66 Responses to “Complete guide to anti-virus software options”

1. 
   naeem mayet
   Oct 5th, 2009 at 10:50 pm

   one extra to add – Eset’s NOD32 – using it in two of our stores, looking after about 20odd pc’s.

   Light on resources, regular updates, nice and fast scanning too.

   Topnotch SA support too!

2. 
   Chris M
   Oct 5th, 2009 at 10:55 pm

   I must admit Naeem, I’m using ESET on my home computer and I’m really happy with it. The problem with this article is that there is so much anti-virus software out there, that to cover them all would take far too long. What I’m hoping is that lots of people will leave their opinions and I could do a follow up piece.

   What did you use before ESET?

3. 
   Jon
   Oct 5th, 2009 at 11:45 pm

   As a person working in the IT industry for the last 10 years, I have to say that NOD32 is by far the best AV product I have ever used.

   Mcafee and Norton are TERRIBLE and the only other one in that article i would consider is Kaspersky.

   Just my 2 cents worth…..

4. 
   Gerhard
   Oct 6th, 2009 at 7:21 am

   Been using NOD32 now for 3 years running and must say its really the best Anti Virus out there. Before NOD32 I used Macafee, it was not that bad but as the years progressed it started to become sluggish like Norton. Thats what I like about NOD32 is the fact that its lite on resources and there is updates daily and as mentioned local support is brilliant.

5. 
   Seags
   Oct 6th, 2009 at 8:49 am

   I would def say NOD32 is the best AV out at the moment. We use and resell it and have had not problems so far.

   I hate Norton’s with a passion esp when it uses most of your system resources.

6. 
   Rustig
   Oct 6th, 2009 at 8:52 am

   I used Symantec for ages until about 4 years ago. Kaspersky was not very good in the beginning, but have to say it improved year after year. I doubt if I will ever change. Not the cheapest to start with. Symantec is a resource glutton. License allows Home user to install on more than one PC.
   Would like to mention that none of Kaspersky is free. Only have 30 day trials.
   AVG is best free anit-virus.

7. 
   Bm
   Oct 6th, 2009 at 9:09 am

   Avast FTW! been using it without issue for over 3 years.

   Used AVG and Kaspersky before (corporate) and havent had an issue but in my opinion not as nice as Avast.

   McAfee? Symantec? You couldn’t pay me to use them.

8. 
   Steve Crane
   Oct 6th, 2009 at 10:16 am

   I’m not sure you can call it a complete guide without at least a reference to the 900kg gorilla’s entry into this market.

   I have been running Microsoft Security Essentials on my work machine since the beta came out and with it going out of beta recently, I have now replaced AVG free with it at home. It seems to have less of an impact on machine performance and has caught some trojans that tried to sneak onto my work machine, so I’m pretty happy with it.

9. 
   Chris M
   Oct 6th, 2009 at 10:36 am

   Interesting responses, I’m not surprised to hear that a lot of you are saying that NOD32 is fantastic, it’s the anti-virus that I currently use and I’m thrilled with it thus far. Avast is great too and Kaspersky has also been a pleasure in the past, but not recently.

   I guess it’s really hard to decide which anti-virus to use if you’re not a regular computer user, I often wonder how these poor SMME’s decide which one to use, I guess they take the word of their techie?

10. 
    PistolPete
    Oct 6th, 2009 at 10:45 am

    Got to say NOD32 all the way. Struggled for years with others (esp. Norton – that program gives your PC AIDS – ie. slow puncture). Now my whole office is on NOD32 and we have no issues ever. Its an absolute pleasure!

11. 
    Chris M
    Oct 6th, 2009 at 10:50 am

    Ye PistolPete – I have to agree, I used Norton for a while and was just tired of the endless problems and resource hunger it presented me with.

12. 
    Bm
    Oct 6th, 2009 at 10:56 am

    @Chris RE: How PC luddites decide on AV S/W

    In my experience, if a user has had a major issue (lost files etc…) they’ll buy the most expensive A/V for the sense of security.

    If they need a copy of A/V because somebody non-technical told them they need it, they’ll pay money for which ever one the salesmen recommends. (DIE Norton!)

    Otherwise if they consult their IT friend (everybody has an IT friend) they’ll end up getting a decent free one…

13. 
    Chris M
    Oct 6th, 2009 at 11:01 am

    Ye, that’s similar to what I’ve heard – Fork out a ton of money for Norton, because it’s the one so many people talk about, argh. Quite scary to think that a simple email to a tech friend would result in a great anti-virus which will either be free or cheap, compared to a mass expensive!

14. 
    IITQ
    Oct 6th, 2009 at 11:19 am

    ClamAV is from the opensource world. It available for Linux and Windows and operates on servers and PCs.

    It integrates with Linux email servers to scan incoming and outgoing email. It integrates with Outlook to scan email on the desktop.

    It has been shown that virus updates are as quick and often quicker than proprietary solutions.

    I use it in my company and it has no noticeable effect on server or desktop performance.

15. 
    PistolPete
    Oct 6th, 2009 at 11:21 am

    Remember the Norton days. Even if you owned a 10 year subscription it would still pop up every day with the “your subscription expires in 3650 days – click here to renew your subscription”. What a joke

16. 
    Chris M
    Oct 6th, 2009 at 11:33 am

    Lol @PistolPete – I do remember that!!!

    @IITQ – I tried out ClamAV when it was first released and found that it didn’t pick up a trojan, which NOD32 did. I guess it was still early days when I was trying it out? I’m very happy with NOD32 though, so I’m not sure I’d retest ClamAV, seems like these anti-virus software packages get just one shot – hit or miss style!

17. 
    ruark
    Oct 6th, 2009 at 12:49 pm

    I cant believe that Nod32 isnt on this list Chris :P

    Honestly I have had a bit of a shady past with trojaning etc, and whenever it was against the bigger names like Norton/mcafee/KAV and most of them were really a joke to get around (basic checksum changes got the payload through) but Nod32 when I first heard about it a couple of years ago, i tried it and it was solid, fast and quite secure.

    I know every1 has their own taste, but NOD32 is def the 1st thing I install when I reinstall Windows :P

18. 
    Louise
    Oct 6th, 2009 at 1:41 pm

    Sjoe..I initially looked at the list and didn’t see NOD32 which got me worried because that’s what we use. Then I saw all the comments about how good it is so I feel much better now! :)

19. 
    HandyTechTipper
    Oct 6th, 2009 at 3:30 pm

    I like Comodo Internet Security:
    * All-in-one Firewall & Antivirus
    * Defends your PC from Internet attacks
    * Detects and eliminates viruses
    * Prevents malware from being installed
    * Easy to install, configure and use
    * Free to both business and home users

    http://www.comodo.com/home/internet-security/free-internet-security.php

20. 
    Chris M
    Oct 6th, 2009 at 10:50 pm

    Yup, looks like NOD32 is the one that everyone’s punting here :)

    @Ruark – Don’t under estimate me mate, could have been a reason for that ;)

21. 
    Craig Kensek
    Oct 7th, 2009 at 12:37 am

    AVG announced its V 9.0 product release on 10/6 promoting softer that is faster, safer, and easier to user. It provides real-time safe surf capabilities through AVG LinkScanner(r) among a number of enhancements. This includes free access to home users of Identity Theft Recovery Unit services in case of identity theft.

    http://www.avg.com/us-en/home-small-office-security

22. 
    Chris M
    Oct 7th, 2009 at 9:47 am

    @Craig – Have you tried it out?

23. 
    freddie C
    Oct 7th, 2009 at 2:23 pm

    AVG is by far the best. Kaspersky is close second.

    visit http://www.avgsecurity.co.za

24. 
    Chris M
    Oct 7th, 2009 at 8:58 pm

    @freddie – You gota tell us why it’s the best please, we’re all looking to understanding these anti-virus systems – help us understand! :)

25. 
    craig kensek
    Oct 7th, 2009 at 9:05 pm

    http://www.crn.com/security/ to see what CRN is saying about the product.

26. 
    Chris M
    Oct 9th, 2009 at 1:22 pm

    This has been a fantastic thread, so great to see everyong sharing their views.

    Should I run a poll?

27. 
    Craig Kensek
    Oct 9th, 2009 at 6:22 pm

    Great web site to visit at leisure is AMTSO.org (Anti-malware Testing Standards Organization). The Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO) was founded in May 2008 as an international non-profit association that focuses on the addressing the global need for improvement in the objectivity, quality and relevance of anti-malware testing methodologies.

    This links leads to some pdfs on best practices for testing/evaluating security software http://www.amtso.org/documents.html

    If evaluating security SW (or in polls): it’s important to do “like vs. like” Free vs. free, consumer versus consumer, for example. Consumer suites versus Business security suites don’t make sense.

28. 
    Cpt Awesome
    Oct 11th, 2009 at 7:46 pm

    I am running windows 7 64bit and I am using Microsoft Security Essentials. I havnt had a problem with it yet although the GUI could be a little better. MSE is also quite light on resources and scans fairly quickly :)

29. 
    Chris M
    Oct 11th, 2009 at 10:32 pm

    I haven’t tried Windows 7 yet, but MS sent me a copy via a connection, so the CDs sitting on my desk, I just need to find the time; One thing though, the official release comes out fairly soon, so I might wait for them to send me an official copy before I move..

30. 
    Steve Crane
    Oct 11th, 2009 at 10:58 pm

    Microsoft Security Essentials is not specific to Windows 7; it work on XP and Vista as well.

31. 
    Chris M
    Oct 11th, 2009 at 11:28 pm

    Ye Steve, absolutely true, I just prefer to be able to make comparisons when I’m on the same environment, especially when it’s an operating system which is new.. :)

32. 
    Dave Gale
    Oct 15th, 2009 at 5:39 pm

    Not surprised you’ve picked up heat for levaing out NOD32 – why did you, seeing as you use it?

    Simple reasons why I switched to it and happily pay for 3 machines at home each year:
    * It has never missed one virus in the wild so far (afaik)
    * I hardly notice it is there
    * Updates are small and fast
    * A lot of techies I know swear by it.

    When it comes to security products I’d rather have a commercial relationship with a supplier – at least I know I can sue the SOB if there is a ever a serious problem.

33. 
    Nick
    Oct 15th, 2009 at 7:31 pm

    From a long search that took me deep inside the Norton website after I got my new PC last year… I bring you…

    The Norton Removal Tool!
    http://service1.symantec.com/Support/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039

    Works a charm.

    Also, I installed Win 7 RC on my NB100 netbook and it worked great. Until I put AntiVir (my preferred free AV) on. Made it just about unresponsive. Scrolling down a window took about ten seconds. So I tried AVG. Same thing. So I thought bugger it, I’ll be careful. Can always format and reinstall. And then Win Security Essentials came along a few weeks ago. It promised a light footprint, and I figured it would play nicely with Win 7 so I tried it.

    Works a charm, my system barely notices it. So big up to Windows Security Essentials.

34. 
    Chris M
    Oct 15th, 2009 at 10:06 pm

    @Dave – I’ll reveal the reason for leaving out ESET at the end of next week ;)

    @Nick – Haha, that’s a great tool indeed! Ouch, I’ve been there before, there’s nothing worse than having a computer completely die from memory resource sucking! Nice to hear that Win Security Essentials are working so well, thanks for sharing that mate! :)

35. 
    Pan
    Oct 15th, 2009 at 11:26 pm

    Yep – rather odd that NOD32 / ESET Smart Security is left out here…

36. 
    Chris M
    Oct 16th, 2009 at 10:24 am

    @Pan – Are you an ESET user?

37. 
    Pan
    Oct 16th, 2009 at 10:53 am

    @Chris M – Yeah – been using it for a number of years now and have done numerous comparative studies. Each of the products have their strengths (and weaknesses) – and out of the whole lot of them, NOD32 seems to outshine the lot! There are one or two issues with it I must admit, but as an IT professional and a PC resource abuser, having NOD32 on my system I have peace of mind and at the same time I have the power I payed for when buying my PC.

38. 
    myphotographer
    Oct 16th, 2009 at 11:17 am

    Thanks Chris for this excellent guide as to which anti virus software best suits my business and home protection requirements.

    Personally I use the AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition, always have always will, was referred by friends and colleagues and it’s really working out well for me.

    I mean I almost have no worms or viruses whatseover ;-)

39. 
    Gerhard
    Oct 16th, 2009 at 11:22 am

    @myphotographer just note that you may not use AVG free for bussiness purpose.

    Quote:
    * AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition may only be used on one computer for personal use.

40. 
    Chris M
    Oct 16th, 2009 at 2:18 pm

    This has turned into such a fantastic thread, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to come and share valuable experiences with the anti-virus softwares.

    It’s threads like this that present social media as something that can really result in both brand recognition as well as customer feedback!

41. 
    craig kensek
    Oct 16th, 2009 at 5:52 pm

    AVG’s AVG Free Anti-Virus 9.0 is now available to download. See my earlier post on some of this free.avg.com . It has LinkScanner included, as well. linkscanner.avg.com to read about linkscanner and to download and use for free (home) to work with your current product (it’s part of AVG Free and other AVG products)

42. 
    Rudolph Mocke
    Oct 19th, 2009 at 7:30 am

    In my experience, Norton and McAvee are not worthwhile at the moment. Kasperski is still widely used, but I don’t have personal experience with it. Avast works well, but I’ve had some technical issues with Avast, likewise with the Comodo Suite of products (both free editions…). I have foun d that it’s best to stay away from AVG. Like McAvee, AVG tends to miss quite a number of viruses.

    I’ve recently installed Windows 7 and found a product, called BullGuard Internet Security which is quite impressive. It updates every couple of hours and their support team responds within the hour. For someone from Southern Africa that is quite amazing. The products also have very little performance impact and each purchase of the suite is licenced for 3 PC’s. (for about $70.)

43. 
    Chris M
    Oct 19th, 2009 at 9:40 am

    Hi Rudolph, thanks so much for coming and sharing your experience, I’ve not heard of BullGuard Internet Security, but from what you say, I think I should have a look at it and see what it’s all about – $70 for 3 licenses is a good deal too!

44. 
    Chris M
    Oct 21st, 2009 at 7:51 pm

    For those of you who were interested, this is why I left ESET NOD32 off the list – http://imod.co.za/index.php/2009/10/21/i-took-1st-place-in-the-avg-anti-virus-seo-competition/ :)

45. 
    Andrew
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 2:31 am

    Hi There, great thread. I’m a journalist working in the UK and writing an IT-related column for two South African newspapers. I’m particularly keen on good, free software as it helps many a poor South African when they don’t have to fork out for software priced in US$!!

    Problem is I recently wrote about Microsoft Security Essentials and gave a link to downlaod it – http://www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials/ . When my readers try this link, they are told it’s “not available in your country” however I can see from this thread that some of you are using MSE in South Africa – can you please help a lot of people by telling me how you downloaded it / obtain it and what, if any, trouble you had? Much appreciated – Thanks!

46. 
    Chris M
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 9:59 am

    Hi Andrew,

    When I click through to the link you provided, there is a download button, but instead, I selected my operating system from the right under “Operating Systems” and it popped up a link for download and allowed me to download the file – I’m not going to install it as I’m already running anti-virus software, but possibly you could try for your readers?

47. 
    Andrew
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 11:49 am

    @ Chris M: Thanks so much for trying. I am very glad that you were able to download the MSE software. Before committing myself in the press though, I wonder if anyone would be so kind as to download and install MSE so I can see if the installation fails during the install process once it detects the locale as South Africa? Nobody responded to my column, which gave the link as in my first post, saying they were able to install successfully, and I need to understand why before committing the info to the papers again!

48. 
    Jon
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 12:43 pm

    Hi Chris & Andrew

    I tried that link, but also get the country restriction message – Chris – who’s your ISP here?

    I really want to try this software in a VM and see how it compares to ESET.

    any other links out there?

49. 
    Jon
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 12:45 pm

    Update:

    Just managed to get it to download by going through Google’s cached page.

50. 
    Andrew
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 12:50 pm

    Hi Jon, Thanks for your post – could you confirm you installed MSE OK once it was downloaded? My column is aimed at non-techies so I will probably tell them to download MSE from another site such as http://www.softpedia.com/get/Antivirus/Microsoft-Security-Essentials.shtml — but I need to know it will install and update properly if installed in South Africa. Please let me know your findings. MSE is a great product, by the way.

51. 
    Nick Jackson
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 12:53 pm

    I’ve downloaded and installed MSE from filehippo.com and installed it on three different PCs, all in SA.

    All works fine as far as I can tell.

    Just stick it in anyway, if it doesn’t work you’ll get lots of comments on your post, like on this one :P

52. 
    Chris M
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 12:56 pm

    Ah, well that’s good news! Thanks for letting us know @Nick. @Andrew – Have you had any luck?

53. 
    Andrew
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 1:01 pm

    I’ve not had any luck as such (other than the good fortune of coming across this fine blog!) — because I’m sitting here in London. I had no trouble downloading MSE but my readers in SA reported lots of trouble from the same link. SO I wanted to confirm a working link and working install file before responding to them. Seems like we are nearly there. @Nick : could you send me a link to the file you downloaded successfully? Also, could you confirm your PCS are set to South Africa as locale (many are left set to USA by default) – sorry, being extra cautious – this goes into the Cape Times and the Mercury in KZN so not keen to make a big mistake!

54. 
    Chris M
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 1:19 pm

    @Jon – I’m on an IS ADSL account..

    @Andrew – Ah, so you’ll mention iMod in the Cape Times will you :)

55. 
    Andrew
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 1:23 pm

    @Chris M – it would be my pleasure – but I’ll need firm answers first (hoping these will be posted) – a publically accessible URL to download MSE, and confirmation it downloaded on a South African ISP connection, validated on genuine Windows and updates and runs normally.

56. 
    Jon
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 1:52 pm

    @Andrew

    As this sounds like a fairly official article you are writing, I would be hesitant to recommend a product that Microsoft clearly doesnt support for SA users.

    I have managed to install it and get it updating on a test machine, but only after getting the file from a non-MS source.

    I wonder if MS are going to eventually close this loophole, cos they obviously dont want this market using their product. Yet.

    Thoughts?

57. 
    Chris M
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 1:59 pm

    I have to admit – the fact that they don’t list “South Africa” in their drop down menu does make me agree with @Jon when he says “I wonder if MS are going to eventually close this loophole, cos they obviously dont want this market using their product. Yet.”

58. 
    Andrew
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 3:19 pm

    I completely see your point – but need to close the door on this in the best possible way. If there’s an easy way for users to legally download and install MSE, I need to tell them this alternative — while at the same time explaining why they are not able to obtain the MSE software through the normal means (MS website).

59. 
    craig kensek
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 6:13 pm

    PC Magazine reviewed both AVG Anti-Virus Free 9.0 and AVG Internet Security 9.0 in late October. These were separate articles. The author preferred AVG Anti-Virus Free to MSE. People can google the articles.

60. 
    Chris M
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 6:30 pm

    Find us some links please Craig, this is very relevant! Mind you, we’re trying to solve this download problem!

    Must admit, I’ve gone AVG over MS and am very happy with my decision :)

61. 
    Craig Kensek
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 6:37 pm

    Here are some links. With respect to the download problem, I would post it to AVG’s CNET Forum http://forums.cnet.com/avg-forum/?tag=rb_mtx;f06-fd

    http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2355028,00.asp

    http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2354823,00.asp

    http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=5334&review=AVG+9.0+Anti-Virus+Free+Review

62. 
    Craig Kensek
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 6:39 pm

    With respect to download problem. I would post to AVG’s CNET Forum http://forums.cnet.com/avg-forum/?tag=rb_mtx;f06-fd

63. 
    Craig Kensek
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 6:43 pm

    PC Magazine review of AVG Internet Security 9.0
    http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2355031,00.asp

64. 
    craig kensek
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 6:45 pm

    PC Magazine review of AVG Anti-Virus Free 9.0 . I’ve had to do this in pieces because having all listed in one submission didn’t “stick”

    http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2354825,00.asp

65. 
    Chris M
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 6:56 pm

    Thanks for all the information Craig, going to see if we can get down to the bottom of this! :)

66. 
    craig kensek
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 6:59 pm

    If the issue hasn’t been submitted to AVG, it should be put on CNET. AVG does monitor that site. http://forums.cnet.com/avg-forum/?tag=rb_mtx;f06-fd

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