Do I need AV soft. with this?

[davidf2]

Will this program detect and clean the same viruses that an Anti-Virus program will? Do I really need an Anti-Virus program if I'm running this AVG Anti-Spyware?

[WSFuser]

u still need an antivirus when running AVG Anti-Spyware. its not meant to (and i doubt it could) replace an AV.

[TopperID]

It can't replace an AV because it isn't an AV!

An AV will scan files as they are written to and read from HD, it will also combat self replicating malware. You can only run one AV at a time because of possible conflicts.

AVG-AS is intended to supplement your AV, it scans executable files as you attempt to run them, thus giving you a second opinion and a chance to catch things that slip by your AV. It will not be protecting against true viruses (which are self replicating and infect within system files), but it will protect against trojans and general spyware which are far more prevalent these days anyway.

Just view it as an additional layer of protection. A trojan that does not run will not harm you, but if it tries to run it will be scanned by AVG-AS.

[davidf2]

Alright, then if AV is still recommended, which one do you guys suggest? I've had Norton AV and perhaps it is good, but I hated the enormous System Resources it swallowed up. Memory recovered upon program closing just sucked. Computer start up was very slow (do all AV's do this to start up?). My hunch is that most AV's pretty much do the same, are user friendly enough, but are weighing differently on the resources. This aspect does not seem to be rated in the AV consumer reviews. All my local geek squaders say AVG is best, but Bitdefender is getting good review to me also. Norton and McAfee are off my list. Be honest here, guys. Don't homer me just 'cuz this is an AVG board.

...awaiting all your replies...

[WSFuser]

i like NOD32 and KAV. theyre light and have good detection rates.

[C.S.J]

Originally Posted by davidf2

Alright, then if AV is still recommended, which one do you guys suggest? I've had Norton AV and perhaps it is good, but I hated the enormous System Resources it swallowed up. Memory recovered upon program closing just sucked. Computer start up was very slow (do all AV's do this to start up?). My hunch is that most AV's pretty much do the same, are user friendly enough, but are weighing differently on the resources. This aspect does not seem to be rated in the AV consumer reviews. All my local geek squaders say AVG is best, but Bitdefender is getting good review to me also. Norton and McAfee are off my list. Be honest here, guys. Don't homer me just 'cuz this is an AVG board.

...awaiting all your replies...

avg 7.5 free will secure you,

but i personally use dr.web, offers a good product which scans for everything, not just viruses and for a cheap price, mine cost me just £17.50 GBP / 26 euro for a 2 year licence (used the 50% off discount through migration)

[farmerlee]

Just run the free avg av alongside avg as and you'll be fine.

[JerryM]

Run AVG 7.5 free or Avast Home which is also free.
Jerry

[TopperID]

Just decide whether you want a free AV or a paid AV.

With free AV AntiVir has the best detection rate and would be my choice. Its detection capabilities would complement AVG-AS very nicely. There is also a paid for (but reasonably priced) premium version with additional features.

If you just want to throw the boat out and get the best then Kaspersky 6 is my choice; but, although you can configure it to be simple 'set and forget', it does have advanced features that require a bit of knowledge to get the best out of it.

Both KAV and AntiVir will give you a start-up scan, but you can disable that feature if you wish (though I personally prefer not to, because it is safer to allow it).

AVG would not be my choice, because its detection rates are not as good as AntiVir and although the I.S. Suite version has been doing well, part of the reason is likely to be because it has AVG-AS integrated with it thus improving its performance.

In the end though, the choice lies with you and everyone has different preferences.

[C.S.J]

Originally Posted by TopperID

Just decide whether you want a free AV or a paid AV.

With free AV AntiVir has the best detection rate and would be my choice. Its detection capabilities would complement AVG-AS very nicely. There is also a paid for (but reasonably priced) premium version with additional features.

If you just want to throw the boat out and get the best then Kaspersky 6 is my choice; but, although you can configure it to be simple 'set and forget', it does have advanced features that require a bit of knowledge to get the best out of it.

Both KAV and AntiVir will give you a start-up scan, but you can disable that feature if you wish (though I personally prefer not to, because it is safer to allow it).

AVG would not be my choice, because its detection rates are not as good as AntiVir and although the I.S. Suite version has been doing well, part of the reason is likely to be because it has AVG-AS integrated with it thus improving its performance.

In the end though, the choice lies with you and everyone has different preferences.

avg have improved their detection in this release, no update problems, no icon problems, email scanning and real time protection, all what avira do not offer, if the choice is a free AV, avg 7.5 gets the vote.

paid - dr.web all the way (i know... some will dissagree, but i love it)

[ashishtx]

It is always better to keep an antivirus rather than antispyware since spyware is relatively easy to remove than virus.

[mercurie]

AV is the most basic protection. Don't down load or use the internet without it.

[budfox]

I have been "using the internet" for sometime without AV. I do occasional on demand type scans and still found nothing.

It is very unlikely that you will get a virus from email now due to most if not all providers scan everything before it goes through. Try to send youself a virus and you will see what I mean.

I find that there is a much higher need for malware scanning due to there is money to be made on the malware end. Dont download free software that you dont know, and you will be fine.

[C.S.J]

Originally Posted by budfox

I have been "using the internet" for sometime without AV. I do occasional on demand type scans and still found nothing.

It is very unlikely that you will get a virus from email now due to most if not all providers scan everything before it goes through. Try to send youself a virus and you will see what I mean.

I find that there is a much higher need for malware scanning due to there is money to be made on the malware end. Dont download free software that you dont know, and you will be fine.

i agree to a point that an av is not needed if your a super safe user who just goes on clean sites and downloads nothing.

but, i would never recommend not using an AV at the least, preferably, one that scans for adware / rootkits and spyware.