What Antivirus are U using?

pushkarDighe

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Hi All,

I have Dell XPS 13 purchased in 2007 with Core Duo processor 2GHz and 2 GB ram originally. It was working great till 2012 when suddenly it started hanging randomly. Suddenly everything would just stop working even window start up menu would not come up and most of the time only hard boot worked. Restarting the problem would just come back. But still at times it used to work too fantastic which made me hard to just junk it away.
After digging for the issue it was confirmed that the culprit is McAfee and nothing would make it stop completely except uninstalling it. The laptop now has been upgraded to windows 10 with 4 GB RAM but still when McAfee kicks in, all just fails:sad:.

My new laptop is i3, 2 GHz with 4 GB ram and has same McAfee version installed but there is no negative impact.

I have read in many post how people have re-purposed old machines as NAS servers, Media players etc. But what Antivirus do they use. No antivirus is not a good solution unless that machine is going to be 100% standalone with guarantee that no external device will be ever connected...is that even possible today???

The one option I have is Windows Defender what comes builtin with Windows 10 and is recommended by Microsoft. Is that reliable?
I am not so much for Linux as Windows offer solutions and capabilities which I am comfortable with & desire.

Any suggestions on Windows Defender, can it be relied upon? Or should I go for something else?

Thanks
PushkarDighe
 
I have read in many post how people have re-purposed old machines as NAS servers, Media players etc. But what Antivirus do they use. No antivirus is not a good solution unless that machine is going to be 100% standalone with guarantee that no external device will be ever connected...is that even possible today???

The one option I have is Windows Defender what comes builtin with Windows 10 and is recommended by Microsoft. Is that reliable?
I am not so much for Linux as Windows offer solutions and capabilities which I am comfortable with & desire.

Any suggestions on Windows Defender, can it be relied upon? Or should I go for something else?

Thanks
PushkarDighe

which antivirus, depends on how you want to you utilize your machine to be user for. If its used Just as a basic file server, there would not be any need for an antivirus, as a basic NAS as well there generally is no need for an antivirus unless you expose your NAS to internet. As a normal windows machine I have always used AVAST or AVG, both free and perform the basic activities pretty decently ...
 
I am using ESET Nod 32 for protecting my PC for decades. Its effective in virus detection and deletion. However, the most important thing I like about ESET is its very light weight. You wont even notice its running in your system and wont hog down your system in any means.
I have used Norton, Symantec, Avast, Macfee, Bitdefender all in the past being a professional, but all of them drags your computer in some sort or other. Thats where ESET is very good not doing at.
 
I've been using AVG Free for 5-6 years on my home PC. Haven't had any virus problems so far.

Cheers!
 
IMO, you don't need any 3rd party AV software. Windows Defender is good enough - so much so as to make a 3rd party AV redundant. On my Win 7 laptop, I've been using MS Security essentials for the past 5 years which is a precursor to Win Defender and I've found it to be VERY good.

IF you still feel the need for a 3rd party AV software - +1 to ESET Nod 32. I used it on my Win XP machine for 6 or 7 years and yes, it's incredibly light on resource consumption.

These days an AV is not so much critical as a good Anti Malware software - IMO, none better than Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.
 
Last edited:
Hi All,

Thanks for the great suggestions. I will check out the various software that you all have suggested.

Not having good antivirus is a risk. Unless the user is going to ensure total isolation. I have read in various posts and feeds that even after setting up elaborate firewalls and installing enterprise scale antivirus, blocking USB ports and even disabling WiFi, still things get thru and cause lot of headache to organizations.

Thanks again people let me check these out and will let you know.
 
I am using Norton 360 because it's the best antivirus available in the market right now and Norton has world's best virus database. Installing s 360 is a peace of mind for me.
 
I am also using Norton Antivirus. Windows Defender was unable to stop breach into my Windows 8.1update desktop.
 
Bitdefender Internet Security since 9 years. It's the best among all. Been a gamer so know a thing or two.
 
Hi All,
Apologies for no updates was busy and couldn't get back to it quickly. So over last weekend achieved this:
1. Put the machine in standalone mode, basically no wifi and no Ethernet connection.
2. Removed McAfee
3. Deleted lot of unwanted files
4. Backed up the remaining.
5. Just kept running music using Grove player and kept checking cpu utilization using powershell script.
6. When McAfee was running it would consume around 2000+ cpu sec continuously. Now with McAfee gone the max would be some windows explorer eating around 100 odd secs...
Next step:
1. Clean up the laptop to max possible, remove all unnecessary users, applications basically keep it barebone.
2. Update windows defender as its virus definitions are more than 2 years old.
3. Run trials for some time to see how things go.

Will keep posted.

PushkarDighe
 
Had a bad experience with Norton three months ago. They had redefined lefttheir T&C and left it to users to change those( without intimating the users of changes).
The result was they "AUTOMATICALLY" renewed a subscription for 1 year on a PC that still had about 240 days left from a Indian CC Bypassing RBI "One time Password" regulations.
Called their help desk which turned out to be a ' Saurabh" from B'lore/Hyd, who was helpful. Then offered to refund me 50% and "renew" the remaining 50%.
When I refused and questioned how Norton had made the charge without prior approval- he quitely agreed to refund 100%.
Norton apparently charged my card from US / abroad to by-pass RBI rules.
Sorry got to go more later...
 
Using Kaspersky in Win 10 and happy with it.
Other than Antivirus it has added features for online banking protection etc
 
I have been using Kaspersky for the past 4/5 years and am happy. Kaspersky has a highly rated firewall among the security software suites, per matousec Proactive Security Challenge 64. Of course, there are different opinions about matuosec testing. Please refer to the below link to make your own decision.

Results and comments - www.matousec.com
 
For excellent sound that won't break the bank, the 5 Star Award Winning Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 Bookshelf Speakers is the one to consider!
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