Is paid anti virus software a scam for the computer illiterate?

[poiuytrewq0987]

I've lived without using McAfee or Norton anti-virus and a boatload others for literally years. I can't see myself forking over a bunch of money to a scam operation. There are a ton of free anti-virus software that always take care of whatever is infecting your computer.

[Osweo]

There are a ton of free anti-virus software that always take care of whatever is infecting your computer.

Do share! :p

[Sword of the Morning]

Do share! :p

AVG (http://free.avg.com/us-en/homepage)

[Wyn]

Comodo>all (http://www.comodo.com/).

Norton? Please. What wank.

[Crossbow]

I've always used free antivirus software. First AVG, and now I'm using Avast.
Never had troubles so far.

[KarmaPolice]

As long as there's a consensus that the buyer agrees by, I think not.

[lei.talk]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d8/Malware_Icon2.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malwarebytes%27_Anti-Malware)

[Eldritch]

When I signed a contract with my current internet provider, I told them I wanted to pay extra for the optional anti-virus package. The nerdish dude whispered in my ear "don't waste your money, just get AVG instead". :p

[Grumpy Cat]

I use AVG at home.

But some of the paid ones are more user-friendly.

I personally like Symantec for paid ones because you can write your own macros to have only one instance on one computer protect your whole home network if you have one.

[SwordoftheVistula]

I'd say so.

Many ISPs here now offer free Macafee or Nortons, some banks do too.

The older generation of my family buys that stuff, they are scared to death of 'hackers' despite having the most boring lives and unattractive to 'hackers' imaginable, won't use credit cards online or wireless routers, etc.

[Beorn]

http://www.microsoft.com/security/products/mse.aspx

[Peasant]

I had paid anti-virus software once, either Panda or Norton. I got a virus that stopped my anti-virus from working....

I can get Sophos (http://www.sophos.com/) for free through University, but I would rather use AVG or something.

[Daos]

There are a ton of free anti-virus software that always take care of whatever is infecting your computer.

And then there's The Pirate Bay...:icon_skull:

[Grey]

I'm not really into pirating software, but I have a chance to get Norton for free through my university. Should I bother, or stick with MSE?

[Daos]

I once had a worm on my laptop that neither AVG, nor NOD could get rid off, but NAV did. I am using NAV ever since and haven't had any virus problems in almost 2 years. I don't know if it's the best anti-virus, but it certainly did the job for me.

[SwordoftheVistula]

I'm not really into pirating software, but I have a chance to get Norton for free through my university. Should I bother, or stick with MSE?

Might as well. It's a good antivirus, just not 'better enough' to pay $30+ for.

[lei.talk]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/bd/BitDefender_logo.svg/200px-BitDefender_logo.svg.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BitDefender)


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/07/PC_World_logo.svg/200px-PC_World_logo.svg.png (http://www.pcworld.com/article/211497/bitdefender_antivirus_pro_2011.html)


http://www.gdatasoftware.com/uploads/RTEmagicC_G_Data_25Y-Logo_550x550_03.png.png (http://www.pcworld.com/article/211568/gdata_antivirus_2011.html)

[Osweo]

Comodo>all (http://www.comodo.com/).

Norton? Please. What wank.

Comodo finished off my decrepit old Toshiba laptop. :cry2

It started finding problems with applications that were vital to my use of the thing, eventually shutting down completely the internet connection, sound device, film, and have left it a temperamental type-writer.

I don't know how inevitable this was, and if any other programme would have been kinder to it, but the absence of any way for a layman to figure out what Comodo was doing, and manage its activity somehow, was annoying.

They have a 'Geek Buddy' thing, where you can get one of their IT people to sort out problems remotely, and he fixed the sound problem once, but by the time it had happened again, the internet had gone. The man said the sound problem was one connected with the 'registry' whatever the fuck that is. :shrug:

So I got a new laptop. Fucking shit new Windows 7 too. WHY do they change everything for Change's sake, all the time!?! :rage

[Thorum]

I'm not really into pirating software, but I have a chance to get Norton for free through my university. Should I bother, or stick with MSE?

I have used Norton (free through ISP) for years and like it. I should mention I use AdAware (free) and Immunet Project (free) all running at the same time and have never had a virus/trojan problem. I also run Malwarebytes (free) and CCleaner (free) weekly as an extra measure...I know, a bit overkill but I do tend to venture into the dark recesses of the Web often...;)

[Adalwolf]

Is AVG just a free scan, or does it actually remove the virus too?

[Klärchen]

The best free antivirus, according to Stiftung Warentest (Germany's leading consumer safety group):

Avira AntiVir Personal (http://www.avira.com/en/avira-free-antivirus)

[antonio]

I've lived without using McAfee or Norton anti-virus and a boatload others for literally years. I can't see myself forking over a bunch of money to a scam operation. There are a ton of free anti-virus software that always take care of whatever is infecting your computer.

Ive ear stories about IT merry old times which make paying a few bucks for an antivirus a kind of child playing. Then our people could sell companies almost crap by amount of 10000$ or more. That was the time!:thumbs up

Ps. And I guess the point of no return was the irruption of the bloody Internet to the masses...who totally screwed IT world.

[Austin]

AVG, and various others, the spybotSD or whatever, they are all good but for someone who uses the net constantly and relies on a pure system without having to wage a constant insurgency they are not going to be enough. Nor are they going to be enough for a corporate system that can't afford to have it's IT people go through every employee's PC every month to clean the shit the free antivirus program missed. I used AVG and spybotSD and they did and do work in preventing actual viruses from directly hitting your system but they don't prevent fully the every day barrage of spyware and malware from accumulating over time. Honestly the free ones won't prevent a dedicated enthusiast from accessing your system. The paid ones will on average. A business entity cannot risk that. The free ones miss newer versions of these because AVG and other free ones free versions are not updated as frequently as their payed versions definitions are. This means that with the free versions you are really getting 70% protection whilst 30% of the everyday-shit gets through and builds up, eventually slowing your system, forcing you to go through it yourself or throw down another 1k or more for a new system.

With the paid ones you get 100% protection due to the paid version of any anti-virus program having it's versions definitions updated on a weekly or even daily basis as the new malicious codes are written. The free versions users receive those definition updates half a month later and by that time there are 10,000 new threats that the free version will not detect due to not being aware of them via consistent updates.


I use the paid ones now on my PC just because I refuse to spend time dealing with the stuff the free ones miss such as new malware/spyware code that they cannot detect which slow my system.


Take a PC that's had AVG on it for a year and take a PC that's had a paid top 5 antivirus program on it for a year. The paid one will be much faster and will resemble the original machine speed-wise much more.