Avira Antivir......anyone?

[WolverineMike]

I recently got a nasty virus and to scrap my whole laptop and start from scratch. I'm using a free trial of Avira Antivir Premium right now but it expires in a week or so. Just wondering if anyone has experience with that and if it's enough for simple Internet surfing.

My other choice would be upgrading to Avira Premium Security Suite.


here are the differences:

AntiVir protection against viruses, worms and Trojans.

.
AntiAd/Spyware protection against spyware and adware

AntiRootkit protection against hidden malware.

.
QuickRemoval eliminates viruses at the push of a button

NetbookSupport for laptops with low resolution.

.
AHeaDTechnology detects unknown viruses by profiles

GenericRepair automatic repair of your PC.

.
AntiPhishing protection against phishing

AntiVirProActiv detects unknown viruses by behavior.

.
WebGuard protection against malicious websites

RescueSystem creates a bootable rescue CD.

.
AntiDrive-by stops malware downloads while surfing

MailGuard scans incoming and outgoing emails.

.
BackupSystem saves your important data

AntiBot prevents dangerous bot networks.

.
AntiSpam filters out unwanted and phishing emails

FireWall protection against hackers.

.
GameMode uninterrupted game play

ParentalControl web access filter and scheduler.

basically they are the same until you get to the last 6 with Premium having those and the basic not.

The price difference is:

2yrs for 39.99
or
2 yrs for 59.99


any thoughts, opinions, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[scott91575]

Just use Microsoft Security Essentials. It's free, and really close to the top anitvirus softwares. It is actually better than many of the paid ones. I would have to look it up, but there is a study done every year on antivirus. I forget which was #1 this past year (it was Kapersky or Panda or one of those), but Norton is always near the top (of course Norton can be intrusive and I have issues with it taking up resources for no reason). Yet Microsoft Security Essentials is always one of the better ones, and like I said, it's free.

There are also other free ones that are good too.

 

[scott91575]

Well, my thoughts above may be a little out of date. Here is one of the more recent AV independent tests....

http://www.av-comparatives.org/images/stories/test/ondret/avc_od_feb2011.pdf

Microsoft ends up in the middle. Trustport was the best combined (detection and false detections). Avira was also pretty good.

As long as you are not searching lots of crazy sites, Security Essentials is perfectly fine.

 

[CookyPuss]

I've been using free Avira for a couple of years with no problems. I'm even on a college network most days and those can be more infectious than your local whorehouse.

 

[scarletmike]

I use a combination of Avast (free) and ClamWin on the home desktop (which admittedly does not see too much use anymore) for my mom, and haven't had any issues, even while I was away for a year in the House of the Mouse. I pretty much won't pay for anti-virus anymore.

 

[TexasBuck]

I've been using Avast (free) for a 2-3 years. No problems. It blocks things before they do any damage. Highly recommend it.