I’ve been using computers for a long time and remember Apple and Commodore computers when the concept of viruses was completely foreign. Over the years the threats from viruses and various sorts of malware has grown significantly and one would be unwise to run a computer (at least a [...]]]>

I’ve been using computers for a long time and remember Apple and Commodore computers when the concept of viruses was completely foreign. Over the years the threats from viruses and various sorts of malware has grown significantly and one would be unwise to run a computer (at least a Windows one) without some form of malware protection.

Over the years I’ve used just about every antivirus application under the sun as well. McAfee, Symantec, Panda, Kaspersky, F-Secure, Avira, AVG, Comodo, ESET, BitDefender, ClamWin, and dozens of specialized tools aimed at destroying specific forms of malware. At various times I’ve had various favorites. I expect this to change again in the future as well. Security software is a constantly evolving market segment and the innovators one day are the leftovers the next day.

Currently, my favorite security application is Avast. Avast offers several features that really impress me:

• Boot-time scans – These scans run before Windows launches making it possible to detect and disable many viruses that otherwise refuse to be removed.
• Effectiveness – Avast when combined with MalwareBytes has never been unable to overcome a virus (or set of virsues) I have encountered.
• Performance – Many antivirus applications I’ve run slow down machines dramatically. My subjective opinion of Avast is that while not the absolute lightest and fastest it does offer minimal system disruption while still maintaining high effectiveness.
• Price – For the home user Avast is free. I love telling friends to dump McAfee and Symantec (okay, I admit it, I don’t like either) and instead use Avast (especially when its time for license renewal).

So go grab yourself a copy – the price is right (and reasonable for commercial uses).