Internet Security/ AntiVirus

So here I am, my trial version of McAfee is up. I've used Norton in the past but it can be a real pain and annoying at times. I did like the ease of using McAfee. What are you guys using/ recommend using. Looking on amazon, I can get McAfee total protection 2013 for $15, to me that's a steal.

 

Mcafee.. lol no. Use Avast or Kaspersky

 

Care to explain.

 

You should not need to spend a penny to get good AV software in this day and age. Anyway, if you want maximum system performance a paid subscription to any of the AV suites is not preferable.

Call me a rebel, but I use nothing except the Windows 8 built-in antivirus, Defender. Even with that, I turn off real-time protection so it won't affect my system throughput and CPU time. I just use it as an on-demand scanner for downloaded files and twice-a-month full system scans. If you want to kill gaming and overall system performance a great way to do it is to use any of the full anti-malware suites out there. Best way to maximize system performance and still stay secure is to practice diligence and common sense on the Internet, which means minimizing exposure to the seedier corners of the Web and downloads of dubious origin, along with using a good, lightweight on-demand scanner such as MSE, Malwarebytes Free, or Windows 8 Defender.

 

Interesting article, Security Essentials fails latest AV-Test | The Download Blog - CNET Download.com

Have you always used MSE (defender)? To other wondering how to use Microsoft defender here's a link. How to activate Windows Defender in Windows 8 | PCWorld

 

I don't give much credence to those articles or studies that claim some major AV software are superior to others. I've been using computers long enough to know that most of the big names perform similarly and even the companies will tell you that. Even the strongest antivirus isn't a replacement for common sense and diligence.

I have been using Microsoft Security Essentials since I started using Windows 7 which is a few years now. I was using it in conjunction with MalwareBytes Anti-Malware Free which gave me an extra layer of protection in case something slipped through MSE. With Windows 8 I decided to forgo MBAM and am just using Defender. I haven't had a piece of malware in over 7 years and I trust myself enough to stay secure with this minimalist setup. Just fewer things to worry about and fewer things to potentially drain system performance.

I didn't have to activate Defender because I used my own clean installation of Windows 8 Pro so it was already activated from the get-go. If you're using the Lenovo factory image with McAfee preinstalled you need to turn that and any other 3rd-party AV off before you can use Defender.

 

Yeah, read that if you have two programs running they will pretty much fight eachother and just cause a mess. What do you mean as your referring to lenovo factory image?

 

Set Yourself Account settings Not As Administrator
Running Windows 7 or 8 64-bit
use Built in Microsoft Defender etc.

thats enough your account settings and built in protection.

 

People still use actual antivirus software? I've been using Microsoft Security Essentials for years and it does its job well. Its all about common sense and not doing stupid s*** on the computer.

 

Bit defender total security is the only way to fly imo

 

Well people the whole purpose of the thread was to share knowledge on the subject. We all have different opinions on running these types of programs, either their full of Crap or we prefer one over the other. Just like octiceps said, the first and most important like of security is your self, not doing stupid s*** on your computer. I my self would just like the extra protection on my computer so I wouldnt mine spending money if it was worth it. It seems a lot of you are confident with running MSE, I'm not that knowledgeable in computer security so that idea is a little scary but until I make up my mind I will try it out, I'm mean its free and already on my computer, that's the best kind.

 

Kaspersky is almost always free or about free at Best Buy via rebate..
Avast Free is good alone (imo)
MSE is ok but i just use Kaspersky..

 

I always see good reviews on Kaspersky, unfortunately we don't have best buy or a decent selection of computer stores here on maui. Amazon over the years has been my best friend and I order from performance pcs, I think their located out in Florida, ever head of them.

 

Never heard of 'em but you can get Kaspersky for like $10 on Newegg all the time.. I think it's up to 3 computers too

 

How pity, in Europe its almost everywhere 30 EUR.