Way better than AVG IMHO, Microsoft has its own free Anti-Virus/Adware/Spyware

[PBS Poll-435]

http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/


If you don't have any "protection" you might want to give it a shot.

[Mojambo]

1. I was skeptical, but it is by far the best thing I've used. n/t

[truedelphi]

2. And I imagien it only reports on a person's blogging activity to our beloved Homeland

Security about twice a week!

[PBS Poll-435]

4. It has found adware/malware on pages I would never believe

Including MSN!

I was so tired of McBloatAfee tying up my computer every hour for 5 minutes while it updated.

[MadHound]

3. Or I could just stick with my Mac

Virus free for twenty five years now.

[PBS Poll-435]

6. Some of us actually have to get work done

:P

[MadHound]

8. That's why I stick with a Mac,

Don't have to deal with a slow machine that is kludged up with viruses, or worse yet, paralyzed with the Blue Screen of Death
:P:evilgrin:

[PBS Poll-435]

10. Well played

:hi:

[The Straight Story]

9. Yeah, well, when you only hold a small percent of the market no one wants to bother

with writing virus software to infect you :)

[MadHound]

11. Fine with me,

A small market share doesn't mean an inferior product. After all, look at Lamborghinis.

[PBS Poll-435]

13. Gimme a Lexus LS460 any day...

:P

[MadHound]

14. Hell, give me a 1936 Packard Super 8 convertible

A nice forest green please.

Yes, I'm an old car nut, got a few of them out in my shed.

[Fumesucker]

48. Lamoborghini is an Italian word that means..

"Always in the shop"..

A little gearhead humor that's fairly close to the truth.

[madokie]

25. linux here

Have you hugged your non microshit computer today?

[Dappleganger]

31. It's done well for me.

We have both pc's and macs in our home, but at the end of the day most of my time is spent on a mac. Coming from the graphic arts field it's what is most comfortable for me, and no--have never had to deal with a virus of any kind.

[KansasVoter]

35. Jesus, not too smart on the virus cause are you?

[tabatha]

5. It was unable to do anything about (or detect) the

"Security Tool" virus. In addition there was a module loaded with it (MS Security Essentials) that was a CPU hog.

I have found Prevx to be the best tool I have used.

[defendandprotect]

36. What's Prevx? Security?

[tabatha]

40. Here is the web site.

http://www.prevx.com/

Btw, I also have malwarebytes and find that if I run malwarebytes, prevx checks each file as malwarebytes accesses it, so it is a double check. Prevx runs continuously in the background, and once while surfing prevx popped up with a message that a piece of malware had infected my computer. I opted to remove it, and it apparently was removed. But I also received an email from prevx about the malware.

"Prevx Malware Monitor has detected new malware infections within your operation.

1 System is infected

System: DESKTOP_COMPAQ, was infected in the last few minutes

To minimize/avoid potential data loss or information/identity theft, we urgently recommend that you review the potential infections by logging on to your MyPrevx console at https://my.prevx.com"

The malware had been removed, but I ran malwarebytes just in case, knowing that prevx was also monitoring every file scanned by malwarebytes.

[defendandprotect]

42. Interesting ... thank you --

I did a total restore of my computer about 6 or more months ago because it

was so infected with viruses which happened when I renewed Norton service and

it didn't get loaded into my system properly. Did know it wasn't working.

I just have Zone Alarm and AVG now but for some reason this 2011 version is

giving me difficulties.

So -- I might try Prevx -- thanks again!

[upi402]

7. Norton and MaxiFEES sucks, so TY

kick rec

[PBS Poll-435]

12. Thanks

The McAfee crap that comes free with my ISP not only bloated my system but bricked my hard drive.

AVG Free is like a sheepskin condom, so I was glad I found this.

[Hawkeye-X]

23. AVG went bad after they released 9.0

had to use several anti-virus until M$ got smart and released it - for free.

Hawkeye-X

[defendandprotect]

37. I'm having trouble with the 2011 AVG version .... on occasion I have to turn my

computer off from the "surge" switch. This happens when weather conditions

or other problems create a frozen screen.

Every time I do that, the updates get screwed up and you have to reload the whole

thing again -- I think my Zone Alarm is what actually creates the problem on the

shutdowns?

[snappyturtle]

15. I don't want anything from microsoft right now.....EVERYTIME for the last week

when I shut down I have yet another 'update'! I don't get it. Never been plaqued like this before.

[frylock]

16. they're likely just windows defender definition updates..

no different than your current AV software updating it's daily signature or DAT files.

[snappyturtle]

17. Everyday? I've never had them so frequently. I find it annoying; of course,

I find much annoying today! I've got to do something to improve my mood!

[Statistical]

22. I update my AV definitions 4 times per day (every 6 hours).

Does frequent updates somehow injure you?

If an AV doesn't have a definition for a virus then it simply doesn't "know" the virus is a virus.
Frequent and consistent AV definition is essential. An AV without out of date definitions is worthless. It is like drunk guard snoozing while the Huns storm the castle.

[canetoad]

32. The terrorists have won. nt

[defendandprotect]

38. Think it's a load of crap ... or necessary for them to keep up with our private info....?

[WestSeattle2]

18. Been running it for a week; no problems.

[TreasonousBastard]

19. Been using it for a while now-- dumped AVG and Zone Alarm for...

Antivir and Comodo, and then dumped them for Microsoft. I have other stuff, like Malwarebytes and Iobit that I run every so often, and WinPatrol is sitting there watching for evil startups and registry changes.

It does a scan at around 2AM every day which slows things down, but who cares at 2AM...

[Statistical]

20. I like Avast personally but security essentially is good, suprisingly good.

I know most people here Microsoft and then rant on like Win95 is still being used, and blue screens every day are common.

Windows 7 is a good OS. Solid, stable, scalable. Likewise Security Essential is a good product. For those who want more customization (yes that means you are a nerd) Avast is better but for a no thinking install it and it protects you Security Essential is great.

Even if you are a computer whiz I have found by installing SE on family & friends computers you get less phone calls about viruses. When someone ask me for help because they got blasted with a virus the first thing I do is uninstall worthless Norton and install a new AV. It use to be Avast but Security Essential seems easier to use so it is my go-to solution.

I don't know why everyone in your extended family thinks if your job has anything to do with computer that means you can fix everything but they do. SE saves a lot of time and energy. It just works.

[defendandprotect]

39. You're recommending "Security Essentials"? Never heard of them ....

will look into it --

Whenver I have a problem, I call my son!! And he faithfully gets me straightened

out again. But, he does say, "Mom, you have to stop treating your computer like a plant!"


:)

We do appreciate you computer guys, tho!!

[Statistical]

43. "Security Essentials" is the software recommended in the OP. "Microsoft Security Essentials".

"We do appreciate you computer guys, tho!!"
Aww thanks. Wish I heard that more at work. :)

[defendandprotect]

47. Thanks ... understand now -- duh!

[Hawkeye-X]

21. I actually endorse it. I normally don't endorse M$ product

but this one is very simple and easy to use, and it's very quiet in the background.

Not bloatware either.

Strongly recommended for people who have plenty of memory (2G or better) on their CPU's.

And it's caught the virus that is normally used for Anonymous (to crash BoA, Paypal, etc), it took a while but it's gone now.

Hawkeye-X

[DavidDvorkin]

24. I run it, but it doesn't seem to include a firewall

So I also run Zone Alarm, which I'm starting to dislike.

Am I wrong about the firewall? I hope so.

[Upton]

26. No it doesn't come with a firewall..

you need to use the Windows firewall which you can tweak from inside MSE.

[DavidDvorkin]

28. Thanks.

I wonder how the Windows firewall compares to Zone Alarm.

[woo me with science]

27. We actually picked up a trojan while using it.

However, I have heard of many other people who have had only good experiences.

[GoCubsGo]

45. No anti-virus package can stop all trojans.

Especially if you don't stay current with your upgrades. I have had them get past AVG and AVAST, despite being up-to-date on my definitions. They put out trojans faster than the anti-virus people can keep up with them.

[hobbit709]

46. The way some trojans are written, they are technically not a virus themselves

That's why you need both a good antivirus and a good antimalware program.

[high density]

29. I run Microsoft Security Essentials on my laptop and installed it on my parents' PC

It seems to work quite well and it stays out of the way. I once used Avast everywhere but I got frustrated with how talky it was about a year ago when they were forcing the migration to version 5.x. It has improved since then but I didn't really like how that went down.

[Kalun D]

30. 14 Years

I've been scratch building and running PC's. Always ran windows, never ran anti-virus programs, never had a virus. How? Never ran the windows browser. Used Netscape at first, now run Firefox. 90% of virus's attack through the Windows browser. Also sitting behind a hardware firewall, otherwise known as a router. Never load the new windows until SP-2 is out. Never run windows update. Skip junk releases like ME and Vista.

[Feron]

33. Avoiding updates is bad advice.

No matter the operating system, it's good practice to stay up to date on security patches. And especially since many flavors of malware can be avoided through patching.

I set Windows Update to notify me of updates before downloading or installing. That way I can avoid something that I don't want or something that may be causing problems for others.

And while avoiding IE is wise, you can also get malware from other browsers usually via Flash or Java.

Not to mention that you can get malware from other sources other than IE.

[hobbit709]

44. It's the first thing I turn OFF on mine.

Then I get in there and really tweak a lot of settings. My main system boots from power on to desktop in 35 seconds and it's loaded with applications. Haven't had a virus problem in over 5 years and that one came from a CD that I mistakenly trusted the source.

[saras]

34. Protection from what?

It is possible to pretty much entirely avoid infection (well, there's the one-in-ten-million chance that you will be one of the few to pick up a day-zero malware that attacks GIF files or something like that, but there's an equal chance that a natural gas explosion will blow up your house, computer and all) through behavioral means (i.e. don't do inappropriate things). The down side is that you will end up knowing more about computers and malware than you perhaps wish to. And, your computer will behave more like a tool for production and less like one for consumption.

Some basic steps..
- use a HARDWARE firewall. Many routers come with an adequate one. VERY important, and pretty much transparent.

- only enable the executable content (Javascript, flash, Windows media, etc.) you need.
- always enable content temporarily. A favorite site could get hacked tomorrow, even if it were clean today.
These are a bit annoying but pay off spectacularly

- don't develop the habit of consuming the latest consumable content, just because.
This is a good idea completely independent of computers.

- research unknown sites and software before trying them
Likewise.

- don't use Internet Explorer or Outlook unless you are behind a well-managed corporate firewall.
If you happen to work for Microsoft, Outlook is great - that's exactly the environment it was designed for.

- use plaintext email only
This improves the quality of your life independent of malware.

- use a password manager, so that you can use high-security passwords
There are alternatives, but using lame passwords isn't one of them.

Rather like using seatbelts and turn signals, develop good habits, and they will save your butt over and over again.

So far, none of the antivirus programs detect more than about 95% of malware anyways, so it doesn't matter which one you use in the sense that a significant amount of malware will get through them if they're your only line of defense.

My real point - personally I wonder what software OTHER than viruses Microsoft's antivirus will begin tagging as malware, AFTER it becomes nearly universally adopted. Peer-to-peer programs? BitTorrent programs? Encryption? Secure email software? Alternative word processors? It's not as though Microsoft has a clean record regarding these sorts of issues...

and to premptively defuse anyone who thinks BitTorrent = piracy, the same logic says guns = crime and environmentalism = terrorism.

[tabatha]

41. ** PREVX is the best for me.

http://prevx.com/

Scroll down to see threats missed by other virus software.

On edit, check the awards

http://www.prevx.com/press.asp

[DailyGrind51]

49. I have heard nothing but great things about this MS product.

However, I have the McAfee Suite that came with my ISP.

[Statistical]

50. I wouldn't use McAfee if my ISP paid me to.

I am being serious; some things are worth the time/hassle/headache.