Right now I'm using Windows Defender + Malwarebytes (but only for manual scans). For reference, NickN recommended using NOD32, but he wrote his guide back in 2013. As of today, which antivirus program do you recommend (preferably free)? 

Edited May 25, 20206 yr by Luis Hernandez

50 minutes ago, Luis Hernandez said:

Right now I'm using Windows Defender + Malwarebytes (but only for manual scans). For reference, NickN recommended using NOD32, but he wrote his guide back in 2013. As of today, which antivirus program do you recommend (preferably free)? 

I use what you are using.  Windows 10 Defender and Malware Bytes Premium.  I have real time time scanning on for both.  I have used this combination since Fall of 2015 when I built this current system. It has been perfect.  I will use the same combination with my new system come this Fall.

When I fly I reboot and close every start up program except Defender before I load the simulator.

Me too, also Defender & Malwarebytes. No issues at all. (I moved from Avast to Defender)

Defender too!

I read recentley that right now, Deffender takes some beating.

Phil

I question the value of any 3d party AV software,  AFAIK the W10 built in AV is fine.  And alot of the 3d party stuff is absolute bloatware.

I recently began using Eset Internet Security (Makers of NOD32, which is one step below the package I bought in terms of features and price).

Unfortunately, it is not free, but does offer a 30-day trail period for evaluation.

After much research I chose this solution based on independent reviews that show that Windows Defender does not rank very highly in threat detection compared to most commercial products. Eset is not at the very top of the list, but quite close.

More importantly though, even though Defender is made by the maker of the OS itself, (Microsoft), and one would think that it would be integrated in such as way as to run with maximum efficiency, every comparative test I read from multiple sites, shows that Defender ranks near the bottom (i.e. poorly) in it’s impact on system resources and memory footprint. ESET was ranked near the top in having minimal resource impact and memory consumption.

In practice, this seems to be the case on my system.

It may have saved my bacon recently on one web site that apparently contained an advertising banner that had a embedded link to a malware background download. ESET detected that, and immediately blocked my internet connectivity until I navigated away from the site, with a clear warning of the threat and the action it took to deal with the problem. I have a feeling that Defender would not have done anything.

On the other hand, Defender would inevitably throw a false positive on any of the files downloaded from the Lorby site (in particular, the Add On Organizer), as well as the F1 installer for the RXP GTN-750, while ESET has not done so.
 

 

Edited May 26, 20206 yr by JRBarrett

And there are plenty of AV test sites that rank Defender fairly high.

But, just like everything, it's not just about the tools you have. It's also about how you use them. I've had to fix plenty of computers that had high-priced AV installed.

Probably the most well respected comparative site: https://www.av-comparatives.org/latest-tests/.  Look specifically at the Performance Test April 2020 and Real-World Protection Test Feb-Mar 2020.

Defender is much better than it used to be at catching viruses. However, it’s not great for the performance hit it puts on your system. Not quite the worst, but close.