Best Antivirus, Spyware, Firewall Combination

[ariesram74]

Hey folks I was wondering what your opinion was for a good antivirus, spyware, firewall combination - free or paid.

[Robski]

I would use filehippo for free beta downloads http://www.filehippo.com/

I use the Windows firewall.

I use Kaspersky anti virus which I consider to be the best, but the AVG free edition offered on filehippo works very well.

Use Ad-Aware and Spybot Search and Destroy together to get rid of malware and spyware.

Keep it all running sweet and up to speed by using CCleaner to get rid of all unwanted registry reports and temporary files,

don't forget to uncheck the cookies box or write them down or you will lose them.

Another great tool is the registry defrag from Auslogics http://www.download.com/Auslogics-Registry...4-10678033.html

[adammike]

linux

[tominbkk]

nod32 antivirus

Boclean (for stopping malware)

CCleaner once a week

These three progs have kept my com virus and malware free, and running very smoothly for quite a while now.

[dwwin]

Hey folks I was wondering what your opinion was for a good antivirus, spyware, firewall combination - free or paid.

AVG Pro w/o the FW

Comodo firewall, free, difficult to configure correctly, Sunbelt (former Kerio) free! (not worth the money any more) -> works w/o configuration.

CCleaner or AWC is a must for windows

Disable 'system restore'<-important, get an independent tool (Erunt) that enables you to scan your back ups.

Decent browser, FF3 or Opera, decent email client, look here Top 12 free email clients

[dwwin]

linux

I run Linux myself but it is by no means virus or hacker proof.

[britmaveric]

Symantec/Spy Sweeper.

[JSixpack]

AVG is starting to get bloated, I think. Recent reviewer preferred Avast, but I haven't tried Avast.

Ad-Aware, Spybot

A sleeper in the firewall category is Webroot:

http://www.webroot.com/En_US/consumer-prod...opfirewall.html

It's free now. Simple to use, can allow/block by application, non-bloated, Vista-compatible, stable (I've had blue screens w/ Kerio and Outpost free). I use it and like it.

[youngkiwi]

Kaspersky is the best. Their lab is widely renowned to release definitions before others (updates released hourly). If you use Ebay, you can often pick up a licence cheaper via one of their resellers rather than purchasing direct.

Edited June 22, 2008 by youngkiwi

[Gary A]

I think you get what you pay for. You use the free programs and you get very little. I used AVG for a year or so and picked a nasty virus. Since then I have been using Bit Defender Anti virus Plus V10. It cleans up spyware, has a firewall and anti virus. I download music sometimes and to do that, you HAVE to have a good anti virus program.

[HDRIDER]

Hi

I have bitdefender internet security 2008, 599B in IT City, dont think you can get it any cheaper

I had AVG, Awast before, got some bad virus as well.

[sensei]

Avira Antivir + Comodo = Peace of Mind

[bratpack]

I would use filehippo for free beta downloads http://www.filehippo.com/

I use the Windows firewall.

I use Kaspersky anti virus which I consider to be the best, but the AVG free edition offered on filehippo works very well.

Use Ad-Aware and Spybot Search and Destroy together to get rid of malware and spyware.

Keep it all running sweet and up to speed by using CCleaner to get rid of all unwanted registry reports and temporary files,

don't forget to uncheck the cookies box or write them down or you will lose them.

Another great tool is the registry defrag from Auslogics http://www.download.com/Auslogics-Registry...4-10678033.html

windows firewall,same same.

Threatfire antivirus and free

adware and spybot,same same.

also windows defender,free,is very useful as it runs in the background and takes no cpu.

c cleaner same same.

good choice mate lol.

[JetsetBkk]

Kaspersky is the best...

Avast anti-virus, Comodo firewall. Occasionally use Kaspersky free online scanner: http://www.kaspersky.co.uk/virusscanner

[2008bangkok]

I use my common sense

[regedit]

50% off Spy Sweeper (working Mom or otherwise )

http://workingmom.com/newsletters/Jan06.htm

[bazmlb]

TrendMicro Internet Security for at home

Trends Officescan at work

[saorsa]

I use AVGFree, but found with Vista, it can be bit buggy with updates, had no probs with XP. Never had any nasty virus problems in 6 years of using AVG (but I use common sense about what files I download and open). I Use a hardware firewall that is built into my wireless router (D-Link). Have used Zonealarm in the past, but havent seen any need for it since I upgraded my router. Also use CCLeaner periodically to tidy/speed up windows and Ad-aware for spyware.

[webfact]

I am using

Comodo BOClean v4.26 (free)

a-squared anti malware v3.5

ESET Nod 32 v3.0

Super Antispyware v4.15

Firewall: Comodo Firewall Pro v3.0.25, Comodo Memory Firewall v2.0 (all free)

It's rocksolid protection.

Edited June 27, 2008 by webfact

[rmicheald]

I have been a computer geek since the first IBM desktop came out... I use PANDA antivirus and firewall. I have used Norton and Macafee in the past and they allowed a virus that only Panda would get rid of. I have not had any problem in the year I have used it. Either here in Thailand or when I was in the US.

[dotcom]

Been using McAfee for over 10 years, the online version. Very satisfied.

[OxfordWill]

for free?

AVG, comodo (unless vista - just use windows firewall), ad aware (along side windows defender)

but you must have a router firewall (hardware firewall)

Edited June 29, 2008 by OxfordWill

[dotcom]

For free - you get what you pay for. The title of the thread says nothing about free.

For free you can look by yourself.

[mac.wheeler]

AVG is starting to get bloated, I think. Recent reviewer preferred Avast, but I haven't tried Avast.

Ad-Aware, Spybot

I have just switched to Avast, I used AVG for years but it is indeed getting too bloated. Avast is looking good, far less resource usage.

So I would have to go with:

Anti-virus: Avast

Firewall: Windows (when I actually bother switching a firewall on as most of the time its not needed as I'm behind a firewalled router).

Malware: Avast

The nice thing about this setup is you only have to install a single application

CCleaner is useful, but I prefer to use the one-click-maintenance from Tuneup Utilities 2008.

Edited June 29, 2008 by mac.wheeler

[OxfordWill]

For free - you get what you pay for. The title of the thread says nothing about free.

For free you can look by yourself.

I expect more than half of us have never paid for software in our lives. And besides, your argument can be refuted by one counter example: Internet explorer vs. Firefox.

[Crushdepth]

IMHO AVG is awful, Avast is reasonable (but does a lousy job of picking up viruses on thumb drives), and Avira is the best thing I've used yet (it once detected a mobile phone virus being broadcast over bluetooth by someone having lunch outside my office). But it has dam_n annoying in-your-face popups every time you connect to the internet.

Firewall...used to use Zone Alarm but it just became increasingly more flaky. These days I just use the windows firewall (and common sense), its enough.

[sjaak327]

I use Windows Firewall, as I have an Active Directory server, so I can actually configure it using group policy (so some general allow rules, like remote desktop can be deployed to multiple machines). Windows Firewall with advanced scurity running under Vista is quite nice by the way.

For Antivirus I use Mcafee Virusscan enterprise, which is also managed using EPO, so I can manage all my computers.

For Antispyware I use the Anti spyware module inside Mcafee Virusscan, in addition I use Windows Defender. I also have installed spybot but never actually use it. I also used ad-aware 2007 but found that on some computers, the online service was leading to high CPU utilization at some times, hence I have stopped using it, don't know if the new version is any better.

[Veazer]

...IMHO AVG is awful, Avast is reasonable (but does a lousy job of picking up viruses on thumb drives), and Avira is the best thing I've used yet (it once detected a mobile phone virus being broadcast over bluetooth by someone having lunch outside my office)....

I'll second that. Twice I've had AVG detect a virus and report that it was quarantined, and yet the system was actually infected. I won't use it again, I'm sticking with NOD32 for the time being.

[AlexLah]

I use Hitman Pro which is a sort of batch file that combines different free Anti Spyware progs and also provides browser security.

For Anti Virus I use A.Vast and Anti Vir.

Firewall I use Comodo.

[LukDod]

Over the last 3-decades. I've used:

Anti Viral:

AVG...marginal

McAfee...slow updating on current viruses

Norton...bloated, crashed a few times and difficult to completely eliminate from your system

I'd suggest NOD-32 by Eset...updates itself sometimes multiple times a day. Very highly rated.

Kaspersky is also very good.

Firewalls:

Zone Alarm (free & pro version) YUK. Also very difficult to completely remove from your system. Like a parasite!

Windows Firewall...from the company that has consistently brought buggy software which often needs corrective updates

Best rated 'free' firewall is Comodo. Excellent even using basic setting by a non-techie user...or advanced setting.

See links below for unbiased ratings and links to how test were performed:

http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/

http://www.matousec.com/projects/firewall-...nge/results.php