Protect your PC from viruses with free AVG Anti-Virus 8.0
(Credit:
Rick Broida)
Anti-virus software is a necessary evil (unless you're a Mac or Linux user, am I right?), but it doesn't have to be a costly one. Witness Grisoft's AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition, which offers robust virus protection without any money changing hands.
The just-released version 8.0 includes a spiffier, easier interface and a new feature called LinkScanner, which promises protection from malicious links returned by Web searches. Better still, AVG 8.0 adds anti-spyware to the mix, bringing it closer to that other free anti-virus favorite, Avast. (The latter includes rootkit protection as well, which AVG still lacks.)
Indeed, when it comes to free security software, everyone seems to have their favorite. Some users prefer Avira AntiVir, but I couldn't stand its nag screens. The question is, do any of these freebie tools offer the same level of protection as their commercial counterparts? I'm no security expert, but I've been virus- and spyware-free for as long as I can remember--and I use only the free stuff. How about you? What's your security software of choice, and why? Hit the Comments and discuss.
In the meantime, you can find out more about AVG Anti-Virus 8.0 Free Edition in CNET's First Look video.
Rick Broida, a technology writer for nearly 20 years, is the author of more than a dozen books. In addition to writing CNET's The Cheapskate blog, he oversees BNET's Business Hacks. Rick is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CBS Interactive. Disclosure. Deals found on The Cheapskate are subject to availability, expiration, and other terms determined by sellers. Follow Rick on Twitter at cheapskateblog. 
That being said, I have used AVG Antivirus, Sygate Personal Firewall, and (previously Ad-Aware) Spyware Terminator with great results. All Free.
Have I missed something or is there a surprise later after using the Avira AntiVir for a while? The only thing my long suffering computer widow reports so far is a tiny splash screen during startup which is much less intrusive than AVG's public updating display or Zone Alarm's long initialization dialog box.
I'd hate for Avira to get a bum rap for "nagware" based on a tiny splash screen during startup.
Have I missed something or is there a surprise later after using the Avira AntiVir for a while? The only thing my long suffering computer widow reports so far is a tiny splash screen during startup which is much less intrusive than AVG's public updating display or Zone Alarm's long initialization dialog box.
I'd hate for Avira to get a bum rap for "nagware" based on a tiny splash screen during startup.
Navigate to the Avira program directory (?C:\Program Files\AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic?, in my case), right-click on avnotify.exe, and go to Properties. Go to the Security tab in the window that appears, and hit ?Edit??. In the Permissions window, go through all the users and click ?Deny? by ?Read & execute?. Then hit OK as many times as necessary and you should be ad-free!
- by Jerry123453 October 15, 2008 2:02 PM PDT
- AVG does not support it's free software. You may have trouble ever uninstalling it. I have not been able to uninstall it since putting it on. They try to force a purchase of their upgrade by stopping updating the freeware after a time. They provide no way of removing the software. I took the computer to Geek Squad. They couldn't remove it either (at that store), but manages to sell me another anti virus that I can't install until this one is removed.
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- by ametyst95 October 25, 2008 10:43 AM PDT
- OMG and i wanted to install it......
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(13 Comments)thx for telling that