What antivirus would you recommend putting on a new PC?

February 26, 2015   Ask & Answers

Question:

What antivirus would you recommend putting on a new computer?

I ask because I just got a DELL mini tower PC INSPIRON and want to protect it the best I can. My old computer is very infected, and I had been using the free AVG and or the MSE. Thankiyou for your help
Update: note that I specifically stated “MINI TOWER PC” haha but so many say my laptop, just funny that’s all, I guess it has no difference in the answers, or does it. See, now I o nto know if any answers given for laptops also apply to my desktop. do they? I really have no idea. but thank you anyway
Update 2: and yes I had MSE and free AVG and neither of them helped defend me against the ransom encryptor or virus’s
Update 3: The reason I stay away from Malwarebytes is that they show you a list of threats or possible threats and I have no idea what to do with them. I deleted them always, but ended up deleting valuable files that led to the destruction of my programming. It ended up costing us over three hundred dollars because of that.

Answer:

The best full-featured antiviruses currently are Avira, BitDefender, and Kaspersky.  In recurring tests, Microsoft Security Essentials (renamed “Windows Defender” in Windows 8) has consistently placed among the very worst for protection.Free versions of Avira and BitDefender are available.Prior to installing any antivirus, install the free version of MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM), update its database, and perform a “Threat Scan”.  This should eliminate any malware that would interfere with the antivirus installation or functionality.Rescan the MBAM every two to six weeks, depending on your level of Internet activity.

AV-Test.org said of MalwareBytes Anti-Malware —

“In the test group of 10 antivirus software packages, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free achieved an absolutely flawless performance. The software detected all the test samples, neutralized all active components, deleted superfluous data and thus repaired all the damage. After all 60 test scenarios, the antivirus application consistently rendered the Windows system absolutely clean. AV-TEST honored this performance with the BEST REPAIR 2014 AWARD.”