Do you really need an anti-virus subscription?

[foxh0und]

I personally believe most viruses are the users fault.

I built my PC in September 2012 and I am yet to get a virus according to avast free and avg free, I grew up around PC's and use them frequently, so I know what to avoid, I only download software from the official websites and I am very careful about clicking links in emails etc. So if I had bought an anti-virus subscription it would have been a waste of money since i've been over 1 year virus free.

My question comes up because my girlfriend is buying a new laptop today and her mother insists she buys an anti-virus subscription, however I disagree, I believe it is not required and that free software will be good enough.

I don't think she will download suspicious things or go onto suspicious websites, so is there any need for a paid subscription? What percentage of viruses out there are fatal that a system restore/wipe won't fix?

 

[USAFRet]

The free alternatives are just as good or better than the paid ones.

 

[Wolfshadw]

Agreed. Free programs are sufficient. I've used a combination of AVG Free, Spybot: Search and Destroy, and Malwarebytes for years.

-Wolf sends

 

[spdragoo]

Same here. I've used Microsoft Security Essentials for a few years now with no infections. 100% free, you can set it for automatic scans, & it updates automatically with Windows Updates anyway.

The "paid" solutions anymore have become so bloated that, if you even have any increased protection, it's more than offset by the performance hit your PC takes.

 

[Ricochet_16]

Most free antivirus programs are sufficient for most users. Avast and AVG are certainly good programs, and I have tried most of them. The one I use now is 360 Internet Security, by Qihu 360 Software, which uses a triple antivirus engine. That includes Bitdefender, a 360 checksum-based cloud engine, and a machine-learning cloud QVM engine. It is strictly an antivirus program, and I therefore use the Agnitum Outpost Pro firewall with it.

More information about it and a download link can be found here:

< http://download.cnet.com/360-Internet-Security/3000-18510_4-75915548.html >

 

[davcon]

I stopped using paid anti-virus programs 10 years ago.
Used Avast free in XP days combined with Malwarebytes free.
Since Windows 7 I switched to MSE combined with Malwarebytes.
100% virus free.
I surf dirty too!

 

[n3kkidninj4]

I stopped using paid anti-virus programs 10 years ago.
Used Avast free in XP days combined with Malwarebytes free.
Since Windows 7 I switched to MSE combined with Malwarebytes.
100% virus free.
I surf dirty too!

well just how dirty? cuz I surf like a drunk sailor on shore leave with the moral compass of a goat.

 

[Ricochet_16]

I use only free antivirus versions, also, and I would suggest using one of the best free ones, like 360 Internet Security, Avast, Bitdefender, G Data, Zone Alarm, or AVG.

There is also an alternate solution. You can download the free Robolinux, which operates within a virtual machine that it creates, protecting your computer from all viruses and malware. You have a choice of the XP version, or either the 32-bit or 64-bit version for Windows 7.

More information can be found here:

http://www.robolinux.org/downloads/

 

[Ricochet_16]

I'm not familiar with this tool, but I downloaded the setup file and tried to open the program. It is supposed to have a 15-day trial period, but I received a message that "the 14-day trial expired. Please register." It did not allow me to open it unless I registered, so I uninstalled it. Does anyone have any similar experiences?