Just One, Not Two -- Never use two
anti-virus products at the same time. Completely uninstall one before
installing another. Use the vendor's uninstall utility or if not
available, use the Windows XP add/remove software tool in the
control panel.
Patches & Updates -- Anti-virus software is only as effective as its most recent
update because it is inherently reactive treating "known" threats. So
when you install anti-virus software, go to the
vendor's web site and update the program and virus definitions immediately
and then turn on the auto update feature (if it has one). If you want to be
ready for the next big bad thing before your anti-virus signatures
can be updated, consider
Zero-Day Protection.
Get Online Protection Too -- Consider using an Internet service provider or
email
service that includes server side anti-virus and spam email filtering as a
second layer of defense. If possible, use different anti-virus software
on your home computer than your ISP or service uses on their servers.
Consider a Gateway
-- A Broadband Gateway product between
your modem and network can screen out viruses before they hit your
computer(s).
Spyware & Trojan Horses --
Some anti-virus software products now include
anti-spyware and some anti-spyware products have added anti-virus.
In addition, some of these products include anti-trojan, anti-worm
and other anti-malware features. Before relying on a single security
product, carefully review the vendor's list of features and study
comparative test results if available. See
Editorial - Do you really need a spyware scanner? Gizmo
Richards' Support Alert Newsletter, April 17, 2008. Also see our
Security Suite,
Anti-Spyware,
Anti-Trojan
and Zero-Day Protection pages.
Prices
-- For current prices, see our custom
Anti-Virus Software 2010
Price List
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Advanced Antivirus [retail], Erik
Larkin, PC World, November 23, 2009 -- G-Data, Symantec, Kaspersky,
BitDefender, Panda, F-Secure, Avira, Trend Micro, Eset, McAfee, &
Alwil.
Antivirus Software Reviews,
Consumersearch.com, March 2009, best antivirus is ESET NOD32
Antivirus, best free product is AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition, and
best suite with antivirus is Norton Internet Security 2009 [also
most popular].
Antivirus Software Roundup -- Protect Your PC From Guys Like This!
Paul Lilly, Maximum PC, December 22, 2008. Note:
Actually reviews of Internet security suites [including antivirus] from Antivir, Avast! AVG
free & paid, ESET, F-Protect, Kaspersky, McAfee, PC Tools &
Symantec.
Trend Micro
Anti-Virus,
as with many other vendors, their Internet Security
Suite with antivirus, anti-spam and firewall only costs $5 more than
buying just their anti-virus. See our
Internet Security Suites page
for reviews.
Can You Trust Free Antivirus Software? Erik Larkin, PC
World, August 24, 2009 -- Avira AntiVir Personal, Alwil
Avast Antivirus Home Edition, AVG 8.5 Free, MS Security Essentials,
PC Tools Antivirus Free Edition, Comodo Internet Security plus Panda
Cloud Antivirus, PC Tools Threatfire, and ClamWin Free Antivirus.
Best Free Antivirus Software, Mary Landesman,
antivirus.about.com, April 21, 2009 -- Avira AntiVir Personal
for Windows, PC Tools iAntivirus for Mac, AVG Free Edition for
Windows, Avast Home Edition for Windows, and ClamXav for Mac.
The importance of the information provided by these organizations is
explained in Independent Antivirus Lab Testing, Michael Muchmore,
PC Magazine, April 22, 2003. The need to update testing is discussed in
Security Vendors Challenge Antivirus Tests,
Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service, PC World, June 26, 2007
AV Still Weak on Rootkit Detection, Fixing Infections, Kelly
Higgins, Dark Reading, March 12, 2008 and
equivalent letter grades from Sunbelt Software. By our count,
none of the products got straight A's on all eight tests; only four out of thirty got all A's
& B's; ten got a mix of A's, B's & C's; and sixteen (!!!)
got at least one D or F.
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