# Anti-spyware/virus recommendations



## nebulinda (Dec 19, 2008)

My 3 month old system (Windows XP) has been considerably slower these past two weeks or so, and I've done things like clearing out the caches, and turning off all the fancy visual effects. Since it's still annoyingly slow, I suspect that malware may be the cause, and so I was just wondering what everyone else uses to get rid of spyware/viruses/etc. Does it work well? Is it easy to use? I already have a program called Avast, but I think it just takes care of viruses, and doesn't consider other bad things that may be lurking.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

I am currently using Webroot.  I love it.  It blocks out pop ups, keep my safe from spyware, and all that other stuff I  know nothing about.  
deb


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## MonaSW (Nov 16, 2008)

AVG Antivirus - free
ZoneAlarm - free
TrojanHunter - free
Lavasoft Ad-Aware - free
Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware - 24.95

Forgot SpyBot Search and Destroy, another good one.


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## Sariy (Jan 18, 2009)

avast- free


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Spybot and Ad-aware do a great job of keeping spyware off your system.  

Also, your ISP may provide something free.  Comcast lets you download Macaffee free.

Ann


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## Cowgirl (Nov 1, 2008)

I also use webroot.


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

I'm currently using BitDefender Internet Security 2009 trial version, and I think I'm going to purchase a license when the trial runs out. I've been quite happy with it. It was highly rated by PC World, and it's a pretty good bargain at $40.

KindleBoards affiliate link

_- Added KB affiliate link for BitDefender - Admin._


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## Jaasy (Feb 28, 2009)

I use McAfee that comes free with my ISP, ATT...


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## Rhiathame (Mar 12, 2009)

I have been using Trend Microsystems - PC-Cillian for years and have been happy with it. You get 3 user licenses with the purchase.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I use Malwarebytes (free) in addition to the anti-virus that came with my computer.

http://www.malwarebytes.org/

Also, I periodically run www.trendmicro.com's online scanner housecall on each of my PCs
http://preview.tinyurl.com/housecall041309

Betsy


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

That is my biggest peeve with XP, my computers always seem to become sluggish after a few months of use. I never find any malware and the optimizer progams don't help. Only wiping the drive and reinstalling seems to help.  It got annoying enough that I bought a Macbook (very happy with it!) and now I'm trying Linux on the old XP laptops to see if it doesn't bog down as much.


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## Kathy (Nov 5, 2008)

I use Trend Microsystems - PC-Cillian and love it. It is easy to configure and doesn't seem to bog down performance. I have Window XP and my laptop is running fine. My company uses Symantec AntiVirus and it seems to work well.


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## kguthrie (Feb 23, 2009)

I have used AVG Free for about 5 years with 0 issues. I highly recommend it.


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## honyock (Oct 29, 2008)

For years I used AVG Antivirus, Lavasoft AdAware and Spybot. After getting a new netbook, I did some research on what currently gets the highest reviews and changed to Avast as my antivirus, and SuperAntiSpyware and Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware for spam/malware (all three are free). The last two apparently catch slightly different bad guys, so I've been doing a full scan with each of them once a week or so. For a firewall I've been using Comodo (also free, and which will drive you crazy with popups initially while it is learning).


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## honyock (Oct 29, 2008)

One other thing that can really help with spyware and malware. If you're still using Explorer as your browser, consider switching to Firefox. After I switched, I noticed a dramatic decrease in the amount of spyware that my scans would catch. Someone explained it to me that the spyware codewriters target Explorer since it is used on the most computers, and they won't latch on to your computer if you're using Firefox. I don't know if that explanation is accurate or not, but I did notice a big improvement in my computer after switching. I love Firefox - it has lots of add-ons that make it much more functional and plenty of skins to make it look as cool as you'd like.


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## Kind (Jan 28, 2009)

honyock said:


> For years I used AVG Antivirus, Lavasoft AdAware and Spybot. After getting a new netbook, I did some research on what currently gets the highest reviews and changed to Avast as my antivirus, and SuperAntiSpyware and Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware for spam/malware (all three are free). The last two apparently catch slightly different bad guys, so I've been doing a full scan with each of them once a week or so. For a firewall I've been using Comodo (also free, and which will drive you crazy with popups initially while it is learning).


Cool, will try those out.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> I use Malwarebytes (free) in addition to the anti-virus that came with my computer.
> 
> http://www.malwarebytes.org/
> 
> ...


I run housecall, too. It really cleans up my laptop. It does take a long time to run, though. When I had all those problems several months ago, housecall was the only thing that did the job. Then I ran Spybot S&D (free) and did a final scan with Macafee that cleaned up the last of the problems. Unfortunately, even though my computer is running faster than it did before the cleanup, it's still pretty slow.



honyock said:


> One other thing that can really help with spyware and malware. If you're still using Explorer as your browser, consider switching to Firefox. After I switched, I noticed a dramatic decrease in the amount of spyware that my scans would catch. Someone explained it to me that the spyware codewriters target Explorer since it is used on the most computers, and they won't latch on to your computer if you're using Firefox. I don't know if that explanation is accurate or not, but I did notice a big improvement in my computer after switching. I love Firefox - it has lots of add-ons that make it much more functional and plenty of skins to make it look as cool as you'd like.


Switching to Firefox has really helped with pop-ups and spyware. Unfortunately, everytime Firefox upgrades, I lose something like HP web printer or certain Realplayer features.


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## nebulinda (Dec 19, 2008)

Thanks guys. I already have Avast, and I think I'll try Malwarebyes and Comodo. And the only time I've ever used Explorer on this machine is when I downloaded Firefox.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

I used Webroot until recently when Malware Defender 2009 got into my system.  I couldn't even go online after that and spent a lot of time on the phone with my internet provider.  Ended up taking my laptop to the Geek Squad (very expensive and slow!) and paid a lot.  At the same time I bought Kaspersky and have been OK ever since.  They had to remove Webroot in order to get online.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

mlewis78 said:


> I used Webroot until recently when Malware Defender 2009 got into my system. I couldn't even go online after that and spent a lot of time on the phone with my internet provider. Ended up taking my laptop to the Geek Squad (very expensive and slow!) and paid a lot. At the same time I bought Kaspersky and have been OK ever since. They had to remove Webroot in order to get online.


That's good to know. I'm looking to switch away from McAfee and was considering Webroot.

McAfee likes to run when I'm trying to get on-line. It can take up to an hour to complete whatever the heck it's doing and stops me dead from doing anything. When I turn on my computer, about nine times out of ten, I get a message that my computer may not be protected. Then I have to log on to McAfee, which takes another 10-15 minutes where half the time, I get a message that I AM protected. When I'm not protected, I have to run the "fix" which may or may not fix the problem.

But they did offer me an upgrade to fix all these problems at only $49.00.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

The price of webroot was far lower, particularly because I already had their spysweeper software, and renewing the package was still more frugal than going with Norton or Kaspersky.  When I went to the Geek Squad with the problem I had, I asked them which anti-virus they thought was best.  The man I talked to liked Kaspersky.  He didn't try to sell it to me, but after what happened, I wanted to do as much as I could to prevent a recurrence.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

mlewis78 said:


> The price of webroot was far lower, particularly because I already had their spysweeper software, and renewing the package was still more frugal than going with Norton or Kaspersky. When I went to the Geek Squad with the problem I had, I asked them which anti-virus they thought was best. The man I talked to liked Kaspersky. He didn't try to sell it to me, but after what happened, I wanted to do as much as I could to prevent a recurrence.


So, now you have Kapersky? I never heard of it. How do you like it? Any problems?


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## Sweety18 (Feb 14, 2009)

You can get the free version of Malware bytes, it works really well. As for anti virus, I'd suggest Kaspersky (sp?), I have very good experience with that program.



MonaSW said:


> AVG Antivirus - free
> ZoneAlarm - free
> TrojanHunter - free
> Lavasoft Ad-Aware - free
> ...


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Sweety18 said:


> You can get the free version of Malware bytes, it works really well.


I have Microsoft's malware cleaner, which runs every Tuesday, and Spybot. It's essential to have something to take care of all the spyware that clutters up the computer, because McAfee doesn't. If I run Spybot after a McAfee scan, Spybot will pick up all the adware.



> As for anti virus, I'd suggest Kaspersky (sp?), I have very good experience with that program.


I'll look into that. Thanks.


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## Jaasy (Feb 28, 2009)

This might help.

Top Ten Antivirus Software Comparison: http://www.2009softwarereviews.com/Defau....softwarereviews


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Jaasy said:


> This might help.
> 
> Top Ten Antivirus Software Comparison: http://www.2009softwarereviews.com/Defau....softwarereviews


I'm getting a "page not found" error


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