Quick AV question

[Nuclear Krusader]

Which of the free AV programs consumes the least amount of system resources? This is for machines that are running XP with 256 MB or less of RAM and for which upgrading memory is not an option. Avast? AVG? Avira?

TIA

[ChoboSeki]

Nod32 but it probably won't detect as much as AVG.

[glc]

Nod32 is not free.

Minimum recommended ram with XP:

ClamWin - 128mb (manual scanner only, no background protection)
Avast - 128mb
Avira - 192mb
Microsoft Security Essentials - 256mb
AVG - 512mb

[Nuclear Krusader]

Awesome. Thanks!

[Tin]

Clam AntiVirus

[HAL9000]

I've been running MS Essentials for quite a while now and don't even notice that it's there. Granted, I have a lot of RAM, but I did notice a difference between MS Essentials and AVG.

[glc]

I just got rid of AVG on both this box and my netbook and replaced it with MSE. I think M$ has done a decent job with it. AVG is just getting too bloated.

[HAL9000]

Agreed... people can complain about MS, but I think they got this one right.

[Nuclear Krusader]

I may end up doing the same. I have AVG on this machine and so far it's been quiet, but I do get the notifications every now and then, I think it happens when I reboot (since I hardly ever reboot this machine, maybe that's why I don't see them).

I have Avast in the lappy and yesterday, upon waking it up from suspend mode I got an almost screen-sized ad.

I installed MSE on an old machine last week and other than it verifying that your copy of Windows is genuine, it seems to run silently. My only question is if MSE requires you to have automatic updates enabled (I keep windows updates permanently disabled on both my systems). Anyone knows?

[Nuclear Krusader]

Yep, it's as I feared: MSE activated automatic updates without even asking. Deactivated now. Shall monitor closely.

[12twelve12]

Originally Posted by HAL9000 I've been running MS Essentials for quite a while now and don't even notice that it's there. Granted, I have a lot of RAM, but I did notice a difference between MS Essentials and AVG.

Agreed...have tried the 3 A's in the past and liked them but I'm loving Security Essentials. I was skeptical when it first came out, being from MS and all, but it's a very nice AV.

[12twelve12]

Originally Posted by Nuclear Krusader Yep, it's as I feared: MSE activated automatic updates without even asking. Deactivated now. Shall monitor closely.

A small inconvenience for a great product.

[glc]

Nuk, check this out........

I had automatic updates set to notify only - do not download or install. The MSE installation did NOT change that setting, and MSE is updating itself fine. Why don't you just turn yours on with that setting?

[Nuclear Krusader]

Will do if it gets enabled again.

[rwest]

Originally Posted by glc I had automatic updates set to notify only - do not download or install.

Just curious; Why not auto update GLC? Doesn't that kinda leave you unprotected from the newest attaks thru MS apps?

[glc]

It notifies me, so I can download and install at *MY* convenience, not when M$ wants. I always review what it wants to shovel to me.

I avoid M$ apps anyway. I only use IE if nothing else works on a particular site. I do not use a M$ email app.

[12twelve12]

Originally Posted by glc It notifies me, so I can download and install at *MY* convenience, not when M$ wants. I always review what it wants to shovel to me. I avoid M$ apps anyway. I only use IE if nothing else works on a particular site. I do not use a M$ email app.

Exactly! I follow the same .....code...sort of speak.

[Nuclear Krusader]

Originally Posted by rwest Just curious; Why not auto update? Doesn't that kinda leave you unprotected from the newest attaks thru MS apps?

We've had a fair number of machines brought to the shop totally messed up because of automatic updates. After fixing them, I always turn off automatic updates and set them to the setting GLC uses. It's US, the users, who should be in control of our PCs, not MS.

This has become now a major issue with almost any software manufacturer and any app: everyone and his brother wants to be updating all the time: Adobe, M$, Google, HP, you name it. Almost every single piece of software, from hardware drivers to weather apps, now comes with an auto-update feature that installs itself without asking (though most give you the power to disable auto-updating) and starts eating system resources from the moment Windows starts. Not only that, but they choose the most inconvenient times to run updates. Take M$ and its "install updates when my PC shuts down", what if you are in a hurry and need to shut down the machine? Nooo, you have to wait for the updates to be installed (sometimes there's a score of them or more), because if you shut the machine whilst they are being installed you'll likely mess up the system.

Maybe I'm wrong about this, but this auto-updating leaves your PC permanently communicating with the software company's servers, a.k.a. "phoning home"; what info is going back and forth, God only knows.

[MICHAEL73]

I just got mse up and running how do i turn updates off and what setting do i use cause i totally agree with the our choice thing

[rwest]

It wil depend on your OS on how to set it exactly. But you shouldbe able to access the auto opdates thru the control panel.

I had asked GLC that because I was kinda wondering if that was his reasoning. On my family's machines I let MS update on its own, because they don't 'know' and it wil annoy them.

Currently my Win 7 load is the only one I'm letting auto update. It's too new and I'm guessing very venerable. Yeh, I let one ogf my previous XP loads auto update, my anti virus, HP printer apps, and then a game wanted to auto update and I said"Enough!"

Jeez you need two cores just to handle updates if you let everything update that wants to!

[ChoboSeki]

I just installed MSE and I believe it turned my automatic updates ON to download only.. because I always disable automatic updates.

Anyways, no performance difference with it installed. I figured hey why not and installed like 30 updates (excluding the KB971033 of course)

How well does it detect vs AVG or other highly recommended AVs?

[glc]

It seems to detect VERY well.

Michael, I recommend that you enable Windows automatic updates - but in the NOTIFY ONLY mode. MSE will still keep itself updated with no intervention, but you will have to "approve" any Windows updates.