Best fool-proof anti-virus for parents computers?

[Marcos]

Is Avast the best of the free antivirus? I've been using AVG for years but willing to try a new one

[hse180]

Is Avast the best of the free antivirus? I've been using AVG for years but willing to try a new one

Antivir is the best free one, Avast being the worst at detection. There is a thread in this forum about it.

[Splash]

I always preferred Antivir (Avira) but I'm a firm believer that you get what you pay for. The free AV software pretty much all has a tendency towards false positives.

[stmok]

Doing some maintenance on my parents' computers today (a desktop and a laptop), I found that AVG hasn't really been doing it's job, judging by the number of virii and trojans on one of the computers discovered by a manual AVG scan. AVG is scheduled to run updates and scans by itself, but doesn't seem to be doing so.

So, I'm thinking it's best to move their computers over to a paid AV. I was thinking of getting F-Secure AV - as I'm an F-Secure IS user myself, and know it to be quite lightweight but generally good, and their yearly fee includes up to three installations (ideal for a multi-computer household).

Just wondered if there were any alternatives I should consider? Besides the obvious ability to detect and protect against virii, it has to be (in order of importance):

- maintenance free and relatively fool proof (i.e. will routinely update and run scans without interruption or user interaction/confirmation etc)
- lightweight (the laptop is getting on a bit, so no resource hogs wanted)
- good value (like I mentioned with F-Secure - three licences included)

Thanks in advance for any pointers.

Your best approach isn't to spend money...But to understand the operating system's security features and know how to implement them. Then, teach your parents.

(1) Access controls are a preventative move to protect the system. By restricting what can and can't be done, you limit the damage to threats. (OSX, Linux, BSD, etc is normal to have this by default...In WinXP or later, you need to study, understand, and implement security policies manually). Anti-malware apps are a reactive solution.

Prevention is better than cure. Create "restricted users" for everyday use, and only use Administrator or Root for system maintenance. (security patches, etc).

(2) Knowledge. The weakest link in computer security is administration. Knowing what to do to prevent things is far superior than paying for the convenience of endless band-aids.

(3) It is better to take the time and teach your parents in the short term, save money on subscriptions in the long term. (A side benefit is that you spend time with your parents).

When you know what you're doing, you realise anti-malware apps are a waste of time and money.

Places to visit:
Security Readiness Reviews
Security Checklists
Using local Security Policies in Windows XP
Windows XP Security Checklist from LabMice.net
Microsoft Corporation WinXP security checklist
Windows XP: Your Definitive Lockdown Guide
Windows XP Professional Edition: Local Security Policies
Review: Windows XP Security Guide

I have taken this approach with family members, and they have NEVER had an infection, contamination, compromise of any sort in the last 5 years. Hard work in the short term, DOES pay off in the long term!

[stroberaver]

Create "restricted users" for everyday use, and only use Administrator or Root for system maintenance. (security patches, etc).

Already have, from day one.

(2) Knowledge. The weakest link in computer security is administration. Knowing what to do to prevent things is far superior than paying for the convenience of endless band-aids.

My parents (mainly my dad) have already admitted that they're not interested in learning the ins and outs of computers. But they want to use them.

(A side benefit is that you spend time with your parents).

I do anyway. But I end up getting too frustrated when trying to teach my mum how to copy photos from her memory card to My Pictures for the umpteenth time.

Places to visit:

Many thanks for the links, I'll be sure to check them out when I have the time. Maybe I can pass some of it onto my folks, but they still need a decent AV.