I have always used AntiVir Personal Edition. I have installed that on many machines of friends and family with complete satisfaction.
I don’t know why I never hear about it when the free antivirus roll-call comes up on the SD. Doesn’t anyone else use it here?
[QUOTE=Kiros]
It’s worth noting that for the above-average home user (which, I assume, many of the SDMB patrons would presume to be) who is using a hardware firewall (i.e. router - again, something pretty common), there really isn’t that much of a need for an anti-virus application on your computer. Heresy, I know. In 30 years, though, we’ll look back at this era and say something like, “Geez, they didn’t KNOW what a virus was back then! The only “Internet Security” they needed was a “Don’t Be Stupid With Clicking The Install Button!” sticker on the edge of the monitor!”
If circumstances are such that you must have an antivirus installed - and there are MANY such circumstances, don’t get me wrong - then I also like the current version of Avast.
[/QUOTE]
I don’t agree with this. A firewall does protect you from intrusive installation of bad stuff, but it doesn’t protect you from vulnerabilities in your browser or mail client, or from infections that come in attached to stuff from hapless, innocent friends or colleagues. Not all of these require you to click an Install button.
A firewall does a different job to an antivirus program and most people do actually need a bit of both.
I am on a router with internal firewall, and I use Netscape for mail and web browsing. I had never seen the virus notification box until the one time I opened Internet Explorer to go to a webpage that seemed not to be loading properly in Netscape. Immediately, I got dozens of popups conaining trojans and viruses installing multiple toolbars that completely hosed my OS. So however much you think your router is protecting you, it is not infallible, and there are no circumstances under which you should not have antivirus protection. It also helps if you never, ever use IE.
The webpage I was on was sending malicious popups, but they were being ignored by Netscape. The fact that they suddenly appeared when I opened IE was proof that they were in fact getting past the hardware firewall - it was my main browser rejecting them because I had popups blocked. They didn’t open, the viruses didn’t execute and the virus alert didn’t activate…until I used the approved Microsoft web application. Make of that what you will.
I’ve used Norton/Symantec for years and I hate it. Unfortunately I can’t remove it from my work computer! So bravo to you, get rid of it!!!
Dumped Norton for AVG years ago, haven’t regretted it a bit. Do that.
Thanks for the replies. I think Ill dump Norton and install Zone Alarm and Avast instead.