Antivirus Recommendations 
Aussie PC Fix 
Australia
Best Subscription Antivirus and Security Suites
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) <- Highly Recommended!
Kaspersky Internet Security (KIS) <- Highly Recommended!
Kaspersky Antivirus (KAV)
ESET NOD32 & ESS
Free Online Antivirus Scanners
Best Subscription Antivirus, Firewall and Security Suites
Aussie PC Fix highly recommends antivirus / antimalware products from Kaspersky and Malwarebytes. These two programs are the main security software that we use to protect our own computers, as well as protect and remove viruses and other malware from customers computers.
Everyone has their own preference for security and other software they use. What may work well on one computer may conflict with other programs or may misbehave on a broken Windows install on another computer.
Kaspersky has consistently shown high virus detection rates and good overall protection in results from the independent testing companies Virus Bulletin and av-comparatives.org as well as others. While it is hard to judge these products on single tests, you can determine a general pattern over the years about products over years of testing on many different Windows platforms
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a great security program that complements your antivirus. It's virus/malware database is very comprehensive with current threats and often finds viruses, trojans and other malware that are undetected by all the other antivirus software. Cost is less than $30 and you get a LIFETIME subscription - no annual fees!
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (MBAM)
> HIGHLY RECOMMENDED <
Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware is considered to be the next step in the detection and removal of malware. In our product we have compiled a number of new technologies that are designed to quickly detect, destroy, and prevent malware. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware can detect and remove malware that even the most well known anti-virus and anti-malware applications fail to detect. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware monitors every process and stops malicious processes before they even start. The realtime protection module uses our advanced heuristic scanning technology which monitors your system to keep it safe and secure. In addition, we have implemented a threats center which will allow you to keep up to date with the latest malware threats.
•MBAM works together with other antivirus programs: Usually you should only install ONE antivirus product but you can install MBAM with any other security products including antivirus and there are no known current conflicts! This lets you get a "second opinion" and have two different malware detection programs working for you.
Buy Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) :
Purchase Online US$24.95 |
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Kaspersky Internet Security (KIS)
> HIGHLY RECOMMENDED <
Combining personal firewall protection and intrusion detection, Kaspersky Internet Security will protect you from the barrage of attacks from Internet worms and hackers and will stop malicious programs from 'phoning home'. KIS also protects you from leaking personal data and has parental control as well as spam/phishing protection.
KIS is a solid and stable firewall security solution still with the outstanding protection of Kaspersky Antivirus. This is a must for wireless and dialup users who are directly connected to the Internet either at wifi hotspots in cafes or using wireless Internet such as 3G/NextG to stop people scanning and breaking into your computer. It should also be installed by broadband users connecting to the Internet by a modem without an inbuilt firewall or router.
Additionally, a software personal firewall protects you from many harmful software that antivirus may not detect. KIS will alert you about programs that try to access the Internet from your computer without your permission such as Trojans and spyware.
It also gives you an additional layer of protection over router or other hardware firewalls because software personal firewalls can monitor connections on the computer directly and alert the user of any suspicious behaviour. KIS will ask your permission every time a program wants to make a connection and it is up to you to Allow or Deny this. Rules can be easily made to always allow or deny a particular program so you don't get warnings all the time!
Buy Kaspersky Internet Security:
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Purchase Online AU$39.95 |
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| Kaspersky Internet Security - Boxed Product | $AU |
Stock? |
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| 1 PC, 1 year license: KIS 2010+2011 | 49 |
Ask |
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| 3 PCs, 1 year license: KIS 2010+2011 | 99 |
Low |
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| 3 PCs, 2 year license: KIS 2010+2011 | 159 |
Yes |
- Contact us to pick up boxed Kaspersky products from Kambah, or postage costs $9 to most parts of Australia.
Kaspersky Antivirus (KAV)
Not only do you get one of the best Antivirus, now that we can offer Kaspersky Antivirus at a reduced $39 per year, Kaspersky is also one of the best value for money. The virus engine has outstanding detection rates and is licensed to many other security companies, including ZoneLab's ZoneAlarm.
The program has a friendly and easy to use interface, just uninstall your existing antivirus and download the 30 day trial below. It is good practice to make a complete backup of your computer before you remove or install any security software!
Aussie PC Fix has trusted their computers for over 5 years with Kaspersky and we believe it is one of the best antivirus products on the market. Best detection rates, low resource usage, and quick scanning times make this product our best choice. Highly Recommended! Review1 | Review2
Buy Kaspersky Antivirus:
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Purchase Online AU$39.95 |
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ESET NOD32 (NOD)
An alternative antivirus that we also recommended is called NOD32 from ESET, the main advantage being low resource and RAM usage along with consistently high detection rates. They also have a security suite including antivirus and firewall called ESS (ESET Samart Security).
We are no longer resellers of this product but you can buy and download the program from the ESET website, or you may ask us to also purchase or renew any ESET programs on your behalf when requesting an antivirus install or other computer service from us.
Best Free Antivirus
There is no better defense to having a subscription based antivirus solution such as Kaspersky or NOD32, but installing a free antivirus is better than having none at all so we present to you the following free antivirus.
We rate Kaspersky and NOD32 at around 99.9% detection with most of the other 'popular' bloatware brands at about 99.5%. Free antivirus can be quite varied but we'd rate the following at between 90-95% detection.
Quite often we detect missed viruses on customer computers even though one of these free solutions are being used, after we install a paid solution or with our many other security scan and virus removal services.
avast! 4 Free
avast! 4 Home Edition Free Antivirus is our favourite free antivirus because the detection rates during independent testing seem to be better than AVG. Unfortunately it does not want to install properly on a small number of systems and sometimes it is easier to settle on AVG, but once installed offers good protection from viruses for a free product.
Avira AntiVir
AntiVir Free has come a long way over the years and is now starting to make a big impact in the free antivirus market. We will start testing this product again because independent reviews are starting to rank it again in the top tier for free antivirus.
AVG Free
AVG Free must be the most popular free antivirus, but reviewing independent and magazine tests show AVG fails to detect quite a few virus in their samples. Older viruses seem to be a particular problem, but the program is quite fast (after you turn off the scheduled startup scans!) and usually detects most current threats.
For best virus protection we always recommend a paid / subscription based antivirus and firewall, but no program can offer 100% protection since people unfortunately make new viruses and spyware every day.
Aussie PC Fix often service computers with free antivirus and sometimes find just by installing a subscription based antivirus such as Kaspersky Internet Security (KIS) most of the infections are removed.
It is also recommended that dedicated anti-spyware programs are installed for more complete protection.
Free Online Antivirus Scanners
Kaspersky | Nod32 | BitDefender | Panda | Avast | McAfee | Symantec | CA
Jotti | Virus Total | WindTrojScan
These free scanners are never a substitute for real-time antivirus protection which prevent virus infection. These online scanners are great for a second opinion, but some can take a long time to complete and only remove current infections - they do not prevent any further infections!
The last row of free online antivirus scanners are for individual files and can scan with multiple virus engines - great for suspect individual files!
Other Antivirus, Firewall and Security Programs
ZoneAlarm (ZA)
Zone Alarm Free has been one of the most popular firewalls because it offered a very friendly interface and was one of only a few that survived as a free version still being updated. ZoneLabs offer a free version with firewall only, but you can also upgrade to the Security Suite or Pro (Firewall) versions.
We recommend sticking with version 7.0.337.0 if the latest versions slow down your PC or you have other troubles - see the above links for previous versions and release history. ZoneLabs also seem to be branching out with many other specific products such as Antispyware and Wireless security, but it's a pity the antivirus component in the suite (licensed from Kaspersky) seems to slow computers compared to Kaspersky's native solution...
Comodo FireFirewall
Comodo Firewall Pro is a relatively new free personal firewall that holds a lot of promise. It's getting great reviews all over the place, but previous beta releases had major problems - especially with removal! We have still to test this product again thoroughly since the version 3 release, but it did provide adequate protection.
PC Tools Firewall
PC Tools Firewall Plus is another relatively new free firewall product that is getting a lot of attention and excellent feedback. We are yet to thoroughly test this, but it will likely be our new first choice for a free firewall. Tell us what you think!
Removal Tools
The following tools can help remove old versions of security products which should be performed before installing new security software on your computer!
Removing these existing products and then installing a Kaspersky or ESET security solution instead will often speed up your computer significantly!
Download the trials to confirm this and compare for yourself, but be sure you have removed any existing antivirus or firewall before installing another product otherwise conflicts can occur.
A backup is also always recommended whether replacing or upgrading your existing security solution, but you always back up anyway to protect your data ...don't you???
Norton / Symantec (NAV / NIS / N360)
Norton 360 from Symantec appears much less resource hungry and doesn't slow down the computer as much as the older Norton Anti Virus / Norton Internet Security products. While it's not a product we would recommend installing from scratch, if your bought your new computer from elsewhere and it came bundled with Norton 360 AND if your computer is working well then we no longer see a huge reason to uninstall it. Whn your renewal fee is next due then maybe that time would be a good oppotunity to convert to a better product sch as Kaspersky.
Symantec's Norton Removal Tool - Direct Link: NRT.exe
McAfee
Another resource hungry antivirus and security suite product, but McAfee's SiteAdvisor seems like an effective product and is much faster than the inbuilt anti-phising feature included in Internet Explorer 7, although now Firefox 3 also includes inbuilt antiphising and is highly recommended.
McAfee Consumer Products Removal tool - Direct Link: MCPR.exe
