Cyberdefender vs Panda - is there one better than other for anti-virus protection? (1 Viewer)

[suzthecool21]

So when I got my computer from my sister it already had all the software on it that I needed (or so I thought). It had Nortan and AVG loaded onto it, so I thought I was safe, but evidently not. I've got a couple of viruses in the last month and who knows what all I don't know about!

So now I am researchin new antivirus softwares and I want to pay for it. So my sister (a different one that who gave me the computer) recommended the Panda antivirus. I've also seen on some forums where Cyberdefender got good reviews, as well as Panda. People seem to like Panda and seems pretty easy to use, but it doesn't really seem as good to me.



On CNET, the review AVG was rated highly, but because i don't feel comfortable with trusting them right now, I don't want to use it - quite honestly. So I looked at the reviews of Panda and Cyberdefender.




So on this review, Panda got 3 stars- www.download.com/Panda-Antivirus-2008/3000-2239_4-10487476.html



On here Cyberdefender got 4 - www.download.com/CyberDefender-AntiSpyware/3000-8022_4-10811874.html



Considering that Cyberdefender got 4 stars, I am leaning toward getting this paid verison. Bit I am conserned cause Panda is mentioned a lot, but Cyberdefender is not so much mentioned. Is it a good program? I've read that Cyberdefender is a public company, but what about the software? Is it reliable? Can I trust my computer to be safe with it?

Thank you for your input and your help.

 

[KeithAP]

I have used Panda in the past and it was OK. However these days I lean towards either Kaspersky Anti Virus or Nod32 from Eset depending on what is on sale.

You might also want to check out Microsoft Security Essentials. This is a new anti virus program provided by MS for free. It is basic but functional.

As a side note. I have also been using the free version of WinPatrol to monitor things going on in the background and it works pretty well. There is a paid version of this product but I think the free version is fine if you also are running a good anti virus program. Plus, I like the fact that it barks at you when thinks there might be suspicious activity.

Here is a link to some good security tips for various versions of Windows:
http://www.mechbgon.com/build/security1.html

By the way, based on your description it sounds as if you might have had two AV products running on your system at the same time. That usually isn't a good idea.

Links:
http://www.kaspersky.com/
http://www.eset.com/
http://www.winpatrol.com/
http://www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials/

-Keith

 

[Clinton McClure]

I agree with Keith on not running two anti-virus programs on your PC. This can often cause conflicts, resource issues, false virus detections when they detect each other, system crashes, etc... You should only keep one anti-virus program. Anti-malware programs, on the other hand, are a bit different in that you can run several of them in the background at once and they usually get along pretty good with each other and everything but AVG. This is one of the main reasons I do not recommend AVG. When I tested it out, the free version was constantly detecting my anti-malware programs and other assorted programs like my Boinc SETI@Home client and trying to quarantine and delete them. Also, several worms and trojans slipped through undetected. I moved to the paid version with the same results so I dropped them.

For the best protection I would recommend one of the following: Norton Anti-virus (I use the 3-license version of Norton Internet Security which is the beefed up version and only costs $30 per year if you know when and where to buy it), Kaspersky, or McAfee.

As far as anti-malware software, I use and recommend Spybot Search & Destroy ( www.safer-networking.org/en/home/index.html ) and Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware ( www.malwarebytes.org/ ). I used to use Lavasoft Ad-Aware, but with the past two iterations, they have become a failed software with more bugs than fixes.

You also need to remember that just because you have an anti-virus program and anti-malware program on your PC, you still have to update the virus definitions every week and scan weekly. I use quick scans on a weekly basis and perform a full scan once a month.

 

[KeithAP]

Just thought I would mentioned that on October 22, Windows 7 launch day, you can sign up for a free year with Panda Internet Security. Here is the link: http://us.pandasecurity.com/w7launch/

They call it a Windows 7 Launch party but it doesn't specifically say you have to be running Windows 7 to take advantage of the free year.

-Keith