Best AntiVirus Program

Firefox used to download right to my desktop, it must have changed because it goes to some download folder now, just dragged that to the desktop. Firefox used to be good leaving all your settings they way you had them customized, but the last update changes a few things to default.

Norton gone, AVG installed, so far so good.

Wood'nCoal wrote:Norton gone, AVG installed, so far so good.

So I suppose I can give Lavasoft Ad-Aware the boot too? The latest version gave me problems and I never could get it to work the way the older version did.

I shitcanned that too for CC cleaner, Malwarebytes, & Spybot.

The older version worked great, I guess they went the way of other anti-virus/spyware companies, and screwed it up by trying to make it "better". AVG has spyware protection.

I've been using AVG's free program since my last post on this thread. A few issues: It's obviously sponsored by Yahoo, I use Google as my default search engine, it has changed it to Yahoo, and objects when I try to change it back. Also every few days another toolbar shows up and I have to go to View>Toolbars and then uncheck it (see screen shot below). It will show up again in a few days. I like the screen uncluttered. Also, I sent an email with a link to a post on Snopes.com and the recipient's antivirus program caught "Trojan.JS.Redirector.ar " in the email.
I made sure the definitions were current and scanned the hard drive, nothing found.
Should I give AVG the boot?
Looks like there is another thread running on this as well:
Virus Scanners

you should be able to remove the toolbar by going to add/remove programs in the control panel. for some reason the like to sneak a toolbar in when you download the program.

Thanks, I'll try that. I am reasonably knowledgeable about computers, but I don't have the time or patience to deal with a lot of issues. I just want an anti-virus/spyware program that works.

John, I removed AVG 4 months ago, and installed Microsoft Security Essentials on our notebooks. It free also. It plays real well with all progams.

Wood'nCoal wrote:Should I give AVG the boot?

When you install AVG there is a box to uncheck if you don't want the toolbar installed. Uninstall it and reinstall and look for it, it's there.

DVC500 at last wrote:John, I removed AVG 4 months ago, and installed Microsoft Security Essentials on our notebooks. It free also. It plays real well with all progams.

If you are sure about it I'll do it, I have a dislike for all things Microsoft, I always find issues with them, sometimes I wish I had a Mac. We have an iBook, but I don't get to use it much, I like the way it operates.

Me personally , I go same sites everyday. Never have any problems. I clean out the PC twice a week.

I think all of these products allow our most private computer files, emails, etc. to be read by big brother. Years ago i used avast, and was told that it was designed specifically to allow access to your computer. Even when i play computer games, someone else takes over my mouse!

nikonmom wrote:I think all of these products allow our most private computer files, emails, etc. to be read by big brother. Years ago i used avast, and was told that it was designed specifically to allow access to your computer. Even when i play computer games, someone else takes over my mouse!

Yeaaah, I'm gonna have to go ahead and, you know, disagree with you on that. Okaaay? (At least the Avast part... )

My wife has had a Dell laptop running Vista for maybe five years. When she got it, I kept the pre-installed Norton AV for awhile, and then installed McAfee under a home-computer license from my employer. Over the next several years I spent at least one Saturday afternoon a month cleaning viruses off her PC. She's a coupon fan and signs up for anything and everything that promises a % off. She also has a lot of friends who email her links that have been emailed from a friend of a friend of a friend. I once told her she should change her userid to SendMeAVirus.

I got much help with the trickier viruses and rootkits from TechSupportGuy forums (I strongly recommend them if you can't clean something yourself). The virus guys on there recommended either Kaspersky or Avast. I chose Avast and bought a five-pc multi-year license to cover all our home machines. My wife's been running it for over two years now and has not had one virus infection since (although she's got plenty of Avast notices that it stopped and deleted an infection).

I wonder if the person who told you about "allowing access to your computer" heard about the Avast remote access tool that can be used to securely access someone else's computer, or let them securely access yours. I haven't had occasion to use it but I believe it's more secure than letting some nameless help desk person install something on your PC to allow remote access.

I recently bought a new Lenovo thinkpad to serve as my main home PC, and the first thing I did after powerup was install Avast Internet Security. The owner of the computer shop where I bought it said he's been installing MS Security Essentials on most machines going out the door, and has seen excellent results from that. I just don't want to be running more MS stuff on my PC than I absolutely have to.

Re. McAfee, that is as worthless a piece of crap as I've ever seen. We manage 600+ pcs where I work and we are required to use McAfee because of enterprise contracts. Any given week, we are re-imaging two or three pcs that are hosed by viruses. McAfee can't stop anything. It's like the proverbial old hound dog snoring away on the front porch while burglars break in the back and clean out the house.

Besides, I don't mind much if Avast wants to peek at my files (boring stuff for the most part)--as long as they keep my PC running so I can look at them.

I agree with you that any device you have that accesses the web or telecomm networks--computer, ipad, satellite/cable box, smartphone, whatever--is being accessed, browsed and monitored by the tech industry and government. Not "can be"...IS. Right now. (And not because of an anitvirus product we might install.) We all lost the privacy battle years ago when we first connected to the internet.