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What is the best free antivirus software? Please read this page and the software installation instructions carefully.
All of this software is now available on an installation CD.
We recommend using our free scanners to scan your computer for (1) malware and (2) viruses before you install any new antivirus or antispyware software. If your computer already has a virus or malware on it, the infection could interfere with installation of your new software. Contact me if you need help. As I mentioned in the first video at YouTube, the best free antivirus software is actually a combination of several different free software programs. If you combine the right programs, you will have a good level of protection for your computer. The free software will protect you from virus, malware, spyware, hackers, phishing, scams, fraud web sites, and a lot more. All of the freebies on our list will give you "real time protection" against threats both known and unknown. I added a few more items to the list, including one that will clean junk files and tune up your computer. The free software I am showing you on this page will do a better job than some of the popular - often expensive - all-in-one "Security Suites". Your computer will be more secure than the average PC. The brand of software you use is very important, but the way you combine the different software programs is even more important. With all of the viruses, botnets, and cyber attacks these days, upgrading is a good idea if you can afford it. The upgrade versions give your computer an even higher degree of real time monitoring and protection. See some inexpensive examples here. All of the upgrade software information is here. If you can not afford an upgrade now, no problem, just use the freebies. I put the very best ones that I could find on this page, and you will have some good software for your computer. The only thing I ask in return is that you bookmark this page and please come back to visit me again if you decide to buy anti-virus or anti-malware software in the future. In order to give your computer a good level of protection, you need the following: (1) antivirus (2) antispyware (3) firewall (4) a secure web browser (5) anti-hack tool (6) fraud, scam, and phishing filter (7) sandbox to isolate your browser and other programs while they are running. Be sure to un-install any antivirus or antispyware software you currently have on your computer before you install anything from the list. Please read the list carefully. 1. Antivirus: Choose one - Avira, Avast, PC Tools Antivirus, or Cloud Antivirus. To get a free Avast download, go to the products tab, "Desktop Protection" - "Home Edition". For the PC Tools free version, go to the "Home" tab, then the "PC Tools Antivirus" tab. 2. Antispyware: Choose one - Spyware Doctor or Spyware Terminator. These both provide real time monitoring and protection. I mentioned Malwarebytes in the video, but the free version no longer provides any real time monitoring. 3. Firewall: Outpost Free Firewall. I did mention the Zone Alarm firewall in the video but after further testing Outpost Firewall is definitely my first choice. I use the "Block Most" setting for the firewall policy and this is a solid firewall. Some experts also like the PC Tools Firewall Plus. I do recommend that you install the firewall in the safe mode, then reboot the computer. 5.Anti-hack tool: SnoopFree Privacy Sheild Optional: Keyscrambler for Firefox, and Keepass. In regards to the Snoop Free utility, I would like to add this note. There is some controversy about Snoop Free due to the Site Advisor report. I have used this utiliy with no problems; it is just a simple no-frills utility that detects if any programs are trying to acess your keyboard or read your screen. It does not contain any malicious software. However, I do recommend that you read the Site Advisor and WOT ratings on Snoop Free before you download or install it. Use it or not at your own discretion. 6. Fraud and phishing filter: We recommend that you use both WOT (Web of Trust) and Site Advisor. Please keep in mind that the website raters are just people like you and me, the ratings are not always perfect. Read them carefully, look at the details. Another nice one is the Web Security Guard. It will show you real statistics about how safe a website is - more objective than WOT or Site Advisor. 7. Sand Box: We recommended Sandboxie as free software in the original video. Apparently it no longer has a free version, only a paid version with a 30 day free trial. This is for for added safety, virus protection, etc. I don't recommend this for an older computer, it slows them down. 8. Tune Up: Many people like the idea of a tune up utility that keeps the computer running like "brand new". The one I use and recommend is Advanced System Care. It works great and it is very easy to use. Mouse over the "Downloads" tab at the Iobit website for the freebie. If you install and operate your Windows computer with the free software that we have shown you, your computer will be well protected from online threats. For more ways to protect your pivacy and your computer, visit our Spyware website. * Please note: Spybot S&D also has a real time monitoring system, but we don't recommend it as a primary anti-spyware due to the fact that the signature database is limited. The Spybot Tea Timer also has a lot of pop-up warnings.
a-squared - Avast - AVG - Avira - BitDefender - CA Security - ESET NOD32 - Kapersky - Malwarebytes Panda Security - Parental Controls - Trend Micro - Spyware Doctor - Spybot S&D - SuperAntiSpyware
Are Free Antivirus Software Programs Any Good? The short answer is yes, free antivirus software is just as good as the ones you pay for at eliminating virus threats. I know many of us have learned the hard way that you get what you pay for but that is not the case with free antivirus software. The truth is, many antivirus companies give out their personal or home version of their product for free. They do this so that people will use it, become impressed with it and then recommend it to the companies they work for. These antivirus companies make their money from the commercial versions of their products. Most companies that offer a free antivirus product are just as fast at detecting new viruses as the pay-for companies. These companies make their money by offering a good commercial version so their reputation would be on the line if they didn't come out with updates just as fast as the other guys. Their business model is to get referrals from the free versions so it is in their best interest to keep them updated and working well. They are just as fast or even faster in some cases at getting new virus definition files created.
Another benefit to the free versions is that most of them auto-update. These products get judged on how well they work and the companies that make them need word of mouth to push sales. It would not be good if they let people install the products and then relied on those people to update the software themselves. The updates are the most important part of having an antivirus program. As new viruses come out, new updates to your AV program come out to keep you safe from them. If you are not updating your AV programs, you are leaving yourself open to be infected by any new virus that comes along.
I recommend using AVG, Avast or Avira. All these products come in a free home version for your personal use and all of them rate just as high as the pay-for versions from the big two (Norton and McAfee). | | | |
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