My brother is always downloading things, so I’d say our computer is pretty at risk for viruses and spyware and such.
Anyone know a really good program that is good at detecting Viruses, spyware, adware, and whatever else is harmful?
We have a virus program but it usually doesn’t detect anything but I’m pretty sure there’s something there.

10 Responses to “What are your recommendations for virus/spyware protection?”

  • brian g says:

    For removal I recommend Spybot Search & Destroy.
    For protection I recommend AVG 8.0 Free, its free and is great at detecting and scanning for viruses, and it updates quite often.

  • David says:

    update it daily and run a full scan daily

  • stupid_funny_randy says:

    Spy Sweeper, Nortron Anti-Virus, and Mcafee.

  • Michael J Swan says:

    With many viruses on the internet and being sent around on other memory platforms, a good anti-virus will be required.

    I recommend looking at either "Avast" @ http://www.avast.com or "AVG" @ http://www.avg.com

    They are both free… Or if you are looking for a good paid Anti-Virus program, then Mcafee is good @ http://www.mcafee.com/

  • jeilmakanba says:

    NoAdware is a good one, you can find reviews about antivurs and optimizations at the source box. Also try to run a poossibli infected program in a sandbox, so it wont hurt your pc

  • lesliep139 says:

    The free version of avg works or if you want to download the free trial and then buy it. It’s fine but I suggest to download the free version it protects internet connections too. Says which websites are secure and which ones are not.
    http://free.avg.com/
    Good Luck!

  • Wise Guy says:

    Avast Antivirus and Anti-spy are both free to Download and there is no evidence to suggest that they are not as good as Norton or Macfee!

  • tempo1 says:

    For good computer security and to prevent virus you need to do a minimum of 4 things.

    1. Run a firewall.

    2. Use a good anti-virus with real-time protection.

    3. Do a regular scan with a dedicated anti-spyware,

    4. Keep Windows and all your other installed software, 100% updated and patched with all important and security updates.
    ______________________________________________

    My recommendations:

    1. For the typical home user of XP or Vista, Windows Firewall is adequate, even more so if one is using a router, which is a very good firewall in itself. Make sure your Windows Firewall is turned "on".

    2. For your Anti-Virus……(Always use only 1 A-V…You must NEVER use more than one anti-virus, Even an expired anti-virus can cause a major conflict…did I mention that you MUST uninstall any and all, old anti-virus products?)

    I would suggest Avast, the newest version 4.8. Avast now includes anti-virus, some anti-spyware capability and anti-rootkit components. And all for the low low price of free. You can get it here:
    http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html

    3. For your Anti-Adware and Anti-Spyware needs…
    SUPERAntiSpyware:
    http://www.superantispyware.com/

    They have a free version.

    4. Use Secunia PSI to insure that all your software is kept always updated and patched against vulnerabilities that are often exploited to compromise computers. Very important.

    http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/personal/

    Its free as is everything else here.

    But if your bro is constantly illegally downloading "stuff" using Limewire, torrents etc, there is no way you can make a computer 100% safe, no matter what you use for protection. It’s just a matter of time before that machine gets hit and hit hard!

    Good luck.

  • mickj says:

    Some good options are Norton Anti virus: http://www.symantec.com/norton/index.jsp

    It’s good but it has a somewhat annoying User Interface. Also, it normally runs around $50 per year (one user license).

    AVG is another decent one, for free (or if you want a better version you can pay for it): http://free.avg.com

    Also, there’s McAfee, which in my opinion is not as good as Norton, but less annoying: http://us.mcafee.com/root/catalog.asp?cid=11344.

    As a general rule, if you pay for it, it’s better.
    Hope this helps.

  • Maria M says:

    Spyware Doctor without a doubt.

    I have used it for over two years now and have not had a single spyware infection during that time. Plus it has won several top awards as well.

    I have also recommended it to a couple of my friends and they have been thrilled with it so far.

    Here is a great website where you can read more about Spyware Doctor and also view a comparison chart between some of the other top spyware removers:

    http://www.TheBestSpywareRemovers.com

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