Avast gave me some issues after using it for a long time. Tried a bunch of others. Ended up getting annoyed at how hard ANY av screws your system up either with updates or trying to remove them. Usually format the best way. The 'av removers' provided by 3rd party or av companies themselves would rarely get everything gone.
So I hate not having an av at all, might try some again see if they are better, but they always bite my ass.
As the usual I use:
Firefox w/ loads of security addons
particularly - noscript, adblockplus, adblockplus element hiding helper, ghostery, privacyfix, CookieMonster, Session Manager.
Chrome w/ loads of security addons
OperaNext as a backup browser (security free in place of IE for stuff that is narky about security and you trust)
Spyboy s&d (it sucks, turn off all resident, just for immunisation)
spyware blaster (only does immunisation but no harm in having it)
ccleaner (kill cookies)
malwarebytes anti malware free (best anti spybot and also some av capabilities - has a free trial of the full av package too if you want to try)
windows / router firewall
WIRED ethernet connections - no wireless issues of security or health
WinDirStat - see what is bloating
DesktopRestore64 - icons, staying in the same spot! You think Windows might add that..
MozBackup - keep my stuff between formats thunderbird/firefox
Audio player - FB2K/Razerlame for audio conversion, winamp last version/spider player audio, video Pot Player
Winrar, Lastpass, Java, CPU-Z, Speedfan, Winrar, Perfect Disk (not free defrag), Calculator plus, jdownloader, FDM, skype, trillian, irc/ftp, itunes (for mp3 tag v2.3 conversion ONLY), serato scratch live 2.5.0 (get this before it is gone to serato DJ - great itunes replacement free offline player), FLAC frontend, k-lite codec pack, steam
Oh, one other thing. If you ever need data recovery, it's not free, but the only app I found for my needs was 'Stellar Phoenix data recovery'. Saved 95% of stuff I thought I wouldn't..
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BITDEFENDER!!!! Its a free software that constantly monitors your system and keeps it safe.
Also Malewarybytes.
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Does it still keep doing that?
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I'm glad to hear it. I used Avast many years ago, and the thing that drove me away (the only thing wrong with it, to be honest) was that you couldn't switch off the notifications back then. Or control the volume - ouch. I think I'll give it another shot.
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I can only say: If you put such a huge amount of money into your PC, why not 10 - 15 bucks to protect it with Kaspersky?
I had Avast, just sucks with its ads and false-positives...
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Have you looked up the price on www.asexpansiveasitgets.com?
£15 - £20 for a 3 PC licence for 1 year, so 3 years for your single PC... and the whole internet security pack...
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Pro-tip. Kaspersky often goes on sale with an MIR to match, so you can end up with a 3pc-1 year license for free. ALSO, older licences, IE 2012, can be used on the newer clients, ie 2014, but need to be part of the same product line, such as Internet security vs anti-virus.
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Yep, the last time I use kaspersky it blocked access to my router's web interface without any warning. I sent my only router to repair service and waited without internet until it returns. Wiped kaspersky when I learned my router is perfectly fine.
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avast, almost never any false positives and free
Libreoffice
ccleaner and defraggler
what else do you need?
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This is the first PC I actually own(the one I'm currently on is a family one) so I have no clue as to what I need/what I could get..
Also is there not system clean and defrag software that comes with windows? I'm on XP still and that has a defrag and cleaner thingy :p
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windows defrag sucks and ccleaner is infinitely better than windows 'disk cleaner'.
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There is but here is the thing. Windows defragmenter cannot defrag individual files (which can be handy for some games) and AFAIR there are limits as to what structures can it defragment on hard drive. Other programs even those popular freeware ones are doing it better (for example when you are low on space) and faster. Windows also have cleanup tool and it works ok but it is also somewhat limited. CCleaner also can also clean programs installed on computer,fix some registry errors, adjust programs that starts with windows and it's very easy to use.
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+1 for Precision, if you want a tip: this card have a 5.7 Ghz of total memory clock, try to push it to 6.5 Ghz and you will see a good improvement with some games, the core clock is enough so is not needed (unless you want to try to how much you can push that card and, ofc, you need a proper dissipation :<)
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ESET Smart Security
Winrar/7Zip (Winrar handle rar5)
VLC Player
TuneUp
That's the basics. If security is a big thing, go with the Zonealarm Firewall and the AntiVirus/Spyware from ESET. Or go with Linux ;-)
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"common sense" for one isnt common, and its also a shit defense for this day and age. A single mistype in for a URL, or even a trusted site can become compromised and you can end up with viruses. You dont need to initiate a download to become infected with something. Everytime AV's are brought up, always someone says, "well just dont download porn har har" when porn sites are actually technically safer then religious sites. Not to mention any server/service can become compromised and initiate a drive by download.
So yes, some form of AV should also be ran unless you never connect to the Internet or just dont care if your computer becomes infected. Even a free AV like avast or Avira or MSE would be better then "common sense".
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+1 on this. Ninite is the best way to get all the stuff you need to get started on a new computer.
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Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition
I also heard about something that cleans your steam files for you?
CCleaner can do this (also freeware)
I also recommend Media Player Classic - Home Cinema
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Antivirus... none. Pointless waste of system resources.
WinRar
K-lite Codec Pack full (Also Media Player Classic - Home Cinema goes with it, so you're set up with codecs for just about any media type AND a good media player)
Firefox/Chrome depending on your preference (I shouldn't have to say this, but just in case..)
ImgBurn for writing CD/DVDs
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Every player uses codecs. Without them the video will not play as they're needed to decode the video and audio. Some players just have them integrated and in my opinion those players suck since you have less control over the codecs.
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My apologies, I meant codec packs of course. They have clutter and truncated many computers back in the days. I'm glad their days are over. Everyone who exhort their usage should be put on naughty list.
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For advanced users codecs with a good player is a better option than VLC Player and other players with intergrated codecs, since you can mess with the settings more and use the codecs/filters/renderer you want. I'm not sure if VLC can even use madVR.
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I've never cared for VLC.
As for codecs, I assume advanced users will install and use only the ones they want and not packs with every crap imaginable thrown into it for a good measure.
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I only mentioned VLC, because it's the most popular player with integrated codecs/built-in decoders. K-Lite let's you choose the codecs you might want from a list of codecs and what decoder to use for certain video and audio formats. It's a bit more user friendly way to install the codecs you want and it's not as bad as you make it seem.
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Antivirus... none. Pointless waste of system resources.
Welcome to a botnet.
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People I know who use antiviruses get infected and have to format regularly, I've been fine without one for years. Only ever did the occasional format and fresh install when everything gets cluttered. NoScript + Adblock Plus + Ghostery + common sense is all you'd ever need
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Yeah, sure.. Tell you what, you do what works for you and I'll do what works for me because I really don't feel like arguing pointlessly just because someone has another point of view.. You keep using your AV, and I won't touch one with a 10 meter pole, HOWEVER, if it's for someone really new to computers then yes, an AV might not be such a bad idea. (and no, I'm not calling you new)
sigh I'm so tired against the AV vs no AV fight every time the question gets brought up
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if you're looking for cloud storage i recommend Tresorit
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you can get a lot of the software people are recommending here and get it all in 1 convenient installer.
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+1 to Avira. I use the paid version.
Good customer service. I had paid for BitDefender (after using Avira for some years), didn't like it, had 8 months left on the subscription, and Avira gave me 6 months free because I switched back to Avira.
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I strongly recommend you buy an BitDefender licence. It'll cost you about $ 30-35 a year, but it'll be worth it. I'm on my second licence and haven't had problems with my laptop since I bought it. ( It's been a year and a half since I have it )
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did it actually find anything or are you just happy you didn't catch anything
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It found and cleaned lots of memory sticks, because my university has never heard of putting an anti-virus on the computers everyone is using. I also cleaned an external hdd for one of my teachers with it. So, I could say it came in pretty handy.
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The thing with anti viruses is if youre not careful then you will get a virus no matter what anti virus you have and if you are careful then you basically don't need an anti virus at all. Nevertheless microsoft security essentials is all I use and firefox with noscript.
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Regardless of your aptitude, if you encounter a malicious software, your chances of not getting it are significantly higher with an antivirus.
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Google Ninite.
Will get you a ton of useful free software.
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do not download shady things--> no need for antivirus.
if you encounter people that know what they are doing while spreading malware,their stuff is FUD (full undetected) anyway so no tool will raise any alarm.
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That's a common misconception. Please don't spread it, it only causes harm.
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Heard of Drive by downloads? People don't need to download things to get malware. If you don't have anti virus, I hope you don't do anything like use credit card or internet banking with that PC.
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Hello lovely people of SG, the pc that I've been buying parts for for about a year is finally almost complete(just need ram and windows, which I'm getting for Christmas :D. This is the PC in case you're interested, I might upload pictures when it's complete. Anyway on to the question, I'll be needing free software such as anti virus, so does anyone here have any recommendations? I also heard about something that cleans your steam files for you?
Anyway, any help will be appreciated and here's a BAKDLASDF for your trouble.(it's not private)
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