For most consumers selecting a top anti virus software product for their home computer can be a difficult task.
One of the many issues is that there are so many anti virus software brands available.
Software vendors are now easily able to distribute their products via the internet at minimal cost as opposed to win shelf space in retailers.
While McAfee and Symantec Norton anti virus products still dominate the retail shelves, there are numerous other products available from smaller vendors online which could provide a better solution.
So why switch from Symantec and McAfee? Here are some reasons.
1) Symantec's Norton Antivirus product is a well-know system hog which reduces your system's performance.
The installation and program also takes up a lot of space on your hard drive.
2) Price - most of the smaller vendors offer better value for money.
You can get a decent firewall / anti virus package for under $40.
3) Detection - looking at independent test results neither Symantec nor McAfee usually appears at the top.
McAfee in particular does not do too well i.
e.
ends up outside top 5 on a consistent basis.
Microsoft has recently entered the security software market.
Microsoft OneCare provides virus protection amongst other things but it is far from being considered a top anti virus software.
The product has performed very badly in a number of respected tests.
For example, in February it failed the respected "VB100" test.
Here is a list of 5 key features to look for in a top anti virus software product.
(1) Virus Scanning & Removal Capability - obvious point but you need to feel confident that your software will detect and remove the virus threats including worms and Trojans.
(2) Frequent Virus Definition update - the best anti virus software offers automatic updates which ensure the best protection for your computer.
New virus threats emerge almost daily so it is critical your antivirus software's virus definition database is refreshed frequently.
(3) Control Panel - needs to be easy to use so that you can configure the key settings without requiring any technical knowledge or needing to contact support.
It also needs to convey important information in a concise format for the home user with easy-to-follow instructions.
(4) Technical Support - this is really important.
The best packages offer free technical support via phone or live chat.
You will be surprised how many vendors actually charge for this - sometimes the charges per incident can be very high.
(5) Price / Value - a lot of the software vendors offer internet security suites which offer the anti virus software with other security tools including firewall software and spam filters.
Typically these all-in-one packages offer better value for money than buying a standalone anti virus software.
At a minimum it is important to consider buying a package which includes a decent firewall which monitors both incoming and outgoing internet traffic in your computer.
The standard Windows XP firewall only monitors incoming traffic.
Please see below for my top anti virus software recommendation.