is alone one antivirus is enough for the security of computer

[Eldeblor]

I use avast as it tends to stay in the background and not bug you every 20 minutes to buy the full version.

[J-Pandit]

ESET works well
Picks most things up, doesn't bug you and doesn't use many resources.
You want something that runs continuously, and then you can use tools like malwarebytes when you ever get infected.

[Morthawt]

You should use a good antivirus like Avira Free (Always gets stellar marks in the AV comparatives test site) and have a good firewall like Comodo free because that also has a host intrusion prevention system (HIPS). But all of this I would classify as a safety net. The key to being safe is changing how you use your computer. You need to be aware of how your actions can betray you. If you open email attachments as a matter of course then that's bad. If you visit shady websites and download things again that is not good. Also an antivirus will not stop you typing your usernames and passwords into fake ebay/paypal/google etc pages and having your identity/payment details stolen. You have to be careful with what you do and how you do it on computers to remain safe.

Get those tools and you will be good as far as that aspect of things. Then just pay close attention to things and resist the temptation to just click on something quickly. Look and read, inspect. Safety and security is not really one thing, it is everything you do.

[csgohan4]

I prefer Eset, I had one of those scamware virus which disabled my OS and unable to log in. Disconnected my HD and scanned it with AVG free, no virus. Scanned it with Eset found and destroyed the virus and able to boot to my Windows again.

Ultimately you pay for what you get in this case. I got a good deal in Amazon, 5.99 for one years subs.

[bouncy]

I happen to know that a well known auction website (not to sure if im allowed to mention it by name), is a very good place to get legal paid for keys for antivirus products that you then download the software from the manufacturers site and register with the key you bought. My personal preference at the moment is bitdefender. It blows all the competition out the water in independent tests!

[justinkemp99]

I am currently using AVG with Immunet and this combination works best.

[pozmu]

What you really need is something like Secunia PSI which keeps your software up-to-date.
If you don't download suspicious files that's all you need. It's certainly more important than AV.

[watercooled]

What you really need is something like Secunia PSI which keeps your software up-to-date.
If you don't download suspicious files that's all you need. It's certainly more important than AV.

Well not necessarily; some virus are embedded in scripts so they don't need to be manually downloaded. Granted patches etc should block a great deal of them, but there are still zero-days which AV might pick up on before a patch is released.

Plus it's not always straightforward to know what is a suspicious download e.g. if a popular site gets compromised. Being vigilant certainly helps a great deal, but there's the odd time it may not be enough.

I agree that installing security patches is of utmost importance though.

[csgohan4]

Seems everyone has their own favourite through their own personal preference. Important to balance what fits you, in terms of cost, CPU profile, reliability and reviews from several websites.

Personally I am generally sceptical of free ones, doesn't give the company an incentive to provide the latest updates and engine upgrades

[george1979]

I use MSE - never had any problems with it at all. It does its job and doesn't bother me for upgrades etc. In addition I also use anti-malwarebytes as an extra defense.

It would take a lot for me to go back to a paid for AV package. None of them are full proof but some of the paid suites have given me so much grief in the past (I'm looking at you Norton. And you McAfee).

MSE with the Windows Firewall and malwarebytes has served me well on this machine now for three years.

[csgohan4]

I use MSE - never had any problems with it at all. It does its job and doesn't bother me for upgrades etc. In addition I also use anti-malwarebytes as an extra defense.

It would take a lot for me to go back to a paid for AV package. None of them are full proof but some of the paid suites have given me so much grief in the past (I'm looking at you Norton. And you McAfee).

MSE with the Windows Firewall and malwarebytes has served me well on this machine now for three years.

i dont touch MCafee or Norton with a barge pole, it's horrendous, there's a reason why their bundled free with UK ISp's,

[GHz]

i dont touch MCafee or Norton with a barge pole, it's horrendous, there's a reason why their bundled free with UK ISp's,

I had the pleasure of dealing with Norton the other day! Not. While I do think it provides enough protection for the average user, I found it to be a tad bloated for my liking.

I normally install Comodo on mine and friends computers.

[george1979]

i dont touch MCafee or Norton with a barge pole, it's horrendous, there's a reason why their bundled free with UK ISp's,

Absolutely - I've never bought either, they came bundled with other machines I'd bought and they were awful. Even more awful was the process of trying to rid myself of them.

[jimmyjjohn]

TBH I think I could get away with running with no AV but I run MSE as it comes built into Windows 8.

[unifex]

On Windows XP I used Comodo Firewall/Antivirus (as well doing sporadic malware bytes scans)

Since upgrading to Windows 7 I have switched to using the built in Windows Firewall alongside BitDefender. I've found that so much easier than Comodo, though I'm slightly concerned it may not be as good protection, what do people think? I've certainly had no issues yet and I've been running that setup for a good few months.

[scicrazy]

As good as the Windows Firewall may or may not be, it can't match the Program control you get from Comodo Firewall or ZoneAlarm. I also like the sandbox - you might trust the program to do what you want it to, but not enough to let it connect to the internet.
Does get slightly annoying having to reauthorise Steam every beta client update though.