Windows 7 Best Free Anti Virus Software?

MikeHawthorne

Essential Member
Microsoft Community Contributor
Joined
May 25, 2009
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6,652
Hi

I've been using Microsoft Security Essentials for a while along with
AVG Anti Virus software.

In the last two weeks 3 people that I help out computer wise have gotten the Fake Antivirus Trojan, all of them using only MSE.

I've never gotten any of these things while running both.

Now I'm considering adding another program to these other computers and I wondered what other users experience has been with the free programs available.

I have to go this afternoon and clean another computer and I want to install something on that computer too, right now I'm looking at Avast which has been recommended to me by a friend, or I could just stick with AVG?

Anyone have any input on this?

Mike
 
Solution
Hi there,

To be honest there is no such thing as best Antivirus or Firewall because everyone has a their own personal experience. Head to BleepingComputer.com there you'll find articles on how to remove these fake antivirus. My personal favorite is Avast. So far happy with it.
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Having any problems running 2 antivirus programs because it's not recommended? I've used the Avast free for a long time. I quit AVG several years ago. Avg has been listed as possible problem in several crash dumps. The current Avast build seems OK the last one in 5 series had some bugs. Take a look at their forum and you'll get a good idea.
Joe
 
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I've run MSE and AVG since MSE became available.
I did it at first because I didn't trust MSE on it's own.

I also run both SuperAntiSpyware and Malwarebytes.

Now that I've been doing it for a while, I'm planning of continuing unless I see some kind of problem.

I have my computer set up so that every morning when I first boot it up, it updates and runs and AVG scan. I go and have my coffee until it gets done.

I'm not sure when MSE runs since it seems to stay pretty much in the background, but I have had it pop up and say that it has caught something once in a while.

I have not had any kind of virus or malware for years.

That's not true of many people I know it seems that all of them have had things in the last year. And I have to go and clean them.

There was one last week and now another today.

Thanks for the input.

Mike
 
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Just got another call, this person is running MSE as well and has the same fake antivirus thing.
Looks like i'm going to have a busy afternoon.

I'm going to put Avast on both of the computers and see how it goes.

Mike
 
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Hey Mike, good luck cleaning up those two machines. For our further information can you advise as to which OS's these two machines are running and if they are 32 or 64bit machines? Also if they are Windows 7 machines can you advise as to their current UAC settings? While I have had some experience in seeing this type of scareware on my computer as a product of visiting an infected site. Typically I just use taskmanager to shut down the browser when it presents and I've suffered no subsequent infection, I think anything short of that like clicking cancel, or attempting to close the warning with the "X" will result in problems. I've been running MSE on my 64bit Ultimate machine since it was first offered and have been pretty comfortable with the results but nothing that I know of is 100% and nothing will replace a careful, cautious and educated user. Some of the more recent variants of these types of malware may just not be included in even the most recent signature updates for hours or even a day.
 
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Hi there,

To be honest there is no such thing as best Antivirus or Firewall because everyone has a their own personal experience. Head to BleepingComputer.com there you'll find articles on how to remove these fake antivirus. My personal favorite is Avast. So far happy with it.
 
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Solution
I've had a few of those popups and always close with task manager. I tried closing bu clicking on red X only once and had to clean up mess.
Joe
Joe
 
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Hi

The first computer is cleaned, it was running Widows Vista 32 bit.
Malwarebytes removed it after booting in safe mode and then downloading and installing it.

I would not let me install it from my thumb drive, kept throwing some kind of error.
I installed AVG again, which the user had been using before switching to MSE.

He's now running both and will call me if he runs into any problems.
But I've run both for quite a while with no ill effects.

The second computer, a laptop is on it's way here now.
This will be the fifth computer I have removed this in the last few months.
I had another one last week.

Mike
 
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Hi

The second computer is cleaned.
Not as easy as the first.

Old laptop running Windows XP, boy is it slow.
I kept opening things 5 times because I would get impatient and hit the button again. LOL

Couldn't connect to internet in safe mode, but she had a second user ID.
When I logged into that the virus didn't show up so I down loaded and installed Malwarebytes there.

I ran it and removed over 500 bad files.

When I rebooted in the normal ID the virus was still there.

Rebooted in safe mode and ran the now installed and updated Malwarbytes and it removed hundreds more bad files.

3 or them were the fake antivirus and the computer booted up normally.

But the computer was so slow I was almost screaming.
I restrained my self but it was tough.

Anyway it is fixed and I removed the Antivirus she was using (Avira) and replaced it with AVG, added CCleaner, and Malwarebytes is now up and running.

When I got it to boot Avira popped up and said it needed to be updated.
I looked and it hadn't been updated from the day it was installed.
AVG will do it automatically.

I told her how to defrag the hard drive and told her to do it when she got home.
I can only imaging how long that is going to take.

Mike
 
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