Best Free Anti-Virus Software
Antivirus programs provide a good layer of protection from a multitude of viral, Trojan, and rootkit Internet threats. A simple explanation is that antivirus companies find malware and write a unique signature to detect the particular malware. This signature is then packaged into an update so you will be protected against that threat when you update your antivirus. With the huge increase in malware, anti-viruses cannot fully keep up, so it's best to use other security programs as well. Using more than one real-time antivirus can cause conflicts, so in most cases it is recommended you only choose one product for real-time real-time protection.
If you're looking for the best possible protection against viruses, our top recommendation is Avira AntiVir Personal Edition. It is very light on resources and the detection rate of viruses and rootkits is outstanding, however, there are some reservations. First, it does not include antispyware protection or e-mail scanning, they are only available in the paid version. The lack of an e-mail scanner means that AntiVir won't warn you of infected emails before you open them. However, should you open an infected email, AntiVir will still spring into action, so it doesn't mean that you're not protected from email-based infections. Also, AntiVir is quite an intrusive product with advertisements that appear with every update. Finally, AntiVir Personal Edition Classic has a time-limited license. It is renewable, but be aware that you'll have to periodically go through the hoops.
If you're not prepared to accept the drawbacks of AntiVir, we would suggest either AVG Free or Avast!. Neither is quite as effective in detection of viruses as AntiVir, but both are more complete products, and less intrusive in use.
AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition has been continuously refined since it was initially released in 1991. The latest version makes further improvements to an already solid product. It now includes spyware, phishing, and email scam protection. Although it has grown considerably in size and is very heavy on resources, its detection rate is very good. Regular automatic updates come quickly as before and, despite rumors, the new email scanning feature is not trial limited to 30 days. Free and pro versions are available; the only difference is that the free version has anti-rootkit disabled, provides Linkscanner Lite instead of Linkscanner Pro and has no technical support other than a free user forum .
Equally effective is Avast! 4 Home Edition, although its funky media player style interface is not to everyone's taste. Avast is the least restricted product out of the three, with anti-rootkit and anti-spyware capabilities. It also has full real-time capabilities, including a web scanner, an e-mail scanner and IM and P2P protection. Avast also requires periodic re-registration, whereas AVG Free does not. However, Avast does not seem to suffer the signature-file update problems that plague some AVG users. I give these guys an A+ for continued support of older Windows platforms from 95 up.
AVG and Avast are excellent free products that provide a real alternative to the major anti-viruses.
You can increase your protection slightly if you run regular on-demand scans with an additional separate anti-virus product. On-demand scans can be run regularly to check for viruses and other malware that may have been missed by your main scanner.
You can run AntiVir, Avast or AVG with the real-time protection disabled. With AntiVir and Avast, you have to choose custom install when you are installing the product.
Another good option for on-demand scanning is BitDefender 10 Free Edition, the free version of the commercial BitDefender Antivirus. It's has good detection rates, but because the free version lacks an email scanner and a resident virus guard, it's only suitable for use as an on-demand scanner, not as your main AV program. There are some other limitations as well. It has an annoying habit of detecting malware products that have been quarantined by other security products, and you can't exclude these areas from subsequent scans. The program itself is using an old version of the engine, so the detection is weaker. And it's only available with a one year non-renewable license.
Avira AntiVir Personal Edition Website: www.free-av.com/en/products/1/avira_antivir_personal__free_antivirus.html Download link: www.download.com/Avira-AntiVir-Personal-Free-Antivirus/3000-2239_4-10322935.html Author: Avira Version: 8.1.0.331 Date: August 25, 2008 Download File size: 23.92MB License: Free for personal use Operating systems supported: 2000, XP, Vista 64 Bit Capable: Yes Portable version available: No Other languages supported: German Additional Software Required: None
AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition Website: free.avg.com/ww.download-avg-anti-virus-free-edition Download link: www.download.com/AVG-Anti-Virus-Free-Edition/3000-2239_4-10320142.html Author: Grisoft Version: 8.0.173 Date: September 30, 2008 Download File size:48.79MB License: Freeware Operating systems supported: 2000, XP, Vista 64 Bit Capable: Yes Portable version available: No Other languages supported: No Additional Software Required: None
Avast! 4 Home Edition Website: www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html Download link: www.download.com/Avast-Home-Edition/3000-2239_4-10019223.html Author: Alwil Software Version: 4.8.1229.80923 Date: September 23, 2008 Download File size: 26.19MB License: Freeware Operating systems supported: 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, Vista 64 Bit Capable: Yes Portable version available: No Other languages supported: Yes Additional Software Required: None
BitDefender 10 Free Edition Website: www.bitdefender.com/PRODUCT-14-en--BitDefender-Free-Edition.html Download link: filehippo.com/download_bitdefender/ Author: SOFTWIN Date: August 23, 2007 Version: 10 Download File size: 21.08MB License: Free for one year, requires registration Operating systems supported: 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, Vista 64 Bit Capable: Yes Portable version available: No Other languages supported: Yes Additional Software Required: None
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