NOD32 as well, so that's another one to consider.

 

[mad0maxx]

I recently made the switch to Zone Alarms Security Suite... reason being that I made the switch is because Zone Alarms being a good firewall product now coupled with Kaspersky anti virus engine...

http://reviews.cnet.com/ZoneAlarm_Inter...rity_Suite_7/4505-3667_7-32309439.html

CNET.comCheck Point ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 7 continues to innovate, this time dropping its longtime relationship with CA Antivirus and partnering instead with Kaspersky, makers of the award-winning Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.

 

[RampantAndroid]

I ran NOD32 for a while...and it missed some stuff. On install of kaspersky, it caught everything NOD32 missed....I DO have issues though - such as Kas always goes nuts when you run a game that updates from steam (steam changes the EXE every time it runs, and the firewall sees this and prompts you..)

I'm using a full version of KIS, and while KAV does get annoying at times, I don't regret where I put my money. It does me well.

 

[John]

Originally posted by: RampantAndroid
I ran NOD32 for a while...and it missed some stuff. On install of kaspersky, it caught everything NOD32 missed....

Cookies?

NOD32 w/ all MONitors active has virtually zero impact on system performance. :thumbsup: If you think NOD is failing to detect things you can always use the Kaspersky online scanner. Nonetheless both are excellent AV's.

 

[Kriz]

Originally posted by: mad0maxx
I say it is ethier Bit Defender or Kaspersky... some swear by one or the other... I personally use Bit Defender because it has won alot of awards and Kaspersky is an AOL product

Kaspersky is not an AOL product.

http://www.kaspersky.com/

Kaspersky Lab is a security company.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaspersky_Lab

AOL merely licenses the Kaspersky Anti-Virus program and re-distributes as an entirely different product meant for home users who don't want to or cannot pay for the full version of Kaspersky.

http://www.activevirusshield.com

 

[gizbug]

Symantec Antivirus corporate

 

[Modular]

What about McAfee?

I use the McAfee that came free with my Comcast subscription. I guess I never go anywhere where I could get a virus anyways and I disabled all the ports except 80 and 110 for STMP Outlook access through the McAfee firewall.

 

[John]

Originally posted by: Modular
What about McAfee?

The free command line scanner and not free Enterprise versions are the only ones that I would consider. The Home version(s) are bloated pigs, and the security center goads the unsavvy into purchasing their other inferior products.

 

[mechBgon]

I never go anywhere where I could get a virus anyways

That's a good practice :thumbsup: but remember that normally-safe websites sometimes do get hacked and turned infectuous. A recent high-profile example: the official Dolphins Stadium website, leading up to SuperBowl.

 

[Cheex]

AVG FTW!!...