Recommendations/Suggestions for AV Software??

The unstable memory and resource hog bloatware that Norton Antivirus has become is wearing thin on my nerves. I am currently using Norton SystemWorks 2005, which includes NAV. I would go back to my older (circa '97 or '98) version of NAV if I could, but this is not a practical solution because the older version will offer little or no protection against a lot of the current threats out there and also would not be compatible with XP. So what is out there that is a reliable alternative to NAV, without draining system resources, either paid, or preferably, freeware?

I have been using eTrust AV for years. Never had a problem with it.
With the rebate $19 http://store.digitalriver.com/servle...80700&Env=BASE

Yep,,same here as Train. Used eTrust since it was free and when it went 'pay for',bought it in a heartbeat. Very few nasties have gotten in,and the ones that have were killed immediately... :)

Small program,not a resource hog and if for some reason,you need to uninstall,it will do so with no problem...

A couple of other good free ones are:

Grisoft's AVG Anti-Virus
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1

AntiVir's AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic
http://www.free-av.com/index.htm

I have several that I like...

Free.
aVast http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html
AntiVir http://www.free-av.com/

Paid.
NOD32 (My favorite of all.) http://www.nod32-av.com/
eTrust EZ (You can get a free 1 year trial. This runs excellent on even older, slower PCs. Much to like here.) http://www.my-etrust.com/microsoft/
BitDefender http://www.bitdefender.us/
Trend Micro PC-cillin (You can get a discounted 1 year subscription or a 90 day trial here) http://www.trendmicro.com/offers/ms-wsc/english.asp

OK. Two nods so far for eTrust, so thats a start. I am right now looking for honest AV software reviews that are not biased marketing drivel. I currently run ZoneAlarm Pro without the AV. Didn't Symantec acquire the ZoneAlarm brand, and if so, wouldn't ZA AV essentially be rebranded Norton AV?

Edited to add:

Bit Defender is the top rated product at this REVIEW site. Decisions. Decisions.

My reccomendation is.....
www.TrendMicro.com
It's one of the best AV not widely known.

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Didn't Symantec acquire the ZoneAlarm brand, and if so, wouldn't ZA AV essentially be rebranded Norton AV?

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No, Symantec bought and then killed Sygate.

FWIW, the AV in the ZoneAlarm Suite is eTrust EZ Antivirus...

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I am right now looking for honest AV software reviews that are not biased marketing drivel.

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Let us know if you ever find any.
My hat's off to all of the legitimate AV vendors/providers for the good they do, but of course they're going to blow their own respective horns. That's why there are 3rd party reviewers. My faves? AntiVir for my XP; Sygate for my 98SE--but looking again, now that it's no longer supported. :(

HAN: OK, so that is the way of it. I could remember only that Symantec bought something recently.

lgbpop: I have not yet browsed around the site I referred to looking for a marketing partnership or other hidden agenda, but the reviews that I have seen seem to be pretty straightforward and honest.

ALL: Thanks for the replies

Make that another for eTrust. At work we used to sell Norton (ugh) or McAfee another ugh, however, since I took over purchasing, I've discontinued both the above programs. I will not install these bloated programs on any computer we build or fix. I have gone to eTrust because I used it and found as has already been said, a far better anti virus than any out there. And I've used AVG too before, I'd still trust eTrust.

Nod32. Great protection (they won lots of awards), fast scanning and doesn't hog the memory. Good service too.
As for Etrust, used to work for a company that was a big reseller of CA products. I used to install lots of the AV in companies. All in all, a good product.

By the way, if you do plan on going with e-trust, I would go for the suite. Lots of good products for $30.
http://www.my-etrust.com/microsoft/

Edit: Forgot to mention, Zonealarm was bought by Checkpoint, not Symantec.

I've started using Zone Alarm Security Suite. It uses the eTrust AV engine and defs AFAIK. I have to say, that it's about the nicest all-in-one solution I've ever used. My only caveat is that it's only suitable for experienced PC users, in my view. Newbies would never be able to handle the vast quantity of cryptic pop-ups that it generates for the first week or so while it learns what's what.

It's available as a free 15-day trial:

http://www.zonelabs.com/store/conten..._freedownloads

i totally agree with comments on symantec and mcafee products. they are bloated beyond belief. do not sell or recommend them at all anymore.

personally am using zonealarm internet security and its a great program. only went to the full version being that i was already a za firewall user for many years and like the way it protects my system.

etrust and trendmicro are also very good programs. another program that is exceptional is bitdefender pro version 9. very good hardy knows its there.

I agree about both Norton and McAfee and I recommend that my friends and clients use anything but these products. I also subscribed to Zone Alarm Pro in 2002 and then renewed my subscription in 2003 and requested a CD. I used the CD to update only to discover that ZoneAlarm folks had sent me a CD from 2 years earlier. I tried for 2 weeks to get support from them via email but I was trying to communicate with a email response computerized program, which was a bloody disaster. In a last ditch effort, I called long distance to talk to a human and got nowhere, so I uninstalled ZoneAlarm. Companies really make a big mistake when they think that they don't have to have customer support.

In any case, I had been using Panda Titanium (AV) on one computer and Panda Platinum (AV & firewall) on my other computer. I have been using Panda for 3 + years and I have been very pleased. I am currently using Panda Platinum version 7 because there were a number of issues with the 2005 version, where they tried to make too many major changes in too short a time frame.

Version 7 is available on the internet for $18.

http://www.mycableshop.com/sku/PANDA-P-O.htm

The later version include a spyware component, which I already have covered with freeware programs, Ad-Aware, SpyBot, SpywareBlaster, SpywareGuard and Microsoft Anti-Spyware software (beta).

Cheers,

Linda

Thanks to all for the replies. Right now, based on these replies and info I have read elsewhere, I am leaning toward BitDefender 9. I have turned off NAV 2005 and am trying out the trial version of BitDefender 9. I may do the same with Etrust to determine which I like the best before I shell out any cash. I am currently running the latest Version of ZA Pro, it has been good to me, and I don't plan on changing to another firewall product, so I don't really need a new security suite, I just need a reliable AV product that plays nice with my other software and doesn't suck up system resources like there is no tomorrow. My license for both ZA Pro and NAV LiveUpdate is due in a couple of months. If I like eTrust better, I will get ZA Pro with AV. If I like BitDefender better, I will upgrade to the paid version. Only one thing at this point is not likely to happen--renewal of my NAV LiveUpdate subscription. I am tired of the performance and system stability problems caused by the unstable, resource hungry bloatware that NAV has become. I should not be having ANY performance problems WHATSOEVER with 768MB of RAM and the programs I use regularly. Again, thanks to all for your input.

I use Trend Micro for years and I do believe it is the best out there.

If you want more help with AV software check out my father's webiste.

A lot of good stuff on here

http://www.ayersdesk.com/

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If you want more help with AV software check out my father's webiste.

A lot of good stuff on here

http://www.ayersdesk.com/

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That's a handy site, to have all of those pages together for quick access(It's bookmarked), but i think it's missing one on the Popular Forums list. :)

Liam

haha thanks for the compliment. I will tell you him said that. Yea he's a die hard geek like I am.

And I will let him know to put VirtualDR on the forums. Don't worry he is registered for you guys.

He even introduced me to the website.

cayers01: Tell your dad...AWESOME site!!! :D

Besides VDr and Wilders, I consider one other PC security site absolutely indispensible...
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/security,1

cayers01: I have bookmarked your dad's site for later perusal. Thanks.

HAN: Yeah, DSL Reports is an awesome site. Now, if only I could get broadband, I might have even more use for it. It is because of dsl reports that I have consciously decided I will not get DirectWay, though I desperately want bb internet access. DirectWay is, based on reviews I have read there and elsewhere, an unreliable rip-off with predatory terms of service and pricing with nonexistent reliability set up to take advantage of people who want fast 'net connections and have no other options. I should have the option to get either DSL or cable (or both) here in the not distant future, based on info from reliable sources. Whichever gets bb access to me first will get my cash. 'Till then, I will stick with dialup. It is fast (or at least fast for dialup!), cheap, and dependable. I am 12 miles from the c.o. and almost always hook up at 40+ kbps with no downtime.

Ok..I recommend Bitdefender 9..Very effective. Also, Kaspersky and Nod32 are very good and effective. Consider one of these 3. Don't get AVG...Low detection rate.

Here is an interesting short article about which AVs would have detected the latest Windows exploit.

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AV-Test, an independent test lab that tracks malware and anti-malware products, has been closely tracking detection of exploits based on the WMF flaw. Below is an update as of the morning of January 4 to the anti-virus detection stats for WMF variants we published earlier in the week. There's both good news and not so good news in it. The original numbers are below the first set on this page.

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Read the rest to see which AVs would have kept you safe, as of January 4th.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1907518,00.asp

Check out the site www.av-comparatives.org
Detailed analysis of AV performance. In their Nov 2005 test of proactive detection Nod 32 got the nod for the best detection rates.
Site well worth going to.

I would recommend Trend micro, have tried a few, found NAV a right hassle to try and remove once having finished with it.
Winanti virus, had some spyware associated with it and was also very difficult to remove completely from my system.

I gave BitDefender 9 a go over Xmas..Un-installed it a few days ago..I did Not Like it...Now trying out NOD32 n Outpost Firewall...Only prob I got at moo is my Thunderbird won't work....Even after ALL the probs I had with Un-installing McAfee i had NO Complaints with McAfee n I might put it back in....Will give the above two progys another Month to see how they go...Oh yea!,one prob is I now gota find a third progy to work with these..That's a Spamm Blocker...Any Recomendations!!

Mailwasher Pro is an excellent anti-SPAM product, You can download a 30 day trial copy at http://www.firetrust.com/.

I have also found the Firetrust product Benign to be very useful in terms of neutralizing potential vulnerabilities.

Linda

Update:

I have long since given Norton AV the heave ho and my computer is running SOOOOOOOO much better. I used the free 30 day trial of Bit Defender 9. I liked it, but the password protected settings feature crashed my computer on shutdown. I tried--twice--to download, install, and try out eTrust after signing up for the 1 year free trial, but could not get it to install and run correctly. Bad omen, so I didn't push my luck. Tried the 30 day trial version of AVG Professional AV. Liked it and am now using the AVG free version for the time being until I find something else I want to try out.

I finally retired NAV2002 about three months ago and bought NOD32. I am really happy with it. My computer runs better and faster.

I am running NOD32+BOClean+ZAP resident and they play very well together and the three apps combined I think use less system resources and cause fewer problems than the one NAV app.

I haven't tried any other AV's, except I did have AVG installed to run strictly on demand for awhile.

i have not tried the password protect function in bitdefender might try that on the next system i build to see what it does or doesnt do. i like bitdefender cuz it just does what its suppose to do and nothing more. the other product that is very good in my opinion is zonealarm security suite with firewall, antivirus and spam control and spyware protection. not sure the spyware is as good as say spybot but za is quite effective. i use on my main system and it also just does what its suppose to do and leaves you alone. good product.