Which free virus protection is best for my computer?

One of the biggest dangers on the Internet is viruses. Some viruses might just slow your computer, but others can be vicious as they can record and submit keystrokes. They can potentially steal important information such as passwords or bank account numbers. This article covers the protection options for anti virus software.

What is anti virus software and which one should I use?

Definition Anti virus software is a program that runs in the background it roots around and makes sure that nothing out of the normal is going on. It monitors your firewall for intrusion attempts, scans documents and programs for known viruses and will even quarantine and remove threats. Drawbacks When choosing an anti virus software, one must be careful. Having multiple anti virus programs on a computer running simultaneously in the background can indeed reduce the performance of your machine. Another common problem, is for different programs to mistake each other for viruses, thus disabling features of each other and leaving the door open for intruders. Several names you should note when choosing anti virus software are Norton Internet Security, Shaw Secure, and AVG home secure.
Security issues There are some important factors to consider when choosing security. Shaw Secure is only available (free) to Shaw internet customers in some parts of the world. AVG has a free version that is downloadable to users all over the world. Norton Security can be picked up online on their website or at a local store. However, it can be costly depending on which version or license you get.

Points Positifs

Shaw Secure Positives - Shaw secure is not very processor intensive and has a minimal effect on your computers performance.
- It is both 32 and 64 bit compatible with Windows XPas recommended XP has 512mb of ram and 32 and 64 bit on Vista recommended 1gb of ram.
- Free to Shaw Customers on up to 5 PCs
- Includes, anti virus, spyware detection, firewall and spam filtering.
- Parental controls Norton Secure Positives
- Antivirus, Antispyware, Antirootkit, Smart Firewall, Network Mapping & Monitoring, Parental Controls, Norton Safe Web, Anti-spam, Identity Protection.
AVG Positives Free trial Version
Compatible with XP, Vista and Windows 7
See Avg.org for more details on their products.

Points Négatifs

Shaw Secure Negatives. - None. Norton Negatives. - Very processor intensive, just having it open in the background causes notable performance problems, which make slow machines almost unusable.
- Computer can be extremely slow if you are scanning. AVG Negatives. - Must buy several products to get the same coverage.
- Mild processor intensity. Can slow machines.