Werewolf Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 My subscription to ZoneAlarm is set to expirre and I am not going to renew it.So I've researched all the virus/firewall options and so far I'm leaning towards Bitdefender or Avast.Prior to making a decision I'd like to hear from those who have actually used either. What are your opinions and would you recommend either and why?I am open to other suggestions. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12Alfa Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 My subscription to ZoneAlarm is set to expirre and I am not going to renew it.So I've researched all the virus/firewall options and so far I'm leaning towards Bitdefender or Avast. Prior to making a decision I'd like to hear from those who have actually used either. What are your opinions and would you recommend either and why? I am open to other suggestions. I use Av, no issues with it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt DeFault Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 I am open to other suggestions. I use Spybot**, Malwarebytes, and Windows Defender. All are *FREE*, will run simultaneously with no conflicts and they have kept all of my computers running smoothly for years. I also use CCleaner to keep my drives free of clutter and to keep the registry tidy. It's also *FREE* and will back up any changes to the registry so they can be 'undone' if something goes wrong. I use Avast on my Android phone, but I've never had an issue with it so I don't know how it would really handle a virus. Hope that helps. **NB: I suggest opting out of the "Tea Timer" option when installing/updating Spybot. I can't remember why ATM, but I know it was annoying. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest theGUNSLINGER Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 I use microsoft security essentials its free and seems to work good 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain_Thunder Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 One of the Nortons more complete packages and PCillin were rated at the top of the last Consumer Reports magazine test reports, IIRC. These two seem to rank among the top group every time, although all the top AV programs seem to occupy the #1 spot one year or another. Kaspersky was another top end contender. McAfee and AVG usually rank in the middle and never seem to go up or down. I had AVG and it did a okay job. I've been using the free version of Super AntiSpyware as a backup AV scanner for over a year now and it does a good job of finding some things that McAfee might have missed. I also used Malwarebytes for a time as well.PC Magazine has a review of what they considered best in 2012. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2372364,00.aspThe new computer I just ordered is coming with Norton's Internet Security on it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAJ_Fubar Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Avast, BitDefender, and Avira are all free and quite good. I've used Avira for the last four years with no issues besides its excessive nagging and couple it with Comodo as my firewall. Nortons is solid, but contains too much bloat IMO, that and their firewall port stealthing is dodgy. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ssnake Posted January 6, 2013 Members Share Posted January 6, 2013 What I like about MS Security Essentials is that the false alarm rate is very low. An anti virus software that cries "Wolf!" all the time is useless for obvious reasons. Of course, if it doesn't ring the alarm bells when it should it's just as bad. MS SE could update a bit faster (like two or three times a day) but if you want to really increase your system's security, some smart browsing and accepting certain inconveniences will actually do a lot more good.Disabling ActiveX, Java, and JavaScript already does wonders. There are very few web sites where Java is REALLY needed, maybe you find out that you don't need those web sites at all. You don't have to visit shady porn and warez sites to catch a virus. An unpatched Windows and a browser with JavaScript enabled and you visit a web site with some banner ads hijacked/hacked and spiced with malware are sufficient for a successful "drive-by" attack.JavaScript is more frequently used, but often the web pages will still work without it and with an acceptable loss of convenience.Using a less popular browser lets you bypass exploits that are targeted at one of the most popular browsers. The other browsers are not necessarily more safe, they are just less often targeted ... but hey, even that can help on occasion.Stay behind a router, stay behind a firewall. Both helps a lot.Keep in mind that not every link, website, or free browser game is your friend. A virus scanner is only the last line of defense, it should not be the first and only one. Most malware will try to attack unsuspecting visitors to a web page, but some try to motivate the visitor to participate, e.g. by offering a "free" game (or other form of ... entertainment) that just needs to be downloaded and installed. Well, if you install software from just anywhere even the best anti virus software can't help you. In such a case it's not a matter of if, but only of when you will acquire an electronic disease. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[]_--__[]KITT Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 Try Comodo Internet Security Suite.it's free and for its worth it's very good. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Thodt Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 +1 for MS Security Essentials. Since i have a 64 Bit OS, i had some problems to find compatible security software. I tried some paid and also free solutions (Kaspersky, Comodo, other that i don't remember) and finally i stayed with MS Security Essentials and Windows 7 Firewall Control (by SphinxSoftware).I hated the big security suites which installed their own (hidden) network devices (like Kaspersky and Comodo do!) to route the whole traffic over them and i can't control it. And I don't need a firewall solution with "hyper secure intrusion detection" and such stuff.I am the master of my network traffic, not any "security" software :sonic: 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt DeFault Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 ...if you want to really increase your system's security, some smart browsing and accepting certain inconveniences will actually do a lot more good. [...] Keep in mind that not every link, website, or free browser game is your friend.I don't think this can be overstated. A friend of mine who was naive to the ways of the web once told me his new laptop was "having problems loading web pages" or something similar. When I took a look at it, he had around 15 extra search toolbars at the top of his browser. I asked him what he had been clicking on and he replied, "Everything." :eek2: 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werewolf Posted January 6, 2013 Author Share Posted January 6, 2013 Thanks for the recommendations. I ended up going with Avast's paid version.To ssnake's point I have both a hardware and a software firewall running. Combine that with good virus protection and I have only contracted 1 virus over a period of 30 years of computing online (and yes I've been going online that long - anyone remember the BBS system from the late 70's and up thru the late 80's). 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tacbat Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 BBS - yes. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wicked Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Disabling ActiveX, Java, and JavaScript already does wonders. There are very few web sites where Java is REALLY needed, maybe you find out that you don't need those web sites at all.If I disable JavaScript in Firefox browser I cannot find the main menu of steelbeasts.com anymore :biggrin:As for virus scanner. Using for years AVG Anti-Virus. Does the job ok. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibsonm Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 BBS - yes.And then the arrival of CompuServe delivered via a blisteringly fast 14.4kbs modem! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Thodt Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 If I disable JavaScript in Firefox browser I cannot find the main menu of steelbeasts.com anymore :biggrin:.Confirmed, a fallback solution for people without JavaScript (and search engines!) would be charming :cul: 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ssnake Posted January 7, 2013 Members Share Posted January 7, 2013 Yeah, it's quite ironic.That said, I use two browsers. One with JavaScript enabled to visit trustworthy sites (SB.com), another for browsing unknown sites. That's a way to handle the inconvenience. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rump Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 For Firefox users, you can use the add-on 'noscript' which blocks scripts by default. Sites you trust can be put on a whitelist. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tacbat Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 And then the arrival of CompuServe delivered via a blisteringly fast 14.4kbs modem!Unless someone picked up the phone. :shocked: 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TankHunter Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 "NoScript" is great for keeping java and the like from running. Better than disabling it in the browser settings. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 BBS - yes.My first porn pic download was from a BBS."NoScript" is great for keeping java and the like from running. Better than disabling it in the browser settings.I used to use NoScript until I realized that I spent more time fiddling with it than the sum total of protection that it provided for me. Plus it was around the time when it's developer was pulling all of that crap a few years back which was the final nail in the coffin.I found the AdBlock extension is a better option for me. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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