I need a new AV

blibbax · Oct 22, 2010, 02:03 PM

I've been using AVG for ages. It's become shit. Ok, I've not had an infection in years, but it's too intrusive, it puts shortcuts back on the desktop when it updates, it has insane cpu usage on startup, and it has a terrible new shiny UI. I've turned off a lot of its functionality in an effort to make it mind its own business (scheduled scans, link scanner), but I want a new AV.

It needs to be free, it needs to mind its own business until something actually important happens, and it needs to not hog resources, except of course during scans that I have deliberately initiated.

What do people recommend?

I can get Sophos for free from my University, if that helps, but I've heard it's not all that great.

Judas · Oct 22, 2010, 04:42 PM

avast... karaspy? (spelling)..... nod32....

Frankly i've seen and used them all.. and everytime i try any of the 3 above.. i find i'm going back to avg because it IS faster on the machines I've setup..

and actually i find the new 2011 avg free to be much much faster at loading and being relatively less annoying.

specially likeing the pure 64bit version...

3FUN · Oct 22, 2010, 04:56 PM

I recommend Avira AntiVir Personal. Its the fastest, safest antivirus from the free ones.
For comparison please check this link AV-Comparatives - Independent Tests of Anti-Virus Software - Welcome to AV-Comparatives.org

blibbax · Oct 22, 2010, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judas

avast... karaspy? (spelling)..... nod32....

Frankly i've seen and used them all.. and everytime i try any of the 3 above.. i find i'm going back to avg because it IS faster on the machines I've setup..

and actually i find the new 2011 avg free to be much much faster at loading and being relatively less annoying.

specially likeing the pure 64bit version...

Your point is essentially that the others are even worse? D:

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3FUN

I recommend Avira AntiVir Personal. Its the fastest, safest antivirus from the free ones.
For comparison please check this link AV-Comparatives - Independent Tests of Anti-Virus Software - Welcome to AV-Comparatives.org

Thanks. The site you linked seems more concerned with the AV's effectiveness as an AV, and it's system scan speed. Daft as this sounds, as long as my AV performs the basic roles one would expect of such a product, I'd be more interested in ranking them on

a)Resource use, especially on startup.

b)How often they tell me things I don't need to know.

I'll have a look into Avira though.

IvanV · Oct 22, 2010, 06:32 PM

I recommend Avast Free as that's what I'm using. So far, it's been reliable and I don't see it unless there's something I really need to know (although it can be quite vocal, literally, about such things as virus definition updates, but thankfully it can be configured differently).

blibbax · Oct 23, 2010, 10:37 PM

Bye bye AVG, Avast is officially accepted for a probation period. Wish it luck!

charm_quark · Oct 27, 2010, 07:13 AM

well you know actuall you dont need an AV, if you know what you are doing.. but in case you need to scan an exe, something that is packed you can use virus removal tools, as they run only when you want

eg kaspersky virus removal tool

Takaharu · Oct 27, 2010, 10:58 AM

FYI: most adware disables your ability to browse the Internet and I've known viruses to screw up USB ports, leaving you without any means of running a tool.
McAfee was one of them - it killed the netlogon service (all of the PCs affected were in a domain) so the only way in was through safe mode. By sheer luck the disc drive still worked (USB ports didn't) and there was a fix for it by manually copying files (even BAT files wouldn't work!) but a virus can do worse.

Before going into it, yes, people have been years without running an AV at all without getting a virus but that's for a different thread.

Judas · Oct 27, 2010, 04:14 PM

i still never use a anti-virus for my personal machines

charm_quark · Oct 27, 2010, 06:37 PM

well it not that i think i am "un-infectable" i have been infected tons of time's, its just that a little caution and knowledge/experience (after getting infected) and virtual machines, resource hackers, linux boot disks, ERDs.. etc go a long way,.
AV are good, i personally do like kaspersky, mostly because of their heuristic engine, and because i can read their log files,

Takaharu · Oct 27, 2010, 07:37 PM

There's just something about "virus deleted" that I prefer over "now where did I put that damn boot disc"... It has a kind of appeal.

charm_quark · Oct 28, 2010, 06:46 AM

lol, true!

caqde · Oct 28, 2010, 08:42 AM

MaximumPC reviewed AVG against a few other AntiVirus programs back in July, they measured boot time differences and used PCMark to measure its effect on the system. The review is linked below.

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0 | Maximum PC

blibbax · Oct 28, 2010, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caqde

MaximumPC reviewed AVG against a few other AntiVirus programs back in July, they measured boot time differences and used PCMark to measure its effect on the system. The review is linked below.

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0 | Maximum PC

Wow.... How did I not find this before?

Super useful and shows I was right about AVG... just a shame Avast isn't there, but I am liking it so far.

Takaharu · Oct 28, 2010, 05:05 PM

That article would be a thousand times more interesting if they compared a wider variety of security applications and the effect that Game Mode has on performance.
Still, nearly 30s extra to boot up with AVG? My PC takes that long to boot up as it is!

Judas · Oct 28, 2010, 05:20 PM

i call bullshit.... on most of those reviews..

I've seen personally how long avast takes to load.. and 3 identical machines with different AV freshly built have proven this for me as well.... avg has a lead.. and their new 2011 is even more time friendly too.

caqde · Oct 29, 2010, 07:22 AM

... Judas they are comparing it against Avira not Avast... Both have a free version so you might have misread the review. Similar names so I don't blame you, although I can't say much for either antivirus program since I use Nod32 personally.
Although I can say hardware specs and platform optimization (Intel/AMD, P4/i5 etc) can greatly effect the speed of a program so that might effect how one might perceive the speed of an Antivirus program.

Oct 22, 2010, 02:03 PM	#1
blibbax What does this do? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 4,208 Rep Power: 245 System Specs	I need a new AV I've been using AVG for ages. It's become shit. Ok, I've not had an infection in years, but it's too intrusive, it puts shortcuts back on the desktop when it updates, it has insane cpu usage on startup, and it has a terrible new shiny UI. I've turned off a lot of its functionality in an effort to make it mind its own business (scheduled scans, link scanner), but I want a new AV. It needs to be free, it needs to mind its own business until something actually important happens, and it needs to not hog resources, except of course during scans that I have deliberately initiated. What do people recommend? I can get Sophos for free from my University, if that helps, but I've heard it's not all that great. __________________ Donate the spare computing power of your PC to help to cure Alzheimer's, ALS, Huntington's, Parkinson's disease and cancer: Fold for HH!

Oct 22, 2010, 04:56 PM	#3
3FUN HardwareHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Macedonia Posts: 80 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: I need a new AV I recommend Avira AntiVir Personal. Its the fastest, safest antivirus from the free ones. For comparison please check this link AV-Comparatives - Independent Tests of Anti-Virus Software - Welcome to AV-Comparatives.org __________________

Oct 22, 2010, 06:32 PM	#5
IvanV HH Assassin Guild Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 5,908 Rep Power: 333 System Specs	Re: I need a new AV I recommend Avast Free as that's what I'm using. So far, it's been reliable and I don't see it unless there's something I really need to know (although it can be quite vocal, literally, about such things as virus definition updates, but thankfully it can be configured differently). __________________ If anyone has Portal 2 and hasn't played the co-op and wants to do me a favour, let me know (PM me or whatever).

Oct 23, 2010, 10:37 PM	Thread Starter #6
blibbax What does this do? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 4,208 Rep Power: 245 System Specs	Re: I need a new AV Bye bye AVG, Avast is officially accepted for a probation period. Wish it luck! __________________ Donate the spare computing power of your PC to help to cure Alzheimer's, ALS, Huntington's, Parkinson's disease and cancer: Fold for HH!

Oct 27, 2010, 07:13 AM	#7
charm_quark incognito Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: BoTsWaNa Posts: 2,431 Rep Power: 140	Re: I need a new AV well you know actuall you dont need an AV, if you know what you are doing.. but in case you need to scan an exe, something that is packed you can use virus removal tools, as they run only when you want eg kaspersky virus removal tool __________________ Three quarks for Muster Mark! Sure he has not got much of a bark And sure any he has it's all beside the mark. —James Joyce, Finnegans Wake

Oct 27, 2010, 10:58 AM	#8
Takaharu I can fart in 7 languages Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: England, UK Posts: 1,838 Rep Power: 107 System Specs	Re: I need a new AV FYI: most adware disables your ability to browse the Internet and I've known viruses to screw up USB ports, leaving you without any means of running a tool. McAfee was one of them - it killed the netlogon service (all of the PCs affected were in a domain) so the only way in was through safe mode. By sheer luck the disc drive still worked (USB ports didn't) and there was a fix for it by manually copying files (even BAT files wouldn't work!) but a virus can do worse. Before going into it, yes, people have been years without running an AV at all without getting a virus but that's for a different thread. __________________ I don't get paid to know the answer, therefore I'm far more likely to give you a straight and honest answer. Mods Rig, Box Mods Rig, Folding details

Oct 27, 2010, 06:37 PM	#10
charm_quark incognito Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: BoTsWaNa Posts: 2,431 Rep Power: 140	Re: I need a new AV well it not that i think i am "un-infectable" i have been infected tons of time's, its just that a little caution and knowledge/experience (after getting infected) and virtual machines, resource hackers, linux boot disks, ERDs.. etc go a long way,. AV are good, i personally do like kaspersky, mostly because of their heuristic engine, and because i can read their log files, __________________ Three quarks for Muster Mark! Sure he has not got much of a bark And sure any he has it's all beside the mark. —James Joyce, Finnegans Wake

Oct 27, 2010, 07:37 PM	#11
Takaharu I can fart in 7 languages Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: England, UK Posts: 1,838 Rep Power: 107 System Specs	Re: I need a new AV There's just something about "virus deleted" that I prefer over "now where did I put that damn boot disc"... It has a kind of appeal. __________________ I don't get paid to know the answer, therefore I'm far more likely to give you a straight and honest answer. Mods Rig, Box Mods Rig, Folding details

Oct 28, 2010, 06:46 AM	#12
charm_quark incognito Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: BoTsWaNa Posts: 2,431 Rep Power: 140	Re: I need a new AV lol, true! __________________ Three quarks for Muster Mark! Sure he has not got much of a bark And sure any he has it's all beside the mark. —James Joyce, Finnegans Wake

Oct 28, 2010, 08:42 AM	#13
caqde HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: US, IL Posts: 505 Rep Power: 66 System Specs	Re: I need a new AV MaximumPC reviewed AVG against a few other AntiVirus programs back in July, they measured boot time differences and used PCMark to measure its effect on the system. The review is linked below. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0 \| Maximum PC __________________ AMD Phenom II X4 925 AM3/ Giga-byte MA790XT-UD4P XFX HD5770 1GB / 2x8GB of Geil DDR3 12800 10-10-10-28 Samsung SH-S182D DVD-RW drive / Sony Optiarc BD-5300S BD-RW drive Western Digital WD1501FASS(Primary)/Western Digital 15EADS(Secondary)/Western Digital 7500AACS(Secondary)/Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320gb(Secondary) Antec TP-550 / CoolerMaster CMStacker Sound Blaster X-FI Titanium Fatal1ty Professional / Creative Inspire 6600 6.1 speakers Samsugn T200HD 20" LCD Monitor / Logitech Internet 350 Black Keyboard Logitech MX510 Mouse

Oct 28, 2010, 05:05 PM	#15
Takaharu I can fart in 7 languages Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: England, UK Posts: 1,838 Rep Power: 107 System Specs	Re: I need a new AV That article would be a thousand times more interesting if they compared a wider variety of security applications and the effect that Game Mode has on performance. Still, nearly 30s extra to boot up with AVG? My PC takes that long to boot up as it is! __________________ I don't get paid to know the answer, therefore I'm far more likely to give you a straight and honest answer. Mods Rig, Box Mods Rig, Folding details

Oct 29, 2010, 07:22 AM	#17
caqde HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: US, IL Posts: 505 Rep Power: 66 System Specs	Re: I need a new AV ... Judas they are comparing it against Avira not Avast... Both have a free version so you might have misread the review. Similar names so I don't blame you, although I can't say much for either antivirus program since I use Nod32 personally. Although I can say hardware specs and platform optimization (Intel/AMD, P4/i5 etc) can greatly effect the speed of a program so that might effect how one might perceive the speed of an Antivirus program. __________________ AMD Phenom II X4 925 AM3/ Giga-byte MA790XT-UD4P XFX HD5770 1GB / 2x8GB of Geil DDR3 12800 10-10-10-28 Samsung SH-S182D DVD-RW drive / Sony Optiarc BD-5300S BD-RW drive Western Digital WD1501FASS(Primary)/Western Digital 15EADS(Secondary)/Western Digital 7500AACS(Secondary)/Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320gb(Secondary) Antec TP-550 / CoolerMaster CMStacker Sound Blaster X-FI Titanium Fatal1ty Professional / Creative Inspire 6600 6.1 speakers Samsugn T200HD 20" LCD Monitor / Logitech Internet 350 Black Keyboard Logitech MX510 Mouse