Choosing an antivirus package for your Windows computer is important for your system’s integrity. There are many paid-for packages that offer additional features such as their own firewall and additional internet safety tools. For many users, these additional features are unnecessary and the basic anti-virus support will meet their needs admirably.
The leading suppliers include:
Those marked with an asterisk (*) also offer free versions of their software supplying basic antivirus protection.
When choosing free protection, the choice commonly falls between AVG, Avast and BitDefender.
BitDefender has been particularly successful in recent tests. It successfully detected threats that escaped some of its competition and minimising the impact of scanning on your computer’s performance. If you are running an XP or Vista system the system performance aspect will strongly recommend BitDefender to you despite the limited options in the free version.
Second opinion antivirus
Treating your computer for malware / virus infection is a little like treating your body for an illness. Just as you might seek a second medical opinion, it is worth considering that no antivirus program is 100% effective in all circumstances. For greater confidence in your computer, it is worth installing a second antivirus package for occasional manual scanning to complement your main antivirus.
A simple but effective package for your ‘second opinion’ scans is Malwarebytes Anti-Malware