# Best Free Antivirus?



## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

I just got a refurbished Dell latitude 620 series laptop from eBay.
It's running Windows 7.
I'm wondering what's the best free antivirus program these days?
And if any of them are really free, or just a free trial period?

Thanks for any recommendations!


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## po boy (Jul 12, 2010)

AVG Free


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## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

Thanks Po Boy!

I was thinking about going with them m


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

Avast! is also a good one, although I use Microsoft Essentials/ Windows Defender that comes with Win 7 and have been happy with it. 

Be aware that the last time I downloaded from CNET, I ended up with a very nasty malware-virus-Trojan-something that ended up costing me to get rid of it. You might want to go to AVG or Avast!'s homepage and see if you can download directly.


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## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

Thanks Belfrybat!

The first place I went on the web was AVG and started the free trial. I'm leary of c-net too.
I might try avast if avg turns out not to be so good.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Belfrybat said:


> Avast! is also a good one, although I use Microsoft Essentials/ Windows Defender that comes with Win 7 and have been happy with it.
> 
> Be aware that the last time I downloaded from CNET, I ended up with a very nasty malware-virus-Trojan-something that ended up costing me to get rid of it. You might want to go to AVG or Avast!'s homepage and see if you can download directly.


I'll second a vote for Avast. I get it from Avast's webpage.

It's a shame that a site like cnet.com has devolved to distributing malware. I suppose they're just trying to make a living...


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## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

I might install Avast too. I'm not to impressed with AVG so far.
I basically just want to get some protection so I can surf the net and test this computer out.


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## MCJam (Dec 27, 2012)

We run Linux Mint operating system, which is free to install, and DOES NOT have virus issues. Can be dual installed with Windows so you could have both on the same computer. We used to do that so I could run Windows programs and used Linux exclusively for the internet. Now we have two computers, one running LInux for internet. The Windows computer is never online and is just for a few of the kids homeschool programs which are will not run on Linux, and for them to write papers and store pictures and data. That way I don't have to worry about what they might be getting into on purpose or accidentally on line.


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

Pearl B said:


> I might install Avast too. I'm not to impressed with AVG so far.
> I basically just want to get some protection so I can surf the net and test this computer out.


In addition to a virus protection program, I also run Super Anti Spyware and Malware Bytes, both of which start out as a free trial and then morph into a free version at the end of the trial period. This is what the Microsoft tech who got the nasty stuff off the computer from CNET suggested I do. It's been two years and so far so good.


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## Declan (Jan 18, 2015)

Be careful with AVAST. I had it on a computer and two things of note happened--when I set it to run in stealth mode or whatever after toying with the sensitivity, I could not get back into it and it was constantly alarming. 

The other is that it does have a spyware aspect to it. Before the episode above, it would periodically have this pop up telling me that it was only licensed for private use and they detected I was using it for business purposes and said I would need to buy a license. Obviously it was monitoring something other than just viruses. I used my home computer sometimes for work, but I was hardly running it on a business machine.

I use windows defender and am ok with it.


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## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

The Avg seems to have components to it's free trial program. I downloaded the free trial and then had to additionally download 2 more parts.
Went to YouTube and the laptop quite working. So I'm going to take Avg out and see what it does. The laptop is a super cheap old refurbished. So might be the laptop.
It was running some preinstalled Windows media clips beautifully before I downloaded Avg, so idk.

Thank You everyone for your suggestions!


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

Have you considered just using the built-in Windows Defender (part of Windows Essentials)? It works fine for me on both my Win 7 and Win 10 computers. I use Avast on my XP as it's the only one that still works on that operating system.


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

LaPorte had a surprising take on anti-virus software recently. Among professionals, a survey had them putting automatic updates as far more important than anti-virus, and that most of the virus issues now are what is called "zero-day attacks" meaning the virus goes into wide distribution in the wild so fast that the writers of anti-virus software can't get to it fast enough to be effective. He did state that anti-virus would take care of older versions of viruses, but that the whole idea of anti-virus software was becoming outdated.

I happen to use Avast, but haven't seen it do much of anything in the past few years. No-script and the way I handle email seem to be more important to me. YMMV


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## Declan (Jan 18, 2015)

I suspect hackers are finding taking down Target databases are more lucrative other than the random ransomware outfits that won't reply or give you the right key even if you pay them.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Harry Chickpea said:


> LaPorte had a surprising take on anti-virus software recently. Among professionals, a survey had them putting automatic updates as far more important than anti-virus, and that most of the virus issues now are what is called "zero-day attacks" meaning the virus goes into wide distribution in the wild so fast that the writers of anti-virus software can't get to it fast enough to be effective. He did state that anti-virus would take care of older versions of viruses, but that the whole idea of anti-virus software was becoming outdated.
> 
> I happen to use Avast, but haven't seen it do much of anything in the past few years. No-script and the way I handle email seem to be more important to me. YMMV


But the problem is that there's no alternative to anti-virus software. It's all there is.


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## WildernesFamily (Mar 11, 2006)

There are indeed alternatives.

The Best Free Antivirus programs for 2015:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2388652,00.asp

Panda Free Antivirus rates first, and Bitdefender after that... I used to use Avast but now use Avira instead which has worked well for me.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

WildernesFamily said:


> There are indeed alternatives.
> 
> The Best Free Antivirus programs for 2015:
> 
> ...


But those are still anti-virus applications, aren't they?


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## WildernesFamily (Mar 11, 2006)

Nevada said:


> But those are still anti-virus applications, aren't they?


Yes indeed. I misunderstood your post, sorry. :ashamed:

What about Malwarebytes for "zero-day" attacks?


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

I suspect malwarebytes would have the same problem, but malware isn't designed for zero day attacks as much as ongoing data logging, etc..


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