What are some good free virus protectors?

[Ava]

Lately my computer has been running slower and pop-ups are coming on. Today my yahoo account and facebook were hacked in the same hour and both twice. I figure if I can get some good virus protector and something to get rid of them, I may be fine. I had Norton on my computer for a long time, but from what my friends have told me, it doesn't work very well. Links and help please?

[Prajjwal]

I think you should try Avira or Bitdefender Antivirus. They are good. And don't open ur facebook account on any public computer

[Sam]

Common sense is usually a good one, it blocks those 1,000,000th visitor popups and such

[Casca Longinus]

Avast is the best free AV, see my answer here for why...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...713AA3dE1m

You should also have these two free programs for on demand scanning.

http://www.techspot.com/downloads/4716-m...lware.html
This program is free, but I suggest the pro version for live protection, it's only 25 dollars for a lifetime license.

http://www.superantispyware.com/

Install, and run full scans with these 3 programs.

Oops, heres Avast:
http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download

[Casca Longinus]

Aah ; another copy and paste answer from Casca ? All of his suggestions are good , except his first link ? You decide ? I would suggest checking out Microsoft Security Essentials ( link Below ) ? It's far better than Avast , Hands - Down !

[Enoch]

issue encountered: Lately my computer has been running slower...
possible resolution: Add more computer memory

issue encountered: pop-ups are coming on
possible resolution: keep most-frequent-use programs (hint: system tray); uninstall them

issue encountered: Today my yahoo account and facebook were hacked in the same hour...
possible resolution: gain access one at a time, e.g. open one web browser for each service. Please note that this is done if you don't want to add extra RAM to the computer. Make sure your web browser indicated a 'Lock' symbol in the URL, something 'Secure' or 'https://...'

issue encountered: I figure if I can get some good virus protector...
possible resolution: any anti-virus program that provide all-the-round clock real time protection, and set the quick scan scheduled task at 2 a.m. or when your computer is idle, weekly preferably.

[Xmetalfanx]

Both of these top two scanners use to have similar detection rates, though (I have used it for years, and I am not "not recommending it") a few recent tests have shown Avira dropping. Avira is still better than most and I still feel loyal to Avira ... certain "lab tests" may say Avira is "dropping" detection-wise, but I still think its one of the best

Avast – FREE - ( http://www.avira.com/en/avira-free-antivirus )

(FYI, both of my personal computers use Avast, at the moment)
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As far as Microsoft Security Essentials is concerned ... http://preview.tinyurl.com/62prw64 are two links from resources, I have trusted (Langa, for years) that prove MSE have issues with viruses and Malware infections, that some other

May 2012 update: AVG is a tricky one..

I am not one to go solely on “lab tests” alone, though I have to admit from various sources, such as PCWorld.com... AVG has been getting better reviews (note: the 2012 free version).. I am not one to constantly knock a product, IF they are improving it.. I may re-evaluate my “not recommending AVG” stance... IF it is better now, I will gladly recommend it.

AVG from my experience with helping users, is problematic, though as I just stated, they may be improving it.

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Malware/Spyware related -
These are great programs to have, but do not confuse them with anti-viruses. AV's CAN detect malware and these scanners COULD detect some viruses, but my advice would be to have both types of scanners on your system. ..

Both of these are free and have excellent records at removing malware/spyware infections... they really are the two best best options

MalwareBytes ( http://www.superantispyware.com/ )

I have seen people with AV scanners like Norton think they are malware free and they (with computer issues) scan with MB and then they find they are loaded with malware.

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*** remember to change your passwords when you are infection free

Norton rates well in "lab tests" (see my comment about Avira above, concerning lab tests) though in real world situations (I am talking my personal experience).. it does miss a bit (not counting the fact that some others, like Avast may not be "perfect", though at least Avast or Avira are both 100% free, and that means you save money)

Do not under estimate "Common Sense" too ... it is a good "tool" to protect yourself

-Xmetalfanx

[Jin]

I am using ESET Smart Security, good antivirus and internet security

[Eric]

You can go for Comodo antivirus which is very good in safeguarding your pc from all kind of internal and external malware attacks.

[Ooops]

If you want free then I recommend Avast , superantispyware and Malwarebytes. coupled with Comodo firewall They are all free for personal use . It is safe to use two anti-spy products but never use more than one A/V as it can cause conflicts. You should run A/V and anti spy weekly.