So I've built a brand new PC. I've never had to deal with viruses before since I've been running a Mac, and I'm slightly concerned about getting PC viruses. Obviously I don't do stupid shit like open shady emails, but I still want to get an anti-virus software that will protect my investment. Can you guys recommend a program that's one of the best?

 

I've heard Microsoft Security Essentials is the best free one out there.

Kaspersky is what I use, and it's pretty damn good.

 

Kaspersky always worked well for me too, although I'm using AVG at the moment - no problems that I'm aware of! I always liked McAfee, but I'm told that hasn't aged well. I bow to more expert knowledge though.

 

Kaspersky and AVG are the free ones I always hear mentioned. I had trouble with Kaspersky and it's 30 day free trial and trying to extend it, but I had no problems with that with AVG

 

I have Avast installed, I think, but it never really does anything. Common sense seems to get me by.

 

There are three anti-viruses that in almost every test of free software I saw took 3 top spots:
- AVG,
- Avast,
- Microsoft Security Essentials.

Which one you choose depends on your preferences.

 

That's cause Kaspersky isn't free. It's about forty bucks for the basic.

 

Avast and Spybot: Search and Destroy. Best ones, in my opinion.

AdAware also snaps up a few hidden ones sometimes, too.

 

I use Avira and run occasional scans with it, Malwarebytes, and Spybot. Combined with firefox's adblock plus, I almost never have any issues.

 

AVG, Malwarebytes, and Avast are all solid free choices. If you're considering dropping some coin on an anti-virus software, you might as well go all the way and get Nod32.

Honestly, though, the best anti-virus is not being a dumbass.

 

Awesome, I've used AVG in the past when I ran bootcamp for my mac. Alas, even AVG couldn't guard against my youthful stupidity.

Do any of you guys run more than one security program on your pcs, or just one?

 

Do you mean more then one real-time protection? Don't do that. They interfere with each other and make your system less secure as a whole.

If you mean more then one scanning program, I think most people do. No anti-virus/malware/spyware is perfect, so it's best to run full system scans from a couple programs every so often. Just not at the same time, because, again, they interfere. I ran avira and malwarebytes at the same time once, and I spent the next twenty minutes ignoring warnings from both when they detected the other poking around.

 

There's really no substitute for just being smart about things online, but you look like you've got that part down well enough. Avast and Kapersky are both very good for being free, and supplementing them with Malwarebytes is a great thing to do. Personally, I like and use BitDefender Total Security and I've never had any problems at all. But I also got it for super cheap on a discount.

 

Outside of MSE for Windows, don't use anti-virus software. All they do is make your computer slow, and cause other problems. Not being an idiot is crucial as well. If you do stupid shit with your computer, you will get viruses, spyware, and malware no matter what kind of programs you think are protecting you.

 

I've used Avast for about 4 years now, and have only had a virus problem once. In that case? I decided it would be awesome fun to run a keygen outside of the sandbox. Herp de derp.

I've heard people say MSE is good too, but I have my doubts - being made my Mickeysoft and all.

 

Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) and MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM) is all you need. You're not a retard, not downloading unknown executables from warez sites, etc. so just stick with those two.

MSE is free. MBAM is $25 for a lifetime subscription. Very good value.

You can get away with just MSE most of the time. But if you want something to back it up, get MBAM too.

If you need an advanced firewall solution or need to lock down your SOHO because you don't trust your users to be competent, then go for a commercial internet security setup such as Norton or Kaspersky.

 

Microsft Security Essentials is free and simple antivirus program.
I'm using Avast Free on my x86 PC's - you can get 1 year free license, and quite functional interface.
As for x86-64 PC's - I don't bother with AV programs: WOW64 is quite good deterrent for most malware and viruses.
Let us not forget and integrated black list functions inside of most browsers (Chrome, Opera, Firefox, Safari) - they help quite a lot by blocking potentially unsafe sites.