Virus checker!!

[gasmansteve]

Hi all
I`m running Windows 7 and using Avast and also Microsoft security essentials as virus/malware checkers and wondering if I really need both of them?. The Microsoft one seems fine and does an in depth scan but Avast seems to be slowing my laptop down now on boot up updating itself which is becoming a pain. I used to use AVG which was fine until that too started using too many resources.
Cheers
Steve

 

[Steve Jones]

Steve,

First of all I'm no computer guru but I'm using Microsoft SE on my laptop with nothing else and it's fine. I think Avast is known for slowing down your PC.

Steve

 

[Titus A Duxass]

Dump avast, but I wouldn't trust the Microsoft one.
I recommend AntiVir fromhttp://www.free-av.com

 

[cambournepete]

I gave up on Avast years ago.
All our home PCs use Microsoft SE and it's been fine.

 

[loftyhermes]

I would also recommend Avira Antivir.

 

[gasmansteve]

Thanks all for the replies. Not heard of Avira`s virus app, seems interesting I`ll check it out. I have been impressed with the Microsoft one but I suppose the more the merrier
Cheers
Steve

 

[theartfulbodger]

the more the merrier

Running more than one antivirus at the same time is generally a bad idea as they can clash and crash.

Programs that scan on demand like ad-aware, spybot, malwarebytes etc can be installed in their droves.



*all my opinion seek professional help etc

 

[gasmansteve]

the more the merrier

Running more than one antivirus at the same time is generally a bad idea as they can clash and crash.

Cheers for that, will have to see how they do together, not had a problem before with Microsoft SE and Avast though
Thanks again
Steve

 

[Esox Lucius]

I use AVG free...never had problems with that.

Also i have lavasoft ad-aware, malware malbytes and spybot search and destroy.

I run a full scan on a weekly basis and it clears anything i may have got.

The worst sites i have found for installing tracking cookies and such are the kids sites like Nickleodeon which my youngest like to go on to play there games.

I currently have XP 64bit O/S.

Good luck

Mark

 

[lanemaux]

Just to look at it from a slightly skewed perspective , I use a slightly odd choice of operating system. Here is how I see my choice here. Ubuntu is a free operating system and so the price is right. It is Unix based and therefore works well with most online sites. And here is the kicker...next to nobody is writing viruses or spyware for it . It also comes with a virus scan package called clamav, just in case you see. But the bottom line is that nobody is interested in writing viruses for this system , no percentage in it for them. That is just my opinion on the virus thing. Aside from online virus scans for a small windows partition of course.

 

[gasmansteve]

Hi Mike
Yes you've touched a nerve there ;-) . I've burnt the midnight oil on many a night trying the various Linux distros but Win 7 came with the new laptop and it seems pretty stable now ( never had a problem with xp to be fair) I do have Ubuntu and Mandrake on an old pc as a fallback but haven't needed it yet!.
cheers
Steve

 

[Lons]

I swear by Norton AV Steve but each to his own and I certainly wouldn't dream of running a machine without a valid antivirus program.

by their nature they have to be "invasive" of your system otherwise they aren't doing the job they are meant to do. Constant checks for updates are a pita though so I disable auto updates on absolutely every application in the system and update manually regularly when it's convenient for me - not the prog.

Just for info I have:-

desktop running XP pro / Norton 360
Netbook XP pro / Norton 360
laptop Vista / Norton 2011
laptop W7 / Norton 2011

All run like well oiled sewing machines

You won't normally have a problem running more than one adware application but should NEVER have multiple antivirus progs.

cheers

Bob