# Best free antivirus to install on Windows 8.1?



## R2K (Oct 30, 2013)

What is the best free antivirus to install on Windows 8.1?
I'm thrown between avast and avira but I can't make up my mind. It should be light on resources and should have good detection rate.


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## josin (Oct 30, 2013)

R2K said:


> What is the best free antivirus to install on Windows 8.1?
> I'm thrown between avast and avira but I can't make up my mind. It should be light on resources and should have good detection rate.


Why Not Comodo Internet Security suite ( its totally free)? Why trust in Av alone? Why not use multiple layers of Security like Av+ firewall + sand box+ Heuristic detection module ( "defense +" as comodo calls it) + Virtual space?

Download latest version here

Why Use comodo?


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## rijinpk1 (Oct 30, 2013)

i dont trust comodo internet security. too many false positives and wild list misses. for free antivirus,i would recommend to use bitdefender free edition or avira.


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## ankush28 (Oct 30, 2013)

Get avira free antivirus + comodo firewall
The best free combo


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## harshilsharma63 (Oct 30, 2013)

Use Avast and Comodo firewall.


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## tubelight (Oct 30, 2013)

I use Zone Alarm and Windows Defender. On a 64 bit OS there aren't too many viruses I've caught by being a little cautious on my own part.


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## gameranand (Oct 30, 2013)

harshilsharma63 said:


> Use Avast and Comodo firewall.



I second this.


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## josin (Oct 30, 2013)

rijinpk1 said:


> i dont trust comodo internet security. too many false positives and wild list misses. for free antivirus,i would recommend to use bitdefender free edition or avira.



Any proof? 


> wild list misses


Are you kidding? . Don't mislead people with vague comments. Accuse with  concrete evidence.


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## gameranand (Oct 30, 2013)

rijinpk1 said:


> i dont trust comodo internet security. too many false positives and wild list misses. for free antivirus,i would recommend to use bitdefender free edition or avira.



Their Anti Virus might give problems although I have not used that so won't comment but as far as Firewall goes. Its one of the best in the market till date.


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## ankush28 (Oct 30, 2013)

Avira seems better then avast!! Any opinion?


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## rijinpk1 (Oct 30, 2013)

josin said:


> Any proof?


 
simple proof here Virus Bulletin : VB100 Results - Comodo Internet Security. solid proof  - from my virus library 


> Are you kidding? . Don't mislead people with vague comments. Accuse with  concrete evidence.



no yaar.


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## ankush28 (Oct 30, 2013)

Why some posts are missing -_-


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## SaiyanGoku (Oct 31, 2013)

IMHO, i found avast to have little (2-5 mb at max) to no RAM usage at all when the PC was idle. most other AV's use upto 100 MB ram even when the pc is idle.


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## josin (Oct 31, 2013)

rijinpk1 said:


> simple proof here Virus Bulletin : VB100 Results - Comodo Internet Security. solid proof  - from my virus library


The link you posted is from the year 2011 now its 2013 and the link I posted is of 2013....so as i said (IMHO) do not mislead people.
If you have some time please read these
1.Time to own up – Traditional Anti-Virus is no longer enough | MELIH ABDULHAYOGLU - Internet Security and Trust
2.The Good, The Bad, The Ugly (aka Unknown) | MELIH ABDULHAYOGLU - Internet Security and Trust
3.Virus Protection vs Virus Cleaning - Comodo Blogs
4.Running Antivirus thinking you will be safe......Madness!!! | Melih's Corner - CEO Talk/Discussions/Blog


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## ramakanta (Oct 31, 2013)

why not try Microsoft security essential .


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## bssunilreddy (Oct 31, 2013)

ramakanta said:


> why not try Microsoft security essential .



I always use MS Security Essentials only.


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## R2K (Oct 31, 2013)

MS Security essential is no good as per reviews and test conducted by security companies.


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## bssunilreddy (Oct 31, 2013)

R2K said:


> MS Security essential is no good as per reviews and test conducted by security companies.



Security companies reviews tend to be biased because they say which AV company pays them well. You know Norton AV company used to create virus and provide updates to them on weekly basis just to keep their business going on. This I got from one of Cyber Crime specialists based in Hyderabad Cyber Crime Cell. He once came to our Law College and gave us a power point presentation as to how AV companies make $$$$.


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## gameranand (Oct 31, 2013)

ankush28 said:


> Avira seems better then avast!! Any opinion?



Both are nearly equal I would say. I have used both AV for years and thats how I am saying this. Avast have a better interface, and also Boot Time Scan so I prefer Avast over Avira, although Avira is also very good. Simple and effective.


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## ASHISH65 (Oct 31, 2013)

MSE is really good one,simple and very light on resource


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## ankush28 (Oct 31, 2013)

ASHISH65 said:


> MSE is really good one,simple and very light on resource





bavusani said:


> I always use MS Security Essentials only.





ramakanta said:


> why not try Microsoft security essential .



*lifehacker.com/microsoft-admits-that-third-party-antivirus-is-more-eff-1441135677


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## ASHISH65 (Oct 31, 2013)

ankush28 said:


> Microsoft Admits That Third-Party Antivirus Is More Effective Than MSE



Later microsoft had released a statement about it -  Our commitment to Microsoft antimalware - Microsoft Malware Protection Center - Site Home - TechNet Blogs



> The end result is that, over the past year, our investments have increased the protection quality we deliver to our customers. As of the middle of 2013, we’ve increased our protection quality – that means less incorrect detections and less misses - by a significant rate since we first started measuring these metrics in the last quarter of 2011.
> We are proud of the protection capabilities we provide for well over 150 million computers worldwide with our real-time antimalware products. We believe in Microsoft antimalware products and strongly recommend them to our customers, to our friends, and to our families


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## harshilsharma63 (Oct 31, 2013)

ASHISH65 said:


> Later microsoft had released a statement about it -  Our commitment to Microsoft antimalware - Microsoft Malware Protection Center - Site Home - TechNet Blogs



One can use Microsoft Antimalware as the active AV and run a weekly or monthly scan with an on-demand malware cleaner like Malwarebytes Anti Malware.


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## ASHISH65 (Oct 31, 2013)

harshilsharma63 said:


> One can use Microsoft Antimalware as the active AV and run a weekly or monthly scan with an on-demand malware cleaner like Malwarebytes Anti Malware.



yes exactly


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## Zangetsu (Oct 31, 2013)

R2K said:


> What is the best free antivirus to install on Windows 8.1?
> I'm thrown between *avast and avira* but I can't make up my mind. It should be light on resources and should have good detection rate.



both are good...I use Avira


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## rijinpk1 (Oct 31, 2013)

josin said:


> The link you posted is from the year 2011 now its 2013 and the link I posted is of 2013....so as i said (IMHO) do not mislead people.



you did not read the link i provided. have a read once more. there was a test conducted in 2013. 



> If you have some time please read these
> 
> 4.Running Antivirus thinking you will be safe......Madness!!! | Melih's Corner - CEO Talk/Discussions/Blog



seroiusly ?? 2010 link? do you think the antiviruses are the same for last 3 years? most of the antiviruses that is available today is having excellent/good proactive protection along with some basic internet protection.if you do not agree, give me some proof.




> The Good, The Bad, The Ugly (aka Unknown) | MELIH ABDULHAYOGLU - Internet Security and Trust Virus Protection vs Virus Cleaning - Comodo Blogs /


why did you really put these websites up? what was the need. it is already evident that antiviruses scans for viruses with its large library of viruses. if something is missing out from the library it will really miss the viruses while scanning which is referred as wild list misses.
todays antiviruses are more than enough for good protection unless you are an internet junkie who downloads lots of unknown files from websites, visiting those **** websites, playing online games etc


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## josin (Nov 1, 2013)

rijinpk1 said:


> seroiusly ?? 2010 link? do you think the antiviruses are the same for last 3 years? most of the antiviruses that is available today is having excellent/good proactive protection along with some basic internet protection.if you do not agree, give me some proof.



Your answer is here...............a 2010 link ....its still valid my dear...



> Yeah but Legacy AntiVirus products have heuristic built in
> Damn, didn't know that  oh really, well everything is fine then (sorry for the sarcasm Heuristic is also based on "blacklisting method", these are rules that identifies files/behaviours that matches a blacklist of rules. The architecture is still the same! You are still running the “risk” by “executing” “unknown” applications. Do these things detect more..sure they do…do they eliminate the risk, hell no!



You are still missing the larger picture. There is a difference between protection and detection. My whole point by suggesting Comodo Was that it is so good at protecting a computer with zero infections by using its "default deny"  method, though it may be not as good as detecting threats in an infected system. But there is no one better than comodo in protecting a clean system from infections.Except comodo All other free Av software's in the market have a paid full version which includes firewall+ sanbox+proactive protection module and the free versions miss these ( prove me if am wrong). So the free av versions lacks or falls behind the paid version in features aka its not good in protecting you. But there is no difference in the paid version and free version of comodo except a 500$ warranty and online chat help.


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## whitestar_999 (Nov 1, 2013)

^^you are mistaken if you think comodo AV default mode is good enough for all situations.they changed it in latest version but before the latest version comodo AV at default setting was not as good as expected & comodo settings are much more complex than a simple "deny" method.also no AV at any setting can protect your system against a windows/java/flash exploit if it is there.a sufficiently knowledgeable user can work just fine even using MSE but a naive user who likes to visit shady sites will get infected even with best AV at max security settings.


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## sumit05 (Nov 1, 2013)

A v a s t


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## josin (Nov 1, 2013)

whitestar_999 said:


> ^^you are mistaken if you think comodo AV default mode is good enough for all situations.



who said about the default mode? I said "default deny" method...
"default deny" method simply means that Comodo will block/sandbox anything which are not in their white-list that's all and its nothing about default setting. So its no me who had mistaken. I can see from your comments that you have not even used Comodo Internet security suit for even a day. Please test it by yourself...If you are interested please visit MalwareTips.com Forums - Security Talk and more.... You can get 1001 ideas how to achieve near perfect protection by using different security products.



> also no AV at any setting can protect your system against a windows/java/flash exploit if it is there



I said "*there is no one better *than comodo in protecting a clean system from infections" and it does not mean Comodo can protect against all threats or it can give absolute protection and I too Believe that Absolute protection is a misnomer in today's world. Oh and by the way i was not talking about Comodo Av I was talking about Comodo Internet security suite.

How to install and tweak Comodo IS


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## rijinpk1 (Nov 1, 2013)

josin said:


> Your answer is here...............a 2010 link ....its still valid my dear...



not exactly. todays antiviruses comes with advanced pro active protection which can be used to catch infected files even though they do not belong to the known virus library by the antivirus. it was not the case with older antiviruses.


> You are still missing the larger picture. There is a difference between protection and detection. My whole point by suggesting Comodo Was that it is so good at protecting a computer with zero infections by using its "default deny"  method, though*  it may be not as good as detecting threats *in an infected system. But there is no one better than comodo in protecting a clean system from infections.Except comodo All other free Av software's in the market have a paid full version which includes firewall+ sanbox+proactive protection module and the free versions miss these ( prove me if am wrong). So the free av versions lacks or falls behind the paid version in features aka its not good in protecting you. But there is no difference in the paid version and free version of comodo except a 500$ warranty and online chat help.



this is what my point is.it is also valid for non-infected system. its virus library is not so great that it misses lots of viruses which other antiviruses catch. that is why comodo is still not a matured antivirus to protect a system from nasty viruses. comodo free has everything like firewall+ sanbox+proactive protection module. but what is the point of installing it if has wild list misses. I am not against comodo. but it has failed on me badly.


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## whitestar_999 (Nov 1, 2013)

yes i have never used comodo AV but i can understand posts by other experienced comodo users & if that is not enough here is the official acknowledgement:


> COMODO Internet Security 6.3.294583.2937 Released!
> 
> What's new in this 6.3 build?
> 
> ...


this fix is there because in previous versions no matter what setting you use malware would bypass comodo.like i said it is fixed in latest version but that does not make comodo a much better AV than a good free AV like avira & avast with much less complexity for an average user.an average user will most likely allow yes for all prompts in a default deny mode & even a knowledgeable user will have trouble unless he knows how to analyse & debug a suspicious call from a legitimate windows process to confirm it is safe to allow.if a user can handle comodo then good but if not then he is better off with avast,avira or bitdefender free.


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## little (Nov 4, 2013)

As my Norton Internet Security (HP OEM 60 days) was about to expire, I was looking for a free security suite. I zeroed in on Avast + Comodo Firewall. I just finished installing them. But here are a few things I have to ask.

1. What does an Avast account do? I mean it must store setting and **** but is it really required. I prefer to avoid these type of things. 

2. Is the Avast Online Security necessary? Does it track my uses and link them to my Avast Account(which i havent made yet )?
Do you guys use Avast Online Security extension for your browser. (I already have DoNotTrack+ and AdBlock installed in my browser)

3. While installing Comodo Firewall, it prompted me to install PervDog. I couldn't get a clear picture of what it does? Any ideas?

Thanks.


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## gameranand (Nov 4, 2013)

little said:


> As my Norton Internet Security (HP OEM 60 days) was about to expire, I was looking for a free security suite. I zeroed in on Avast + Comodo Firewall. I just finished installing them. But here are a few things I have to ask.
> 
> 1. What does an Avast account do? I mean it must store setting and **** but is it really required. I prefer to avoid these type of things.
> 
> ...



1. No its is not required. It just tracks the computers you use through your account and some other things.

2. Avast Online Security extensions tell you if the site, if its safe or not based on the rating. Also allows you to rate the sites.

3. Don't Install it, just install the Firewall and thats it. You don't need anything else from the whole package.


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## harshilsharma63 (Nov 4, 2013)

little said:


> As my Norton Internet Security (HP OEM 60 days) was about to expire, I was looking for a free security suite. I zeroed in on Avast + Comodo Firewall. I just finished installing them. But here are a few things I have to ask.
> 
> 1. What does an Avast account do? I mean it must store setting and **** but is it really required. I prefer to avoid these type of things.
> 
> ...



Avast AV with Comodo firewall is a pretty good and popular setup.


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## nikku_hot123 (Nov 4, 2013)

I tried comodo with avast antivirus and started giving me BSODs on Windows 8.1, i uninstalled it and everything is fine. I think i think there is still compatibility problems with 8.1. So it's better to wait.


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## little (Nov 4, 2013)

Thanks guys for your quick response. I skipped the install of Avast Online Security and PervDog.

@nikku I'm running windows 8.1 and Avast+Comodo isn't giving me any problems. Though SecuniaPSI started acting weird (APPCRASH) after I installed Avast+Comodo. I'm working on fixing it.


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## harshilsharma63 (Nov 4, 2013)

Windows 8.1 is not stable yet. Maybe we'll have to wait a few months.


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## bssunilreddy (Nov 4, 2013)

harshilsharma63 said:


> Windows 8.1 is not stable yet. Maybe we'll have to wait a few months.



+1 to this.


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## gameranand (Nov 4, 2013)

harshilsharma63 said:


> Windows 8.1 is not stable yet. Maybe we'll have to wait a few months.



Good thing I haven't updated then.


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## nikku_hot123 (Nov 4, 2013)

^^ really, my system is telling to install Asrock chipset driver even after i installed the latest version for 8.1 from official asrock site.

Edit: now it's telling to install my Samsung mobile driver even i have already installed Kies.


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## harshilsharma63 (Nov 4, 2013)

gameranand said:


> Good thing I haven't updated then.



SAme here. My DreamSpark subscription will be renewed next year. Then I'll get Win 8 keys and I'll upgrade then only.


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## little (Nov 4, 2013)

I upgraded to 8.1 on 1st of November. Till now I haven't found any major issue. Smaller issues like Samsung driver problem and a few other things like SecuniaPSI AppCrash etc. are there though.


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## nikku_hot123 (Nov 4, 2013)

I got eset antivirus 7 giveaway by Softpedia. Will check how it's performing.


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## little (Nov 6, 2013)

I'm running Avast + Comodo for the last 2 days and everything seems fine but Comodo asks for a lot of permissions but i'm ok with that. I wanted to know this is it OK to leave everything in Comodo on default?
Thanks.

P.S : Just found a big problem in Win 8.1 It doesn't recognize Sony Xperia phones connected in Flashboot mode (tired with Xperia U). It just says that the device has malfunctioned. :/


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## GhostRecon (Nov 27, 2013)

I'm using AVAST AV + Comodo Firewall in Win 8.1 with Spybot Search and Destroy as an extra layer of Antispyware. I also have MalwareBytes scanner installed and scan my computer once a week. AVAST is the most lightweight and best free AV option out there. Using it for last 6 years without any issues (Not a single infection till date in all the machines I've used XP/Vista/7/8 and I'm one of those who use torrent frequently). If you are in Win 8.1, please install the latest version of AVAST as the older versions have conflict and you should be good to go. 

PS: I was using ZoneAlarm firewall earlier, it's awesome except has compatibility issues with 8.1. So after it is stabilized, it might become a good alternative to Comodo Firewall.


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## bssunilreddy (Nov 27, 2013)

Best AV is Microsoft Essentials.I use it and its awesome.


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## harshilsharma63 (Nov 27, 2013)

bavusani said:


> Best AV is Microsoft Essentials.I use it and its awesome.



It may not be 'the best', but is good considering it's free


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## meetdilip (Nov 28, 2013)

Microsoft themselves have stated that people should use a 3 rd party Antivirus program. MSE is just an extra layer of protection. If you want to opt for a free AV, there are quite a lot of options.


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## R2K (Nov 28, 2013)

Using avast 2014. i don't know how effective it is but its using ridiculously low system resources.


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## ASHISH65 (Nov 28, 2013)

meetdilip said:


> Microsoft themselves have stated that people should use a 3 rd party Antivirus program. MSE is just an extra layer of protection. If you want to opt for a free AV, there are quite a lot of options.



see this post - *www.thinkdigit.com/forum/software-...ivirus-install-windows-8-1-a.html#post2025589


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## meetdilip (Nov 29, 2013)

PR stunt. 3 rd party antivirus are efficient enough to handle Windows protection. I am not saying MSE is worthless.


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## noob (Nov 29, 2013)

MSE is no longer supported. Better switch to Avast or something else.


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## ASHISH65 (Nov 29, 2013)

noob said:


> MSE is no longer supported. Better switch to Avast or something else.



Win 8 have prebuilt windows defender


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## bssunilreddy (Nov 29, 2013)

3rd party antivirus companies make their own virus and release updates for them. Don't fall for them.Just use MSE.


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## harshilsharma63 (Nov 29, 2013)

bavusani said:


> 3rd party antivirus companies make their own virus and release updates for them. Don't fall for them.Just use MSE.



Any proof for that?


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## bssunilreddy (Nov 29, 2013)

harshilsharma63 said:


> Any proof for that?



We attended a seminar regarding that during our college days.


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## harshilsharma63 (Nov 29, 2013)

bavusani said:


> We attended a seminar regarding that during our college days.



So, do you just believe whatever is taught in college? Any reliable proof?


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## bssunilreddy (Nov 29, 2013)

If you want proof then don't instal any AV for some days and see the decrease in performance of your RIG.OK.


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## Zangetsu (Nov 29, 2013)

bavusani said:


> 3rd party antivirus companies make their own virus and release updates for them. Don't fall for them.Just use MSE.



This is a good debate we have seen over internet.
And the answer is "NO"
Anti-Virus Companies don't make viruses


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## harshilsharma63 (Nov 29, 2013)

bavusani said:


> If you want proof then don't instal any AV for some days and see the decrease in performance of your RIG.OK.



buddy, I am asking for proof of your claim: 



bavusani said:


> *3rd party antivirus companies make their own  virus and release updates for them*. Don't fall for them.Just use  MSE.


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## bssunilreddy (Nov 29, 2013)

harshilsharma63 said:


> buddy, I am asking for proof of your claim:



I think so the guy who gave the lecture might be retired by now and I don't even remember his name...


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## kisame (Nov 29, 2013)

+1 to avast.It is the best out of all AVs I tried so far.


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## kunalgujarathi (Nov 29, 2013)

Get Microsoft Security Essentials(Most lightest antivirus after Trend Micro)
Also get Malwarebytes free version with it

You are at peace with this combo!


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## rijinpk1 (Nov 29, 2013)

bavusani said:


> 3rd party antivirus companies make their own virus and release updates for them. Don't fall for them.Just use MSE.



That simply means MSE may miss those viruses


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## kunalgujarathi (Dec 1, 2013)

rijinpk1 said:


> That simply means MSE may miss those viruses



Acc. To me Malwarebytes is must for any PC


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