Though I don't have the capacity or the time to do a full battery of tests on every different scanner software I have spent a good deal of time researching this question.
From about 2000 to 2005 I recommended Norton AV and used it on my home network as well. It was a solid product though it's resource consumption has always been high. Starting with 2006 the software reached a "bloat point" that impacted performance of not only the scanner but the computer performance overall. Additionally uninstallation problems also created headaches for many users.
AVG is widely used (and free) so many have chosen that program. How does it fare in the real world?
Not too well I'm afraid. I've removed many viruses from systems running AVG and Norton 2006+. AVG is better than nothing and will stop many viruses and attacks.
Mcaffee while it has been around for a long time in one form or another is not a program I would ever recommend. It is more likely to add a false sense of security than to actually stop a virus. It is also likely to create other problems on your computer (poor performance,hangs etc..).
NOD 32 from www.eset.com is the best scanner I have run across so far. It's fast and it works. Currently this is the program that I recommend to all my clients for security and have for the past 3 years. In VBS tests it has never missed an "In-the-Wild" virus. That's a pretty good record and the kind of performance you should expect from software that is the main line of defense for your computer. A: NOD32 wins this one hands down. The best testimony I can give is that I run this on all my computers and 100% of all viruses encountered have been stopped before they could cause damage.
Note:I don't have a financial interest in Eset products or receive any sponsorship from them or anyone else.
Posted by Jack on Thu Jul 02, 2009 12:38 am | Security | Score: 0)
