Anti virus and anti spam software necessary

pabloottawa

New Member
Messages
13
Location
Ontario Canada
Hi folks I just installed win 8.1 and I'm wondering if I really really need antivirus and anti spam software. With win 7 I had eset smart security 5 and it worked well but I'm wondering if win 8.1's firewall and defender software is enough to keep me as well protected as eset's smart security 5 software.

I'm a regular guy who checks email, goes on various forums, surfs porn and downloads movies and games.

Would windows defender and firewall be enough to protect me?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    WIN 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self built custom
    CPU
    Inter i7 3930K
    Motherboard
    Asus P9x79 DELUXE
    Memory
    6 x 4 Gb Kingston HyperX RAM triple channel 24GB total
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte GTX 760 4GB x 2 in SLI
    Sound Card
    Onboard Realtek 5.1
    Monitor(s) Displays
    BENQ XL2420T 120Hz Gaming monitor
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 Mushkin 240gb (primary OS) plus a few other storage drives
    PSU
    Cooler Master Silent Power 1000W
    Case
    Corsair Obsidian 800D
    Cooling
    Swiftech H320 closed loop water cooling system
    Keyboard
    Logitech G510
    Mouse
    Razer Mamba 2012
    Internet Speed
    So fast I go to plaid quite often
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Eset Antivirus 7
Anti-Virus is always a good idea. Windows Defender is not very effective at detecting/removing malware.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Enterprise
Being that there is no product that is 100% effective at catching every virus/malware, added layers of protection would be advised.

It wouldn't hurt to add Malwarebytes as well as AdwCleaner to your arsenal of scanners. These are on-demand scanners & will not run in the background. (Malwarebytes will initiate real time scanning if you buy the pro version).

Another handy tool is TDSSKiller, which scans for Rootkits.

Also, be aware that one of the best AV's is common sense. Be careful where you get your files & what you click on. If something seems too good to be true, it usually is.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 7 32, Win 7 64 Pro, Win 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    It's a Dell, Dude.
    CPU
    Intel Caffinated Core Duo
    Motherboard
    Father is bored too.
    Memory
    4 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVidia something-or-another
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" HD TV/Monitor/Alternative Dimensional Viewing Portal
    Screen Resolution
    Fuzzy after a couple drinks
    Hard Drives
    2 or 3, depending on if it's a night they're arguing about having a "split personality crisis" because I partitioned the drive.
    Case
    Don't get on my case....man
    Cooling
    Scotch on the rocks on the weekends..
    Keyboard
    Mad Catz Cyborg V7. Or maybe Cyborg Catz Are Mad At V7's??? I know it lights up...far out.
    Mouse
    currently being stalked by the cat...
    Internet Speed
    Never fast enough...
    Browser
    Defeated by Mario...wait...OH...BRowser...
    Antivirus
    Various
I've been using Windows Defender, MalwareBytes Pro and CCleaner Pro for as long as I've been running Win7 and Win8 without any issues and I test AV software for a living...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 10 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built Intel i7-3770k-based system
    CPU
    Intel i7-3770k, Overclocked to 4.6GHz (46x100) with Corsair H110i GT cooler
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 OC Formula 2.30 BIOS
    Memory
    32GB DDR3 2133 Corsair Vengeance Pro
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce GTX 980ti SC ACS 6GB DDR5 by EVGA
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD, Corsair SP2500 speakers and subwoofer
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 27EA33 [Monitor] (27.2"vis) HDMI
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB (system drive)
    WD 6TB Red NAS hard drives x 2 in Storage Spaces (redundancy)
    PSU
    Corsair 750ax fully modular power supply with sleeved cables
    Case
    Corsair Air 540 with 7 x 140mm fans on front, rear and top panels
    Cooling
    Corsair H110i GT liquid cooled CPU with 4 x 140" Corsair SP "push-pull" and 3 x 140mm fans
    Keyboard
    Thermaltake Poseidon Z illuminated keyboard
    Mouse
    Corsair M65 wired
    Internet Speed
    85MBps DSL
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, MalwareBytes Pro and CCleaner Pro
    Other Info
    Client of Windows Server 2012 R2 10 PC's, laptops and smartphones on the WLAN.

    1GBps Ethernet ports
As of yet there is no Anti-Virus compatible with windows 8.1 yet. At least I don't think there is.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD FX 8150 3.6 Ghz Eight Core
    Motherboard
    BIOSTAR TA970XE AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
    Memory
    16GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    R9 280X 3GB Dual X OC Edition
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster S20B350
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900
    Hard Drives
    1 Terabyte
    PSU
    Coolermaster 700W
    Case
    ThermalTake Chaser MK-1
    Cooling
    Fan (x2) 200MM Color Shift Fan, (x1) 140MM
    Mouse
    Logitech M310
    Browser
    Chrome
    Other Info
    Blu-Ray Player, Hot-Swap Dock, E-Sata
Everyone has a different opinion of AV's, so asking that will get you a lot of different answers.

I've read several reviews over the past couple years about Norton. They have come a long ways from the earlier days of being a "system hog." On most of the machines I've seen it on, it does do a good job of protecting it and the use of resources isn't bad. This is a paid AV though, you'll have to pony up some $$$ every year if you want to continue using it.

Don't be surprised if you peruse the AV comparative papers online & find conflicting information, it's not unusual to find 10 different answers on 10 different AV testing sites. One thing you can be sure of, no AV is 100% effective.

There is a thread in this forum discussing Avast AV.

http://www.eightforums.com/system-security/3842-latest-version-avast-antivirus.html

Seven forums also has a good post on various AV's. This will give you a general idea of the various AV's & the cons/pros of each.

What's the Best Anti-virus? - Windows 7 Help Forums

 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 7 32, Win 7 64 Pro, Win 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    It's a Dell, Dude.
    CPU
    Intel Caffinated Core Duo
    Motherboard
    Father is bored too.
    Memory
    4 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVidia something-or-another
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" HD TV/Monitor/Alternative Dimensional Viewing Portal
    Screen Resolution
    Fuzzy after a couple drinks
    Hard Drives
    2 or 3, depending on if it's a night they're arguing about having a "split personality crisis" because I partitioned the drive.
    Case
    Don't get on my case....man
    Cooling
    Scotch on the rocks on the weekends..
    Keyboard
    Mad Catz Cyborg V7. Or maybe Cyborg Catz Are Mad At V7's??? I know it lights up...far out.
    Mouse
    currently being stalked by the cat...
    Internet Speed
    Never fast enough...
    Browser
    Defeated by Mario...wait...OH...BRowser...
    Antivirus
    Various
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