Good (Free) AV?

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Proxy

Pumpkin Ghost
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Apr 24, 2005
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I have been using AVG for a while now, but I was wondering if there were any better Antivirus programs out there. I was thinking about giving NOD32 a shot. Keep in mind that I will be getting the full version of W7 this weekend to replace my Vista 64.
 
The Forum Search is your friend...there must be 5 of these threads per week. But in order to put an end to this thread quickly:

Avira or Microsoft Security Essentials.

/thread
 
Uhmmm...

The last AV-Comparitives test actually put Microsoft above Avira... yes it was a cold day in hell when it happened, and it was using the Microsoft OneCare product and not Microsoft Security Essentials, but it's true... so... as I posted about it in yet another AV software thread the other day:

whaddyaknow.png


Cold cold day in hell. :D

But, MSE is better, seriously.
 
Pretiacruento said:
Fixed ;)
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You apparently haven't used MSE yet...

MSE has replaced Avira on all my machines and it's only a beta. The only reason I still recommend Avira is that some people don't want to try to get MSE through other ways since its download window from MS has long since closed.
 
Vermillion said:
You apparently haven't used MSE yet...
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I haven't, to be honest =/ ... I needed an AV solution a few months ago and I tried it, thinking "Mmmmkay, let's see what this thing does"... and I'm really satisfied so far...

I might give it a little try, after all... :p
 
MSE is simply awesome. When this goes gold I really can't see most people needing anything else.
 
Vermillion said:
At least until the EU steps in and complains that MS is giving it away for free. :rolleyes:
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As long as its not included in the install it'll be tough for the EU to say much. I mean they can't actually tell Microsoft to to build better virus defenses can they? When Microsoft said fine no IE for you that didn't go over to well. They could do the same thing they did with IE, have some type of startup option. It'll be VERY hard for the EU to go back on a precedent it agreed to.
 
Joe Average said:
Uhmmm...

The last AV-Comparitives test actually put Microsoft above Avira... yes it was a cold day in hell when it happened, and it was using the Microsoft OneCare product and not Microsoft Security Essentials, but it's true... so... as I posted about it in yet another AV software thread the other day:

Cold cold day in hell. :D

But, MSE is better, seriously.
Click to expand...

Half the detection rate, and a few less false positives (I believe 15 less FPs in a pool of about a million samples). I would HARDLY consider Onecare above Avira, yet AV-C does. Pretty sad, to be honest.
 
Microsoft Security Essentials - very easy to use
Avira - easy to use
Comodo's Internet Security - for more advanced users
 
heatlesssun said:
As long as its not included in the install it'll be tough for the EU to say much. I mean they can't actually tell Microsoft to to build better virus defenses can they? When Microsoft said fine no IE for you that didn't go over to well. They could do the same thing they did with IE, have some type of startup option. It'll be VERY hard for the EU to go back on a precedent it agreed to.
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Oh I know. I was just making a joke. :D

Although I seriously wouldn't put it past the EU to try something...
 
entropism said:
Half the detection rate, and a few less false positives (I believe 15 less FPs in a pool of about a million samples). I would HARDLY consider Onecare above Avira, yet AV-C does. Pretty sad, to be honest.
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How do you get "half the detection rate"? Sleep through math class?
Avira, 69%
M OC, 60%.

9% right there...if it were "half the detection rate"....you'd be looking at 34.5% instead of 60%.
 
Unfortunately, false positives can be just as bad as real malware. Just talk to some McAfee or Symantec users that have had their AVs start detecting critical OS files as false positives and getting "cleaned". I could have swore Avira had this problem recently. I know AVG had it happen not too long ago.
 
McAfee had the most recent false positive problem.

Reading the fine print in the av-comparatives report about the false positives:

Microsoft OneCare (same engine as MSE) reported two false positives. False alarms were found in some parts of:
BackProtection package
InskScapePortable package

Avira reported 24 false positives. False alarms were found in some parts of:
3DScreensaver package
6-Zip package
AdKiller package
BOM package
CDSearch package
ClipBoardRecorder package
CSFireMonitor package
DashBoard package
DrWeb package
Edimax driver package
EKalkulator package
EUPrice package
GoogleTool package
HP scanner package
InternetDownloadManager package
iRejectTrash package
LaunchExpress package
MSI WLAN package
NeighborsFromHell package
Paraworld package
PCDoorGuard package
SmartProtector package
StickSecurity package
TrendMicro package

All of these have since been fixed. Cracks, keygens, or other questionable applications and tools are not counted as false positives by av-comparatives, so claims that Avira is downrated for flagging keygen programs are false.
 
One of the best parts about MSE is that my gaming benchmarks are identical whether it's enabled or disabled.
 
Well, looks like they've closed the MSE beta to new participants. Guess it's going to have to be Avira.
 
Just because you can't download MSE directly from Microsoft doesn't mean you can't download it... somewhere... out there... beyond the heavens... ;)
 
Joe Average said:
Just because you can't download MSE directly from Microsoft doesn't mean you can't download it... somewhere... out there... beyond the heavens... ;)
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I have no idea what you're talking about.





Thanks.
 
He probably means you can download MSE from pirate sites. /facepalm

I will never understand the mentality of people who download cracked versions of anti-virus software from pirate sites. How can you be smart enough to know that you need an anti-virus but dumb enough to get it that way?
 
YeOldeStonecat said:
How do you get "half the detection rate"? Sleep through math class?

9% right there...if it were "half the detection rate"....you'd be looking at 34.5% instead of 60%.
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Nope, was going by memory at 3:30 am. *shrug* Either way, not a valid argument on AV-C's part to drop Avira to a lower level.
 
evilsofa said:
He probably means you can download MSE from pirate sites. /facepalm

I will never understand the mentality of people who download cracked versions of anti-virus software from pirate sites. How can you be smart enough to know that you need an anti-virus but dumb enough to get it that way?
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They wouldn't be cracked versions of MSE. Why would they need to crack it when it's free?
 
FiZ said:
They wouldn't be cracked versions of MSE. Why would they need to crack it when it's free?
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Some people just don't get it, do they? :)

It's currently in (closed) beta, but the installers are still available out there, and when MSE is a finalized product it will be free so, maybe some people will figure it out (not you, FiZ, you already get it). :D

A cracked beta of a free product... thanks, I needed a really good laugh tonight. hehehe
 
Exactly. Microsoft may not be offering it up for download right now, probably because they don't feel they need any more beta testers, but regardless it isn't really going to hurt Microsoft to have a few extra testers who acquire their virus solution through legitimate or illegitimate torrent sites.
 
So you're willing to guarantee that an upload of an antivirus product on an illegitimate torrent site will not have had malware inserted into its installer?
 
evilsofa said:
So you're willing to guarantee that an upload of an antivirus product on an illegitimate torrent site will not have had malware inserted into its installer?
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No, but it's not too difficult to check the file for an identical match to the legitimate installer.
 
evilsofa said:
So you're willing to guarantee that an upload of an antivirus product on an illegitimate torrent site will not have had malware inserted into its installer?
Click to expand...

MD5 is your friend. Not that I'd download it, though, considering I'm more than happy with Avast.
 
FiZ said:
No, but it's not too difficult to check the file for an identical match to the legitimate installer.
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Okay, walk me through the process of checking the file for a match to the legitimate installer without access to the legitimate installer.
 
Just search our very own board here and you will find the installers, for both 32 and 64 bit systems.
 
This just happened at work. Just a little tidbit of info.

Just received a sample of a virus, in a zip attachment, that bypassed our anti-spam vendor's custom antivirus and McAfee engine detection. It also bypassed our TrendMicro detection we're running on our desktops/e-mail inside the company at 8/17/2009 6:41PM.

I have the Microsoft Security Essentials Beta installed to my Windows 7 installation and with virus definitions last created at 8/17/2009 at 7:42PM. The last update for Trend, was at around 8:30AM this morning and even forwarding the virus sample around doesn't get it detected by Trend. MSE was able to detect it from my desktop this morning.

This at least means Microsoft updated their signatures within an hour of the live virus e-mail entering our system. It is still possible that they had detection prior to that though. Trend still either isn't aware or they haven't released the signature for it yet. We submitted a sample to both Trend and our anti-spam provider though.

Just thought it was interesting.
 
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Pretiacruento said:
I haven't, to be honest =/ ...
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But yet you decided to go in and remove a suggestion that you've never used? And then you added Fixed, to denote that you made the overall suggestion better? :rolleyes:

Microsoft Security Essentials works every bit as well as Avira, maybe even better.
 
DeaconFrost said:
Microsoft Security Essentials works every bit as well as Avira, maybe even better.
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Do we have proof of this yet?

I mean, I'm running it. Very pleased with performance, I've yet to have a single virus detected. But I never had any with Avira or Avast either when I was running them in the past. It's kind of hard to judge AV's IMO.

AV comparatives site seems like a really good way to choose, but only thing they have are reviews of OneCare from way back in May.
 
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