any free anti virus and spyware software ?

[pedrobedro]

Microsoft are being regulated by more monopolies commissions worldwide than any other company and are not getting away with forcing anything on you any more. The use of their browser and mail is optional now, not like it used to be, I use a couple of web based email suppliers as well as hotmail and have 3 different browsers on my computer some of which are better than IE and some not, they all have their failings and nobody tries to track and control your web behaviour more than Google and I still use an Android phone.

 

[ajlelectronics]

You and I are not the typical computer user. People like my mother ARE and accept without question that if it says Microsoft, then it must be right. My mother (and brother) will not even consider installing Thunderbird, to deal with the email problem, nor Firefox because it isn't "standard". That is where the problem lies. Just because there is no compulsion to use their software, it doesn't stop the less aware from doing so.

 

[Chipper]

MS Sec Essentials - light and unobtrusive.
AVG and Avast, my more recent fave, have both turned into annoying bloaters.

Windows Firewall is fine.

Also run SuperAntiSpyware on a couple of PCs. Crap name but effective.

Malwarebytes if a scan/clean is needed, also Vipre Rescue for a 2nd opinion.

 

[ajlelectronics]

Windows Firewall is the minimum required. Run Zone Alarm and see what it has been missing. ;-)

 

[PhillipM]

Lots of extra system bloat and a firewall that randomly blocks half the services you need?

 

[ajlelectronics]

Ah, you mean it WORKS :-) It doesn't randomly block, it learns what is legitimate and what isn't. It is quite interesting to see some rogue software trying to do an ET. Zone Alarm queries it, Windows allows it to do as it pleases, but it doesn't bother you with such trivialities. ;-)

 

[PhillipM]

The only thing I've ever had issues with over the years is Zonealarm, and Norton (pretty much anything they do), I don't touch either any more.

 

[cracker666]

Free Avast have reportedly out performed most of the full blown packages.
I put it on all my customers pc's only once had a problem, then we scheduled a boot time scan and bye bye virus.
It's been that good I rang Avosec the uk arm of avast.cz and for 3pcs for 3years it cost £49.00 total for their top package.

I also got a massive discount for the company server pc environment again for 3 years.

 

[arthur]

Used AVG for years too until a worm/spybot ripped into my network!

Now use this

http://www.avira.com/en/avira-free-antivirus

 

[Premiershipman]

Avira is very good and totally free, isnt too resource hungry either. I have used zonalarm in the past but became a pain to configure for all programs etc.

 

[cracker666]

anti malwarebytes has always been a good product.
Not antiviri but another good product is "Advanced System Care Free"
has many tools in one.