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What’s the best FREE antivirus?

If you’re watching where your dollars go, choosing a free antivirus program may make sense. The marketplace is loaded with free antivirus programs but they aren’t all created equal. Many are online virus scan tools, trial versions, slimmed down versions of a more thorough application, or even outright scams. With this in mind it’s important to understand what the different types of free antivirus applications really mean before determining the best free one for you.

I’m always on the lookout for a bargain but so far haven’t stumbled across a free antivirus program that fully meets my needs. At one point, I was getting hundreds of spam messages per day. Of those, a good chunk, I’d say 30% or more, contained viruses. To be honest, I needed a better solution than a free antivirus application.

However, a free antivirus program may provide satisfactory results depending on your needs. Before you start your search, let me explain a few points that you ought to consider.

Free Online Virus Scans

Many legitimate antivirus software developers offer a free online scanning tool that will scan your computer for viruses on demand. One of the best of the bunch is Trend Micro’s House Call. It detects and removes malware including computer viruses, spyware, worms, and Trojans as well as notifies you of any system vulnerabilities that it finds. Using this tool is easy enough and it’s always up-to-date with the latest malware definitions. While this is an excellent free antivirus program, one major drawback exists. You can perform on demand scans anytime but you cannot schedule regular scans. If you use this application, discipline is a must. You must be committed to regularly accessing the website and going through the steps to perform a scan.

Another common online scan involves “try before you buy” antivirus applications. These are often excellent products from legitimate developers. The way they work is they allow you to download a scanner tool that will scan your PC for viruses. After the scan is complete, you will see a report listing all of the found viruses. In this case, you can’t get something for nothing. If viruses are found, you must upgrade to the full version in order to remove the found viruses. While this may be considered a downside to some, it’s also a useful way to find out if you have a virus infection before investing money. If no viruses are found, you just saved the cost of the product. 

Trial Versions

If you’ve recently purchased a new computer, it likely came preinstalled with a trial version of a popular antivirus application. The first thing you must do in this case is immediately update the database definitions so that you are being protected with the latest virus patterns available. You can also download trial version of antivirus applications from most of the major players in the industry. The problem with trial versions is that they are a short term solution to a long term problem. Eventually, you will need to upgrade to the regular program.

Lite Versions

Many trial versions and free antivirus programs are “lite” versions of more robust applications. You’ll likely have a scan engine and regular updates however you will likely lack many of the more desirable functions such as scheduled scanning, malware detection, and real time protection. For example, the highly-rated AVG Anti-Virus Free contains only one out of ten features that the full-featured version offers.

Scams

Finally, some free antivirus programs are scams. They may contain spyware that steals your financial information or serves up unwanted advertising or they may fake the results, telling you that you are infected and therefore must upgrade in order to remove the threat.

Many free antivirus applications are useful though they do have their drawbacks.

• Free Virus Scan
• 7 Safe and useful scanners you can try free!
• Recommended Anti-virus

What is the best antivirus to use?

I’ve evaluated dozens of antivirus products over the years and have found that many effective antivirus products exist. Each of the leading antivirus application developers such as McAfee, Norton, ParetoLogic, and Trend Micro offer excellent antivirus products including standalone antivirus protection, online antivirus scans, and “all in one” Internet security suites.

However, no matter which antivirus software you install, the protection is only as good as the latest virus definition update. With that in mind, I believe that the so-called “best” antivirus programs are those that meet the following criteria:

• An extensive database of virus definitions - This database should be continuously growing with new definitions added frequently as new threats are discovered.

• Automatic updates - While the developer may frequently add new antivirus definitions to their database, it doesn’t do any good to your system if you local copy isn’t updated! Manual updates don’t cut it; are you really going to religiously update your antivirus protection on your own?

• Real time protection - The sooner your antivirus program detects a virus, the better.

• POP3 e-mail and Web mail protection - Because most viruses arrive in e-mail messages, the ability to scan both POP3 and Web e-mail messages is critical. In addition, antivirus protection while in chat rooms and Instant Messaging is desirable.

• Ease of use - What happens when the antivirus application detects a virus? Does the software handle quarantining the virus on your behalf or does it give you a list of confusing (and alarming) choices?

• Scheduled scans - Can you schedule regular virus scans, including deep scans, to take place when you’re not working?

Two of my favorites are ParetoLogic Anti-Virus Plus, which recently earned five out of five cows on Tucows.com, and Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security. These products happen to be “all in one” suites that also protect against other Internet threats such as spyware, malware, spam, phishing, and viruses. Both provide excellent antivirus protection with frequent definition updates - yes, they’re automatic! Best of all, I don’t have to do a thing.

Granted, when you first install either application, you must go in and set up your preferences but once that’s done, the antivirus protection continues without any user intervention required. Detailed logs show me exactly what actions have taken place.

While numerous excellent antivirus products are on the market, the best protection is only as good as the latest virus definition and local update to your software. When selecting an antivirus program for your computer, look for a continuously updated database of virus definitions, automatic updates, real-time protection, e-mail and Web mail scans, ease of use, and scheduled virus scans.

I recommend “all in one” suites that also protect your computer from Internet threats such as spyware, adware, malware, downloading Trojans, spam, and phishing. If you already have anti-spyware protection and simply want an antivirus program, many of these same software developers offer standalone antivirus programs that focus only on protecting your computer from viruses. No matter which antivirus product you choose, if it’s providing you with protection from existing and emerging viruses, then it’s one of the best.