Help! What Anti Virus Software should I use????

I get this question a lot for people using Windows machines(and this post is regarding Windows only).

Short Answer: Most of the free offerings are adequate at providing a moderately good defense against being infected as long as they are being updated(Here's a tip: if your Anti-Virus wants to do a scan in the middle of you trying to get something done, its a lot better to postpone that than to stop the updater from happening).

You know some of them as AVG, Microsoft Security Essentials, Avast, Avira, Panda, Comodo, etc, etc, etc. The common thread here is they are free and this article is not intended to discuss the merits of any of them.

What I will say is that  None of the above are worth much if you actually DO get infected by something.

In fact, even if you own a paid "suite" product like Symantec, Kaspersky or McAfee with all the bells and whistles, they generally fail to fully clean your machine as well. "Clean" means completely remove the infection without damaging your operating system

So what does work?

Malwarebytes.

It is hands down the best cleaner available on the market today. In fact, it is the only product I and many others I know in the IT field rely on when an infection has gotten loose.

You have a couple choices with the product. If you have already invested in a paid suite for your anti-virus solution, Malwarebytes has a free scanner you can download and keep handy in case of an outbreak. This will not actively protect your machine.

If you haven't bought one, have a free one or are unhappy with your current anti-virus, they offer a pro version that will actively protect your machine for $24.95.

FYI the free version uses the same engine as the pro version. The only difference if the pro version will actively monitor your machine and automatically download updates while the free version is a manual scan and update.

All products can be found  Here

As always, feel free to ask any questions.

Safe browsing.

Tech Guru