Solved: Stay With Kaspersky???

[lschul]

I have been using Kaspersky for a few years and it works well, never had a problem. My renewal is up again and I am wondering if I should stay with it and pay or if there is a free anti-virus out there that is bullet proof and provides all the protection I need without charging me. Also want something that won't eat up system resources. Opinions?

 

[etaf]

yes, there are free antivirus which is recommended here often
what windows version do you have - you may not need a firewall

--------------------------------------------------------------
i'm not an expert here - but if you look through the security forum, you will see a lot of recommendations for windows 7/vista

The windows 7/vista firewall is considered adequate and especially if you are connected behind a router.
Have a read in our "general security" forum and look for the advice from our security gurus.

Several excellent free antivirus programs are available (But you should only ever have 1 on the PC at a time otherwise this can cause issues ).

Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) I personally use and install in the computers that I work on.
http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/security_essentials/default.aspx
If you are using windows 8 - you already have this product and its now called windows defender (different to the earlier windows versions, also known as "windows defender")

Avast
http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download

AntiVir
http://majorgeeks.com/Avira_AntiVir_Personal_-_FREE_Antivirus_d955.html

EST Nod 32 also gets a lot of very good reviews although it is not free
ESET NOD32
http://www.eset.com/home/

these Two programs are also recommended to be on the PC and can be on with any of the above antivirus programs.

Malwarebytes I personally use and install in the computers that I work on.
http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php

superantispyware I personally use and install in the computers that I work on.
http://www.superantispyware.com/download.html


--------------------------------------------------------------

 

[lschul]

Windows 7. Sorry to ask such a redundant question but I want to know the direct comparison between a freebie and Kaspersky.

 

[etaf]

direct comparison between a freebie and Kaspersky

you will need to look at comparison sites for that, also different sites will rank them in different orders

http://www.av-test.org/en/tests/test-reports/
http://www.virusbtn.com/index
https://www.icsalabs.com/
http://www.av-comparatives.org/

different versions and different updates also change the rating

 

[lschul]

Thanks etaf, I will do some research today. I appreciate the starting point.

 

[lschul]

Oh, I am assuming I can just uninstall Kaspersky if I go that way, are there any files or folders that I have to delete to get a total uninstall?

 

[etaf]

use the removal tools -

can have loads of issues if just uninstalled some time in future
--------------------------------------------------------------

Kaspersky Removal Tool
A link to Kaspersky - this varies with different versions
http://support.kaspersky.com/faq/?qid=208279463
http://support.kaspersky.com/faq/?qid=193239279

--------------------------------------------------------------

 

[lschul]

I just looked at MSE and the Mal and spyware programs you posted. Using all three seems a bit redundant...do they provide different protections that you need without conflicts? If I run all three it sounds like it won't be an issue, is that right?

 

[etaf]

the spyware programs look for different things to MSE
and i do not have malwarebytes or superantispyware running in the background - I just run on demand - usually malwarebytes around once a week or more often, if i'm not sure of a few sites visited
mse is always running

but as i say - not a guru , just what I picked up from the security section here

 

[Gary16735]

I am using Microsoft Security Essentials (and it is free) and it is working wonderful. Was using Avast for a long time but it started to mess with both computers.

 

[lschul]

Ah so MSE runs all the time and the others are just something you run periodically, therefore, they are not running all the time and consuming resources.

 

[etaf]

therefore, they are not running all the time and consuming resources.

yes, but you do need to stop them starting with windows

 

[lschul]

I uninstalled Kaspersky using that tool you provided. Is there any way to verify that the entire program is gone? i am assuming it is but don't want any trouble down the road. Also, MSE install was fast and easy, it is now running a scan. For the other programs, you say to stop them from starting, is that just a setting?

 

[etaf]

you say to stop them from starting, is that just a setting?

yes for superantispyware - just goto preferences
and uncheck - start with windows
for malwarebytes
Right-click on the MBAM icon in the System Tray and uncheck Enable Protection.
Right-click on the MBAM icon again and then uncheck Start with Windows.
The Protection Module is now disabled and will not restart

should do the trick - otherwise , you may need to use msconfig to stop the startup - if above does not work - let us know

Kaspersky
I would run the tool twice - but i have personally removed from about 20-30 machines using the tool and not had an issue , and probably 200-300 on the forums

 

[lschul]

I think I got it set up correctly. I ran a malware scan and found 3 infections. I am now running the spyware scan and it is up to 229 detections. My system has had no issues so I am surprised there are so many detections...