BleepingComputer.com: which antivirus should i get

hey yall,

currently im running webroot spy sweeper and trend micro antivirus and antispyware. the antivirus expires in 2 days and i wanted to try something that was free. but i dont know which 1 to try. what yall think?

These three get good reviews and are regularly suggested at BC. Listed in no particular order.

Avira

Avast

Microsoft Security Essentials

You should really only use one anti-virus product at any given time. Using Webroot and Trend Micro and the same time can not only cause your computer to run slowly but can also result in false positives and many other conflicts. The three free anti-virus products that ThunderZ mentioned all work well, and you could also run an anti-spyware program like malwarebytes of superantispyware along side them.

well i didnt think they both were antivirus products. spyware is something different right?

should i delete trend micro before i try one of the above mentioned

This post has been edited by CallMeTy: 20 February 2011 - 10:14 PM

Have not ever used Webroot but had heard of it. Took a look at their site and they do refer to it as an AV.

Yes. You should uninstall TM prior to installing another AV. To be sure the uninstall is done properly I would suggest reading and following the instructions here.

Doing so will give you the best chance of having no problems when trying out another AV product.

so should i delete spysweeper to?

Nothing against Spysweeper but really have not heard or read many things about it that would cause me to pay for it.

It can always be replaced with Malwarebytes free. Or the paid version which real time protection should compliment either 3 of the suggested AV`s well.

OR

SUPERAntispyware free. It to has a paid for version. But am not as familiar with it`s real time protection abilities.

You can actually have both of the above mentioned installed and run separately on demand as a precaution should something get by your AV.

Choosing an anti-virus is a matter of personal preference, your needs, your needs, your technical ability and experience, features offered, user friendliness, ease of updating (and upgrading to new program release), ease of installation/removal, available technical support from the vendor and price. Other factors to consider include detection rates and methods, scanning engine effectiveness, how often virus definitions are updated, the amount of resources the program utilizes, how it may affect system performance and what will work best for your system. A particular anti-virus that works well for one person may not work as well for another. There is no universal "one size fits all" solution that works for everyone and there is no best anti-virus. You may need to experiment and find the one most suitable for your needs. For more specific information to consider, please read Choosing Your Anti-virus Software.

• Important Tip: Always remember that security begins with personal responsibility.