What Anti-Virus should I use to protect my PC?

When you are using Personal Computer (PC) either it is a laptop or a desktop, Anti-Virus is one of essential component of defender. Hijacker can plant a worm or backdoor or Trojan or malware/virus. My computer usually has antivirus & firewall installed. This software can protect you PC. I usually follow a review by independent lab that has tested the anti-virus effectiveness. One of these labs is AV-Comparatives. Recently, the lab has published an Anti-Virus Comparative – Proactive/retrospective test on February 2010 (also updated on May 2010).

In this article, I will try to provide summary about the tests. Test was done on the following Anti-Virus:

As you might know, most Anti-Virus products claim their software engine is the best. AV comparative tests were done by having longer test period, and more sample size and used samples. This method can provide better understanding of the software engine effectiveness. Also noted in the article, if the Anti-Virus is being updated frequently, most of the virus threat will eventually be detected by the Antivirus. The test was only done to check the on-demand detection capability.

From the article, I have created a table to show how effective the Anti-Virus to detect the new threat. 

The AV Comparatives’ table shows the proactive on-demand detection capabilities of the various Anti-Virus products, sorted by detection rate.

In summary, I would recommend to choose from two of these certification level, preferably Advance+ certification level. The advance+ certification Anti-Virus includes TrustPort, G Data, KAspersky, Microsoft, Avira, ESET NOD32, F-Secure, BItDefender, eScan. This would guarantee your PC is better protected.

I have been recently using Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010. I also use Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 which include firewall and Anti-Virus. I really like the software. It is very light on computer memory. It can operate in background while I’m working on other stuff such as watching movies, surfing, playing games etc.

From time to time, you can get Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Free after rebate. Recently, there has been a deal for $60.00 with $60 rebate. This makes essentially the cost of Kaspersky Anti-Virus free. You can typically find a great deal from deal website such as slickdeals etc. Usually, the license key will last for 1 year.

Before, I have been using Trend Micro AntiVirus and McAfee AntiVirus, however I have never satisfy with their performance. On several occasions, my laptop was hijacked by hacker and Trojan Virus was found. I need to reformat my laptop to get the pristine condition. To prevent this you need a good defender.

There is no reason why you don’t use any Anti-Virus if you are using a PC. While most of the Anti-Virus is not free, you typically can get Anti-Virus for free with your purchase of new hardware such as laptop from Dell or HP or Acer. Otherwise, you can choose from the following list of free Anti-Virus:

1. AVG Anti-Virus

AVG Free provides you with basic antivirus and antispyware protection for Windows and is available to download for free. This is a basic version of AVG premium. Protection against viruses and spyware (antivirus and antispyware). It compatible with Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP and Windows 2000.

2. Avast Anti-Virus

The avast! Free Antivirus is the minimum protection for your PC — it provides great protection against viruses and spyware. This is a basic version of Avast Pro Anti-Virus.

3. Avira AntiVir

Basic protectionProtects your computer against dangerous viruses, worms, Trojans and costly dialers.New: Generic repair. Currently available in 9 languages. You can also purchase Avira AntiVir Premium and Avira Premium Security Suite for premium service.