[robobobo]

Hi Guys,

I currently use Norton Internet Security and have a few days remaining on the subscription,.

What i would like to know is it worth paying again for it or what are my free alternatives?

I have still managed to get a few viruses even with this and have removed several manually and sometimes norton would pick them up eventually but not always and normally after i had them,

So what would be best free anti-virus softwares for windows xp ?

Also do they all have realtime protection like norton or have you got to do a scan to discover if you have virus and also do they cover spyware malware etc.......

More than likely i would need more than one software?

So im open to all your suggestions on what you think would be the best combination for my pc :-)

Many Thanks Guys

Robobobo

[strongbad8500]

In my opinon the best free antivirus programs are

Avira

Avast

AVG

All three have both real time protection and a scanner. but as far as using more than one at a time, im not sure on this but i think it can cause compatibility issues. Ive also heard that norton isn't very good.

[TOGG]

I think NIS is a 'suite' which includes antivirus, firewall and, possibly, anti spam and spyware as well, so, if you are going to replace it, you will need to look for programs that claim to do everything NIS does.

I've never used any of the free antivirus programs, so I have no opinion about them. I use NOD32 and the free Comodo firewall plus BOClean (now known as Comodo Anti Malware).

[Rich-M]

I second Nod32, it's way ahead of the others. www.eset.com
and I would recommend www.superantispyware.com for spyware.

[guitar]

avgfree8 does it all

[Bonnieclark]

I use AVAST for antivirus and haven't had any problems. It runs in real time and updates itself continually. This is the site:http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html
Some people have been having problems with the newest version of AVG so I'm staying away from it for now. Use ONLY ONE antivirus program.

As TOGG said, you will also need at least a firewall and some antispyware. Microsoft provides a firewall, but I guess it isn't as good as it could be. Lots of people are using Comodo firewall. http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.c..._firewall.html

As Rich-M said, SuperAntiSpyware is a good addition. http://www.superantispyware.com/

So is a program called ThreatFire. http://www.threatfire.com/download/

When you are downloading these programs or others, be sure to choose the free ones. Many site offer programs that you can try free but have to buy later. You have to read.
I think you're wise to dump Norton because it is a real resource hog.

I'm sure other people will add to this list.

[jsparky77]

Avira AntiVir is a brilliant antivirus WITH realtime so it is my number one choice but i also use Avast AntiVirus. Avast picks up a lot of windows based viruses (win32) that other av's dont pickup. AVG's detection rate these days is terrible and it is resource hungry and it still takes a long time to scan so i wouldn't use it.

[1SillyBilly]

I use Avast, but Avira is also well recommended.

[robobobo]

Thanks for all your comments guys,

Would avg be less of a resource hog than Norton? and is aviara or avast even less again?

Thanks for all your comments and i'd welcome any more

[jsparky77]

when avg is doing a scan, probably a tiny bit more resource heavy then Norton but i'm not sure...

[Rich-M]

Originally Posted by robobobo

Thanks for all your comments guys,

Would avg be less of a resource hog than Norton? and is aviara or avast even less again?

Thanks for all your comments and i'd welcome any more

Running in the system definitely less. Be careful though there are a myriad of issues with Avg 8.0 in different systems from XP and Vista, if you can't afford an antivirus, you are better off using Avira. Avast is a great looking interface but almost devoid of heuristics ability and my shop is usually loaded with infected pc's that had that on them. Beware the experienced user who uses these things recommendations as they know the signs of trouble on the internet and can survive with the most useless of antivirus and antispyware programs.

[Bonnieclark]

Rich-M...

Do you recommend Avira AntiVir over Avast? I tried Avira for about a day, but too many screens were popping up demanding attention. My computer really slowed down, too. Can you tell me what I was doing wrong? Is it that I only have 504 MB of ram?

Thanks!

[Rich-M]

Yes I definitely recommend Avira over Avast.

[ToXiCaTioN.d]

Choose the one you feel more comfortable with. It may take a few demos with each of the anti-viruses, but soon enough you'll learn how to use one and tend to like it more than the rest. It can be simple to choose a good anti-virus, it's just the matter of how much you actually trust it. Also remember that just a anti-virus won't do you much good now due to spyware and malware. Remember only you can choose a good antivirus because it's your computer.

Good luck.

[S T E V E 8 9]

Kaspersky, If You Want The Best Paid AV

Avira, If You Don't