Best free anti-virus software
Monday, June 13, 2016 by gevansmd | Discussion: Windows Discussion
My church just bought a new laptop PC running Windows 10. I'd like to hear suggestions on the best free anti-virus software available. One caveat, it must be easy to use and not depend on the user knowing much about computers.
Do the suggestions on this link seem reasonable:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2388652,00.asp
Reply #2 Monday, June 13, 2016 7:43 PM
Just use Windows Defender, it works fine. Bee using it since Windows 7 (MSE) and never had a virus or anything.
OP: Does your ISP offer a free solution, normally a AIO suite but they do tend to be set and forget.
Reply #3 Monday, June 13, 2016 8:37 PM
Supergrovercmstorm LightStar knows his way around a PC. Trust me, if he were infected, he'd know it.
Reply #4 Monday, June 13, 2016 8:43 PM
Just use Windows Defender, it works fine. Bee using it since Windows 7 (MSE) and never had a virus or anything.
Defender is junk, you very well could be infected but since you are using a craptastic AV you just dont realize it.
OP: Does your ISP offer a free solution, normally a AIO suite but they do tend to be set and forget.
Yup, my ISP has Norton, and I absolutely hated it. Maybe the reason I don't have any problems with viruses is I only visit sites I know, and nothing else.
Reply #5 Monday, June 13, 2016 8:57 PM
Norton has been a bloated POS for years smart move, Myself use bitdefender, malwarebytes, noscript, ghostery, but for someone that doesnt have smart surfing habits a AIO is a good solution, setup a schedule and your good to go.
Anyone can get a virus safe sites or not, TBH most ppl end up infected from the easiest things , as in mail attachment, at least in my 30 years of IT that seams to be where most clients will pick them up.
Not saying ppl here dont know their poop but to recommend Defender as a goto solution isnt probably the best move for the OP. A simple search will tell you how far behind MSE is.
Reply #6 Monday, June 13, 2016 8:57 PM
Running MSE on several (one of mine, wifes laptop and several friends) machines. No malware or viruses plus never any nags to "upgrade" to some paid or new version. It runs silently in the background and never needs any user input other than Windows Updates
Reply #7 Monday, June 13, 2016 9:17 PM
More relevant to the Op....first issue with the link is the review is at least 2 years old.
Current results will likely vary.
Reply #9 Monday, June 13, 2016 10:57 PM
What would we do without you, Paul?
All crash and burn and look plain silly? ...
Nah.....but when it comes to reliable AV that can be hands-off and [mostly] idiot-proof then a GOOD paid-for proggy is the way to go.
Now and then Kaspersky's icon just sits there with a '!' politely suggesting that it'd appreciate a reboot of the system, but otherwise it's 'set and forget'...
Reply #10 Monday, June 13, 2016 11:35 PM
Well, I do use Windows Defender on a few rigs, mostly the ones that are for sale. I use Advanced System Care Ultimate on my main rigs. It uses a Bitdefender engine, I believe.
It doesn't harass me, and it allows me to choose what gets block and what does not.
I seldom hear from it, and my systems are problem free.
As for what we would do without you....
I'm guessing no one else here noticed the date on the link in the OP. I know I didn't. 
Reply #11 Tuesday, June 14, 2016 8:39 AM
You get what you pay for...in the best of circumstances. From free? Not so much.
Windows Defender was designed specifically not to compete with paid for AV programs because of OEM deals with the AV companies to put "trialware" (aka bloat/crapware) on their machines for profit.
In 2013 it lost its certification as antimalware because of the uniform extremely low scores on testing by several companies.At present, it is better, but hardly in the same circles as paid AVs.
The real question is whether any of them are worth much.
Reply #13 Tuesday, June 14, 2016 4:27 PM
gavansmd.
if this thread remains active you may get all kind of answers. What Doc said has a point. "The real question is whether any of them are worth much."
My suggestion would be to pick one out and just go with it.
Reply #15 Tuesday, June 14, 2016 6:06 PM
Thanks all for your suggestions.. I'll decide before Sunday so I can install after the service.
Reply #16 Thursday, June 16, 2016 6:49 AM
Bear in mind that some freebies like AVG and Avast disables Windows Defender. Just putting it out there.
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Reply #1 Monday, June 13, 2016 7:23 PM
Just use Windows Defender, it works fine. Bee using it since Windows 7 (MSE) and never had a virus or anything.