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Antivirus Guide

This page offers important tips and links to comparative retail product reviews, recommended retail products, comparative reviews of free software, recommended free software, and links to testing organizations. Do you need antivirus help right now?
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If so, see:

Removing Viruses from a PC That Won’t Boot, Krebs On Security, March 29, 2010

Malware Troubles? Start from Square One, Roger Grimes, PC World, February 20, 2009

Spotting a PC Infection, Erik Larkin, PC World, February 2, 2009

Is It a Virus? Lincoln Spector, PC World, October 3 2008

How to Recover From a Virus Attack, by Entrepreneur.com on thestreet.com, April 13, 2007

 

Important Antivirus Tips

  • Watch Out -- Do not buy or download any antivirus software without checking this list first: The 69 Worst Antivirus Scanners, Mary Landesman, antivirus.about.com, September 15, 2008; and How to Tell If That Pop-up Window Is Offering You a Rogue Anti-Malware Product, Tom Kelchner, Sunbelt Software, June 2009.
  • Microsoft Monthly Top Ten -- What you don't know about the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, Michael Horowitz, Computer World, February 5, 2009.The second Tuesday monthly updates include this automatic scanner.
  • Just One, Not Two -- Never use two antivirus products at the same time. Completely uninstall one before installing another. Use the vendor's uninstall utility or if not available, use the Windows XP add/remove software tool in the control panel.
  • Patches & Updates -- Antivirus software is only as effective as its most recent update because it is inherently reactive treating "known" threats. So when you install antivirus software, go to the vendor's web site and update the program and virus definitions immediately and then turn on the auto update feature (if it has one). If you want to be ready for the next big bad thing before your antivirus signatures can be updated, consider Zero-Day Protection.
  • Get Online Protection Too -- Consider using an Internet service provider or email service that includes server side antivirus and spam email filtering as a second layer of defense. If possible, use different antivirus software on your home computer than your ISP or service uses on their servers.
  • Consider a Gateway -- A Broadband Gateway product between your modem and network can screen out viruses before they hit your computer(s).
  • Spyware & Trojan Horses -- Some antivirus software products now include anti-spyware and some anti-spyware products have added antivirus. In addition, some of these products include anti-Trojan, anti-worm and other anti-malware features. Before relying on a single security product, carefully review the vendor's list of features and study comparative test results if available. See Editorial - Do you really need a spyware scanner? Gizmo Richards' Support Alert Newsletter, April 17, 2008. Also see our Security Suite, Anti-Spyware, Anti-Trojan and Zero-Day Protection pages.
  • Prices -- For current prices, see our custom AntiVirus Software 2010 Price List powered by Amazon.com or click on one of the products below:

Amazon.com Widgets

Comparative Retail Antivirus Reviews

  • Analyst's View: Antivirus Rescue CDs, Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, May 7, 2010 -- Antivir Rescue CD (free) (Direct Download), avast! BART CD ($149.95), AVG Rescue CD (free), BitDefender Rescue CD (free), F-Secure Rescue CD (free), Kaspersky Rescue Disk (free), Norton Bootable Recovery Tool (free with license), Panda SafeCD (free), PC Tools Alternate Operating System Scanner (free).
  • Security Shootout: 10 Top Antivirus Apps Put to the Test, Maximum PC, April 16, 2010
  • Lab Testing Antivirus Software, Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, March 26, 2010 -- six editor's choice picks include Ad-Aware Pro 8.1, Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0, Norton AntiVirus 2010, Panda Cloud Antivirus - Free Edition 1.0, Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus 2010, and VIPRE Antivirus 4.0; seven other products tested include avast! Free Antivirus 5.0, AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0, Avira AntiVir Personal 10, Double Anti-Spy Professional, IObit Security 360, McAfee Virus Scan Plus 2010, and Trend Micro HouseCall 7.1.
  • Antivirus Software Reviews, Consumersearch.com, March 2010, most effective G Data Antivirus 2010, best free Panda Cloud Antivirus Free Edition, best mainstream Norton AntiVirus 2010, best Mac Intego VirusBarrier X6.
  • AntiVirus Software 2010 -- 22 products, TopTenReviews
  • Advanced Antivirus [retail], Erik Larkin, PC World, November 23, 2009 -- G-Data, Symantec, Kaspersky, BitDefender, Panda, F-Secure, Avira, Trend Micro, Eset, McAfee, & Alwil.

Top Seven Retail Antivirus Software Products (alpha order)

Comparative Reviews of Free Antivirus Software

  • Best free antivirus for netbook, eeejournal, May 24, 2010 -- Avast, Avira and Panda
  • Top free security suites [mostly antivirus], Seth Rosenblatt, CNet, April 29, 2010 -- Avast Free Antivirus, AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition, Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus, Microsoft Security Essentials, Panda Cloud Antivirus Free Edition, ThreatFire AntiVirus Free Edition
  • Can You Trust Free Antivirus Software? Erik Larkin, PC World, August 24, 2009 -- Avira AntiVir Personal, Alwil Avast Antivirus Home Edition, AVG 8.5 Free, MS Security Essentials, PC Tools Antivirus Free Edition, Comodo Internet Security plus Panda Cloud Antivirus, PC Tools Threatfire, and ClamWin Free Antivirus.
  • Best Free Antivirus Software, Mary Landesman, antivirus.about.com, April 21, 2009 -- Avira AntiVir Personal for Windows, PC Tools iAntivirus for Mac, AVG Free Edition for Windows, Avast Home Edition for Windows, and ClamXav for Mac

Top Five Free Antivirus Software Products (alpha order)

Free Antivirus Tools

Free Online Antivirus Scanners

 Antivirus Testing