Antivirus Software

In this modern world, everyone needs a computer.  We can do a lot of things with our computers.  We can prepare documents, make, edit and watch videos, listen to music, surf the Internet, send Emails, chat with our friends, play games, or even make calls!  Computers are very valuable, and when it comes to their prices, they are not cheap!  Because of the malicious software out there, antivirus software in PCs has become necessary to protect our computers from spywares, Trojans and other viruses.

What is antivirus software?

Antivirus software is a program that either comes installed on your computer or that you purchase and install yourself. It helps protect your computer against most unwanted invaders that can make your computer “sick.” Viruses, worms, and the like often perform malicious acts, such as deleting files, accessing personal data, or using your computer to attack other computers. 

What are the best antivirus solutions available?

When purchasing an Internet security suite keep in mind the various features and how they can best serve your needs. There are certain elements that may be more important than others.  
 
For instance, if you have a traditional “wired” network installed in your home (i.e. you don’t have wireless), Wi-Fi protection probably doesn’t need to be a high priority feature for you. Other facets of this software are necessities and should always be included, like email scanning, for example.

There are countless antivirus software options available in the market today.  The best antivirus options should provide updates frequently.  This way it keeps itself well-equipped to deal with the latest menaces to our computers.

We create or download files.  We also insert CDs and flash drives in our computers.  All these have potential to expose our computers to danger.  This is why the scanning capacity of the antivirus software is also very important to protect our computers from threats.  The best antivirus provides us with the best scanning capacity on a regular basis.

Surfing the Internet is probably the most common activity we do with our computers.  There are websites, however, that are filled with spywares and other threats that can easily damage our computers.  The best antivirus will protect us from threats coming from the websites we use as it can determine probable hazards to our computers.  The best software should also be able to defend our computers from new viruses that are not yet registered in the virus database.

Making the best choice is crucial.  But you don’t have to do it alone.  Below is a list of the top antivirus software options as reviewed by Amazon.com: 

Now, for your main question. Manny viruses will prevent you from installing an anti-virus, if that happens, follow these directions

People who tell you to use system restore to remove a virus don’t know what they are talking about.
A well written virus will infect system restore, so turn it OFF before following my directions so the virus can’t resurrect itself. After malware is removed you can turn system restore back on.

Many forms of malware are able to remove the executable part of antivirus and anti malware programs WHILE you are downloading them, so my suggestion is this.
What you should do is use a second computer to download a copy of malwarebytes and then update it. Next, copy the updated malwarebytes to a CD or DVD(if your pc can read DVDs) and insert the CD or DVD into the drive.TURN OFF your infected pc, not restart, TURN OFF.Wait 2 minutes then hit the power button while continuously tapping the F8 key. You want to enter safe mode (WITHOUT networking) and run the malwarebytes from there.

If you have problems doing this, register at forums.techguy.org/
They will walk you through it.

I would also suggest that you install some kind of antivirus, there are many free ones. I have used !avast quite successfully for well over a year, and it’s FREE!

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

You can try free antivirus- avast. It is free and secure.

They provide the same services to businesses, but charge them. The people that use it for their personal computers are essentially helping the company because they come in contact with a wider range of trojans and viruses. If you happen to come in contact with a new virus, it is added to their database and provided in the next update for all of their users.

Microsoft Security Essentials: <— my first choice among the free ones!
http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

Avast: <— my 2nd choice among the free ones!
http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download

Avira: <— my 3rd choice among the free ones!
http://www.free-av.com/en/products/1/avira_antivir_personal__free_antivirus.html

BitDefender:
http://www.bitdefender.com/PRODUCT-14-en–BitDefender-Free-Edition.html

Comodo: <— Has a free AV too but it’s still not considered as one of the best AV. However, it’s my 1st choice for the free firewall feature which is superb!
http://www.comodo.com/home/internet-security/free-internet-security.php

AVG: <— ah forget that I mentioned this. It’s slow in updating their malware definitions.
http://free.avg.com/ww-en/download-avg-anti-virus-free

Also, install either Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware or SuperAntiSpyware to supplement your AV:
http://www.malwarebytes.org/
http://www.superantispyware.com/superantispywarefreevspro.html

MBAM and SAS are not AV but dedicated anti-spyware programs. However, they work great against trojans and malware that most AV programs can’t detect or remove. Both have free versions too but I highly recommend that you get the paid versions which offer real-time scanning and blocking of malicious websites. Nowadays, you shouldn’t be using a computer without an antivirus AND a dedicated antispyware program.

NOTE: Never use more than one AV program at a time as it can cause severe performance and system instability issues. Whatever AV and antispyware program you choose, make sure that they are always updated and your firewall is always on.

If you want a better (and still free) firewall other than the built-in Windows firewall, you can choose either Comodo or ZoneAlarm:
http://www.comodo.com/home/internet-security/firewall.php
http://www.zonealarm.com/security/en-us/zonealarm-pc-security-free-firewall.htm

My computer has a virus which is denying me access the internet – No it does not, it has malware with proxy server, NOT a virus.

Can I transfer anti-virus software from one computer to another using a flash drive? Yes but you need to remove proxy server before it will update.

The malware may stop your anti virus software from working.

Also If there is any other programs, Literally any other good programs I should get to install on this laptop let me know.

AVG is the best . It let’s you know if your web page has a risk , it scans all downloads for infections , and it will scan your entire computer for infections and viruses everytime you start it up or if you set a daily time for it to scan . I’m not sure about Microsoft Office , but AVG Antivirus is a very good security software .

If they are different, what would be the best one to have installed?

You should get both. Internet security is to prevent hackers from getting into your computer, protect your personal info (credit card numbers, bank accounts, etc) and should stop viruses from getting into your computer.

Anti-virus looks for and cleans your computer of viruses that have made it past your Internet security software.

Most decent packages should include both like a good antiperspirant/deodorant.

Try downloading malwarebytes
http://download.cnet.com/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware/3000-8022_4-10804572.html?part=dl-10804572&subj=dl&tag=button

(not a virus, I promise)

It’s a pretty good program and the best part is that it is free.