Best Free Antivirus/firewall?

[Goity]

As the title says. I had Norton but it ran out.

 

[woogal]

I've been using AVG for virus checking and Zone Alarm for a firewall for a few years. Don't know if they're the best, but they're good.

 

[Blah]

Anti-virus: AVG Antivirus
Anti-spyware: Spybot Search and Destroy
Firewall: Hardware (ie a router), failing that a linux box with 2 network cards and Smoothwall, failing that Windows XP SP2 firewall (software).

 

[PokeParadox]

Avira Antivirus - http://www.free-av.com/
Zone alarm was ok enough but I just use my router's hardware firewall nowadays

 

[WarmFluffyUK]

As the title says. I had Norton but it ran out.

OMG Norton, this is possibly the worst software suite ever, I have had soo many probs connected to that stuff.

OK for firewall make sure you got SP2 and use the windows firewall, it is a lot better than most people will have you think. If you want a firewall that alerts you all the time an app needs to connect, then get Zone Alarm.

For anti Virus, go for AVG, it's better than Norton's and it is free too!

Before you install any of the above, make sure Norton's is completely removed, especially if you have the Norton's Internet Suite, it has a tendency for not correcting the IP stack when removing its firewall software leaving your network next to useless. If you find after removing Norton's that you cannot access the net but you still get an IP address, then you need to fix your IP Stack, specifically the LSP. There are a lot of utils that do this but the best is WinSocFix which I have just uploaded for you, just in case your IP Layer gets stuffed while removing Norton's, and that does happen a lot with it.

Hope you get your PC in fine fettle soon.

Clare.

P.S. Obviously download WinSocFix before you do anything else....

 

[Goity]

As the title says. I had Norton but it ran out.

OMG Norton, this is possibly the worst software suite ever, I have had soo many probs connected to that stuff.

OK for firewall make sure you got SP2 and use the windows firewall, it is a lot better than most people will have you think. If you want a firewall that alerts you all the time an app needs to connect, then get Zone Alarm.

For anti Virus, go for AVG, it's better than Norton's and it is free too!

Before you install any of the above, make sure Norton's is completely removed, especially if you have the Norton's Internet Suite, it has a tendency for not correcting the IP stack when removing its firewall software leaving your network next to useless. If you find after removing Norton's that you cannot access the net but you still get an IP address, then you need to fix your IP Stack, specifically the LSP. There are a lot of utils that do this but the best is WinSocFix which I have just uploaded for you, just in case your IP Layer gets stuffed while removing Norton's, and that does happen a lot with it.

Hope you get your PC in fine fettle soon.

Clare.

P.S. Obviously download WinSocFix before you do anything else....

Done.

I think the Orange Livebox has a hardware firewall... will that do or should I get zonealarm?

 

[Javacat]

That should be fine, but if you want to be able to control what programs have access to the internet then install ZoneAlarm.

 

[Yono]

I use Kerio. I used to use ZoneAlarm but it caused some problems with one of my games.

 

[Nova]

AVG.


Then try out the AVG anti-spyware. You get a couple months free trial, but afterwards it's a little fee for the full version and it's totally worth it...

 

[darkman]

As the title says. I had Norton but it ran out.

OMG Norton, this is possibly the worst software suite ever, I have had soo many probs connected to that stuff.

OK for firewall make sure you got SP2 and use the windows firewall, it is a lot better than most people will have you think. If you want a firewall that alerts you all the time an app needs to connect, then get Zone Alarm.

For anti Virus, go for AVG, it's better than Norton's and it is free too!

Before you install any of the above, make sure Norton's is completely removed, especially if you have the Norton's Internet Suite, it has a tendency for not correcting the IP stack when removing its firewall software leaving your network next to useless. If you find after removing Norton's that you cannot access the net but you still get an IP address, then you need to fix your IP Stack, specifically the LSP. There are a lot of utils that do this but the best is WinSocFix which I have just uploaded for you, just in case your IP Layer gets stuffed while removing Norton's, and that does happen a lot with it.

Hope you get your PC in fine fettle soon.

Clare.

P.S. Obviously download WinSocFix before you do anything else....

My daughter uses Windows and it seemed like a total disaster to Windows all the time she used Norton. She has been using AVG free for a while now and it seems great. Glad to hear this.

 

[Steve-O]

I use my Routers Firewall plus Sygate Personal Firewall Pro.
I use AntiVir for Antivirus as its free and seems good
I use Spybot Search and Destroy and Ad-Aware for spyware and stuff.

 

[andyB911]

I used AVG for a long time - but they started charging. I would have paid, but the only time I've had a virus, it didn't spot it and I had to run Trend Micro's on-line cleaner to help (which is surprisingly good).

So I've installed Antivir Guard on my desktop and Avira Antivirus on my laptop. So far the later seems to be the better as I've yet to successfully get Antivir to do a complete in detail sweep of my drive.

I also use a hardware firewall, Zonealarm / McAfee and SpyBot.

Bizarely I think the only time I got a virus was from this very site when there was some script hidden in one of the pages. Teach me to use IE... I learnt the hardway.

 

[epitaph]

A FreeBSD-box running in my closet acts as firewall/router for my network. I run NOD32 (which I find the least intrusive of all current antivirus-suites and from what I hear it also maintains a good detection rate) on my Windows-boxes out of habit, but unless you're stupid you don't get viruses (plus, it wouldn't matter much as I don't do anything serious on them and outgoing traffic originating from them is subjected to heavy filtering).

 

[Steve-O]

So I've installed Antivir Guard on my desktop and Avira Antivirus on my laptop. So far the later seems to be the better as I've yet to successfully get Antivir to do a complete in detail sweep of my drive.

AntiVir and Avira are the same thing, its called Avira AntiVir PE... -

http://www.free-av.com/

 

[classicgmr]

I used AVG for a long time - but they started charging.

When did they start that? :blink: I've got AVG on 3 PC's and 2 laptops in the house and they all update on every boot-up (usually once a day) with no issues.

 

[andyB911]

So I've installed Antivir Guard on my desktop and Avira Antivirus on my laptop. So far the later seems to be the better as I've yet to successfully get Antivir to do a complete in detail sweep of my drive.

AntiVir and Avira are the same thing, its called Avira AntiVir PE... -

http://www.free-av.com/

Doh. You are correct. On my laptop I actually have avast.

And as for AVG being free... I wasn't the only one to get a message that I had to pay to continue using:

http://www.desktopsidebar.com/forums/index...?showtopic=7389

The pop-up never explained that I could upgrade to 7.5 and it would remain free. Oh well... May as well move back to AVG as avast seems fine but never really got to grips with Avira / AntiVir.

Useful thread for me ;-)

Andy

 

[Goity]

Ugh... AVG found a trojan that it wouldn't do anything about... I had to delete it myself :S

 

[Nova]

Ugh... AVG found a trojan that it wouldn't do anything about... I had to delete it myself :S

 

[darkman]

I used AVG for a long time - but they started charging.

When did they start that? :blink: I've got AVG on 3 PC's and 2 laptops in the house and they all update on every boot-up (usually once a day) with no issues.

They never have charged us for using AVG. We have used it now for a couple of years. :blink:

 

[andyB911]

They never have charged us for using AVG. We have used it now for a couple of years. :blink:

After some quick research today I found I moved off AVG needlessly. They started charging to continue to use 7.1 (and without payment it become non-operational) but it transpires that 7.5 is still free. Slighly bizarre that you'd need to pay to use an older version and not the new one.

However, which of the big 3 x free desktop ones (AVG, Antivir and Avast) is best is anyones guess. But it appears I'm not alone in having hit-rate problems with AVG. Of Antivir and Avast, I prefer the GUI for Antivir - but very hard to tell the important point of which will actually most likely protect.

Whichever you use, I think an occassional online scan as back up makes sense - I tend to use Trend Micro but I've read good reports about Kaspersky.