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Six free antivirus programs made for your Windows 7 system
There are plenty of pay-for programs you probably already about, like Norton, McAfee, Kaspersky and Trend Micro. I'm going to focus on the free options -- of which there are many!
Hey, you just paid for an OS or a whole new computer -- why not save a few bucks if you can?
The most important thing to remember when you go hunting for a Windows 7 antivirus program is to make sure it's fully compatible. You can get just about any old program to install under 7, but who knows if it's going to work the way it's supposed to?
All these free options are good to go, and they all have their good points. Keep an eye on the comments, too -- Download Squad readers love to share their thoughts about their free antivirus app of choice!
Avast is a longtime favorite of free antivirus users. It doesn't hog your processor or memory, scan times are fairly speedy, and it includes a DOS-based boot time scan -- something you don't find in a lot of free products -- or paid ones for that matter. Avast runs on both 32 and 64-bit Windows 7.
If you're comfortable running software that is still in development, the Avast 5 beta is looking good. That said, it's antivirus software - is using an unfinished antivirus something you really want to do? That's your call, of course.
Though you may not have heard of it, Avira is an extremely popular free antivirus program. It is very good at detecting all kinds of malware, and scan speeds are among the best you'll find in free antivirus programs.
The knock on Avira is its intrusive nag screen. If don't mind putting up with a pop-up window after updates, it's a very good choice. There are also ways to blog the nag screen, such as a small program like Click Off. Avira works on 32 and 64-bit Windows 7.
AVG has gone through some ups-and-downs with techy types over the years. It used to be one of our favorites, then it seems like popular opinion turned against it.
Version 9 is much more like the early version that I used. It also comes with the optional AVG link-scanner toolbar for your web browser. I wrote about Linkscanner before -- it provides a nice additional layer of security, especially for less experienced users. AVG runs on both 32 and 64-bit Windows 7.
Comodo's firewall software has been popular for ages and they recently released an antivirus program to expand their security offerings. I tested the suite, and it performs well. You're not locked in to the whole package either. You can install the antivirus or firewall on their own if you want.
As you can tell from the download links, Comodo offers different downloads for 32 and 64-bit systems. Make sure you grab the right one!
Microsoft's replacement for Live OneCare is totally free, and it's gotten pretty good reviews so far. I'm running it on two Windows 7 laptops at home and my son's WIndows XP system. Some users have reported MSE overworking their processor, but I haven't had any such trouble so far.
I get far fewer false positives (reports that a program is infected or malicious when it actually isn't) with MSE than I did with Avast. As with Comodo, download the correct version for your OS.
Cloud AV is not ready for general use (like Avast 5), but it too has gotten good reviews so far. The one knock on Panda's offering is its slow manual scans. Then again, you probably won't need to run those all that often, so it might not be an issue.
Remember: beta software is not yet considered complete or ready for everyday use.
Now, which one to pick? One of the most important things to know about an antivirus program is its detection rate -- how often it catches the malicious software trying to infect your system. Here's what PC World reports for detection rates:
- Panda: 99.4%
- Avira: 98.9%
- Avast: 98.2%
- MSE: 97.8%
- AVG: 95.8%
- Comodo: 74.6%
Remember, Panda is still in beta testing so despite its amazing detection rate you may want to wait for a finished product.
If lightweight, basic protection is what you're after, Microsoft Security Essentials is a good pick.
If you want a more complete package, AVG 9 and Avast are solid choices.
Avira offers excellent detection and fast scanning speeds, but that nag screen can get quite annoying.
Regardless of which antivirus you choose, you can add extra protection with two more pieces of software I mentioned here. Both AVG's LinkScanner and Comodo Firewall are available as standalone downloads.
Comments
28
Subscribe to commentsTech-MikeOct 25th 2009 11:49AM
Kevin
Nothing is 100% cakewalk for anybody...and yes, I have dealt with the older crowd and did not find it as difficult as you may have.
We could go on and on but the point is and has been - anybody reading this article or these comments....go with Avast! Use it, Recommend it, and enjoy this GREAT and FREE virus-protection.
Edward MullinOct 25th 2009 2:46PM
I recommend Avast. When 64 bit systems first came out it was the only free protection available. The rest (including pay versions) were really tardy producing 64 bit protection. Avast is really good at stopping stuff getting on to your computer. Which is why the lack of a scheduled scan does not matter. I've tried Avira, scans well, but my understanding is active protection is only available with the paid version. Never mind the nag screen, updating can be cranky & slow on dial up while Avast updates nicely.
jfjbOct 25th 2009 10:50PM
I second Avast!
I've used (long ago) Norton anti-Virus, and then ZoneAlarm Suite.
The former was to be paid for, I didn't mind (way, way back then).
The later had a free version, but I paid for the 'Pro' logo.
Both were getting h.u.n.g.r.i.e.r at each and every upgrade for more memory to run, their RAM footprint was getting bigger and bigger, their CPU usage was becoming too much.
I made the move several years ago to Avast! instead of choosing Ubuntu as my primary OS -- my second dual boot option, though -- on both my 32 and 64-bit machines running XP SP3, and I've not regretted it so far.
My two cents, I may be wrong.
BwaindwainOct 26th 2009 10:14AM
There's also ClamWin (http://www.clamwin.com/)?
TheOneAndOnlyJHOct 26th 2009 12:41PM
I used to use Norton back when (Systemworks 2005), but got sick of the yearly subscription model.
I've been using COMODO on my computer ever since, and it's been just as good as Norton, with less troubles. (Norton freaked on uTorrent, the final straw.) It also has very good active protection that can quarantine an infected file on access, before it can do any harm. The user interface is also very polished. (What was with the media player interface on Avast? How annoying is that?!)
I've also installed it on many other people's computers and they all haven't had any problems with it. In particular, I have one friend who had so many viruses I wiped her computer and reinstalled windows. In the year since, she hasn't changed any browsing habits, and nothing has slipped past COMODO (though many things have tried unsuccessfuly).
PC World's results may be on the lower settings, because I have never had an issue. And the interface and usability are well above many of the other free solutions I have tried. The firewall is a nice touch too, and blocks many intrusion attemts. (Most of which originate in China and attempt to access system.exe. What gives? Seriously...)
When I get my next computer, plan on giving MSE a ride, and the new interface on Avast looks much improved. After I upgrade my XP box to Win7, I think I'll play a little comparison work...
poundsmackOct 26th 2009 3:29PM
http://freerav.com/
Rising antivirus isn't half bad, though I use Avira myself.
TwhiTOct 27th 2009 9:51AM
I'ma try avast
Gardiner WestboundDec 26th 2009 1:23PM
Panda is out of Beta. I have been using it for a couple of weeks. It seems to be very competent and is unobtrusive.
Always test a new anti-virus application shortly after installation to ensure it was properly installed and is working. The eicar test virus is ideal.
http://www.eicar.org/anti_virus_test_file.htm