[fatdoc]

I'm currently going through the pain of setting up a laptop for the kids...

It's windows, XP. 4G Ram with 1.8GHz 256KB L2 cache Sempron chip. 120GB HDD.

Nice bit of kit.. I'd like no to slow it down too much and keep it safe with minimal cost and effort.

As this is the first windows machine I've owned for 5 years I have no idea what I need these days..

recommendations gratefully received.

Ta.

[Tris]

Go with AVG it's free and has one of the lowest footprints (memory/resources used):

http://free.avg.com/us-en/download-file-stb-afg-free

I tried about 5 different free ones recently before going back to AVG on my Netbook

[fatdoc]

Wow!
that was quick!

cheers.. I'm on it 

[GCW]

I still prefer Avira to AVG, although I run both on the Kray.  I also run SuperAntiSpyware in tandem.

[fatdoc]

Oh lordy... macophile going all dizzy 

do I need more than one then?

[Tris]

I still prefer Avira to AVG, although I run both on the Kray.  I also run SuperAntiSpyware in tandem.

I had problems with Avira and XBMC, it kept scanning the processes all the time and causing massive stuttering with playback. I tried for a while to exclude processes etc but in the end thought fuck it and stuck AVG back on. Ran sweet straight out of the box (so to speak)

[Tris]

do I need more than one then?

Nah - you'll be just fine with AVG on it's own

[Paul B]

I had problems with the Avg installer so now I'm using Avast which as been fine.

[GCW]

do I need more than one then?

Nope, but the PC I have all 3 on has all my HD videos on so I'm a little more careful with it.  Plus it's a 3GHz quad core etc etc so having another program doesn't affect it.

I always used AVG but it missed a couple of things that Avira picked up, so I switched.  They are both pretty good to be honest.

I tried Avast but didn't like it for some reason, can't remember why.

[Jim]

used to use AVG till its latest incarnation, tried avast and now use Avira.
They are all free, Avira is the best one IMHO.
You only need one

[Paul B]

Nope, but the PC I have all 3 on has all my HD videos on so I'm a little more careful with it.  Plus it's a 3GHz quad core etc etc so having another program doesn't affect it.

I thought running more than one at once can lead to problems? It certainly can where Mcaffee is concerned.

[GCW]

Never had any problems, but I tend to keep AVG asleep and only wake it up for occasional scans.
SuperAntiSpyware has found lots of ware that the others haven't though, and it's the only thing I found that sorted out Zlob.

McAfee is guff anyway.

[butters]

I thought running more than one at once can lead to problems? It certainly can where Mcaffee is concerned.

The problem as I understand it with running more than one instance of AV software is when AV Program A finds a virus and puts it into quarantine - AV Program B will then see the file in quarantine and flag it as a virus but will be unable to do anything with it. End result lots of messages about a virus it can not deal with and the like.

As for recommendations - Avira has been running fine on my laptop for ages and I can't see any reason to change it at the minute - does what it says on the tin etc. A* would highly recommend and all that.

[Bubba]

Another vote for Avira here.

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

I generally use Avira now, it throws up one ad a day which I can live with. Used to use AVG but the latest is HUGE and uses loads of resources I found. I've got the Micro$oft one running on a Dell netbook fine but I put it on a Samsung netbook and it slowed it right down so I took it off and put on Avira.
Superantispyware is also good. There is a bigger overlap of what is a virus/malware/spyware than there used to be but is still worth using both, I don't necessarily set the super...  client running all the time.

The worse thing I had to deal with recently was a naughty fake anti-virus programme on the in-laws machine, it locked you out of CTRL-ALT-DELETE, shut down your own anti-virus and threw up very genuine looking warnings of viruses and asked you to pay for software to get rid of them.

Strictly speaking it was Malware not a virus, AVG didn't touch it. Superantispyware sorted it but only after we did a full scan in safe mode.

[Bubba]

I run Threatfire in conjunction with Avira - they seem to play nicely together.

Also do regular runs of Spybot S&D

[slackline]

A GNU/Linux install is a good antidote to viruses 

[butters]

A GNU/Linux install is a good antidote to viruses 

Damn - I had a bet with myself that you wouldn't show up and preach the joys of the Linux gods to the heathen masses till the thread was over eight hours old... 

[Bubba]

A GNU/Linux install is a good antidote to viruses 

It's also an antidote to decent, essential software like Lightroom / Photoshop / Traktor / etc

[butters]

A GNU/Linux install is a good antidote to viruses 

It's also an antidote to decent, essential software like Lightroom / Photoshop / Traktor / etc

Begone foul heathen - thou knowest not of what thou speak for the great God Linux created WINE on the 2nd day to get round such things (maybe - I have no idea). 

[fatdoc]

A GNU/Linux install is a good antidote to viruses 

It's also an antidote to decent, essential software like Lightroom / Photoshop / Traktor / etc

that made me smirk... I dare not use the LOL

anyways... great beta from the forum of fourms..

I'm now on AVG, getting rid of 5 years of infections..... and I'll go for avira later.

Thanks everyone 

[Johnny Brown]

I generally use Avira now, it throws up one ad a day which I can live with. Used to use AVG but the latest is HUGE and uses loads of resources I found.

Ditto, used AVG for years and wouldn't touch it with a bargepole now.

The worse thing I had to deal with recently was a naughty fake anti-virus programme on the in-laws machine, it locked you out of CTRL-ALT-DELETE, shut down your own anti-virus and threw up very genuine looking warnings of viruses and asked you to pay for software to get rid of them.

Ellie managed to install that on mine. Fucking nightmare, it called 'Security Tool', and it was only because I've got a dual-boot running I managed to get rid of it.

[dave]

i had that one too, i seem to remember having to delete it from the "system volume info" folder (to stop it resoring itself on reboot), which in classic microsoft style remains hidden even when you've got "show hidden files" ticked. 

Although i use avira, i did note that it didn't spot this one or prevent me getting it, even with up-to-date deffinitions.

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

Although i use avira, i did note that it didn't spot this one or prevent me getting it, even with up-to-date deffinitions.

Hence my point about it not being a virus, and the need to run more than just an anti-virus to catch stuff like that.

[slackline]

Begone foul heathen - thou knowest not of what thou speak for the great God Linux created WINE on the 2nd day to get round such things (maybe - I have no idea). 

That or something like VirtualBox where you have Windows (and all "essential" software) running in a Virtual Machine and it matters not if it gets infected.