Top 5 Free Anti Virus Programs

AVG Free AntiVirus and AntiSpyware

AVG starts the new year with a new version of its popular security suite that has been shaky in the past, but now truly performs. The interface reflects Windows bold pastel colors and tiles, which looks and feels clean and easy to use. The installer is 33 MB, installs in usually 5 minutes, and doesn’t require rebooting your computer.

The newly added 24-7 free support hotline is a great addition to the suite. The new file reputation system and smart scanning detects malware quickly by referencing its user base data base. Include the fact that AVG has one of the fastest scanning times of all security suites makes AVG a top choice for computer protection.

Avast Free Antivirus

Lightening fast scans and complete virus detection makes Avast one of the leaders in the market. Installation is one of the fastest and once up and running you can begin to to put Avast to work immediately. With the female voice alerting you that “Avast virus security database has been updated.”, every time an update has completed, you are always in “the know” as to the protection state of your computer. Windows 7 and Vista users get a desktop widget that is easy to remove if not wanted, but otherwise is a nice addition to the suite. Avast interface is easy to navigate and pleasant to look at. Avast’s WebRep browser add-on checks the safety of webpages as you surf the web. Its virus detection is by far one of the best, protecting your computer by placing suspicious files in a sandbox and prompting you on the discovery. There is even an on-boot scan that detects virus before they have a chance to load and activate when your computer starts.

Panda Cloud

Panda Cloud Antivirus Free Edition is probably the lightest security suite. The installation is quick and simple. The interface leaves much to be desired, but gives you access to all the basic necessities. Scans are slower than other security suites, which feels unnecessarily sluggish. On the other hand, its malware detection and removal is one of the best. It blocks over 92 percent of malware that tries to turn your computer into a useless piece of junk. With a 0.0008 percent false positive rate you won’t be pestered by Panda misidentifying known safe files. On the down side, users may experience a significant increase in the time it takes your system to boot up and shutdown.

Microsoft defender

Microsoft Defender is a free security suite provided by Microsoft that is available on Windows. The suite includes Windows Live Messenger as a default download inclusion, but it isn’t necessary to use for the security suite to activate and begin destroying malware. Microsoft Defender is excellent at detecting and removing malware quickly. You can set it to run scan at a scheduled time, a feature most free security suites reserve as a premium feature only available to those that buy the complete versions. The interface is the very simple and easy to navigate making MSE another top choice security suite. Use Malwarebytes along with this antivirus to enhance your protection

Comodo

Comodo is a great free way to banish viruses, malware, worms, and Trojans from your computer. With its smart scan technology you can scan any file or drive, receive scan reports on malware and viral activities, and quarantine suspicious files that behave like malware. Invincible when it comes to detecting zero-day attacks, malware that takes advantage of vulnerabilities in software that are known, but not yet fixed. Comodo uses its sandbox feature to keep untrusted files from gaining access to you system and modifying data on your system. With free auto updating for the latest coverage in antivirus protection and a secured Dragon browser included, Codomo keeps malware running for the hills.