I am about to install AVG or Avast (free ones) stories?, advice?

I don't think the gap between overall detection rates (on-demand scan testing for so-called Zoo malware) of Avast and AntiVir or even AVG will play the significant role in the real-world scenario. I believe that when it comes to today's dangerous malware so every known AVs would catch them all as soon as possible.

Many people start and end with just the comparison of overall detection rates. Overall detection rates will vary dramatically depens on the types of malware used for testing. One program may detect 99.9% of all malware while another may detect 50%, 60%, 80%, etc, so such results are not conclusive and can be misleading. Although overall detection rates are so important, but it is just one aspect of AV software.

I'd recommend to read this paper

Evaluating anti-virus tests Why some reviews are better than others: http://esac.kaspersky.fr/index.php?PageID=9


Quoted from AV-Comparatives.org

If you plan to buy an Anti-Virus, please visit the vendor's site and evaluate their software by downloading a trial version, as there are also many other features (e.g. firewall, scriptblocker, etc.) and important things (e.g. compatibility, graphical user interface, speed, language, price, update frequence, etc.) for an Anti-Virus that you should evaluate by yourself. Even if quite important, the detection rate is just one aspect that you should consider when buying Anti-Virus software.

So don't you wonder why some AV solutions with poor overall detection rates such as eTrust Antivirus, Sophos, Trend Micro are very popular and widely used in corporate environment than so-called best AV here such as Kaspersky, NOD32? is it just only marketing strategy? I don't think so...

 

I'm running avg free with kerio 4.2 free and don't feel the least uncomfortable. I do practice safe surfing though, avoiding porn, warez, gaming sites, and similar places known to attract virii and other nasties.

As people here have said many times, the best security sits between your ears. Use basic common sense while surfing and especially when checking your email.

 

Sounds like some kind of magic
Do you happen to have any more info about this?

The problem with "known memory hogs" is that people look at the numbers in Task Manager, sum them for the AV processes and if the result is big, they call the program a "memory hog". Unfortunatelly, this is pure nonsense. Unless you know precisely how the particular program works internally (which you don't), you can judge hardly anything from the numbers; especially the "sum" is a very misleading (read "wrong") operation here.

 

Wildman i can't agree with you. If avast! is resource hog then what is Norton,Kaspersky,Panda and McAfee? Super ultra resource hog?
On average avast! uses around 13-15MB of RAM. Perfectly acceptable.

Also i never i mean really never ever had any kind of problems with uninstalling of avast! let it be Windows 98 or Windows XP system.
Only thing that was left behind was Alwil Software\avast4 folder (mostly just report files. After you uninstall avast! and rebooted you can simpy delete this folder. You can use standalone uninstaller after uninstallation(and reboot!) for it if you wan't,but thats not required.
Actually i only had problems with Panda once and with Norton several times when uninstaller simply failed. Others worked just fine.

 

I think I said I would leave the technical details to the experts, all I can do is pass on my experiences with these products. There will always be those who want to take one out of context and fulfill their own agenda. I have no agenda, nor am I a zealot for any particular product. I think my posts are rather clear and I have no desire to try and further explain them, especially to those who would appear to only want to argue.

Thanks
Wildman

 

And we thank you for sharing your experiences Wildman, they are indeed appreciated.

Cheers

 

Previously when I installed AVG, I get all sorts of warnings about trojans(Like win32.backdoor) in my /windows folder. But then with Avast, I get nothing even when I scan the area. I even use the removal tools from norton. Nothing found!

Just my experience, I prefer avast.

 

I concur. I do the same thing and my scanners don't detect anything anymore, not even the best scanners, which I try sometimes.
Scare and convince the user long enough and he installs everything. I don't do that.
I think that many users prefer to install (too) many security softwares, rather than listening to good preventive advices.
After all installing security software sounds better than doing nothing.

 

The best protection is simple. "COMMON SENSE"!

Thanks
Wildman

 

Just buy kaspersky and shut up. Just joking...

 

I run both AVG7 and Antivir.

I don't have AVG running all the time, only Antivir, but the bootup scanner and Alert Manager of AVG are always active.

I havn't had any conflicts whatsoever whilst doing this, on the contrary they compliment each other. And it's another line of Active Defense, as they both have different databases, as can be seen on Jottis. They both miss things the other catches. So two for the price of one, or more precisely, in my case for Free !

I have had a few problems when AVG updates its engine etc. I have found i lose the ability to do Virus updates with it. After wasting a lot of time on their forums etc waiting for a solution, i've found it's much easier just to DL a fresh new copy of the program, which always works.


StevieO