Free Antivirus recommendations

[danrhodes]

I had already tried that a while back, honest! Must have been before Feb, as "malwarebytes educational use" actually got some useful info this time (like your result). Unfortunately, while Google may be my friend, but Websense isn't - can't access the info page from school unless I go and stand in the middle of the playground and try to get a signal on my phone or use a dodgy proxy site.

 

I'll try to remember to look tonight, but I don't get home until around 1930. Incidentally (though this may have changed since I last checked), I'm pretty sure that Lavasoft forbade educational usage of their free product, too.

 

Yeah the post was from just a few weeks back.

 

D

[sven]

Microsoft Security Essentials - I've moved to using it on all of the machines I take a look at!

 

It's got a small footprint compared to some of the others (AVG I'm looking at you), and doesn't nag you to buy it.

 

I moved over from AVG to MSE not long ago, and everything seems cool. Visually, it fits in very nicely with Windows 7 as well.

[gtg93]

Personally I'd use Avast. The new version even handles viruses for you by removing upon detection and aborting the connection if malicous software i detected on the website.

[synaesthesia]

Also MSSE and MalWarebytes here. Just a shame you can't use the former in schools, legally

 

Have in the past used AdAware, Spybot S&D and Super Anti Spyware - Adaware got AOLised, Spybot was good but found MWB better, and Super, I treat as an infection in itself - any program that uses correct and useful files to bung out it's detection rates is 100% fail in my book.

[WStore_Dan]

Malwarebytes anti malware. i use it all the time when i clean up virus/malware infested machines.

 

Thanks for the recommendations. Tried a few different suggested options and nothing got rid of it. This virus (some kind of Google Hijack!) was getting worse and was slowing my laptop down big time as well as taking me to random sites when I clicked any Google search links. Not only that but it disabled my Windows Security Centre and wouldnt let me turn any of it on and wouldnt let me install any updates. Even when I went directly to the Windows Update website, it said site was unavailable.

 

In the end, I used some software called Combofix which took a little while but once it had finished, everything was back to normal. I had around 50 updates to install and my security centre was back up and running!

 

So, if any of you get this virus then Combofix seems to be the way forward. Hope this helps!

[Guest TheLibrarian]

If you're using a 32bit version of Windows, I'd recommend using Sandboxie while browsing.

[Ben-UK]

I have always used AVG Free and Spy Bot.

 

From reading this thread i am gonna give MSSE and MalWarebytes on my windows 7 64bit computer a run.

 

If i install MSSE is there any need for Anti vir to be installed ???

 

Thanks Ben

[Guest TheLibrarian]

MSSE is anti-virus, so no need for another one.

[computer_expert]

If i install MSSE is there any need for Anti vir to be installed ???

 

Nope. Its not recommeded to have more than 1 AV program installed as it will most likely reduce the performance of the machine and cause conflicts between the 2 AV systems

[arh1a]

I use Microsoft Security Essentials and rate it very high, as its free is it ok to use in schools legally? I also use Malwarebytes which has worked very well for getting rid of spyware.

[Arthur]

I use Microsoft Security Essentials and rate it very high, as its free is it ok to use in schools legally? I also use Malwarebytes which has worked very well for getting rid of spyware.

Neither can be used legally in schools (unless you pay for the latter that is).

Edited May 13, 2010 by Arthur

[elsiegee40]

I use Microsoft Security Essentials and rate it very high, as its free is it ok to use in schools legally? I also use Malwarebytes which has worked very well for getting rid of spyware.

 

MSE is NOT free for school use. Microsoft Security Essentials for Schools?

 

Microsoft Security Essentials is a product designed for home use and the license agreement allows users to install it on their home PC or home based business PCs . So if you are asking if a school can install Microsoft Security Essentials on all its school PCs, that would be a violation of the license agreement and therefore is an unsupported scenario.

 

Please note that Microsoft Security Essentials does not provide any centralized management to manage all the PCs on the schools network, so it may not be the appropriate solution for schools. Schools should look at products like Forefront Client Security that can better address their requirements.

 

Note: To review the full EULA, please click here: http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/eula.aspx#mainNav

Refer to the text under "Installation and Use Rights" (shown below):

•"Use. You may install and use any number of copies of the software on your devices in your household for use by people who reside there or for use in your home-based small business. "

[alonebfg]

I dont know if it is for home or for work but i know that for home I use kaspersky and you might say but that is not free but it is i bank with barclays and get 3 Kaspersky Internet Security latest edition IE at the moment 2010 and 1 licence for Kaspersky Mobile Security and it is both free as long as you have online banking just fill in the form. and if like me your whole family bank with barclays you get more licences ie 3 people = 9 Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 and 3 Kaspersky Mobile Security licences I know other banks do simular but as I only bank with theses I dont know about the others. You dont need to have any account just online banking. hope this helps and saves someone some money i know it has me as we have 4 pcs at home and they all got it on which would have cost me £50 pluss.

[andyturpie]

I dont know if it is for home or for work but i know that for home I use kaspersky and you might say but that is not free but it is i bank with barclays and get 3 Kaspersky Internet Security latest edition IE at the moment 2010 and 1 licence for Kaspersky Mobile Security and it is both free as long as you have online banking just fill in the form. and if like me your whole family bank with barclays you get more licences ie 3 people = 9 Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 and 3 Kaspersky Mobile Security licences I know other banks do simular but as I only bank with theses I dont know about the others. You dont need to have any account just online banking. hope this helps and saves someone some money i know it has me as we have 4 pcs at home and they all got it on which would have cost me £50 pluss.

 

That's very interesting, I do rate kaspersky, but like all AV's there's not one which is completely bulletproof. By providing this for you, I am just wondering if Barclays would then be held accountable if you had become unfortunately a victim of cyberfraud?

[alonebfg]

If you do and you have this av installed on the pc you are using you are protected by the bank provided you use the pin machine and the antivirus provided they will hold reset and refund your account. I have been there and they were really good it was befor pinpad came out but because i was using there av they had no issues in sorting it and transfered money back. They do recomend when banking to use the virtule keyboard and the sandbox IE for banking.