Best Free AV

I know this has been asked before, but I haven't
dealt with AV for awhile. Avast keeps timing
out and I'm not sure there's any longer a fully
free version. Sophos requires (at least) signing
up with personal info. (Even the signup page has
a tracker from Facebook.) AVG was bought by
Avast and seems to be adware. (According to
MajorGeeks.)

Is there any decent, no-funny-business, free
AV still available? I want to just download a
real installer and run it, without any signup, online
installers, ads, etc.

Woops. spoke too soon. I found an AVG full version installer
and downloadable definitions.

http://www.avg.com/en-us/download.prd-gsr-free

Haven't tried it yet to see whether it's adware,
nagware, etc.

I found the AVG link by starting at this useful page:

https://www.raymond.cc/blog/download...tup-installer/

It mentions AVG in the link, but actually
provides directions for getting full installers for
several brands. Though the AVG advice (go
to the support page) still required me to
get past more obstacles. That link still went
to a CNet online installer. Only the "more info"
link led to a real download.

"FredW" wrote

| Free AV a
| - Avira
| - Avast
| - Avg
| - Bitdefender
|
| Download Avira:
| https://www.avira.com/en/download/pr...free-antivirus
|

Thanks. So far I've found AVG and Avira downloads.
I've used Avast for several years, but it keeps
trying to trick me into an "upgrade". Recently it somehow
expired. I reinstalled and it says I have 30 days. I'm
getting tired of trying to figure out how to keep it
working.

The AVG looks good because definitions can also
be downloaded. But I haven't yet tried installing either
one to see if there are any surprises. A couple of
other leads I tried:

Panda - seems to be online only.
PC Tools - apparently bought by Symantec.

Il giorno Tue 04 Jul 2017 03:46:28p, *Mayayana* ha inviato su
alt.windows7.general il messaggio news cosa ha scritto:

Is there any decent, no-funny-business, free
AV still available?

microsoft security essentials, included in the o.s., integrated, quite
light, kept up-to-date by the o.s. developer itself

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-=- -=- -=- -=- -=- -=- -=- -=- - -=-
http://www.bb2002.it
............ [ al lavoro ] ...........

On 07/04/2017 10:11 AM, Mayayana wrote:
Woops. spoke too soon. I found an AVG full version installer
and downloadable definitions.

http://www.avg.com/en-us/download.prd-gsr-free

Haven't tried it yet to see whether it's adware,
nagware, etc.

I found the AVG link by starting at this useful page:

https://www.raymond.cc/blog/download...tup-installer/

It mentions AVG in the link, but actually
provides directions for getting full installers for
several brands. Though the AVG advice (go
to the support page) still required me to
get past more obstacles. That link still went
to a CNet online installer. Only the "more info"
link led to a real download.




I got away from AVG as they want to install this new "ZEN" version that
allows you to protect other devices all in one like your phone. I'm
not there yet.

I have Avast loaded and it's all free with no subscription. And as for
prompting to upgrade, well that's the side effect of free IMHO.

If you look at Newegg or subscribe to there daily emails they sometimes
have AV products for 1 year subscription either really low $10 or free.
I know Acronis backup was just offered for $30 with $30 MIR, or free,
I got one, its a no subscription version so it never times out.

But you're right. I tried a bit of searching and for Avast the best I
can find is the stub. Even the link I have is for a stub. I thought I
had a full download link. OOPS.

In article , am says...

I know this has been asked before, but I haven't
dealt with AV for awhile. Avast keeps timing
out and I'm not sure there's any longer a fully
free version. Sophos requires (at least) signing
up with personal info. (Even the signup page has
a tracker from Facebook.) AVG was bought by
Avast and seems to be adware. (According to
MajorGeeks.)

Is there any decent, no-funny-business, free
AV still available? I want to just download a
real installer and run it, without any signup, online
installers, ads, etc.

What's wrong with Microsoft Security Essentials given none of them give
100% protection, can't.

"pjp" wrote

| What's wrong with Microsoft Security Essentials given none of them give
| 100% protection, can't.

My impression is that their product has been
poorly rated in the Win7 version. And if I have
to let a commercial product through the firewall,
I'd prefer it not be Microsoft.

Mayayana wrote:
"FredW" wrote

| Free AV a
| - Avira
| - Avast
| - Avg
| - Bitdefender
|
| Download Avira:
| https://www.avira.com/en/download/pr...free-antivirus
|

Thanks. So far I've found AVG and Avira downloads.
I've used Avast for several years, but it keeps
trying to trick me into an "upgrade". Recently it somehow
expired. I reinstalled and it says I have 30 days. I'm
getting tired of trying to figure out how to keep it
working.

The AVG looks good because definitions can also
be downloaded. But I haven't yet tried installing either
one to see if there are any surprises. A couple of
other leads I tried:

Panda - seems to be online only.
PC Tools - apparently bought by Symantec.



I used to have Avast but now I have Avira free. Note there are TWO free
Aviras. One is a suite that will nag the **** out of you to upgrade and
the other is just the AV which doesn't nag much.

"Jack Fate" wrote

| I used to have Avast but now I have Avira free. Note there are TWO free
| Aviras. One is a suite that will nag the **** out of you to upgrade and
| the other is just the AV which doesn't nag much.

220 MB download. Does that mean I got the bad one?
I only saw one option.

Mayayana wrote:
"Jack Fate" wrote

| I used to have Avast but now I have Avira free. Note there are TWO free
| Aviras. One is a suite that will nag the **** out of you to upgrade and
| the other is just the AV which doesn't nag much.

220 MB download. Does that mean I got the bad one?
I only saw one option.



The download page breaks out the components. 221MB is
just the antivirus portion. The other cruft is smaller.
Signature based scanners, you have to expect at least
100MB of signatures.

https://s7.postimg.org/wygjewn23/components.gif

And AV software is the kind of stuff I'd be taking
apart in WINE for a look first :-) All this so-called "free"
stuff, usually has its share of intrusions. I saw the word
"toolbar" being listed as a feature.

Note that some products that come with toolbars or browser
attacks, the AV will be disabled, if you neuter the toolbar.
A lot of effort goes into keeping the package stitched together.
So if the product is obnoxious 30 seconds after you install
it, it'll be just as obnoxious a year from now.

You can do what I did the last time this issue came up.
I did a full backup, installed an "AV product", watched
it for about five minutes, didn't like what I was seeing,
and I restored from backup. No "uninstall" followed by
"download their cleaner" for me... A lot of these AV
products have a cleaner for later, after you uninstall.

Paul

Mayayana wrote:
I know this has been asked before, but I haven't
dealt with AV for awhile. Avast keeps timing
out and I'm not sure there's any longer a fully
free version. Sophos requires (at least) signing
up with personal info. (Even the signup page has
a tracker from Facebook.) AVG was bought by
Avast and seems to be adware. (According to
MajorGeeks.)

Is there any decent, no-funny-business, free
AV still available? I want to just download a
real installer and run it, without any signup, online
installers, ads, etc.

I have been using MSE for the last year and have never gotten a virus.
Prior to that for 20+ years I did not have any anti-virus and never got a virus.
(virus = virus, trojan, rootkit, etc.)

Paul in Houston TX wrote:
Mayayana wrote:
I know this has been asked before, but I haven't
dealt with AV for awhile. Avast keeps timing
out and I'm not sure there's any longer a fully
free version. Sophos requires (at least) signing
up with personal info. (Even the signup page has
a tracker from Facebook.) AVG was bought by
Avast and seems to be adware. (According to
MajorGeeks.)

Is there any decent, no-funny-business, free
AV still available? I want to just download a
real installer and run it, without any signup, online
installers, ads, etc.

I have been using MSE for the last year and have never gotten a virus.
Prior to that for 20+ years I did not have any anti-virus and never got
a virus.
(virus = virus, trojan, rootkit, etc.)


As far as I'm concerned, if you're using Safe Hex,
the one thing you cannot control is browser exploits.

The only time I've had a Windows box tipped over, it
came in through the browser. A major commercial web
site got hacked, and the homepage contained a redirect
to "something nasty". The administrator on that site,
cleaned it up about two hours after it happened.

And Adobe Flash is a major contributor to the attack surface.
And when Adobe is eventually replaced, whatever it is replaced
with will be the next attack surface. Video players "must"
have programming wrapped around them for commercial DRM purposes,
and it will be that programming which is exploited for attacks.

If we could just play a video, without the player being
"wrapped in ****", this would be less of a problem.

Paul

On Tue, 4 Jul 2017 09:46:28 -0400, Mayayana wrote:

Is there any decent, no-funny-business, free
AV still available? I want to just download a
real installer and run it, without any signup, online
installers, ads, etc.

Have you tried asking in alt.comp.anti-virus?

--
s|b

On 04/07/2017 17:18, Paul in Houston TX wrote:

I have been using MSE for the last year and have never gotten a virus.
Prior to that for 20+ years I did not have any anti-virus and never
got a virus.
(virus = virus, trojan, rootkit, etc.)


You must be practising safe hex and so it is unlikely you'll get any
aids or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). So continue practising
that and you are safe as ever.



--
With over 500 million devices now running Windows 10, customer
satisfaction is higher than any previous version of windows.

"Paul" wrote

| And AV software is the kind of stuff I'd be taking
| apart in WINE for a look first :-) All this so-called "free"
| stuff, usually has its share of intrusions. I saw the word
| "toolbar" being listed as a feature.
|
It turns out the Avira download is a 7-Zip SFX.
Nothing suspicious inside. No folders with names
like "Adobe" or "Toolbar Candy" or "Shop Til You Drop".