Anyone have any recommendations on a antivirus software replacement for Norton? I would like a free version of something, so am leaning towards AVG.

What have peoples impressions been of that product?

Hi Grinler,
I'm using the free version of AVG and it seems like it's working well. I am rather curious as to why an on-line scan at Panda found a trojan that AVG didn't, but I didn't do an update before AVG scanned. I like AVG. I also liked Avast too. Decisions decisions I know. There is a lot to choose from. I know I would never go back to Norton.

About once a month, I use a random on-line antivirus to scan my computer; at no time have any of these found a virus that AVG missed. As with any AV, it is only as good as its definitions are current, and there can be a lag between the discovery of a new virus and the creation of a preventitive definition, so NO AV is one hundred per cent efffective.
FYI, AVG updates it's definitions very frequently when needed, and there is no difference in updates between the free and the paid version, to the best of my knowledge.
I use and recommend AVG to my friends.
Regards,
John

Lets have another vote for AVG. Even though it is not spedifically geared for Trojans.

ASquared http://www.emsisoft.com/en/
is geared to Trojans etc. The free one has to be used manually but it complements AVG.

PestPatrol was included with ZA for a while. AVG & PP do not like each. A warning box pops up saying that they sometimes cause false positives but hasn't created any problems.

All three are on this machine. AVG runs full time and the others manually once a week or so.

You saw my log post from the other day. 1654 entries. Norton did not even find 1
AVG rocks,I've had it on my wifes computer for well over a year now and not a single virus to date. I install it on all my clients computers and it is my only recommendation when someone asks "What anti-virus should I use?"
Should you use the paid version? probably,but I've gotten by with the free one for a long time.

Is anyone running AVG in concert with McAfee AV?

I'm wondering if there are any conflicts in running the two side by side.

Or should one not run them simultaneous?

I figured to try out AVG and if it works well, drop the McAfee at renewal time

Hi Koan,
Running two AV's can be done, but it is generally not recommended. What you don't want is both running at the same time, which is easy to do with on demand full system scans. The monitor element of most AV's is where you usually run into trouble with having two running at the same time. You could use MSCONFIG to disable one background monitor from starting with Windows, but you would have to know which files to disable and there are are other elements like registry checkers and such that might be missed that could also conflict.

I was in the same boat a while back when considering switching from Norton. But decided against trialing anything else while Norton was still installed. When it comes to AV's I think quality is better than quantity. Then again I hear others claim they have no problems running two or three AV's. I just have my doubts. Why not just have one installed and get a second opinion with free online scans?

I would recommend Avast! as it does a very fine job in protecting the pc and in updating of signatures.. I used to use Antivir Personal Edition and it was doing a very good job. But it has a serious problem with updates. It creates temp files that hoarded up to 300+mb of space in the program files folder.

I have tried alot of AV software and I found from alot of reviews that MKS_VIR 2004 is a very good AV software here are some links that might be of use:


http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=37083&page=3

http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?show...c=182983&st=375

http://forums.speedguide.net/showthread.php?t=147234

and this is where I downloaded the 30 day demo: http://www.stormbyte.com

Thanks BasiXX... I will take a look

I used to use Norton, but it really wasn't detecting some viruses. I switched to AVG. It's not perfect, but it's a whole lot better that NAV! There are times when Panda Active Scan detects what AVG hasn't, but rarely.

Last night I tried Bitdefender AV scan online. I was impressed with three things.

I could monitor the scan process (much like spy-bot s&d)...instead of watching an animated graphic and waiting for the "full details".

A very simple, straightforward page without a lot of enticements.

When finished, the result was an object scan totaling 225,000+ and confirmation that no infections were present amongst them.

A Symantec scan required the same amount of time to reveal 25,000 or so files.
A Pandasoftware scan sifted through 60,000 files.

It'll require some more research for me to fully understand the subtle differences, but it seems worth mentioning. Routine periodic online scans supporting the resident AVG Free is my plan of action.

Oh, and 808chick...

I'm really impressed with your concise and inclusive signature lines. They create a rare glimpse of more precisely what "this is all about" than discussions alone can. Good Job!