McAfee Internet Security was on my Dell PC when I bought it. I think it was free for a year! After that
I did pay for a couple of years, but now I have decided to replace it, when it runs out, with freeware.
I intend to download Avast Anti-Virus and combine it with the Windows Firewall which has been turned off because I had the McAfee firewall.
I also have Spybot and Malwarebytes' on my PC.
Are my defences adequate or can anyone suggest changes or additions?
Not much wrong with Avast and Malwarebytes
May help you having a read here about the McAfee Product Removal Tool, note that you have to remove McAfee before running it.
Not much wrong with Avast and Malwarebytes
May help you having a read here about the McAfee Product Removal Tool, note that you have to remove McAfee before running it.
Thanks for the reply!
So I am not correct in assuming McAfee will be removed, automatically, when my yearly subscription runs out in less than a week?
No it will not be removed automatically.
What happens is the program will stay on your computer but stop protecting you in real-time and you will get no updates.
So you will be unprotected.
If you are going to go with Avast, remove McAfee via add remove programs, reboot, run McAfree removal tool, reboot again and then install Avast.
*Don't forget to download the Avast installer to your desktop (or downloads folder) ready for install, you don't want to uninstall McAfee and have to use the internet unprotected to download Avast
*Don't forget to download the Avast installer to your desktop (or downloads folder) ready for install, you don't want to uninstall McAfee and have to use the Internet unprotected to download Avast
At the risk of coming across as an idiot do you simply mean I can download Avast to my desktop before I run the McAfee removal tool. In other words is there a difference between downloading the Avast installer, and downloading Avast, to my desktop?
First download Avast (yes, it's just the installer you're downloading) from filehippo (very safe site) and then uninstall McAfee like Hazelnut pointed out and then install Avast.
First download Avast (yes, it's just the installer you're downloading) from filehippo (very safe site) and then uninstall McAfee like Hazelnut pointed out and then install Avast.
Again, thanks for the information. I should be able to manage now.
Let us know if you have any problems.
It's a good ideal to reboot after installing Avast as well, as you never know if adding in a new security software will work as intended on your system, however if Avast works good for you then good.
If Avast doesn't work out the only other two freeware antivirus' I'd ever use myself would be Panda Cloud Antivirus Free (if you have an always on broadband connection), or Microsoft Security Essentials.
Or, AVG 2012...
Good that there are so many selections available!
Or, AVG 2012...
While it has good detection and protection AVG is just so gosh darned big now, it even makes Norton look somewhat lean.
Let us know if you have any problems.
A couple of questions!
Can I go through the process of uninstalling McAfee offline?
Secondly, as an example, if, for some reason, I had to temporarily uninstall CCleaner I would be able, later, to go to filehippo and reinstall it without a problem. However, I'm not sure I understand how to download the Avast installer as opposed to installing Avast itself-if that makes sense?
Andavari, based on what I have read on this forum, I did think of Panda or MSE as alternatives to Avast.
If you go to the FileHippo page for the Avast download here
http://www.filehippo.com/download_avast_antivirus/
and press the big green download latest version button on the right, a little download box should appear asking you if you want to save the file or run it. Select save.
Then it should ask you where you want to save it. Select your desktop or a folder you have just for downloads. If you are unsure where to save it just select desktop via the little dropdown arrow at the top of the box. Then click save.
It should then appear on your desktop as the avast installer after the download is finished.
The installer is what you will double click on to install Avast after you have uninstalled McAfee.
If for any reason you needed to uninstall ccleaner you can reinstall it again at anytime.
You can go through the McAfee uninstaller offline if you wish. Something to remember is that with some programs when you uninstall they take you to a webpage where they ask you to tell them why you are uninstalling it.
You do not have to do this. Just close the webpage if you were online.
If you go to the FileHippo page for the Avast download here
http://www.filehippo...vast_antivirus/
and press the big green download latest version button on the right, a little download box should appear asking you if you want to save the file or run it. Select save.
Then it should ask you where you want to save it. Select your desktop or a folder you have just for downloads. If you are unsure where to save it just select desktop via the little dropdown arrow at the top of the box. Then click save.
It should then appear on your desktop as the avast installer after the download is finished.
The installer is what you will double click on to install Avast after you have uninstalled McAfee.
If for any reason you needed to uninstall ccleaner you can reinstall it again at anytime.
You can go through the McAfee uninstaller offline if you wish. Something to remember is that with some programs when you uninstall they take you to a webpage where they ask you to tell them why you are uninstalling it.
You do not have to do this. Just close the webpage if you were online.
If you go to the FileHippo page for the Avast download here
http://www.filehippo...vast_antivirus/
and press the big green download latest version button on the right, a little download box should appear asking you if you want to save the file or run it. Select save.
Then it should ask you where you want to save it. Select your desktop or a folder you have just for downloads. If you are unsure where to save it just select desktop via the little dropdown arrow at the top of the box. Then click save.
It should then appear on your desktop as the avast installer after the download is finished.
The installer is what you will double click on to install Avast after you have uninstalled McAfee.
If for any reason you needed to uninstall ccleaner you can reinstall it again at anytime.
You can go through the McAfee uninstaller offline if you wish. Something to remember is that with some programs when you uninstall they take you to a webpage where they ask you to tell them why you are uninstalling it.
You do not have to do this. Just close the webpage if you were online.
I am sure everything is clear now and thanks to those who replied to my posts.
I don't need to uninstall CCleaner. I was simply using it as an example to show I did not have a problem downloading Avast or CCleaner. It was just that I wasn't totally sure about the process for downloading the Avast installer only.
Just remember after you have Avast successfully installed and after it runs its first update to set aside some time for it to do a full system scan.
While it has good detection and protection AVG is just so gosh darned big now, it even makes Norton look somewhat lean.
True, true...
But I'll take the extra size for good protection, over leaner & less.
I noted that the AVG folder after install is about 82 MB, which is significantly less than their 150 or so MB installer.
The 2012 version should be even less, since it is a smaller size & has a significant increase in speed vs the 2011 version.
I would guess that part of the "bloat" may be that AVG uses a single 32 bit installer package to determine if you have XP/Vista/7, or that is to say, perhaps 1 installer sports all 3 OS packages all rolled into a single unified installer. I would assume the 64 bit package to be similar.
I could be wrong on this, but that is my hypothesis. The AVG program folder is about 1/2 the size of the installer setup.
Seems fast enough to me on my system! Definitely faster than Norton.
Here are some rather interesting AV comparisons by category (including installation size, memory usage, overall system impact, and others) for several popular AV programs:
http://www.antivirus...ng/performance/
This particular link does not include detection rates.
Noticed it doesn't include MSE.
Noticed it doesn't include MSE.
All those antivirus' in there look like commercial/paid versions though, and it's hard to tell how well any that have a freeware alternative are compared to their paid for version. There's some other site I looked at a couple of weeks ago that doesn't do ratings or comparisons on the freeware versions either.
There's however Languy99's tests on YouTube:
Lighter doesn't necessarily mean less effective.
Just did a quick search, seems Avast! has gotten the nod from most reviewers lately. I've used it for a long time. It missed something twice, but AVg did too, and Avira did more recently. Any of them can be fooled by a zero day malware.
MBAM is also great.
Imho, the best idea is to have an anti-malware setup and a backup routine so that if all else fails you can go back to a safe image. ... That is unless the malware gets to your BIOS.
Whole new kettle of fish, that is, and I don't understand it much, but it is a bit scary. Not sure what's required to cure an infected BIOS / MBR.
Edit: There is a pretty good summary of anti-malware setups here: http://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showtopic=32714