[Brockk4]

hey. i just restored my dell to factory settings and I was wondering what the going recommendation is for free antivirus/malware combinations is? i have a dell inspiron running windows 7. Thanks!

[valis]

microsoft security essentials will probably get 80% of the votes, with avg or eset rounding out the rest.

[ckphilli]

Originally Posted by valis

microsoft security essentials will probably get 80% of the votes, with avg or eset rounding out the rest.

Seconded, with an alternative browser (I like Chrome).

[valis]

meh.....finally tried chrome, but I am waaaaay too used to FF. Which, actually, is all the more reason to keep fiddling with chrome.

[flavallee]

Originally Posted by Brockk4

i just restored my dell to factory settings and I was wondering what the going recommendation is for free antivirus/malware combinations is?

Microsoft Security Essentials 4.0.1526.0

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 1.65.0.1400

SUPERAntiSpyware 5.5.0.1016

They're all free and user-friendly and do a good job, and they're well suited for newbie/novice users.

They're what I use in all my Windows XP/Vista/7 computers.

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[Brockk4]

do i need all 3 together or is it a 1 or the others situation? Thanks for all the advice!

[lunarlander]

You will want all 3.

[fraz1]

just what i was after,but at the moment i have comodo,do i uninstall that before or after i get these?btw sorry for butting into your post brockk4.

[flavallee]

Originally Posted by fraz1

just what i was after,but at the moment i have comodo,do i uninstall that before or after i get these?btw sorry for butting into your post brockk4.

Do you have COMODO antivirus or firewall or both?

MSE is an antivirus program, so you need to make sure not to have 2 antivirus programs installed at the same time.

MBAM and SAS are not antivirus programs and are used for combating malware, spyware, rogues, hijackers, adware trackers, etc..

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[Snagglegaster]

Originally Posted by Brockk4

hey. i just restored my dell to factory settings and I was wondering what the going recommendation is for free antivirus/malware combinations is? i have a dell inspiron running windows 7. Thanks!

Personally, I think most free av is worth the price.

[Snagglegaster]

Originally Posted by valis

meh.....finally tried chrome, but I am waaaaay too used to FF. Which, actually, is all the more reason to keep fiddling with chrome.

While I think that Chrome has better security than Firefox (since it supports sandboxing and implements it's own versions of Flash and a pdf reader) it certainly isn't perfect. Chrome's pdf support is crippled, and if you view a pdf page that isn't fully supported in Chrome, you are prompted to download the current version of the Acrobat Reader. I'm thinking that defeats the purpose of an integrated pdf reader. The Foxit Reader and Nitro PDF are better choices.

Even without any add-ons, Firefox gives you better control over javascript than Chrome. If you use a lot of Firefox plugins, Chrome doesn't offer replacements for most of them.

So, if you want a basic browser with good security and no frills, Chrome is your best choice. If you want a more customisable browser, Firefox is the clear choice. The difference in performance is negligible.