AV software - Where can I get unbiased review? (v Defender

ship69

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Hello

Where can I find an unbiased review comparing the various AV software with Windows Defender?
(e.g. Macafee, Norton, Kaspersky, AVG, BitDefender, Trend Micro Titanium, G Data Total Security, Webroot SecureAnywhere, Vipre, F-secure, Zone Alarm Pro Antivirus, Panda Global Protection, Avast! Free Antivirus... etc. )

...Do I need ANY of these on Windows 8.1 if I am using Window Defender + MBAM ?


Background
I have just reinstalled my PC completely. I have re-instated my data from a PC that was infected with malware. So I think I need a better anti-virus software. I was using AVG + Malwarebytes. And then Windows Defender + MBAB.

AVG never found anything. Malwarebytes was much better. Windows Defender is hard to see what is going on. And I keep getting messages from Teamviewer (remove control) saying that it is worried that the PC is not protected...

With Windows Defender being free there is a strong suspicion that it will not be as good as other systems. I do not want to pay more than GBP 50 / year absolute max. I would be happy with something free/open source if it was good. Also I do not want anything that will slow my PC down too much.

I am told that you should only have ONE anti-virus software running at a time, plus something for malware. A lot of people seem to favour MalwareBytes AntiMalware plus something... Btw, I am based in the UK.

Any thoughts?

J
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro (x64)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Samsung NP740U3E-S04UK (Series 7 Ultra Notebook)
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 - 3337U
    Motherboard
    Intel HM76 (?)
    Memory
    6GB DDR3 System Memory at 1600MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon™ HD 8570M graphics card with 1GB gDDR3 Graphic Memory (PowerExpress)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3" SuperBright+ 350nit FHD LED Display with Touch Screeen Panel
    Screen Resolution
    (1920 x 1080)
    Hard Drives
    512GB mSATA Samsung (PM841 Series MZMTD512HAGL-00000 mSATA 512GB SATA III MLC Internal SSD)
    Keyboard
    Logitech MK700
    Mouse
    Logitech M705
    Internet Speed
    4 to 15Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox, MSIE, Chrome, Opera etc
    Antivirus
    AVG Cloudcare
I don't have a great example of a free or cheap AV solution, but I always employ two products...just not two with active scanners at once. Malwarebytes is my go to on-demand scanner. I use the free version, and use it as a second opinion. ESET is what I use for my computers, but I'm using licenses I get from my company account.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-3770K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-Z77-UD3H
    Memory
    16 GB Patriot Viper 3 DDR3-1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia 470 GTX
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Hard Drives
    Crucial M4 256 GB, WD WD20EFRX 2 TB
    PSU
    OCZ 700W
    Case
    Corsair 300R
    Cooling
    Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo
Windows Defender, Malware Bytes Anti Malware Pro and Malware Bytes Anti Exploit free are what I use.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaCenter K450
    CPU
    Intel Quad Core i7-4770 @ 3.4Ghz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    16.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Integrated HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP h2207
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050@59Hz
    Hard Drives
    250GB Samsung EVO SATA-3 SSD;
    2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 SATA-2;
    1.5TB Seagate ST3150041AS SATA
    PSU
    500W
    Keyboard
    Wired USB
    Mouse
    Wired USB
    Internet Speed
    3GB Up, 30GB Down
    Browser
    SeaMonkey
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender; MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    UEFI/GPT
    PLDS DVD-RW DH16AERSH

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo E525
    CPU
    AMD A4-3300M @ 2,0GHz
    Memory
    6GB DDR3 1333MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon HD 6480G 512MB shared
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    WD 465GB
    Cooling
    Fusion Tweaker
    Keyboard
    Logitech K360
    Mouse
    Logitech M705
    Internet Speed
    50/50 MBps
    Browser
    Yandex
    Antivirus
    No AV & No Firewall
    Other Info
    Headphones: Sennheiser RS170

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Update Pro in Hyper-V/Windows 10 Pro 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Cliff's Black & Blue Wonder
    CPU
    Intel Core i9-9900K
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus X Hero
    Memory
    32 GB Quad Kit, G.Skill Trident Z RGB Series schwarz, DDR4-3866, 18-19-19-39-2T
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS GeForce RTX 3090 ROG Strix O24G, 24576 MB GDDR6X
    Sound Card
    (1) HD Webcam C270 (2) NVIDIA High Definition Audio (3) Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    BenQ BL2711U(4K) and a hp 27vx(1080p)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 x 32 bits (4294967296 colors) @ 60 Hz
    Hard Drives
    C: Samsung 960 EVO NVMe M.2 SSD
    E: & O: Libraries & OneDrive-> Samsung 850 EVO 1TB
    D: Hyper-V VM's -> Samsung PM951 Client M.2 512Gb SSD
    G: System Images -> HDD Seagate Barracuda 2TB
    PSU
    Corsair HX1000i High Performance ATX Power Supply 80+ Platinum
    Case
    hanteks Enthoo Pro TG
    Cooling
    Thermaltake Floe Riing RGB TT Premium-Edition 360mm and 3 Corsair blue LED fans
    Keyboard
    Trust GTX THURA
    Mouse
    Trust GTX 148
    Internet Speed
    25+/5+ (+usually faster)
    Browser
    Edge; Chrome; IE11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender of course & Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit as a
    Other Info
    Router: FRITZ!Box 7590 AX V2
    Sound system: SHARP HT-SBW460 Dolby Atmos Soundbar
    Webcam: Logitech BRIO ULTRA HD PRO WEBCAM 4K webcam with HDR
Well several of the magazines still do comparisons.
I personally use Norton IS as primary and Malware Bytes Pro, they seem to work well together and I have no issues on my Win 7 or win 8.1 computers. I would never trust my computers to freeware. My users can make mistakes, I can make a mistake Norton has always bailed me out when this happens. My users are trained to check out every warning before clicking.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro MC
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus G75VW / Z97 Pro
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-3610QM / I7-4790K
    Motherboard
    Z97 Pro
    Memory
    16 GB Hyundai HTM315156CFR8C-PB PC3-12800
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M (GF114M)
    Sound Card
    VIA 6.0.10.1600
    Screen Resolution
    1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256, Samsung 850 Pro 1TB
    Internet Speed
    30 down 3 up
    Browser
    Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    NIS and Malwarebytes

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro (x64)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Samsung NP740U3E-S04UK (Series 7 Ultra Notebook)
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 - 3337U
    Motherboard
    Intel HM76 (?)
    Memory
    6GB DDR3 System Memory at 1600MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon™ HD 8570M graphics card with 1GB gDDR3 Graphic Memory (PowerExpress)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3" SuperBright+ 350nit FHD LED Display with Touch Screeen Panel
    Screen Resolution
    (1920 x 1080)
    Hard Drives
    512GB mSATA Samsung (PM841 Series MZMTD512HAGL-00000 mSATA 512GB SATA III MLC Internal SSD)
    Keyboard
    Logitech MK700
    Mouse
    Logitech M705
    Internet Speed
    4 to 15Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox, MSIE, Chrome, Opera etc
    Antivirus
    AVG Cloudcare
Just because an AV program is FREE, does not mean it's any less effective than the paid version. The scan engine is the same and so are the detection files. The only difference is all the bells and whistles that may even include a Firewall.

I'm referring specifically to the program I use myself and install for all my Computer Customers. (I'm a Computer Specialist, operating my own PC business now for 35 years.)
The program I use is AVG 2015 FREE. To back it up with good Anti-Spyware protection, I use both Spybot Search & Destroy and Super Anti-Spyware. Both have FREE versions.

There is NO ONE program that's going to completely protect you against Malware. I'm not sure what MalwareBytes is supposed to do, because it's NOT specifically an AV program and also doesn't find and remove a lot of spyware and tracking cookies.
So anyone using only that one program is in for a rude awakening, sooner or later.

As with many programs, "AVG 2015 free" needs some custom tuning after the initial install.
I always go into 'Options' and then 'Advanced Settings' and then 'Scans' and set the scanner to scan for Everything.
Then I go into 'Schedules' and set the scanner to ON (it's OFF by default) and then set the schedule to "Everyday" at say 12PM.
Then set the updater for like 11AM. You always want to get your updates prior to doing your scans.
Without doing the above.... AVG will never perform a Virus Scan on your PC unless you do it manually, which most people will never do.

I don't let Super Anti-Spyware (SAS) run in the background, but I get updates and run a manual scan at least once a week, or after going to any questionable web sites, (sites I'm not really familiar with). SAS is the only program I have that will find and delete all the "Tracking Cookies" that you can collect doing web searches.

Good Luck and stay SAFE!

TechnoMage :cool:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win-8.1/Pro/64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer X-1200
    CPU
    AMD 2 Core
    Motherboard
    Acer
    Memory
    Crucial, 4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDEA GeForce 9200
    Sound Card
    On Board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Acer
    Hard Drives
    Sandisk, SSD 500GB
    PSU
    Acer
    Case
    SFF Slimline
    Keyboard
    emachines 101 key
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless
    Internet Speed
    5 Meg
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Using Classic Shell on Win-8.1 /pro/64
I was using AVG Free a couple of years ago, but when I did get infected nothing I could do could get it to notice the various malware that were thundering into my computer according to various other software utilities. Since then I have avoided AVG Free.

For Cookie deletions I use CCleaner on a manual basis regularly. It's very good at deleting all manner of temporary stuff that often seems to clog up browsers...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro (x64)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Samsung NP740U3E-S04UK (Series 7 Ultra Notebook)
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 - 3337U
    Motherboard
    Intel HM76 (?)
    Memory
    6GB DDR3 System Memory at 1600MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon™ HD 8570M graphics card with 1GB gDDR3 Graphic Memory (PowerExpress)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3" SuperBright+ 350nit FHD LED Display with Touch Screeen Panel
    Screen Resolution
    (1920 x 1080)
    Hard Drives
    512GB mSATA Samsung (PM841 Series MZMTD512HAGL-00000 mSATA 512GB SATA III MLC Internal SSD)
    Keyboard
    Logitech MK700
    Mouse
    Logitech M705
    Internet Speed
    4 to 15Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox, MSIE, Chrome, Opera etc
    Antivirus
    AVG Cloudcare
Windows Defender, Malware Bytes Anti Malware Pro and Malware Bytes Anti Exploit free are what I use.

What I don't understand is why anyone is still using Windows Defender, when all the reviews I've seen seem to give it terrible scores.
e.g.
Test Microsoft Windows Defender for Windows 8 | AV-TEST
This site gives Defender a score of "0.0" out of 6.
What am I missing?

I've not seen it rated that bad before, but it works for me so I'll stick with it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaCenter K450
    CPU
    Intel Quad Core i7-4770 @ 3.4Ghz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    16.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Integrated HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP h2207
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050@59Hz
    Hard Drives
    250GB Samsung EVO SATA-3 SSD;
    2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 SATA-2;
    1.5TB Seagate ST3150041AS SATA
    PSU
    500W
    Keyboard
    Wired USB
    Mouse
    Wired USB
    Internet Speed
    3GB Up, 30GB Down
    Browser
    SeaMonkey
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender; MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    UEFI/GPT
    PLDS DVD-RW DH16AERSH
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