Which FREE Antivirus Software?

[Lucida]

What is the best free Anti-Virus/Spyware Cheker?

[caerma]

^ also mcafee...

[BoundToEarth]

Yeah you could just scan your computer every weekend or so.

[Jase]

AVG (Y)

[spikey_richie]

AVG here too - www.grisoft.com

Tried Kaspersky for a bit (free version), but it's very slow and clunky.

[OPaul]

there should be a [Definitive] thread around here....

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https://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=29568

Trend Micro's Housecall is the best, IMO.

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

[Shetland]

Anti-virus-checker eh? it checks for antiviruses? ;)

kidding,

housecall is absolutly rubbish for a proper user if you ask me, i mean it only works on demand, so you have no realtime safety.

its good for one-off checks if your av is inaccessible.

-edited out- i didnt notice the word FREE

[HilariousNinja]

I would also probably say AVG

[SkyHi]

AVG sucks, go with avast!

-SkyHi

[zigzagcore]

Kaspersky Anti-Virus Persional Edition i think

Realtime protecting ability and convenient online auto-upgrading add points

when mention to efficency, it's just a cup hog, (freeze my system for one or two nimutes when launching at startup) too horrible... :no:

anyway, that's a not bad choice for the poor just like me:devil:

[mr_demilord]

there ain't no best antivirus, it all depends what you need, some people like norton others like mcafee or pc-cillin etc..

[Kr0z]

Which one is best, and why?

[HilariousNinja]

I use both AVG and avast! but AVG is better imo

[)-(orus]

TBH, I've only really used AVG free edition as far as the free AV tools go, but in the past 2 years or so, I am yet to have a problem with it. Now running version 7 without a hitch.

[Kr0z]

TBH, I've only really used AVG free edition as far as the free AV tools go, but in the past 2 years or so, I am yet to have a problem with it.  Now running version 7 without a hitch.

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I tend to agree with you and Fry, no problems with it either. And as far as I know I never had a virus. :unsure:

[migo]

I wouldn't touch AVG, it's the first program I used, it caught some viruses, but it couldn't remove all the ones that it found (why a program could find and identify a virus and not remove it I do not know, but it's a mark against AVG) and it didn't find all the viruses on my system. There is absolutely no question that there are better programs than AVG, both free and commercial. For starters AVG doesn't have resident protection, the absence of which is a serious flaw for an Anti-Virus program.

[OxideNOS]

AVG is great. They have many many frequent updates. Using it since long time.

[OxideNOS]

I wouldn't touch AVG, it's the first program I used, it caught some viruses, but it couldn't remove all the ones that it found (why a program could find and identify a virus and not remove it I do not know, but it's a mark against AVG) and it didn't find all the viruses on my system. There is absolutely no question that there are better programs than AVG, both free and commercial. For starters AVG doesn't have resident protection, the absence of which is a serious flaw for an Anti-Virus program.

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Sometimes, you have to see the name of the file and mainly the extension and have to delete them by YOURSELF.

[DMilner]

...For starters AVG doesn't have resident protection, the absence of which is a serious flaw for an Anti-Virus program.

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AVG doesn't have residen protection? I think that you're mistaken. AVG Free has the AVG Resident Shield component which is installed with every installation of AVG Free.

[TC17]

AVG doesn't have residen protection?? I think that you're mistaken.? AVG Free has the AVG Resident Shield component which is installed with every installation of AVG Free.

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AVG definitely does have resident protection. The poster must be thinking of another free virus scanner.

[leedogg]

One other free one I've recently been made aware of:

http://www.clamwin.com/

[-hurley18]

AVG

[Fozzieb]

I have always used AVG, light on resources and does a good job scanning emails

[Slimy]

avast, out of the ones i've tried.

avg is the worst.

[BigDaddy]

currently using avast!

i have to say it's pretty lite on the resources :D

[Bhav]

One other free one I've recently been made aware of:

http://www.clamwin.com/

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i know someone who used clamwin. a full system scan took 12 hours. i would never wait that long for a ful system scan...it's ridiculous. still in beta though, and it's open source, which is a plus.

i would say avg. has don't the job for me for the past few months.