Advice on lowest intrusion free antivirus

[northridge 2]

XP Sp3 / FS9.1

 

For financial reasons I can no longer buy FS payware. For the same reason last year I switched from a subscription full-on Security Suite to just paid AV and installed the free Comodo firewall.

Now my AV subscription is up and I need to install a free anti-virus. I know from net-searching (reputable online magazines and help-sites) which are the most recommended, but I´d like to know which has the lowest resource-use - which is the one least likely to drain resources away from my fully-loaded FS9.

 

Any experience with this? Any advice?

Thanks.

[Raindance 25]

Try Microsoft Security Essentials. It's what I use, for what that's worth, and I'm happy with it.

 

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows/products/security-essentials

[superglide17 11]

+1 MS Security Essentials

[Deltalpha 3]

Using AVAST and loving it!

 

EDIT:Don't forget AVG

[Kosta 122]

I had the same question some months ago, I finally decided to try out Kaspersky as I had a chance to get a free registered version (no, it's not pirated, nor anything similar, let's just say it was a present).

 

I had AVAST, MSE, NOD32 and now Kaspersky - it's by far the best. Thousands of options, but all preconfigured quite well. I must say I don't feel it running at all. I do have powerful machine, but still, Kaspersky seems very little intrusive.

I also excluded both FSX.exe and FSX drive in general from scans. Everything is loading as fast as before.

AVAST - I didn't like it in general.

MSE - got infected.

NOD32 - it was OK, but also seemed more intrusive than Kaspersky, also tests show Kaspersky discovers more viruses.

[vololiberista 205]

I used to use AVG but it's now too top heavy. Instead I use Avira http://www.avira.com/en/avira-free-antivirus

 

It doesn't interfere with anything.

vololiberista

[Cessnaflyer 56]

MSE.

 

The one thing that MS did right. It has saved a few computers the wife has come in contact with, haha!

[Christopher Low 5,352]

AVG Free Edition has never caused me any problems.

[hralphbuk 0]

AVG Free 2012 Edition never gives any flight sim problems for me

Howard

[Captain_Barfbag 31]

I've got AVG Free on all of our home machines, and I've had no problems with it. If you set it up for routine disk scans, don't do it during normal simming hours, and make sure you leave your machine on when the scan is scheduled.

[jbinner 15]

I use MSE on everything I build now.

[Raindance 25]

Well just some more input. I've used both AVG and then Avast (free versions) for long periods of time in the past, and they are both good products. However, I did find the later versions becoming too intrusive and CPU-hogging.

 

I listen to music on Youtube & online radio quite often and, with Avast, downloads would stall frequently and unacceptably. Switching to MSE stopped all that, so I've stuck with it.

 

I've never been troubled with malware other than on a couple of occasions over around ten years of net connection, but I stay away from dubious websites, don't do social networking or any kind of P2P stuff (torrents included), and don't keep an address book for email or an email client (strictly webmail for me). I have the Noscript add-on running in browsers, and run Malwarebytes from time to time.

 

There is more to keeping that crap off your system than just having good antivirus software, is what I'm trying to say :Peace:

 

EDIT: Just a PS -- if you do change your anti-virus, make sure that all traces of the old one are removed from your computer, including the registry (Ccleaner or the Eusing Registry Cleaner are both good, free products to use after uninstalling, for that purpose).

[HUSSAR 272]

Another vote for MSE, I don't even notice it.

[WarpD 824]

There was a test done of all the available anti-virus software available... including MSE. Of all of them tested, MSE performed the best. It ran better, caught just as much and was far less intrusive.

 

Wish I still had the link to the test review. I use MSE on everything.

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

+1 for MSE from me as well.