At Boxaid IT Support we see many computers with no anti-virus programs installed at all. Sometimes it’s a newly purchased PC that came with a trial version of McAfee or Symantec that expired and the end user chose not to renew the product. Many of the larger vendors like Symantec or McAfee can be outside a user’s budget but leaving your computer with no anti-virus protection at all is not an option in today’s malware filled Internet.
When our customers give us a call, if we find that they do not have adequate anti-virus software on their machine we always make sure we install one of the free anti-virus products that are widely available today. In addition, there are a few things to keep in mind when securing your Windows PC.
Dont Go Overboard
Having one anti-virus program is good but having two different programs is not better. In other words, choose one quality anti-virus program and NEVER install two programs that are running simultaneously. This is purely because of performance reasons. An anti-virus program is scanning every single file that is touched by Windows so there is a slight performance impact on your PC. But if you have two anti-virus programs fighting to see who will scan the file first you will definitely run into performance problems.
Dont Forget to Update
If you read our article on how new viruses and trojans are defeating today’s malware products, then you know the importance of updating your signature files on your anti-virus product. Without daily upates your protection becomes weaker every single day. This is because you are not getting protection from the 300 (on average) new viruses that are coming out on a daily basis. All anti-virus products have an automatic update feature where they will silently check their servers on the Internet for updates but always check it occasionally to make sure its working.
Top Free Anti-Virus Programs
At BoxAid we see dozens of viruses and trojans on a daily basis. Our technicians always take note of which anti-virus product is installed on the PC. There is no clear winner of which anti-virus solution gives you the best protection because we see every single vendor at one time or another. But we do see some programs less than others. Below is an informal list of which anti-virus products do the best job of protecting your Windows machines from some of today’s most popular threats.
AVG Free Edition-AVG is a clear leader in the consumer anti-virus space. They have offered a fully free version for several years now. They definitley make it a bit tough to find the free version on their website. Obviously, they want you to pay for the product otherwise they don’t make any money. The two paid versions they offer give you several other features for the $30 to $50 range. If you want the extra features or simply want to pay for a good product then choose the paid version. The free version has no gimmicks or advertisements and does a great job considering it’s completely free.
AVAST Home Edition-Avast is another great free anti-virus product. Has plenty of bells and whistles that a full feature product would give you. They are not as popular as AVG but they are quickly gaining ground on them. The install is very cusomizeable allowing you to choose which components you want to install or not install. The one catch is that you have to register the software within 30 days of install which simply means you have to enter a name and address in the software so that it will continue to work.
Avira AntiVir Personal-Avira is another free anti-virus product. No we don’t know why all these companies all start with the letter “A”….its just coincedence 
This product also is quickly catching up in popularity with the previous two products. In addition, their paid version is also reasonably priced at around $25. We have definitely seen several instances where Avira is sometimes the only anti-virus product that offers protection from some of the newer malware. So they definitely excel in providing protection quickly compared to their competitors.
Microsoft Security Essentials-Yes, Microsoft made the list. They are always put down for their countless security vulnerabilities in Windows but we have to admit, their anti-virus product is pretty good, catching several infections that are not even detected by some of the bigger anti-virus vendors. Of course the price is right as well. We find the product to use a bit more resources than the other three but still very reasonable considering that it provides great protection against some newer threats.
Malwarebytes-Of course if you don’t know about Malwarebytes you must be living under a rock. A common question we get at BoxAid IT support is ”Do I need Malwarebytes and another anti-virus product like one of the ones just mentioned or McAfee and Symantec?” So the real difference between the free version of Malwarebytes and the others is that Malwarebytes is NOT running in the background and protecting you from malware as you access a file or a website. The other programs are “on-access scanners” meaning they are constantly running in the background as long as your PC is turned on. Of course they are using resources on your PC as you work but they are a necessary evil to keep you malware free. Malwarebytes, on the other hand, is installed and run manually by the end user on an occasional basis to look for any malware that may have made it past your regular anti-virus protection. In other words, it’s not running in the background using resources on your PC, it only runs “on-demand”. Malwarebytes has gained a tremendous popularity in the past 2 years, even being used in many corporations that rely on the big vendors like McAfee and Symantec. They are known for their ability to remove some of the most stubborn viruses that are coming out on a daily basis.
If you want to see a comprehensive list of the latest anti-virus products we recommend VB Bulletin and AV Comparatives who tests these products across many facets like speed, resource usage, detection quality, false positive rate and other factors. You will have to sign up for a free user account on VB Bulletin if you want to see the reports. You do NOT have to sign up for anything on AV Comparatives.
About George Dover
George Dover is one of the Microsoft Certified Technicians that works at BoxAid.com. He is the primary blog contributor and has helped thousands of customers calling into BoxAid on a daily basis. Connect with me on Google+
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