Avast! is free for home users.
I use AVG.
I second that. I've never had any problems, and it's saved my files on a couple of occasions.
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What is a good free virus protection software for windows? I know that using windows marks me as a techno-idiot but there it is. Every once in a while I see a warning about spyware. Whenever I search for free software there always seems to be a catch like accepting a promotion for something completely unrelated to computers, like a Blockbuster promotion.
I don't personally use anti-virus software (for reasons you'll find out in a second) but I've heard Avast is quite good. I used to use AVG back in the day but the last time I used it it wasn't very efficient at what it was supposed to do.
A friend suggested switchin to Linux but a programmer I know said that some features won't work with it. Does anyone have any experience using Linux?
I'm currently using Linux and it's been a good experience overall. So good in fact that I won't be switching back to proprietary OSes in the foreseeable future. That being said, I wouldn't recommend Linux to everybody. One should be willing to interface with their computer and do manual work-arounds and such to optimise their PC. There are lots of great manuals online to help you with problems as well which eases the transition.
You can download some distributions of Linux and burn them onto a CD to make a Live CD to test it out if you like.
AVG - third.
Used for 9 years.
Easy on memory, Frequently updated. Paired with a good firewall and 'Spybot S&D' I have had NO problems whatsoever.
AVG ranks very high and performs well enough--I prefer it to most of the commercial stuff out there (Norton, McAfee, etc.). However, I wanted as small a footprint as possible with maximum protection so I ponied up the small amount of cash for ESET NOD32. It's performed very well and I immediately noticed better overall performance on my PC.
EDIT: Oh, and I'd second CCleaner. I've also been enjoying IOBit's SmartDefrag lately. For free firewall's, I was using Comodo until I purchased ESET's. Most importantly, I use, I run FireFox with the NoScript extension. I've had zero infections and zero crashes for over a year now...
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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AVG and CCleaner FTW.
AVG 8.0 also has a Spyware Scanner now (7.5 it didn't, they had a seperate one) and that new Link Scanner is pretty nifty too.
I use both as standard cleanup software for all the Virus Work I've had over the last couple of months (seriously more in 3 months than in the previous year!).
Also recomend Malwarebytes if you think you have problems and Spybot Search and Destroy if you want more Spyware protection than just AVG.
An AVG Scan actually just finished running on somone's HD as I was typing this... coincidence? I think not. =)
Wayfinder, PaizoCon Founder
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I run CA (so I pay for coverage for our 3 computers), but I also run 2 free spyware scanners, and I've used them for years. They are excellent.
Spybot Search and Destroy
Spywareblaster
Spybot S&D scans for a whole list of things, including trojans. I've cleaned several of my co-workers' computers with it.
Spywareblaster simply maintains a list of sites to block for your browser.
I use AVG.
I too use AVG and have always been very happy with it.
A friend suggested switchin to Linux but a programmer I know said that some features won't work with it. Does anyone have any experience using Linux?
I use Linux on the work computers. Using it is a whole different kettle of fish then using Windows, its a lot like making the switch to a Mac as a comparable example. By 'some features won't work' whats actually meant is every feature ever created for Windows won't work. You'll need to find a Linux equivalent for everything. Now mostly you'll succeed and sometimes the Linux version will even be better.
Still the first thing you'll likely notice is that there are not many games that will work with Linux. So if you use your computer as a gaming platform this is not really an option. If, on the other hand, you mainly use it to do a handful of things like Word Processing and surfing the web it may be a much more viable option as you'll soon find good programs for this sort of thing and will be able to happily go on your way. Its apparently a great platform if your a programmer as well. Thats in fact why we run Linux at work - we wanted to create software specific to running our business and its the best platform around for that sort of thing.
AVG 1st, Clamwin second, especially if it is an older system.
AVG is pretty worthwhile. Also, for adware, Spybot is really good at keeping it off your system.
Most importantly, I use, I run FireFox with the NoScript extension. I've had zero infections and zero crashes for over a year now...What is the "NoScript extension"? What does it do and where do I find it?
I love FireFox and would love to have something more protective. Can never be too safe....
You can find it at http://noscript.net/. It basically blocks web sites from executing scripts without your permission. When you visit a sight, a little bar pops up at the bottom to let you know what all scripts are trying to run. You can ban sights (I never get spammed by random add scripts now), trust other sites (I don't have to tell it to trust paizo.com over and over, for instance), and temporarily trust sites. Good stuff.