Is AVG as good as or better than MS Security Essentials? Free version of AVG.
AVG needs more system resources but I would say its better. I do like MSSE, and wish it had the claws and teeth that Malwarebytes does.
MSE has never, to my knowledge, caused people’s Windows 7 x64 installations to explode. AVG, on the other hand cannot claim that distinction.
MSE has had very positive reviews. I had AVG Pro but now use MSE. I also have antispyware: Malware Bytes, Super Antispyware Pro, AdAware Pro, Spybot S&D, and Spyware Blaster.
I don’t know if this is a mistype, but you can have AVG or MSSE with Malwarebytes, in fact you should have Malwarebytes AND either AVG or MSSE
I used to use AVG then I found MSSE was catching things AVG missed.
Then I tried the latest free AVG and it kept shutting off my MS Security Center. AVG says this isn’t possible but when I put it on, Security Center won’t turn on. When I take it off, Security Center works fine.
I would use either AVG or MSSE or AVAST. If AVG slows your system too much, do not enable Link checker or email checker.
Then I would add to ONE of those three, Spybot and Malwarebytes’
The most important thing is to remember to update them daily and scan weekly
I used to use AVG at home but it started to get a bit too bloated and annoying so I switched to Avast. I never had a problem with it though. I haven’t had a problem with Avast either, but it is annoyingly chatty if you don’t go into the settings and make it shut up.
We use MSSE at work and we haven’t had a problem with that yet either. It does bog down my system a bit when it decides to do a full system scan, which it does twice a day. I’m usually running at least a couple of virtual machines and doing code development on the box at the time, so the box is fairly heavily utilized.
Norton and Mcafee have both caused me problems in the past. We used to use Trend Micro at work and that seemed to work well. None of these are free.
I’d agree with the previous comments. Most notably that MSSE and AVG can be used on the same system. AVG can be a little bloated at times, but (for home use) daily scanning is usually sufficient and can be scheduled during non-use hours (as can most comparable products).
Depending on usage patterns (like, whether you just do random web browsing versus banking) you can usually get away with less frequent updates (weekly at minimum, IMHO). This is mostly for novice users though - if you’re serious about security daily is minimum.
Most enterprises only do weekly or daily updates (which irritates me to no end, but there are capacity management implications… but there are security implications… but there are capacity management implications… rinse and repeat).
I am having great difficulty updating to AVG 2011, the version I am using will no longer be supported past Dec 16. The new version keeps saying I have no C-Drive, it is a known issue but according to the forums the problem is not going to be solved anytime soon. I have untill that time to decide what to do, maybe I should try Avast.
I would definately go with Microsoft Security Essentials. I didn’t care for Avast but it’s good too. As long as you keep it updated daily.
You need to update it daily. Scanning daily is not much use if you don’t update it daily. If you use real time protection than a daily update for definitions will be more than enough
So I would go with MSSE and if you don’t like it unistall it and put on Avast, and let us know if you like it or not, so everyone can get feedback.
AVG 2009 (combined with Nero Scout, another bloatware program) nearly destroyed my hard drive. (Very long story…)
After replacing AVG with MSSE, not only does my HD perform much better, MSSE also discovered a few trojans & java exploits which AVG completely missed. MSSE also demands far fewer resources than AVG, and never pesters me about upgrading to their so-called “premium” version.
Fuck AVG. May they die in a fire.
MSE doesn’t put little love notes into all your emails like AVG Free. It does a good job at detecting viruses, and has gotten good reviews from the press. I dropped AVG and never looked back.
I don’t think anybody said that. You should have only one antivirus, but you can have multiple anti-malwares. If you have more than one antivirus, they can interfere with each other, especially if they scan at the same time.
Indeed. I was a satisfied user of AVG until this month. It’s the 2011 “Upgrade” which is the problem. I have switched to another free vendor. http://www.pcworld.com/article/189026/15_free_security_and_backup_utilities.html
Since we are in GQ, I’ll provide a GQ answer.
On Windows XP, AVG handily beats MSE on detection, but loses on repair, as well as usability.
I do not recommend either of them. Avira Antivir beats or matches both of them in all but usability* on Windows XP, and while detection is lower on Windows 7, it more than makes up for it by actually being able to repair what it finds. Throw in Malwarebytes, and you’ll likely beat AVG on detection as well.
*Usability is quite nitpicky. Avira’s interface is a bit clunky, but it’s easy to figure out. The main problem is a nag screen when it updates, but you can Google how to remove that, or get the Premium version for free with a free trial of certain other things (as revealed on page that downloads the Personal Edition.)
[sub]Yes, when I say it downloads the Personal Edition, I mean you will get a file prompt, which you can cancel if you’re just verifying my citation.[/sub]
Meh - bad communication on my part. What I was attempting to convey was that IME (running about a dozen home machines running XP/Vista/7) there’s absolutely no conflict between the two.
Slapping Symantec and McAfee products on a machine, OTOH, has been a famous fail for years. Not sure that’s still the case, but I don’t feel like trying it out.
MSE and Malwarebytes; Combofix for when things really fuck up.
AVG renders Windows 7 users useless: Antivirus Update Bricks Windows 7 Machines | www.infopackets.com
When I had AVG, it had many false positives.
That only applies to Win7 x64. And it was an oversight (these things happen, ask your friendly developer).
And, FTR, I’m running AVG on Win7x64 right now. I don’t feel bricked.
I didn’t think it was done intentionally.
My only beef with the free version of AVG is that, on my machine, at least, it bogs everything else down for two hours while it scans. And I can’t get it to do a scan when the computer is off, so I have to schedule it for when I’m not going to be using the computer for two hours - not always a reliable bet.