Is the free Windows anti virus sufficient or should one pay subs to a real anti virus suite?

[jack71]

We purchased a couple of stand alone windows PCs to do certain things for our business. I see it has the free anti virus as part of the package. 

 

Would you suggest that we buy anti virus? If so which one do you recommend?

thanks

[upu2]

10 minutes ago, jack71 said:

We purchased a couple of stand alone windows PCs to do certain things for our business. I see it has the free anti virus as part of the package. 

 

Would you suggest that we buy anti virus? If so which one do you recommend?

thanks

Buy the Antivirus. The free ones do not detect anything like as many virses as the paid versions.

[soi3eddie]

Definitely buy a proper Internet Security package. Most of the big names are pretty good. Check out reviews on various computer magazines to see comparisons of features and reliability at detecting viruses and security issues. It may be the case that the trial package already installed is one of the good ones. At the end of the free trial they will try to get you to subscribe directly with them. I normally use a favourite package and can usually buy protection for 1-10 PCs for 1-3 years. I usually buy 5 PCs for 3 years off Amazon at about $50 or so in total. They will often send the activation code by email.

 

[OneMoreFarang]

Microsoft Antivirus, and firewall, and and and is very good. There is absolutely no reason to buy something else. That was shown again and again in professional computer magazines.

 

And IMHO one of the best features of the MS solution is that it just works. No annoying messages, no annoying questions. Nothing. It just works.

 

And for the record: I would personally pay for other solutions if they would be better. I don't have to do that.

 

[kekalot]

9 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Microsoft Antivirus, and firewall, and and and is very good. There is absolutely no reason to buy something else. That was shown again and again in professional computer magazines.

 

And IMHO one of the best features of the MS solution is that it just works. No annoying messages, no annoying questions. Nothing. It just works.

 

And for the record: I would personally pay for other solutions if they would be better. I don't have to do that.

 

 

25 years in IT, agree with the above sentiment. Windows Security is better than the paid ones.

waste of money, regardless of price.. wouldn't even use them if they were free and is always the first thing I uninstall if it comes on a device

 

[upu2]

1 hour ago, soi3eddie said:

Definitely buy a proper Internet Security package. Most of the big names are pretty good. Check out reviews on various computer magazines to see comparisons of features and reliability at detecting viruses and security issues. It may be the case that the trial package already installed is one of the good ones. At the end of the free trial they will try to get you to subscribe directly with them. I normally use a favourite package and can usually buy protection for 1-10 PCs for 1-3 years. I usually buy 5 PCs for 3 years off Amazon at about $50 or so in total. They will often send the activation code by email.

 

I reckon the best ones are Bit Defender (which I currently use), ESET and Kasperski. There are others of curse that are very good these are the three I tend to go for.

[bendejo]

Just did a clean reinstall of 20H2 and stuck with Defender AV.  Ran it for a few weeks, the scans were pretty clean.  Then ran Avira and Malwarebytes, both immediately detected rogue instances of svchost.exe.  So much for Defender as an AV, but the firewall in good for blocking what I tell it to.

 

 

[KeeTua]

I agree with those that suggest its not necessary to used paid anti-virus/malware programs. Since this will be a shared PC for business I recommend having the user account(s) be standard user. This goes a long way to protect a PC. Create one account that will be an administrator account to use only when you need to install software or perform other tasks that require an administrative account.

 

Standard user account:
Standard accounts can use most software and change system settings that don't affect other users or the security of this PC.

 

Administrator account:
Administrators have complete control over the PC. They can change settings and access all of the files and programs stored on the PC.

[BigStar]

8 hours ago, bendejo said:

Just did a clean reinstall of 20H2 and stuck with Defender AV.  Ran it for a few weeks, the scans were pretty clean.  Then ran Avira and Malwarebytes, both immediately detected rogue instances of svchost.exe.  So much for Defender as an AV, but the firewall in good for blocking what I tell it to.

It's a good idea to run a scan with free Malwarebytes, say once a week or after some event, in addition to relying on Defender.

[thaibeachlovers]

13 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Microsoft Antivirus, and firewall, and and and is very good. There is absolutely no reason to buy something else. That was shown again and again in professional computer magazines.

 

And IMHO one of the best features of the MS solution is that it just works. No annoying messages, no annoying questions. Nothing. It just works.

 

And for the record: I would personally pay for other solutions if they would be better. I don't have to do that.

 

I used to have a certain antivirus but had to get rid of it as making my computer too slow. After it was deleted the improvement in speed was spectacular.

As to the requirement for one at all- I'd say it depended on the sites one looks at.

[OneMoreFarang]

5 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I used to have a certain antivirus but had to get rid of it as making my computer too slow. After it was deleted the improvement in speed was spectacular.

I am not sure if it is technically still possible: The worst case is if people install several active AV programs at the same time. That is a certain way to make everything super slow. But I guess Windows 10 will make sure that doesn't happen anymore - at least under normal circumstances. 

[thaibeachlovers]

Just now, OneMoreFarang said:

I am not sure if it is technically still possible: The worst case is if people install several active AV programs at the same time. That is a certain way to make everything super slow. But I guess Windows 10 will make sure that doesn't happen anymore - at least under normal circumstances. 

It was only one, and once that one was deleted everything came right.

[KannikaP]

8 hours ago, bendejo said:

Just did a clean reinstall of 20H2 and stuck with Defender AV.  Ran it for a few weeks, the scans were pretty clean.  Then ran Avira and Malwarebytes, both immediately detected rogue instances of svchost.exe.  So much for Defender as an AV, but the firewall in good for blocking what I tell it to.

 

 

The free versions will always find something they say Defender has missed so that you will go out and BUY. Had Defender since w10 came out, scheduled to run every boot up, but it runs in the background, does not intrude or slow the PCs down. Defender is good.

[KannikaP]

14 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

It was only one, and once that one was deleted everything came right.

Any 'external' AV program will over-ride Defender, but it will still run in the background and let you know if something is amiss.

[2530Ubon]

Has anyone purchased McAfee on Lazada? Dirt cheap - unbelievably so. 100 - 300 baht for multi year packages. My original subscription is expiring soon, are these keys legit or would I just be throwing a hundred baht or two away?

[Crossy]

I run the MS offerings with Superantispyware and occasionally Trend Housecall (online AV) for the warm fuzzy feeling.

 

Trend has never found anything!

 

[Excel]

14 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Microsoft Antivirus, and firewall, and and and is very good. There is absolutely no reason to buy something else. That was shown again and again in professional computer magazines.

 

And IMHO one of the best features of the MS solution is that it just works. No annoying messages, no annoying questions. Nothing. It just works.

 

And for the record: I would personally pay for other solutions if they would be better. I don't have to do that.

 

My experience too. In fact many of the so called anti vrus software puts as much malware on your pc as they claim to detect.

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, 2530Ubon said:

Has anyone purchased McAfee on Lazada? Dirt cheap - unbelievably so. 100 - 300 baht for multi year packages. My original subscription is expiring soon, are these keys legit or would I just be throwing a hundred baht or two away?

You will get what you (don't) pay for.  However, this does not answer the OP.

[kebabby]

14 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Microsoft Antivirus, and firewall, and and and is very good. There is absolutely no reason to buy something else. 

 

Agreed, had it running in a business with 8 x PC's and on Windows Server for 17 years and never had a virus. All the paid ones do is drag up more false positives. There are absolutely no real-world tests to suggest otherwise. If you are unfortunate enough to get a virus beyond it's capabilities, you need a specialist website that offers free virus removal.

 

I have just done a Thai friends PC and ran Defender, Malware bytes and Avast as that's what he already had installed. He had just under 40 viruses (someone told him never to do Windows updates) and no more were detected by the paid <deleted> than Windows Defender; actually Avast missed a few. Malwarebytes 12 false positives, Defender 0.

[zhounan]

I suggest you to change Windows with Linux.

[kebabby]

1 hour ago, 2530Ubon said:

Has anyone purchased McAfee on Lazada? Dirt cheap - unbelievably so. 100 - 300 baht for multi year packages. 

What do you think they are? Usually hacked keys or encourage you to download their virus ridden versions. Lots of viruses installed on hacked software. I've got an example of someone bought Photoshop from Lazada cheap and riddled his PC with viruses. Still cheap mind, once I sorted the viruses for him.

[KhunBENQ]

Never used 3rd party antivirus, net nannies etc. in more than 15 years.

 

Most important in my opinion: install admin and standard user account.

Admin account only be used for setup/installing by educated person.

No browsing "interesting" websites,  (anti)social media, playing funny games, reading mails ...

 

Standard user account "to do certain things for our business"/daily use.

On most days (like today) I do not use the admin/administrative account at all.

 

With standard user plus Defender plus timely Windows updates chances to catch nasty stuff are very low.

Edited February 24, 2021 by KhunBENQ

[KhunBENQ]

Of course all accounts with a farely safe password, no auto logon.

It's unbelievable to me that users have admin account without password and automatic logon.

Just for convenience. Invitation to all nasty stuff.

[4evermaat]

Recommend that you use Windows 10 + Windows Defender + Windows Firewall.  Then add WFC (Windows Firewall Control, recently acquired by MalwareBytes).  This makes Windows Firewall more user-friendly like the paid firewalls, without compromising the firewall itself.   You want to turn on notifications for all unapproved requests.   This gives you full control over all outgoing connections. 

 

Agree with   @kebabby  Have had several computers, including servers, and if secured properly and you don't go clicking/downloading every flashy thing presented, install specific programs from sensible developers, you should never get a virus.   No antivirus installed since Win2k.  And windows defender disabled.   Just windows firewall and for home computers, WFC with full notifications installed.  Denying all programs that don't have a legitimate need to connect to internet.

 

For the Thai user (or any computer where you will have random people using it), just leave on Windows Defender + Firewall with default settings and they should be fine 99% of the time (Windows 10).

[soi3eddie]

7 minutes ago, 4evermaat said:

Just windows firewall and for home computers, WFC with full notifications installed.  Denying all programs that don't have a legitimate need to connect to internet.

 

This is just one reason why so many spam emails get sent out seemingly from people known to us. Once their PC is infected, the rogue program starts sending out messages via the legitimate installed email client to everyone in the address book. The sender name will be someone's name you know but the email will have either malicious attachments or a link to a dodgy website where a simple visit will lead to further infection for those not protected by proper antivirus. Often, those infected are completely unaware of what is happening.

 

[UncleMhee]

Like many here; Defender & MalwareBytes has served me well over many years. I asked myself this question when looking for answers on AV's. "Where do all the paid AV's get their new definitions from??" Answer to self, "Most likely from Microsoft." It's not a decision I've had any trouble with ever.

[Moncul]

Microsoft Defender is a very good signature based A/V solution.

The problem is that, at the rate new malware is being developed and released, signature-based A/V is becoming more and more ineffective.

You could consider using something a little more EDR (or as they call it now, XDR) but to be honest, none of it is a substitute for good hygiene and sensible use.

Patch your OS, Keep your apps up to date, Don't click or open ANYTHING unless you are 100% certain that you know the sender and you were expecting it, use the security features of your router, etc. etc.

Remember malware can hide in documents, PDFs, even pictures. 
 

Quote

"Where do all the paid AV's get their new definitions from??" Answer to self, "Most likely from Microsoft." 

 

I suspect it's the other way round ????

[Moonlover]

On 2/24/2021 at 4:41 AM, bendejo said:

Just did a clean reinstall of 20H2 and stuck with Defender AV.  Ran it for a few weeks, the scans were pretty clean.  Then ran Avira and Malwarebytes, both immediately detected rogue instances of svchost.exe.  So much for Defender as an AV, but the firewall in good for blocking what I tell it to.

 

 

Yes they would wouldn't they, How do you know they found these 'svchost' things and what harm, if any do they do?

 

I'm always suspicious when these anti-virus companies offer a 'free health check' of my computer. Of course they're going to find something amiss. They want you to buy their product don't they.

[BigStar]

22 hours ago, kebabby said:

What do you think they are? Usually hacked keys or encourage you to download their virus ridden versions. Lots of viruses installed on hacked software. I've got an example of someone bought Photoshop from Lazada cheap and riddled his PC with viruses. Still cheap mind, once I sorted the viruses for him.

Not quite that simple. We always hear this dire warning. The link may refer to the OEM's site, or one may choose to download the software from there independently and whatever's downloaded can be checked via hash and scanned before and after installation.

 

That said, I have bad memories of McAfee taking over my computer worse than any virus. Defender + a weekly scan w/ free Malwarebytes (scheduled automatically) will do for any normal purposes.

[whiteman]

Nortons 360 never had a problem small money for piece of mind