Antivirus question.

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Michael
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I have upgraded my internet with talktalk and I am told I will be getting free antivirus in the form of macafee. I have never really used this, being a norton user for ages. Is it any good? I do remember being told it wasn't the best, but that was a long time ago!
When I get my laptop back from repair, that has microsoft security essentials on it, is it ok to run that as well as a full antivirus programme?
 
You only want one AV program installed. Which one is up to you. Think I'd stick with MSE.
 
Agree - stick with MSE. McAfee and Norton are pretty bloaty. Plus Symantec (Norton's makers) recently had some of their source code hacked, would make me nervous of using it.
 
MSE!!!!! never known it to detect anything! Useless bit of software. Steer clear of Norton and McAffee - just use AVG. ( either free version or paid for)
 
I was told some time ago by an ex IT guy that McAfee was the best AVS and have always stuck with them without any problem.
I have just moved broadband users to Sky who offered free McAfee AVS for 12 months but still bought the Total Internet Security package as a safeguard
Dave
 
MSE!!!!! never known it to detect anything! Useless bit of software. Steer clear of Norton and McAffee - just use AVG. ( either free version or paid for)

MSE detected some trojans on my computer and prevented them doing any damage. I have it monitoring all the time and I do an occasional scan with Malewarebytes.
 
I use avast and have seen enough sys-admins recommend MSE to be fairly comfortable with it. AVG is bloatware these days. I've never been happy with any of the paid ones (why pay when you can get free and they tend to put the kicthen sink in). Anti-virus is only as good as the updates. You can't say categorically which company is best - it'll change on a daily basis.
 
Thanks for the comments everyone. My laptop never got a virus in the 6 months I have used it, mse hardly ever seem to update though, I did think there was going to be mixed opinions about it. Will have to see which pack it is when I get through the post. Also assuming they can fix my laptop! Is mse on all windows 7 laptops and computers though, I am borrowing my dads which is windows 7 and doesn't have it on.
 
I have used Avast antivirus for many years now and have never had any problems, my family and friends also use it and likewise it works without cost and updates every day, unlike others I know who use McAfee who had been hacked and money taken from accounts.

Just because you pay for it doesn't mean its better.
 
nikonuser said:
I was told some time ago by an ex IT guy that McAfee was the best AVS and have always stuck with them without any problem.
I have just moved broadband users to Sky who offered free McAfee AVS for 12 months but still bought the Total Internet Security package as a safeguard
Dave

Maybe that's why he is an ex IT guy. :LOL:

Stick with MSE, that's fine and less resource hungry than the paid for bloatware.

My MSE updates a couple of times a day, check your settings.
 
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Maybe that's why he is an ex IT guy. :LOL:

LOL.....No, he just got to the age where he could retire and enjoy life - not like some of us!!

dave
 
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+1 for AVAST, the Nortons/McAfee offerings are pretty bloatware these days and I would not personally recommend them for home use.
 
I am an IT engineer and tried them all. Mse is ok but avg is the best by far. I have had a virus on my laptop previously and Mse didn't pick it up. When I installed avg, it picked it up within 5 minutes of being installed.
 
I am an IT engineer and tried them all.

youll find a lot of people commenting in this section are professionals.. ;)

Mse is ok but avg is the best by far. I have had a virus on my laptop previously and Mse didn't pick it up. When I installed avg, it picked it up within 5 minutes of being installed.

had the same issue with avg, had it then installed avast and it found some malware avg let through..

that said MSE has very good detection rates, it was previously antigen which was always a good product. i wanted to replace sophos with MS forefront but the budget wasnt approved.. :razz:
 
Kaspersky Internet Security user here.

I have it installed on all the computers in the house and very happy I am with it as well
 
I was always on AVG until the most recent version and it is horribly bloated and unstable now so I switched to Avast. Light, you don't know it's running and it has caught everything.
 
I think Ill get shot down here but antivirus software is more of a comfort blanket than anything else, and paying for it is just stupid.

Its more the idiotic users on the computers that are the culprit if your safe on the web and stick to websites you know or have been recommend you'll be fine having a pop-up blocker works wonders too and realising that if someone offers you a free ipad or $40000 for £400 its not going to end well.

We use avira free antivirus purely as there's 6 pc's in the house, it may not be the best but in the last 8 years I've never had a virus pop up as they all know the basics of been safe online.

Its also funny the amount of people that come to me with problems revolving around norton and macafee that stuff should be labeled as a virus in its self.
 
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daza said:
Its more the idiotic users on the computers that are the culprit if your safe on the web and stick to websites you know or have been recommend you'll be fine .....

Why bother going on line if you only ever go to sites you know, and how do you get to know those sites if you don't visit them first to know that they are 'safe'. There are plenty of sites where you can get a 'drive by' as well which could be from a link from a site that you do know.
 
I think Ill get shot down here but antivirus software is more of a comfort blanket than anything else, and paying for it is just stupid.

Its more the idiotic users on the computers that are the culprit if your safe on the web and stick to websites you know or have been recommend you'll be fine having a pop-up blocker works wonders too and realising that if someone offers you a free ipad or $40000 for £400 its not going to end well.

We use avira free antivirus purely as there's 6 pc's in the house, it may not be the best but in the last 8 years I've never had a virus pop up as they all know the basics of been safe online.

Its also funny the amount of people that come to me with problems revolving around norton and macafee that stuff should be labeled as a virus in its self.

yeah you dont have to pay for it, you pays your money you makes your choice.

however running without it isnt wise, there are more ways to get infected than just browsing to the wrong site.
 
Why bother going on line if you only ever go to sites you know, and how do you get to know those sites if you don't visit them first to know that they are 'safe'. There are plenty of sites where you can get a 'drive by' as well which could be from a link from a site that you do know.

All I'm saying is to be street smart if something looks dodgy then chances are it will be,its all about been educated, again I've also never had a drive-by.

Its the age old saying of if something looks to good to be true it generally is, I go online mainly for research I trust the results that pop up in search engines and I know most of the sites I need from the past 6yrs of surfing.
 
All I'm saying is to be street smart if something looks dodgy then chances are it will be,its all about been educated, again I've also never had a drive-by.

Its the age old saying of if something looks to good to be true it generally is, I go online mainly for research I trust the results that pop up in search engines and I know most of the sites I need from the past 6yrs of surfing.

unless youve had a hosts file hijack and your "google" responses point you at more malware..

for the sake of a few mb memory usage its a no-brainer.
 
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