All PC Users have the best Anti-Virus Program?

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Like everything else all PC Users have the best Anti-Virus Program. Right? Although I have read many Web sites listing the ” Top Ten Anti-Virus” Programs several times and also Individual Sites of say Kaspersky etc. which we know are biased of course they want to sell their stuff. For an average or below average user like myself the independent web site opinions like the ” Top Ten ” or the actual Program sites like Kaspersky etc., u have a million opinions which are very confusing as to choosing one without real PC Knowledge. I had Kaspersky for 8 yrs on my Vista Home Premium PC when I didn’t know a thing about PC’s and didn’t care and now have ” Webroot ” only because I bought a new PC with Win 8.1 last Dec. 2014 at Best Buy Store that now pushes Webroot, and when I bought my first PC they pushed Kaspersky. I guess like which athlete wears a companys tennis shoes??? So, I inquired about Webroot from the sales guy and the Manager they both use it so that’s what I got. My PC runs fantastic. No problems and get a optimization with the Online Best Buy Geek Squad Remote Session if I need it for $100 bucks a year and it is fantastic. Anyway, sorry to make this long, but I put my sister on my second of three PC’s I am allowed with my Webroot and her daughters husband is very knowledgeable about how to fix and work on a PC. He says better than Geek Squad and worked on her PC for the first time the other night and told her that ” Webroot” isn’t even an Anti-Virus ” Program but didn’t tell her what it is lol. And he installed ” Avira ” which he uses on hers and took off her Webroot. Now in browsing just yesterday on one of the sites from ” PC World” Webroot was named second or third best Anti-Virus by PC Magazine with a decently written article by a knowledgeable guy. Forget who now. I believe PC Magazine is a reputable Magazine if I am not mistaken. But, I have to say that, Kaspersky, McAfee, and a couple others are mentioned more on Independent websites than Webroot. I have seen Webroot on many Websites Listed as an ” Anti-Virus ” Program. I would appreciate opinions here on what I have written about Webroot and what sis’s daughters husband says about Webroot and did by changing it to Avira and also opinions on all and the best Anti-Virus Programs u Users out there know about and use. Thanks and sorry for the length but thought I needed to explain a bit.
drdoo2 / Pat

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Pat,

As you say “all PC Users have the best Anti-Virus Program” it’s between their ears! 😆

That said, my preference {YMMV} is Windows Defender (bundled w/Windows) and Malwarebytes Premium, both running active, they play nicely together. Also, Microsoft EMET 5.2. I also use browser addons with Firefox browser to keep the junk at bay (Web Of Trust – Link scanner, uBlock – Add blocker, NoScript – JavaScript blocker, Flash Block – Flash Blocker, Disconnect – link blocker, Privacy Badger & HTTPS Everywhere).

Occasionally I also run Windows Defender Offline, and several of the online scanners and Root-kit detectors.

And last but certainly not least a regular regimen of multi-generation image backups using Macrium Reflect Premium.

As you can see it’s a multi-layered approach and I’ve been totally virus free for decades! HTH :cheers:

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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Thanks Geek. U know Woody said in his 8.1 Dummies book that Windows Defender, and Firewall are as good as any out there. I have Ad Blocker, No Script which is great and Ghostery that Woody says he uses. 8.1 book also. I have a Surf Easy VPN but don’t really know if they do anything or even work. I have no evidence of that or opinions from people. The other things u have I have never even heard of lol but would love to know about so I will take them out of ur response and look them up. If I can’t find them on a Web Site the way u have them listed could u possibly give me a link? Only if u have time pls. I don’t like to bug. I use Firefox also. Thanks a bunch Geek ur always helpful.

drdoo2 / Pat

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Geek. Sorry, to bother u again. If u know anything or have an opinion on Webroot would u give it to me good or bad pls. Thanks.

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Pat,

As you say “all PC Users have the best Anti-Virus Program” it’s between their ears! 😆

Bingo, I used to think it was 99% of the equation, now I think it’s somewhere along the lines of 99.99%. I’d be pretty darn surprised if RG ever reported that something genuinely serious happened that his “belt and suspenders” approach caught and he had no clue or no idea that he’d done something “stupid” beforehand.

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Thanks fun but, do u have anything to say about my Post? Simply, do u have an opinion on Webroot? Truth won’t hurt my feelings and what do u consider some good AV’s out there? Thanks.
drdoo2 / Pat

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Thanks fun but, do u have anything to say about my Post? Simply, do u have an opinion on Webroot? Truth won’t hurt my feelings and what do u consider some good AV’s out there? Thanks.
drdoo2 / Pat

I said it. 🙂 Reconfirmation of RG. Seriously, I put Avast free on my Mom’s XP computer and we run that once in a while…I haven’t used anything active for 7 years now (also XP), just a hardware router and what’s between my ears. I too have been virus free for…well for 17 years now I reckon since I started using the Internet, 22 years or so using computers.

So I don’t even know if Avast free is good or not, other than it’s never caught anything…they’re all belt and suspenders that will hopefully keep your pants on if you pop your buttons; your buttons being your brain bucket.

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Simply, do u have an opinion on Webroot?

Based on personal experience, no. But I’m going to give you an answer that might not be what you are expecting.

For a lot of people, any antivirus program will be perfectly fine for them because they don’t go looking for problems. So, is the antivirus program they use so good because it works or because it’s never called upon to deal with something really nasty?

A lot of the rankings are based on testing where they expose the PC to known threats. It a stress test. Something we hope our system will never have to endure. Most of the makers know what the tests are and make sure they can pass them. Their results are often so close that rankings can come down to things like speed, ease or use and interface.

Webroot is an anti-virus. Some tests don’t rank it too highly against the field others rank it better. But, again, this can be like testing the family car to see how well it does on a high speed slalom course – when you really want to know how well it does hauling the family to the mall and back.

There is one other factor at work, vanity. There is a certain amount of, “This is what I use so it must be good.” going on when you ask others for their opinion. Even knowledgeable people do this, perhaps even more than “average” people. I’ve used AVG for years and have frequently recommended it. I used to use Norton but it got to be annoying and before that I used F-Prot (that’s going way back). Lately, AVG has gotten a bit annoying so I’m trying Bitdefender Free on one PC – I expect it will work, I just want a chance to evaluate the interface.

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thanks alot gsmith

drdoo2

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As you start off by saying ‘Like everything else all PC Users have the best Anti-Virus Programs, right?’, I’m not really sure what you’re asking of us here. Sure, ask half a dozen people and you may well get half a dozen different answers, but that doesn’t mean they’ll all be equally valid.

Sometime ago I responded to someone on a forum who was adamant that a bogus maleware program they’d be daft enough to pay $80 a year for was the best thing since sliced bread. It was not until I pointed out that the ‘viruses’ it was finding were bogus, and went on to give links to various court cases against the crooks, that they started to falter in their confidence of how world beating the bogus product was.

All I can say is that over the last 15 years I’ve worked on hundreds of computers, with many A/V products on them, so I think I have a few clues about what’s good and what’s not so good.

My own prejudices:

On domestic systems, if I see Norton, McAfee, Panda or AVG, I suggest getting rid of them simply because of the amount of complications I have seen them introduce. I’ve personally used all of them, but no more.

I recently trialled Avira but was not particularly impressed – but hey, it’s well rated by others so perhaps it’s just me. Similarly, other ‘also rans’ such as Webroot – sorry guys, but there are three copies of Webroot still in their wrappers in my junk software box. Why would anybody pay for something that is noticeably inferior to free AV? (So, OK, I have no idea why I keep junk software – let’s just say I’m a hoarder and it’s all down to my deprived childhood in the aftermath of WW2!)

Kaspersky regularly tops the kill rate in the AV ratings, and I’ve seen it on lots of machines, but I personally find it very heavy handed, with it often intervening to block legitimate actions. If being bossed about is your thing, then fine.

Avast usually comes a close second to Kaspersky in the kill rate stakes and it has the advantage that all of the annoying added components (which many software writers now inflict on us) can easily be turned off with a bit of tweaking. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that, with the exception of Kaspersky, I see fewer viruses and maleware slipping onto systems with Avast installed than I do with any other brand of AV, paid for or not. The free version of Avast will do fine for most domestic users.

So there you are. The next person to post will be able to blow my own prejudices out of the water and explain why their experience gives rise to their own, superior prejudices. You pays your money (unless you choose the free version) and you makes your choice.

Cheers, Chris 😀

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Thanks Chris I have seen ur responses before and I think u have replied to mine before??? Yes, in ur first paragraph u have what I meant about everyone has an opinion. U really tore up Webroot which I appreciate ur honesty. U are a very knowledgeable person light years ahead of me. I’m just an email, Messenger, Firefox browser when I need to learn about something usually, family pics etc. light stuff. I read Woody’s Dummies 8.1 book, learned alot. I got No Script and Ghostery as he says he uses and I think both have helped keep my PC cleaner. I also have Surf Easy VPN which I don’t know whether VPN’s are worth it and Ad Blocker comes with that. So, at least I will look into Avast free. Thanks. Any more input on what I just wrote is appreciated Chris. Thanks.

drdoo2 / Pat

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The vast majority of ‘top ten’ anything sites are just out there to make money – disregard them completely.

The best AV (group of security packages) is the one that you can set up, tweak and then (mostly) forget; for the AV side, I keep going back to Avast Free but I do strip it down to the parts I need to avoid the complexity of too many crossovers with the other security I deploy.

I use W7x64 and the default firewall, Pale Moon x64 as my browser (doesn’t need EMET as most of those protections are baked in), a big hosts file (hpHosts/MVPS/Peter Lowe’s ad servers list) setup and kept updated daily with HostsMan (DNS Client Service disabled); MBAM Free and MBAE Free, SpywareBlaster, WinPatrol Free and my router uses OpenDNS.

In the browser, I use uBlock Origin (I disable the overlap from my hosts file above) 3rd party cookies from sites not visited are disabled, DNS prefetch is disabled. PDF viewing is off by default. I use Flash ESR (though that might change with the imminent major version update due very soon) for better stability over the mainstream consumer version.

PDFs are viewed in Sumatra PDF viewer.

No Java/Shockwave Player/AIR installed.

TaskMan is the first program I open after boot and the full range of Sysinternals and Nirsoft tools are never more than a few clicks away (WSCC).

I’m sure to have missed a few items/tweaks, etc.

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Wow. Satrow. U are lightyears ahead of me lol. I have never heard of anything u have listed. Seriously. I don’t expect u to explain all that but I will look on Firefox to see if I can find out about some of these things and learn. I also use No Script and Ghostery as Woody says he uses in his Win Dummy 8.1 Book I read. Adblocker and Surf Easy VPN but not sure about VPN’ns. Have a feeling I might be wasting my money there but don’t really know. Do u have an opinion on Webroot at all Satrow. I would appreciate that.

drdoo2 / Pat / Thanks

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I think it pays to know what technology your AV uses. Is it based on sigs only? How will it handle zero day threats? What type of technology is used, if any, to detect threats for which there are no signatures? Finally, how does it fare in comparatives, based on trustful sources?

It is also relevant to know that if you think your AV will save you from all the threats, you may find yourself to be wrong. Try getting more than one live security it, considering and AV and a reputable product such as Malwarebytes or a decent HIPS product.

Finally, regardless of what you use, behave as if you had no protection. Be wise, be sensible and that may be the best protection you can get.

Oh yes, and backup, backup, backup, possibly keeping more than one copy of relevant files and documents and keep onsite and offsite backups.

If you do all if this, even if disaster strikes, you can get back up rather quickly. All these layers of protection are the best you can do than rely on a “best” product, which can be quite an impossible concept to materialize in a way to satisfy whoever may be asking.

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Thanks Ruirib, but u are way beyond me in Knowledge. I really don’t know what u know. What is HIPS? If u wouldn’t mind replying again I am asking for opinions on AV programs and what u might consider as good even two or three of them and especially what u think of Webroot. Thanks.
drdoo2 / Pat

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Webroot – and their staff – have changed quite a lot over the years. Back ~10 years ago, it was a pretty good piece of software, the staff were very good and responsive (I ‘earned’ a couple of free licenses by pointing out some issues to them during that time) and I was a regular user. Soon after, the staff/ownership changed and it slid into the background. ~3 years ago, some of the old crew returned and the software has improved again.

The current problem is that it isn’t quite good enough, maybe it hasn’t yet found the correct placement/slot, it feels like it’s between categories and needs ‘something else’ to bring it into mainstream. It’s still pretty good as a double-check/second opinion – but there are better for that as well.

I think they’re also involved with Trusteer Rapport, another good software that doesn’t quite cut it imo, too many conflicts with more mainstream products and drivers/filters.

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Ok. Thanks for ur second reply Satrow. U understand and it looks like I need to research AV products on the Web, but I feel the best and true answers are really here as everyone else is out for themselves on the Web unless u feel u have a really Independent Site. Thanks.
drdoo2 / Pat

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This article may help and has links to various AV testing sites, which I use as the basis of my AV selection.
http://windowssecrets.com/top-story/av-testing-is-your-antivirus-app-doing-its-job/

As far as Webroot is concerned, I would trust Satrow’s judgement in post 11 above.

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Pat,

Here’s a good explanation of HIPS. :cheers:

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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Thanks Geek.

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Ok Trev. I feel I am getting somewhere now. I have alot to learn about Av’s. Thanks for the link. If u have time to reply again what AV do u use and what would be the Top 3 u might recommend Trev. Thanks.
drdoo2 / Pat

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Ok Trev. I feel I am getting somewhere now. I have alot to learn about Av’s. Thanks for the link. If u have time to reply again what AV do u use and what would be the Top 3 u might recommend Trev. Thanks.
drdoo2 / Pat

I’m currently using Kaspersky, but used ESET for many years.
I’m not qualified to make a recommendation, I just reviewed all the independent testing lab results and decided on Kaspersky, Avira or Bitdefender.
I found Bitdefender and Avira sluggish and they slowed my machines down, whereas Kaspersky doesn’t seem to impact resources at all.
Windows Defender always gets poor results and I agree with Rui when he states “... I always pay for my AVs. I think whoever makes good software deserves to be paid, especially when it is something as critical as the software that will keep you safe from viruses and malware”

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Ok. Thanks Trev. I know that Kaspesky has a very good reputation almost everywhere u read on any website. I just heard of Avira and Bitdefender in the last couple days. Never heard of them and Eset also, but all 3 of those were in about 3 of the ” Top 10 ” lists I read.
drdoo2

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Webroot seems to have recent positive reviews, and it seems to support behavior analysis, to deal with non signature based detection. I would probably keep it and add something to it, like malwarebytes, just not to put all eggs in one basket – I would do that with everything else, anyway.

I no longer make AV recommendations. I think this goes down to personal choices, choices that should be made based on the criteria I talked about before.I like the AV I use now, but the maker does not deserve my recommendation as they killed my favorite HIPS. I don’t think I will trust them as a company anymore and I will decide what to do when my licenses come up for removal – yes, that made me remember I always pay for my AVs. I think whoever makes good software deserves to be paid, especially when it is something as critical as the software that will keep you safe from viruses and malware.

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Thanks for ur knowledge and opinion Ruirib. Like I said in my Post I have Best Buy Geek Squad protection for one year. I feel they are fantastic with their very, very quick support and response and also with their online remote session to do whatever is necessary for ur PC. They have a Malwarebytes Program they use during the Optimiszation every time. After I got my new PC with 8.1 I did do some research on Malwarbyte Programs that are out there and all said they are compatible with ur Anit-Virus program. I settled in with the actual Malwarebytes Program that is from the Company of the same name if that makes sense to u. I was still under their 30 or 60 day free trial period but had paid for it. Then I had an online Optimization done with Geek Squad. I was having some minor problems with the PC but right now don’t remember what it was. I told them I bought the Malwarbytes Program. The Senior Agent doing the Optimization said that it is not compatible with Webroot and I told him to uninstall it if that is true and he did. He didn’t really say that that was part of the problem I was having and continued his Optimazation. I called up Malwarebytes and got my money back no problem. So, to be honest I have no idea if that was true or just that Geek Squad is the same as Best Buy and they push Webroot just like they pushed Kaspersky years ago and he told me that and was lying to me???? Any comment on that?
drdoo2 / Pat

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I can’t comment on whether there is an incompatibility with Malwarebytes or not, but I confess I wouldn’t want to run with a single live AV / antimalware system as, not matter how good it can be, it won’t “catch” everything. That’s why I recommend multiple apps, intervening at different levels. Malwarebytes is one of the best known apps and I don’t think I ever read it raising issues with another AV. That alone would be a reason to go with something else, for me.

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Ok. Thanks. Like I said Best Buy is pushing Webroot now instead of Kaspersky years ago. So, what do I expect the Geek Squad to say that a Malwarebytes Program is in compatible with their Webroot when everything I read when doing the research even Independent Web Sites said it is compatible with all AV’s. I need to find out if my Online Remote Optimizations with Geek Squad are good with all Av’s. I would guess yes. Not everyone is going to have Webroot. As far as ” multiple apps” Ruirib I’m not that knowledgeable yet about that. I mean I wouldn’t have a clue as to more apps other than a AV or a Malwarebyte Program etc. I have to learn the hard way. Thanks.

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Ok. Thanks. Like I said Best Buy is pushing Webroot now instead of Kaspersky years ago. So, what do I expect the Geek Squad to say that a Malwarebytes Program is in compatible with their Webroot when everything I read when doing the research even Independent Web Sites said it is compatible with all AV’s. I need to find out if my Online Remote Optimizations with Geek Squad are good with all Av’s. I would guess yes. Not everyone is going to have Webroot. As far as ” multiple apps” Ruirib I’m not that knowledgeable yet about that. I mean I wouldn’t have a clue as to more apps other than a AV or a Malwarebyte Program etc. I have to learn the hard way. Thanks.

If you run an AV and Malwarebytes, that’s multiple apps. Harder for something to go past by both of them, than if you used just an AV.

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According to Malwarebytes it’s compatible with Webroot Secure Anywhere: https://www.malwarebytes.org/antimalware/ (scroll down to Antivirus Compatibility and click the link for the PDF)

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Satrow. Yes, I remember when I was reading about Malwarebytes it said it was compatible. I will read ur link though. Thanks.

drdoo2

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According to Malwarebytes it’s compatible with Webroot Secure Anywhere: https://www.malwarebytes.org/antimalware/ (scroll down to Antivirus Compatibility and click the link for the PDF)

I am currently running Malwarebytes Premium with Webroot Secure Anywhere on two laptops and two desktop PCs. I am happy with what has been detected (and prevented). I have recommended Webroot Secure Anywhere to friends and family as well.

But for REAL security, I always have a recent backup image.

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thanks rick

drdoo2

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If i had to spend money on an AV I would have given Bitdefender a try,it seems to be very popular.

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Thanks. I have never heard of that one until about 2 weeks ago reading the forum. Supprised I haven’t heard of it as much reading on web sites as I do but, it dies seem popular and looks like alot use it so, if I get ready to change or start looking that is one I wanted to look into.

Pat

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You might take a look at AV-TEST here for additional information: http://pc4u.org/best-antivirus-for-windows/

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AV TEST comparison may be worth looking at to give you an idea of which is the most popular software http://pc4u.org/best-antivirus-for-windows/

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I can’t believe anyone bothered to read the paragraph. But a lot are up for abuse apparently.

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Norton comes free from my ISP so I use that in conjunction with Malwarebytes Pro. I think a lot of it is getting something reputable and using your head.

I’ve had trouble with Norton in the past, but I’ve had trouble with — and abandoned — many AV products over the years, finally coming back to Norton when my ISP offered it. No problems with Norton for a long time now. I’d say try some of the products with the best reputations and see what works for you.

Of course free is always better.

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Agree with Erik 47.

Zig

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