FREE anti-virus is the best buy for most computers

Anti-virus programs by the major manufacturers are expensive and bloated beyond belief. The makers want to control your system to make their software seem more valuable.  Antivirus programs can cause as much harm as do the bugs they cure. FREE software might be your best buy.

But if you dump anti-virus scanning from your computer, you could end up in real trouble. So lose the pay-for-it-annually type and go for freebies.

Where to get FREE anti-virus software

A couple companies offer free antivirus programs, free updates and free medicine, should you acquire a computer illness. Try AVG by Grisoft or Avast! And, to everyone’s surprise, Microsoft has a new Security Essentials suite that is smart, sleek, and effective.

Non-commercial users, that is, home users who don’t make a profit with their personal computer, may download free versions, fully functioning, and use them forever. Avast does expire, and you have to revisit the site annually to redownload the newest version and register it, but it’s still free. I’m thinking AVG doesn’t require the reissue process.

I’ve used both programs. Both work. They scan your system when asked to (actually, AVG will scan daily unless you tell it not to). Both can be configured to download the day’s newest virus definitions automatically. Viruses are snippets of program code that make your computer do bad things.

How viruses get cured

An anti-vi program matches strings of code against known viruses to see if you have any, and then it has to disable any virus it found. Virus definitions are the strings the anti-virus program checks for.

These three programs can adequately protect most users from an invasion. Each offer cures, should you get a virus. All have user forums and tech support. All offer upgrades, at reasonable prices, for business or commercial users.

The Microsoft suite is working nicely for me. In fact, when I had to clean up a deep virus from my daughter’s computer, the only program that found it was Microsoft, though I scanned with all three. No, I don’t run all three as a matte rof course. That isn’t a good idea as they will clash with each other. But I was experimenting.

I have a guru friend who says Avast! finds things no other program does. Just goes to show you – you can find a virus defense that does the job –without the price tag.

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