@FastGame

Thank's for your reply

Well, i had really hoped to find a freeware solution with detection as good or better than NOD32 while also being very ligthweight, fast and effecient, but as the freevare version of AntiVir dosen't support spyware/advare detection in it's free version, then i don't think i will change to that, but for someone that dosen't mind the spyware/adware inability, then i think that AntiVir's freeware edition will be a very nice solution.

Thank's again mate

CU, Martin.

Ditto !!!!!!! AVG free works for me!

Another "moral of the story" thought here is that it pays to keep up-to-date with what´s out there...new, free, or pricey...if you are really concerned about the security of your system...
...seems like these "top" positions are regularly changing, although the differences are probably marginal.

So, use one that works well for you, and maybe do a supplementary scan with one of the others (but check that it´s a legitimate detection!) from time to time...that should take care of 99.99% of your needs (<--- best rate we´ve had so far )

I really like that AVG seems to updated almost daily with new and updated definitions. On the surface that would seem to indicate they are pretty dedicated to keeping their product current, relevant and functional. Nice...

NOD32 updates it's ThreatSense definitions an average of three times daily (except on weekends).

You can view the updated threats on their web site.

http://www.eset.com/support/updates.php

Swanky goodness.

Have you heard about this comparison of firewall products?

http://www.matousec.com/projects/win...ts-results.php

GB

I like the support at the AVG site...for example, today´s worm can be sorted out nicely by following http://www4.grisoft.com/doc/62/lng/u...484/idv/287333

Kaspersky.

K is my current gate-keeper, because I got a freebie 1-year trial,

but I´m a big fan of the AVG-free...

We´ve been there, done that. Can´t add anything new at the moment...just make sure stuff is
a) set up properly
b) up-to-date, and
c) you run one or two other checks from time to time.

Everyone has their own stories and own preferences which they are entitled to.. No one should force anyone into believing that one product is better than the other.. Do what I have and test them for yourself.. Read different reviews from sites which tested different AV products and know how to interpret the results..

Ive used Norton, McAfee and ZoneAlarm.. By far the worst in letting viruses get through.. Im using Kaspersky AV v6 and NOD32 on different machines and they both have different advantages.. KAV is great at detecting current viruses with is daily updates and great scanning engine.. NOD32 is great a detecting possible NEW viruses with its advanced hueristics engine, has a very fast scanning engine and uses less system resources to operate.. When configured properly is will be as good as any other AV product..

NOD32 is not really aimed at novice computer users and is highly customizable.. If your using the default settings your not running it optimally.. There is a nice article at Wilders Security Forum written by BlackSpear that helps explain all the settings and setting them up.. Its highly recommended that if your an NOD32 user that you take at look at this article..

http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=37509

AOL has a free AV product which uses the Kaspersky engine called Active Virus Shield.. If your looking for a FREE alternative to protect your system this is a great product since its basically Kaspersky AntiVirus v6 but with a different skin..

http://www.activevirusshield.com/ant...eeav/index.adp

Theres a website that has reviewed the different AV products as well that I havent seen mentioned here which may help an anyones decision in choosing an AV product for their system..

http://www.virus.gr/english/fullxml/...p?id=82&mnu=82

As far as firewalls are concerned, Im using Comodo Personal Firewall v2.4.8 and Jetico v1 which are both FREE.. Both are great but Jetico is geared more toward advanced users since it doesnt have GUI's like other firewalls.. The plus is that its extremely light on the system.. My NOD32 and Jetico system is extremely faster with BootUp and App launch compared to my system with Kaspersky and Comodo running with a faster processor..

Basically I would only recommend that people try other software for themselves.. You may find that another product is better suited for you over what you currently have.. Thats how I dumped Norton, McAfee and ZoneAlarm (AV on ZA is horrible)..

I downloaded the AOL AVS files, but even though I put in my email address correctly multiple times, I haven't gotten an activation code. Is anyone else having this problem?

Check Here

Thanks for the response. I did get the email and activation code (it took >48 hours!) today. Hopefully this is an indication of how quickly the actual program will be updated. The link that you referred me to did seem to indicate that they were having some problems getting the activation codes out in a timely fashion.

Again, Thanks.

Yes, once people found out its Kaspersky for free I don't think AOL was ready for the flood gates to open

The updates are fast & several times a day

There's no secret AOL stuff sniffing in my PC, I'm a bit cautios with AOL?

There's no "AOL stuff sniffing" (been checked by the security crowd) When you install it make sure you uncheck the option for the AOL toolbar, unless of coarse you want it.

Yea, do NOT install that toolbar crap.. With ANY program for that matter..

Thanks for the info I think I'll give it a try.

@fastgame

I got the zonealarm firewall and the AOL AVS running just fine now. You mentioned using the Bitdefender as a backup on-demand virus scan. Is it okay to have AOL AVS And the free Bitdefender running on the same system? The instructions for the AOL AVS was to uninstall any other anti-virus programs on the system. Just wondering. Thaks.

not too sure about the free version of BD, but if it runs in real time you will have to stop it starting up with windows and then run it when you disable your normal AV, but remember to disable BD before you start up your normal AV

If you install BD it'll be after you install AVS, don't know if it works because Kaspersky doesn't like other AV's on the same system.

If it does work...

You'll need to pause the AVS resident shield when you use BD on-demand (free version is on-demand only). To tell the truth other than BD Hueristic detection (possible new virus) there isn't much advantage using BD with AVS. AVS (Kaspersky) detection is about as good as it gets.

Unless you're a real really bad boy AVS should be all anyone needs

Cool. Thanks for the responses. I'll leave well enough alone and not load the BD on demand.

Happy New Years!

Trend Micro Security Suite and Zone Alarm. Never had a problem in 3 years with this set up

If you pay for your antivirusprogram get Kaspersky or some program based on kaspersky and/or even more antivirusengines.
If you want to get a free one your best bet is probably Avira Antivir. AVG don't found as many viruses, not avast either.

For firewall if you are skilled enough try jetico or maybe outpost. Comodo firewall is much easier to use and very nice, I installed it on my sisters machine, an old alternativ I used earlier was tiny personal firewall, but it's not developed longer and comodo is probably just as good. These firewalls are all free alternatives.
For a hardware based solution which you don't buy but instead run on an old PC or something check of m0n0wall or pf-sense, both FreeBSD based but the first one is slim, "simple" and don't require much resources and the later one is loaded.

For antispywareremoval try superantispyware, it finds plenty of spyware but the free version don't contain any real time protection so it's not as secure as the paid version, still nice for occasional scanning.

For cleaning, tuning and fixing your PC look for ccleaner which is free but rather limited and TuneUp Utilities which is commercial.

A very nice bootable CD with lots of tools is Hirens Boot CD but I really doubt it's legal/payed for content, I don't know for sure thought.

That should do it