Community Newsletter: Q&A: Free vs. paid security software
- 6/8/07 9:43 AM
I say Renew
by PRWATCH - 5/27/07 10:37 PM In reply to: Free vs. paid security software by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hey
Jasmine H. I recommend you to renewal.I have Norton 2006. And
when it expires in 136 more days I will be renewing it to 2007.
Like they always say if its free something is missing in it. So
to save you the headaces stick with what you been using. Unless
you really can't afford to renew then look around for a good free
one.I hear AVG has 7.0 out but it's your call on security you
prefer on your system.But to me,nothing is really granteed but purchasing or renewing is your best bet. So RENEW if you wanna be PROTECTED.
You should renew
by piyush_85 - 5/27/07 11:40 PM In reply to: Free vs. paid security software by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
dear friend you should know that nothing is for free in world you have to pay a lot if you want to buy free things In evidence you can take this example if you take any free thing it will take you cost a lot not to buy it but make it in use so please be payee and relax that you are buying and you have a powerfull right of complaint
Thanks for question Have a nice day
Anti virus stuff
by vicnewton - 5/28/07 1:36 AM In reply to: Free vs. paid security software by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have used both paid for and free.
The problem is two fold, the free stuff comes with other things added like for instance 'AVG antivirus and some Addware' where the paid for stuff attracks hackers and others that know the programe loop holes and exploit them. Also in some of the paid for stuff you get things happening to your PC that you might not want, for instance with 'Regcure' I found that some of my 'free stuff' or settings were removed or changed.
Try this
CNet have 'AVAST antivirus' you can download, its good and it also talks to you which is a little cool.
Also there is a download called 'Error Nuker', might need to google that, it checks your registry and other bits and corrects them..........though I still run RegCure from time to time.
The best thing to think about is 'where and how' do you get Viruses and Addware and the answer is usually from the Web pages you go to and the things you download, not to mention sharing floppies and files ( that includes some music sites)
You have done the right thing though and that is go to a trusted forum and ask and remember you only get what you pay for and everything has a price to pay.
VN
Free Versions of antivirus and antispyware programs.
by RobertFare - 5/28/07 2:27 AM In reply to: Free vs. paid security software by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Jasmine, no program, antivirus or antispyware is perfect. Some programs miss what others get and vice versa. I believe the free programs are just as good as the ones you pay for. AVG, Avast!, and BitDefender provide good antivirus programs. Spyware Blaster, Spyware Terminator,Advanced Spyware Removeer, and Spycatcher Express are effective. Jasmine, why don't you try some of the free software and supplement it by running online scans such as Trend Micro House Call, BitDefender free online virus scan, PC Pitstop, or even Symantec's Security Checks? I'm sure that the combination of a good free antivirus and antispyware programs with regular scans with the above mentioned online virus and spyware scans will give you the necessary coverage that you need.
Which Security System
by DrJohnOH - 5/28/07 6:25 AM In reply to: Free vs. paid security software by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have been using various PC Security system including McAfee, Symmantic, Trend Micro PC-cillin, and Zone Alarm Pro, all of which have virus checking and screening along with monitoring what comes and and tried to get out of the computer. All of which, also, have an annual or bi-annual license renewal. Usually I have started with the security software that came with the computer, but when renewal time came, I have often switched to a new system. For years, I was happiest with ZoneAlarm Pro, followed by Symmantic with its Live Update. Along with whatever security package I used, I also used AdAware SE Plus and Spybot Search and Destroy, which I ran weekly; I always found something that got through and needed to be removed. Spybot also monitored attempted changes to my registry and required approval.
Most recently I ran across the free security package from COMODO and installed it on my laptop when the Symmantic package came up for renewal. Once installed and trained, it provided as many or more protective actions as had any of the other packages I have used, and it updates daily. So can a free package be as good as a commercial package. If you consider Spybot free (although you shouldn't) and the COMODO package, the answer is yes. Of course, since the software is never done, I could have an altogether different answer next year to this same question. But, maybe not.
Re free security etc.
by AndyMacP - 5/28/07 8:41 AM In reply to: Free vs. paid security software by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have tried free ZoneAlarm and AVG antivirus together and have had no problems at all. Give them a try before you invest any money in paid for programmes, it is worth a trial and both are free!
Read some good, thorough, research
by kartemy - 5/28/07 9:47 AM In reply to: Free vs. paid security software by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi Jasmine,
You're not the only person who finds the huge number of security products, all claiming to be the best!, to be overwhelming. There are a lot of products available that are useful and just as many not so useful and, unfortunately, some that are down right harmful. Luckily, there are some people have put in hours and hours of research and testing of security products just for folks like you and me who wouldn't know where to start nor how to proceed if we did get started.
You can google search for some of these reviews and comparisons, I'm sure there are many here on CNET. Or, I would suggest one place that you look at is techsupportalert.com where the author has done extensive testing on free security products and offers his advise on free and pay software, what they actually do, which one(s) are the most useful and how to use the different types of products in concert to provide the best protection.
Go to the article "How Good are Free Security Programs?" and this link you to all five parts of the article.
Hope this helps!
Kartemy
Some times there really is a free lunch
by jcbowen - 5/28/07 12:49 PM In reply to: Free vs. paid security software by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Well, Jasmine, let's jump right to the bottom line with the statement that whether you're looking for anti-virus, anti-spyware, or firewall software (and I assume you do want all three) there are free products out there in all categories that are solid options well worth considering. I think you are perfectly safe ignoring whether a product is free or is one you pay for when making a decision about what's right for you. Read the reviews, get advice from other users, do your due diligence in whatever way suits you, and then go with the product that you've decided best meets your needs, regardless of whether or not you have to pay for it. There is absolutely nothing inherently wrong with free software. Like commercial software it may be very good or simply awful!
That being said let's look at your questions. How do freebie companies make money? In a few cases they don't. Some, like the Linux crew, are simply doing it for the love of creating software. On sites with this type of software you'll often see the opportunity to make a donation to help pay their hosting expensees, but the software itself is always free. Like any other software it can be very good, very bad, or anywhere in between.
In most other cases the free software is put out there by commercial software enterprises. This freeware is usually a somewhat stripped down version of their commercial product. They make their money from people who try the free product, like it, but decide that the commercial version has enough extra features to be worth buying. So in one sense the free version serves as a trial before paying for the full version. In other words the company is offering you a free lunch, while hoping you'll choose to stay and pay for dinner. But in many cases you may decide the freeware is all you need. A close reading of the comparisons on the vendor's web site may show that the added features in the full version are not anything you particularly need. And it may even be, if you're not interested in managing lots of features, that the full version will be less to your liking than the freebie.
You also wanted to know whether the free products can really be as good as the commercial ones. As I've already indicated, there are good, bad and indifferent products in both camps. Whether or not you pay for it really is not the main issue. It is probably true, though, that you will get more features in a major commercial program. However, this can be a negative as much as a positive, as the big commercial companies have to keep adding new bells and whistles to their products to keep the new sales rolling. This leads to feature creep, which means software gets more and more complex, while not necessarily getting any better. Depending on what you're looking for, a major, feature-rich application may or may not meet your requirements.
There's also the third option, between free and pay, which is the time-limited free trial. This is commercial software that you will pay for if you want to use it beyond the trial period, but that allows you to run the full-featured product for a limited time, frequently 30 days. Unfortunately the well-known big names in the security field don't seem to offer this option (at least none that I know of). I recently purchased a full internet suite from one of the big names that had received a very good review here on C-Net. In my opinion it stunk, and it's no longer on my system, but they've got my money! Instead I am currently running a free firewall, an initially free anti-spyware program that I opted to pay for the full version, and a 30 day trial on an anti-virus program that I will probably buy when the trial period expires.
As you've probably noticed, I've avoided naming specific products, as my personal preferences may be just the opposite of yours. The most specific advice I'll give, from my own sad experience, is avoid buying a product you can't test drive, unless you're absolutely sure it's the one you want. With free or free-trial software your money stays in your pocket either forever or at least until you know for sure that this is the product you want. I do think that the major players have gotten too top-heavy and complacent, and taht there are some great new products out there that just might take them down a peg or two!
One final warning, though, on free software. Don't install anything on your computer unless you have verified from reviews on reputable web sites (such as this one) that it is safe and legitimate software. Then be sure to also download it only from its official site or a reputable download service. The net abound with so-called anti-spyware and anti-virus programs that are the exact opposite and are just waiting to infect your system. That being said, I hope you'll choose to investigate the world of free security software and free software in general. Good luck!
Internet Protection - to pay or not pay
by bluecomet390 - 5/28/07 3:19 PM In reply to: Some times there really is a free lunch by jcbowenJasmine has been bombarded with great advice about the pros and cons of free versus subscription software pakages, but no-one has addressed the problem I described in an earlier posting. That is, that the uninstallation of an existing software package (free or otherwise) and replacement with a different package (free or otherwise) may create problems unrelated to whether the software was free or not. Maybe I'm the only person in the world who encountered this problem, but trying to replace my subscription Macafee software with two other packages (one provided free by my ISP and the other being Norton) was completely unsuccessful, leaving me with no internet protection at all, or possibly no option but to return to Macafee (which I was unprepared to do because of the cost).
Robin
I only replied to what I knew
by rebekahsueharris - 5/28/07 4:17 PM In reply to: Internet Protection - to pay or not pay by bluecomet390and it sounds as though your problem is entirely different from the original question.
That said, I'm wondering whether a Registry Cleaner would have fixed your problem. I've used them safely for years, but I have a friend who managed to need to reinstall Windows by wiping out stuff she didn't think was important.
When my mom upgraded HER McAfee, it did a second install, next to the first instead of an upgrade, which meant time spent with tech support when they said that we had to uninstall both and reinstall the second. I did it, and it's been pretty painless (except for the fee).
I'm sorry that you've had such tsorus with your virus scans, because they're MEANT to help, not hinder, your daily computer life!!
one is enough
by mjpoy - 5/28/07 4:30 PM In reply to: I only replied to what I knew by rebekahsueharrisyou can't run 2 anti-virus at the same time to the best of my knowledge. I think they interfere with each other.
I've done it in the past but was advised against it
by rebekahsueharris - 5/28/07 5:29 PM In reply to: one is enough by mjpoyMY point was that my mom had chosen Upgrade and McAffee chose to re-download instead of Upgrading.
I just wanted to reply to that other person, who sounded distraught that no one had answered said person's other query. (my reply was RegCleaner)
Removing McAfee
by alvagrp - 5/28/07 7:36 PM In reply to: Internet Protection - to pay or not pay by bluecomet390I had the same problem with McAfee on Windows xp sp2. I finally got rid of it by doing a windows uninstall which was incomplete. Reinstalling again and imeadiately uninstalling. Then do a global search for McAfee and manually erase all remaining files. Create a restore point. Clear all temp files. Shut down completely and restart. If you have registry cleaning software it would not hurt to run it before shutting down. It sounds complicated but if you go step by step it worked for me.
In an earlier post I said be free it works far better with fewer problems.
Internet protection - to pay or notalled
by Daibad - 6/2/07 1:41 AM In reply to: Internet Protection - to pay or not pay by bluecomet390Yoiu are very right bluecomet, in what you say BUT you have left out one very important bit of information as regards both Norton amd Macafee: they both are every bit as pestiferous as any virus and, in fact, usually behave no better.
On my new Dell Dimension (please forgive me God!)Macafee was installed in the 'bundle'. I never activated it in or at ANY time. But even to-day, despite a number of attempts via 'Add/Remove Progs'system I continue (after three years!)to be pestered by Macafee. At least three times every week a window from the 'Security Center' opens in the lower right hand side of my monitor often followed by a larger multi-coloured wiondow in the centre of my screen -irrespective of what I am doing at the time(well Macafee is not bothered.) If there is just one thing I would really like to do with this comp. (apart from insert it into an uncomfortable position with the person of someone senior in Dell)it would be to completely remove Macafee at last. Like yourself, I believe it is the residual detritue of the Macafee progeamme that is initiating many of my problems over the past three years. Blast you Macafee!
Remove McAfee
by john3347 - 6/2/07 6:19 AM In reply to: Internet protection - to pay or notalled by DaibadAfter removing McAfee with the Add/Remove tool, you must go to the registry and remove every mention of "McAfee" and "McAfee.com" under "Software" sub-headings. After that, McAfee will be out of your way. If you don't feel comfortable doing this, A computer shop would do it for a minimun fee.
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