After market anti-virus and firewall

My subscription to McAfee total protection expires in a few weeks. While I haven't had too many issues with it I am a little annoyed at how much system resources it takes up, especially when updating especially since I only have 500 mb ram.

I have read some good reviews of two freeware programs, Avast anti-virus and Comodo firewall and was wondering if these would be a good alternative to McAfee's total suite. I see Avast also has a Pro version for 39.99/year. Any advantages to the pro over the Free version?

thanks

 

Hello Tnelson :wave I was in your position a while back myself. I had Trend Micro, and when it expired, I installed AVG 9 Free and also PC Tools FW Plus. Also free.

The only difference I can see, is one you pay for, and one you don't. I get the same protection, without the big fees attached. Same with the FW..

I would suggest to try one out, and see how it works for you and your system.. Some seem to like Avast, while others [like myself :-o] like AVG 9 . My main concern, was AVG 9 works just like my Trend Micro did. You might want to consider this, when deciding on a new AV. Compare them, and see which would work best for you. A lot depends on what OS you are using.. I am using XP, so AVG 9 is working like a charm for me..

MG has some real good free AV and FW's, give them a going over , and I am sure you will find one that works for you. Just be sure to remove your old one first, before downloading and installing a new one.

You can check them all out here:

MG Top Freeware Picks

List of Firewalls

AVG 9

 

You might like to checkout these threads, for additional perspectives on both requirements.

Best FREE Firewall 4 U ?
http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=219340

and

Best Anti Virus program 4 U?
http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=219474

Hope these assist you in making choices.

Bazza

 

Here's what I run on my personal PC with Win7 X64 Home Premium: Avira FREE Antivirus, plus the full paid version of MalwareBytes Anti-Malware, and Spyware Blaster. I don't really use a 3rd party firewall, I keep the stock Windows firewall active. I'm a smart surfer and haven't had the need for a firewall. I've been running Win7 since it went to retail have not had a single invasion. Spyware Blaster is free and creates a 'blacklist' of known rogue/nefarious web sites and it blocks 'em, and has regular updates to the list (you must check for updates manually). The paid MalwareBytes offers great real-time active protection for all forms of malware (viruses, spyware, trojans, rootkits) and has active web site blocking also. Avira's free AV offering is great: daily updates, active protection, lots of configurable options, low on resource use, and generally excellent. I've used it for at least 4 or 5 years.

 

Oh . . . one other thing . . . when you're ready to remove McAfee, use this removal tool. It performs a complete uninstall including all the buried registry entries and little leftover files that generally remain after a standard uninstall. But - you should probably run the tool twice . . . . if you have Vista or Win7, right click the removal tool and select "Run as Administrator" when you use it . . .

 

Personally I like Avast! Free Edition.

Different avast versions comparison chart.

DLb, I know Avira is an extremely good AV but I'm also under the impression that Avira is substantially lighter on the resources than most(if not all). At the moment avast is using a 27MB(way < it used to) for me. What does Avira use? Looks like this could be an important factor for Tnelson in making a decision.

 

Hi

There isn't any bad choices mentioned here, for sure.

My personal recommendation (I've been using it myself for years) is Comodo Internet Security. It's available here at MG -- link:

http://majorgeeks.com/Comodo_Internet_Security_d6234.html

It is also free, and it includes antivirus, firewall, defense+ (asks you about changes made to your computer), and a sandbox, all of which have several levels of settings, or can be disabled (I personally don't use the sandbox).

While I may have just made it sound like a confusing program, it's actually VERY simple to use, but at the same time has a myriad of configuration options if you want to.

EDIT: Comodo Internet Security 64-bit is only using about 4MB of RAM in my Windows 7 64 bit installation.

 

to mcsmc

I also use CIS, but I don't install or use the AV portion.
Firewall using 3 1/2MB on my Vista machine.

 

I like the AV portion, because unlike a lot of antivirus programs, it gives you several options (i.e. clean: disinfect, quarantine; ignore: add to my own safe files, report as false positive, etc... I can't remember exactly, as I don't have a file for it to ask me about right now). And apparently it doesn't use much more RAM with the AV added.

 

I think I will stick with Avira AntiVir.
Another freebie great performer that has never let me down.

 

Yes, Avira is a good AV. I've used it myself.

It's all a matter of preference.

 

Got that right.

 

I have Revo uninstaller. I also have the McAfee uninstall tool. If I'm not mistaken Revo will use the software's removal software(if present) and then ask to remove any remaining remnants in the registry.

 

So it would appear that the Pro version of Avast has added protection (sandbox?) for web surfing. Is this just fluff or is there real added protection??

 

While Revo will run the un-installer that comes with a program, I don't believe it will run a removal tool such as the one dlb linked to. You will have to run the removal tool manually to be sure all of McAfee is removed.

How sandbox is used from a security stand point.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandbox_(computer_security)

From the avast 5.0 FAQ - General.
http://support.avast.com/index.php?...dgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=455#idt_09

Video about avast pro sandbox made by avast forum member, GloobyGoob. If you decide to watch this, it's lenght is 23:48, turn your speekers down.
http://www.screencast.com/t/ZTEzM2NkNGUt

"Is this just fluff"? Can't say from personal experience as I use avast free. All of the suggestions made are good and each, paid version, has a trial period. You can give each a try and if it doesn't work for you then, un-install it, run the appropriate removal tool then CCleaner and move to the next.

Another thing to consider is, avast pro does not include a firewall, so a separate firewall would be necessary.

Since you're working with 500mb of ram, just thinking it would probably be best to look at what makes the best use of your resources and still gives adequate protection. Think you'll find that any of the ones suggested will use less resources than what you're using now, even if you have to use a 3rd party firewall.

 

I already have the MCPR executable in a zip file. So if using Revo wouldn't it automatically run this first?

Yeah I am considering Comodo as the reviews are good.

We'll the other thing I've procrastinating on is getting more RAM. Upgrading to the max of 2G.

 

Hi

That's why I personally recommended Comodo to you, is because it runs the firewall and antivirus while only using 3MB of RAM... VERY light on system resources!

Of course, a RAM upgrade would definitely boost your system performance.

 

Don't believe so as Revo won't associate the MCPR program with McAfee. If i'm not mistaken, the MCPR program doesn't install itself. Revo is designed to remove installed programs but with a security program you would probably have to be sure it was shut down completely i.e., no related start-up reg entries, all related services stopped and disabled before you used Revo to un-install said security app.

From what I've been reading, the price of ram is starting to rise, so you might want to stop procrastinating.

 

Actually, I was contemplating going with AVAST for antivirus and Comodo for Firewall only.

Is there any advantages to sticking to one company for AV and Firewall (total security) or is using separate companies for each have it's advantages?

I would think each would have different definitions for virus and/or intrusions and the mix would be an advantage. Much in the same way a couple anti-spyware/malware programs running side by side, would it not??

P.S. McAfee is certainly trying their best to retain my subscription, 2 weeks left. Getting emails warning me on the dangers of not keeping up to date.....

 

mcsmc,

I'm curious about the Comodo firewall. I've read about the annoying popups(warnings) that continually show up with regularity depending on what level of protection you are using. My question is... once you give permission to a warning to give access, will that same file/program access come up again or will it teach itself to not bother with it once you have given permission?

I can't see myself constantly having to allow permission for every little popup.

 

Should be OK as long as you check the box that says "Remember my decision..."

 

I have it set to Safe Mode, and as hrlow2 mentions, it does have a "Remember my decision" checkbox that, if left checked, will prevent popups for the same issue from happening again. I leave it checked most of the time. I only get a firewall permissions popup if I'm installing a new program that uses the internet (update checks count).

The Firewall also has a "Training" mode, though I haven't played with that much.

Also, the Defense+ asks about changes to your computer, it has "treat as" options (if you have Defense+ enabled, that is), such as "treat as installer", "treat as trusted program", etc.

 

One last question fella's. With most freeware and in particular the ones I've mentioned, how is support? Should i have issues or need answers is there any?

With paid software I would expect no less than adequate support. These being freeware I take it there is still support albiet possibly for a fee?

 

To be perfectly honest, I've never needed support for Comodo. However, Comodo's site has a Knowledge Base and a Forum for their free products (found here). Anything you can't find there I imagine can be answered here, either by me, or someone else that uses the software.

I've used Comodo for 2+ years without hassle, on Windows XP (Pro and MCE), Windows Vista, and Windows 7 (32 and 64 bit). I've never had an issue, except once in a great while, a suspicious file ("virus alert") popup will freeze the program, and I have to close it in Task Manager and restart it (less than a minute total time). However, that's only happened when I'm doing a myriad of things at once on my 6 year old machine, and I don't have the patience to wait for everything to catch up, so I'm pretty sure that's my fault!

It's also easy to uninstall (you don't need a special removal tool to remove it from your system, Uninstall Programs in Control Panel of Windows Vista/7, or Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel of Windows XP are COMPLETELY sufficient in removing the application), so if you dislike it, you can be rid of it in a few minutes.

Speaking of uninstalling, I have had to uninstall it a few times in order to install an updated version (Comodo's one weakness is usually for an updated program, it works much better to uninstall/install the new version), and I honestly can't remember if that resets all of the "remembered" settings or not... but again, it's NOT the hassle it might seem (at least, to me). Especially if you don't use Defense+.

I say, give it a try, and worst case, you uninstall it and try other software in the end. If you like it, great... if you don't, and find something else you like, great. As long as your PC remains secure and safe, that's the whole point!

 

sorry fellas still lurking around the internet looking at reviews of different firewalls.

MCSMC I know you stated it is easy to uninstall Comodo, but I have encountered in many instances just the opposite in my endless search of reviews in that many users or former users of Comodo have stated it is quite difficult to uninstall or remove entirely from your system. Seems Comodo lacks a competent removal tool or at least one novices would be comfortable using. The other aspect is that some have even claimed that the add/remove function in Windows(XP) won't work as Comodo is not showing up in the list of programs installed?

Could this be true or is that hogwash??

I use Revo Uninstaller for most uninstalls now and set to medium gets rid of any remaining remnants in the registry after the standard uninstall is complete. I also have CCleaner and could use that as well.

Alot of questions I know... kind of paranoid about installing something and then if I decide I don't like it, will it be easy to remove.

I kind of wondering if most of the Free ware security apps even have their own unintall tool that is downloaded when you download the app.??

 

And going around the Internet without defenses in place is like walking out onto a shooting range with a target on your back.

 

Many AV's, except Avira I'm almost sure of, have their own uninstallers and quite a few of them can be found here on MG. (antivirus section http://majorgeeks.com/downloads29.html) If not here, then at their respective forums. These uninstallers are separate downloads and therefore don't come with their AV app.

PC Tools Plus is my favorite FW atm and free Avast v 5 my AV.

 

No I still have my McAfee installed.

 

Comodo shows up in my Add/Remove window on my laptop with Windows XP.

They all have an uninstall option but if you refer to the special removal tools that some AV may require, they don't automatically supply them. It will be a separate download.

 

Tnelson, I think you will find that many of the reviews are YEARS old.

I know, I was one of those thoroughly against COMODO because of the pain in the neck it was, always popping up queries on whether I wanted to accept running a program time and time again, the lack of an uninstall (at that time), and the difficulty in getting rid of the leftovers afterwards.

I have now uninstalled my old Firewall, Zone Alarm, that I had used for many years and now installed COMODO Firewall.

I am happy that the current version is much less a PITA.
I haven't had to uninstall it yet as I am very happy with it. :cool
It occasionally pops up when I run a new program, or carry out an action for the first time, but it is much better than prevously.

Somewhere in one of my earlier threads, I gave links to Firewall reviews. COMODO as been #! for years.

Found it. :-D
Best FREE Firewall 4 U ?
http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=219340

Bazza

 

So I take it currently there is a viable uninstaller currently that deletes the software completely including all of it's embedded registry entries?

How do you have it configured, especially with Defense +?

I've looked at the tutorial briefly and it seems that if your confident that you have a clean system you can select a setting "clean pc" which excepts all files, programs currently on your system. Any thoughts on using it this way?


I would just like to state... it would seem no matter what firewall (review) whether free version or paid, someone will always find something to complain about. It would also seem that the less intrusive the software, generally speaking the less protection you are receiving. Many of these firewalls have learning modes that supposedly with time get better at not annoying you.

There are some good ones out there for free if you believe any of the reviews, Outpost firewall Free, Online Armor Free, PC Tools FW Plus and Comodo just to name some of the top rated ones. Tough choice and maybe I just need to choose one and find out for myself???:confused

 

On the "Are You Sure..." question from Comodo, don't install it until you have all the other defenses installed after a clean fresh install of the OS. It gets last place there.
Couldn't be much cleaner than that.

 

As I said, Comodo is #1. Rated as such by an independent company.

As I said, I have never uninstalled it.

Defense + is set to SAFE mode. Sandbox Security Level to Enabled.

I think that is how mine was installed, but I don't remember conciously making that decision. It sure would reduce initial popup questions.

Bazza