Totally Free Antivirus Software Download For XP
When you are looking for free antivirus software, you should be aware that some of the programs you’ll find are viruses or spyware in disguise. Other programs will scan your computer for viruses and claim you have them and must purchase their software to get rid of them. Most of the time, there are no viruses and it is a scam to get you to buy the software. Before downloading free antivirus software, search CNET Reviews or Download.Com for information about the programs. Two great programs that are compatible with XP are:
Number One: AntiVir Personal Edition Version 8
This is touted across the internet as the best free antivirus software on the internet. It scans exceptionally well and will run even while you are working with other applications. Download.Com gives this free program a 5 star rating.
The positives of AntiVir 8 are its manual scanning features that let you scan individual files and folders by right clicking on them or dragging and dropping them into the application window. It is configured to run in safe mode – a very convenient feature! You can choose to have full reports on every problem issue or receive just the basic information concerning viruses. It updates automatically, runs on a schedule and has various options for scanning tasks.
People do complain that it is very slow when downloading definition updates and does not detect a majority of the spyware that may be on your machine and that spyware it detects requires you to buy the software for removal.
Version 4.8 of Avast! Antivirus
Avast is rated highly by both Download.Com and CNET. It has fantastic detection and protection from viruses. As far as spyware is concerned, it only detects about 33 percent of problems although it does remove what it finds for free.
There aren?t any feature-restrictive trial periods involved with Avast! Antivirus v4.8. It is widely considered to be fair free protection against viruses. Unlike AntiVir, Avast offers fast and smooth downloading of updated definitions and files.
The worst things said about Avast concern the need to register if you wish to use it beyond 60 days and keep registering every year after that. When you realize that paid programs are virtually the same only you have to pay for your subscription, this negative doesn’t seem too inconvenient.
If you have a computer and an internet connection, there is no getting around it: You need antivirus software on your computer. If the price of paid programs is a bit too steep for you to cover, AntiVir and Avast offer comparable protection for free. Don’t let an inability to pay for virus protection keep you from protecting your PC. Be careful when downloading these programs and be sure to get them from their official sites. There are fake sites that try to get you to buy the products and there are also sites out there that will install viruses or spyware in their place.
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