If there is one question I get almost every day it is related to anti-virus programs. Today, things are so much different then they were just a few years ago. Virus infections and 
fake alerts have been around since the beginning of time but the main difference is that they have become more sophisticated. It appears it is a constant battle between the anti-virus venders and the hackers that write the virus programs. After all, a virus is simply a program that runs on your computer. It just does things that are very undesirable and can also steal personal information as well.
With all this sophistication, many anti-virus vendors such as Norton add all kinds of stuff to their suite; some are useful while other things just clog up your system. Most suites come bundled with everything but the kitchen sink. When you initially choose what you want to use for your protection, only buy what you need. For example, if you use a router and have the firewall enabled, you most likely will not need a separate software firewall.
The hardwired firewall in the router will exceed what a software firewall can do without all the confusing prompts. The firewall in an anti-virus suite is one of the biggest energy drains of the software. Another add on that will only be used by some folks are the parental blocks. This is useful if you have young folks using your computer and you want to limit where they can go on the Internet. Again, if you do not need this feature do not purchase a product that has it.
Many suites will also contain things like registry cleaners, speed up tools, ram boosters etc. Most of these tools are not needed and will actually slow your system down and not speed it up. Stay away from all these features.
If you already have a suite installed on your system and you are experiencing problems, you will want to change out your product for one that will use fewer resources on your machine. A suite that claims to be a catch all but slows your computer to a crawl will prove to be extremely non-productive.
The truth is that most of the free solutions that are out there will give you just about the same protection that you have now with that expensive security suite. If you decide to uninstall your existing paid solution, be sure you contact them so they do not continue to charge you every year for your protection. Most companies offer automatic renewals and they usually will add this automatically unless you manually opt out of the feature. This option serves a two-fold purpose of both making sure your protection does not lapse but also it ensures that the anti-virus vendor gets his money. The latter is most likely the main reason they do it.
There are many virus vendors to choose from so be sure to choose wisely. It is a good idea to read up on reviews of some that you are interested in to see if they slow down your computer. In our tests, the free Microsoft Security Essentials has both been found to be effective and also works with a minimal drain on your computer resources. If you are looking at some of the tests that have been on some of the anti-virus solutions, remember that the tests are done under a controlled environment and may not reflect what experience you will have with the product. It is best to read reviews from consumers rather then tests done in the lab.
For many folks, Avast free has been a good solution that does a great job of catching the bad stuff while still allowing you to work quickly on your computer. I have a mixed opinion on AVG free as it has performed well on some computers but has slowed down others. It may take some trial and error testing to find the best one for your particular needs. I think the part I like the least about AVG free is how the try to sneak the paid version in front of you, especially when it is time to upgrade. We have heard some reports of problems with the upgrade process and this is one of the main reasons some folks are dropping it.
In short, you do not have to live with a slow computer that is being caused by your anti-virus program. With a little research and experimentation, you can find the solution that best suits your needs.
Article by, Ross Deprey
Leave a Reply