New computer antivirus software advice - HELP!!

[retread]

I have been running Norton 360 on all three of my computers. Seems to really slow things down and it is not cheap. I need some good alternatives that will give me protection without casting an arm and a leg. Any Suggestions.

[CGT80]

Eset smart security

My neighbor is a computer programmer and runs police communications equipment for a living. He recommended it years ago and it beats norton, mcaffee and the others I have tried. Eset seems to have a great track record and it does not slow the computer down. I have built my own computers since the 90's and seem to be the go to guy for friends and family who get stuck on them, but I am not a pro at computers.

I use eset on my android phone and tablet as well.

[Boolit_Head]

Microsoft security essentials is decent considering the cost. Won't slow things down a bunch.

[Ken in Iowa]

Kaspersky is what I'm using now. I left Norton long ago.

[MrWolf]

Kaspersky is what I'm using now. I left Norton long ago.

Same here. Only issues I have are when time to upgrade it sometimes causes problems with installation as it thinks prior version is still there.

[gwpercle]

I use these for office and home computers. Our computer service guy, Tim, advised using them and they are free!
Download for free at www.timpc.com (http://www.timpc.com) or at www.filehippo.com (http://www.filehippo.com) these three:

CCleaner
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
Super Antispyware

We downloaded the programs from Tims PC site, my secretary runs them manually, my son installed them on our home computer and they run automatically .
Gary

[pcolapaddler]

We use Symantec at work; it is a bit pricey. I use Kaspersky at home. Kaspersky is decently priced. I have used the free MS Security Essentials or whatever it is currently named - Defender?

Used McAfee years ago, but have not been impressed of late.

PC Mag, Maximum PC and others often will have a review of the major vendor's offerings. It is a good resource for info in one place.

[DougGuy]

Eset NOD32 antivirus. It's really good on malware too. Find out if you have 32bit or 64 bit windows and get the correct version. This has a real small footprint, uses less ram than a browser, doesn't take over a machine like some anti virus software does. $40 a year and well worth it!

http://www.eset.com/us/products/nod32-antivirus/

I don't use their internet security, never needed it. This NOD32 will alert you if you go to a bad webpage, it will also find every bit of malware and suspected junk that M$ malicious software tool will find.

I haven't used or recommended Norton since the 90s. If there was a slimmer, faster, more effective antivirus out there I would run it but the fact is, NOD32 *is* the slimmest, fastest, and most effective that I have found and I build all my own machines, have A+, Network+, Server+ certs. Not bragging but not the dullest crayon in the box either and NOD32 is what I use and install/recommend for others.

Here is a good half day's work that will net you a whole bunch of newfound horsepower in any computer running any flavor of windows..

1. Install and run NOD32. It will take a good while to do a complete scan. Sit back and watch the log file as it scrolls and watch what it finds!

2. Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10: Go into Control Panel/System/Advanced System Settings/Advanced/Performance/Settings and tick the "Adjust for best performance" setting and click Apply. This turns off all the fading, shadowing, animation, turns off all them Fisher Price Playskool looking colors, and gives you a huge performance boost!

3. Run Disk Cleanup. after it scans, click on Cleanup System Files and run it again. Here you can remove useless files the system piles up in your C: drive as it updates, memory dump files, even huge folders with old saved copies of Windows can be removed in this menu. (*note: do not remove these saved versions of windows if you might want to go back to your older operating system). For a laptop especially, running this disk cleanup really helps because as you run the computer, there are things that run in the background that have to slow the machine down to poll these files to see if anything has changed. Every time you use the computer, it checks these files which really slows it down and uses up system resources and CPU cycles. I get rid of all of them after I am certain I don't want to back out of an upgraded operating system.

4. Clear out your cookies, browser cache, and temporary internet files. <-- This, gets rid of a LOT of popups and annoying things like hijacked google search windows that don't correctly display search results, (instead it displays the results the cookies store in cache and want to redirect you to go to! Once you clear all this out, you will have to re-learn your browser to login to your favorite forums and sites where you stored login information so keep your passwords handy.

Just doing these 4 things will have given your machine a well deserved cleanout and you will instantly notice a faster, snappier machine once you are done.

If you want to defrag a disk, I use Piriform Defraggler. It is free and runs GREAT! *note: There is NO NEED to defrag a SSD (Solid State Drive) as this will only degrade it's performance over time.

https://www.piriform.com/defraggler

[David2011]

I use these for office and home computers. Our computer service guy, Tim, advised using them and they are free!
Download for free at www.timpc.com (http://www.timpc.com) or at www.filehippo.com (http://www.filehippo.com) these three:

CCleaner
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
Super Antispyware

We downloaded the programs from Tims PC site, my secretary runs them manually, my son installed them on our home computer and they run automatically .
Gary

While Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and Super Antispyware are great programs (I'm less a fan of CCleaner) they are anti-malware programs; not antivirus programs.

Avast! and AVG both have excellent versions that are free to home users. They use the same antivirus definitions as the paid versions and are very effective.

David

[Rick Hodges]

I use Avast on my Desktop and laptop and am very satisfied. Free and works better than Norton or McAffee ever did for me.

[mold maker]

I've been satisfied with AVG FREE for over 8 years and 4 PCs.