Need AntiVirus Help

Lots of good info and tips above. I'll have to re-read this a couple of times for it all to sink in, LOL. So, at this point I'll turn on Defender and uninstall McAfee and go from there.

Hazel123 said:

PC Mag rates Bit Defender no 1 this year with Norton 360 No 2. Techradar the same. Norton also has a good firewall.

The Best Antivirus Software for 2025

Antivirus apps for your PC protect your personal information, data, bank accounts, and much more. We've tested more than two dozen utilities to help you choose the best antivirus for your needs.

uk.pcmag.com

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The article from PCMag that you reference actually puts Norton behind Kaspersky and Webroot, but I wouldn't personally use that site for picking my AV solution, preferring to use accredited testing labs.

FWIW, according to an article at TheWindowsClub, Bitdefender is retiring its free version at the end of 2021.


Rob

TDKMate said:

I’ve been running Avast Free AV on my Win 7 (and prior) computers. Just got a Win 11 laptop and it has McAfee bundled in. Being retired, I don’t need or want another monthly bill. The last time I researched AV programs, Avast was the best free one out there, but that was many years ago. And back then, McAfee didn’t have too good a reputation anyways.


I’ve heard all you need is Windows Defender, but I think I should have a little more protection.


My bundled McAfee trial is over in a few days and I’d like to uninstall it and install Avast since it’s worked fine for 12+ years.


Thoughts? Ideas? Recommendations?


Thanks

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@TDKMate

Hi there, it's good to see so many helpful comments here and a lot for you to wade through I'm sure. I'd like to add my own thoughts for what it's worth. Over the past 25 years or so I've used many AV/Firewall solutions and probably too many to mention in this post but suffice it to say, in this day and age you really don't need add-on security products. Windows Defender and Windows Firewall do a perfectly adequate job. Sure there's always someone who'll stay brand loyal, I like some branded products like the next person, but if saving money is a priority you can't go far wrong with the Windows built-in solution.

As many people will testify, almost all add-on AV/Firewall products come at a cost, not just the financial cost but the cost of valuable system resources too. Windows Defender/Firewall are light on resources and don't cost any extra dosh. Of course you cannot escape from the fact that most add-on security products also require some degree of user learning. The Windows solution takes care of everything behind the scenes so you don't have to. I can tell you from experience, I stopped using add-on security products when Windows 10 first launched and although nervous at first I needn't have been, I've had no viruses or malware attacks on my system since June 2015. Ironically the same could not be said in the preceding years with add-on AV solutions.

As a final thought for you to digest, as someone who regularly does online banking and shopping, quite possibly the most important thing you could install right now is a password manager, there's some really good free ones to choose from, LastPass, Dash Lane and so on. Adding one of these will really tighten up your online security especially if you make use of 2 factor authentication. No more remembering passwords or manually typing them out or worse still writing them on a piece of paper, a password manager will take care of it for you. All you need to remember is a single master password. I think in an age of cyber crime it pays to protect every avenue.

Bitdefender and Sophos dead, Norton bought Avast/AVG/Avira, so I expect them to be gone within 2-3 years.

When in doubt you can always go for made in China, if ~1 billion people trusts it, it has to be good.


360 and TenCent are no longer tested because they were caught cheating in AV tests (sticking their hands in the cookie jar).

Ghot said:

Does Norton have a block "all" option in the firewall? To me, that is the most important part of a firewall.
I ask because although it's good... Bitdefender is getting bloated. 16 modules. :/
And all I want is AV and firewall, that I control.

When Bitdefender is set like this... the firewall only allows white list items.



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I don't know I just install it and leave it as it is lol. It seems bit defender is the highest ranking on most review sites though.

Hazel123 said:

I don't know :) I just install it and leave it as it is lol. It seems bit defender is the highest ranking on most review sites though.

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Yeah, I know BD is good. I've been running it since 2013.
Problem is... they added so much junk, it's getting to be a pain in the app. :)

Each one of these 13 modules has 3 or 4 tabs worth of settings.
All I need are the three in the RED rectangles.




On the box right now....

Ghot said:

Yeah, I know BD is good. I've been running it since 2013.
Problem is... they added so much junk, it's getting to be a pain in the app. :)

Each one of these 13 modules has 3 or 4 tabs worth of settings.
All I need are the three in the RED rectangles.

View attachment 16511

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That's why I liked the free version so much, same AV engine but no bloat. Nothing to set or customize and light on resources as it ran in the background.

FrancoDT said:

That's why I liked the free version so much, same AV engine but no bloat. Nothing to set or customize and light on resources as it ran in the background.

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I was contemplating switching to the free version... then they decided to kill it. :/

Maybe I'll try Kaspersky free, and Zonealarm free firewall.

My 2 cents, I have used MS Defender since W7 (although it had a different name at the time). MS Defender wasn't very good at the time, and I used a variety of second opinion scanners. The most useful second opinion scanners IMHO are EEK (Emsisoft Emergency Kit) and MalwareBytes.

But MS Defender has become truly excellent IMHO, and my use of second opinion scanners has become less and less frequent.

Not long ago, I did an MS Defender Offline scan which I routinely do from time to time. The scan caused MS to direct me to additional MS resources, and the one I that chose to run was the MS Safety Scanner msert.exe

So, for emphasis, I really, really, really like it that MS directed me to the additional resources on the appropriate occasion, I did not even know that these additional resources even exist.

Of course, at the end it was nothing, but I ran EEK nonetheless which also found nothing, and I left well it alone, I did not even run MalwareBytes or any of my other second opinion scanners.

On the other issues raised in this thread, I disable (USB) autorun on my main work computer and on my test computer, although I don't disable it on my other computers (here I am not paranoid enough, I guess)

With only one exception (where I need that one link) I do not network my computers to prevent malware propagation on the network. I purposefully disable auto-discovery (here I am paranoid enough, I guess) LOL

Another vote here for Windows Defender and nothing but Windows Defender.

Bitdefender is good as the guys said. If you are happy with Avast try it, it can always be uninstalled and replaced. Personally I have never felt comfortable using defender, but that is just me and I am happy to pay for an AV I trust, I use Norton myself

TDKMate said:

I’ve been running Avast Free AV on my Win 7 (and prior) computers. Just got a Win 11 laptop and it has McAfee bundled in. Being retired, I don’t need or want another monthly bill. The last time I researched AV programs, Avast was the best free one out there, but that was many years ago. And back then, McAfee didn’t have too good a reputation anyways.


I’ve heard all you need is Windows Defender, but I think I should have a little more protection.


My bundled McAfee trial is over in a few days and I’d like to uninstall it and install Avast since it’s worked fine for 12+ years.


Thoughts? Ideas? Recommendations?


Thanks

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I would still suggest to stick with Windows Defender. It is pretty good and not as bad as it once used to be.

What is most important is your browser configuration. All popular browsers have excellent security that can be enabled under Settings. I always use Strict settings, Block 3rd part cookies in all windows, Enable HTTPS always, etc.

My suggestion: Take time to go through your browser configurations and set everything to maximum security. That will take care of most issues automatically.

Also do not click on unknown links sent to you over email. Even on email, you can set default configurations to disallow downloading of images (as images usually contain trackers).

No software is free. Avast doesn't have a great reputation either. They have been involved in questionable practices. And most online reviews and ratings are sponsored. Don't believe them.

I think with all of these AV programs, it's which one gives you confidence

Ghot said:

Does Norton have a block "all" option in the firewall? To me, that is the most important part of a firewall.
I ask because although it's good... Bitdefender is getting bloated. 16 modules. :/
And all I want is AV and firewall, that I control.

When Bitdefender is set like this... the firewall only allows white list items.



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Windows Firewall + Microsoft Defender is actually an excellent combination. And with the right browser setup, you really don't need other solutions.

Windows Defender and good behavior on your part is all that is needed.

TheMystic said:

Windows Firewall + Microsoft Defender is actually an excellent combination.
And with the right browser setup, you really don't need other solutions.

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If anyone is using this combo, do not forget to install this extension for Chrome/Firefox.

Microsoft Defender Application Guard Extension defends devices in your organization from advanced attacks, by redirecting untrusted websites to an isolated version of Microsoft Edge. If an untrusted website turns out to be malicious, it remains within Application Guard's secure container, keeping the device protected.

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Which ever you chose just make sure you don't have 2 running at the same time or they will fight against each other, and have reported that some things are viruses when they are not !
Chuck

Been using PC Matic now for over a year, US based and US software not made in China or Russia like most others.

Easy white list to add to and UI is simple and schedule dated to auto run and clean of HD when you want to.
And a lifetime licence (not free) (no trouble going from W10 to W11).

I just got fed up with Windows Defender and changing what setting I wanted and scans is needed.
Or on older PC when WD auto ran I knew it was it slowed system down and then stupid WD summaries.
Plus WD antivirus updates were a PITA at times

Obviously PC Matic is AV default and overrides WD.