Almost anyone using a computer these days knows of the risk that viruses are to anyone using the internet. They can steal your personal information and leave you open to identity theft, or a virus can simply make your computer feel "slow" and unusable. Many of us who purchased a computer receive a free trial version of some kind of anti-virus software, perhaps McAfee or Norton, but what happens after your six month trial is up? After trying software after software to keep my PC virus free, let me share my advice with you: Do not pay a dime for anti-virus software anymore! There are many free alternatives out there for you to use. Here are the best picks you can choose from.
* AVG Free anti virus, available at http://free.avg.com/. AVG may be one of the oldest available free anti virus programs, and it is generally where I turn to first when I need to install an anti virus program on a computer. While AVG also sells premium software to protect your computer, I recommend the free version as it will do what most of us want, and at a great price, FREE!
* Avast! Anti Virus software, available at http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html. Whenever I am unable to use AVG on a system, I recommend Avast! Anti virus, as they also have a free version available to the public. They also offer a upgraded version for purchase.
* Avira AntiVir software, available at http://www.free-av.com/. This is the third free anti virus software I recommend, as I also have used it in the past. In my opinion the interface isn't as great as either AVG or Avast!, but it will get the job done.
All three of these anti virus programs are free, but you may have to register with the company for updates. Please do so, as any anti virus software is only good if it is kept up to date to protect your PC against the latest threats (they won't spam your inbox, trust me on that). Also, most of these are only for home use, meaning if you intend to use them at the office, you may be better off purchasing a volume license. There may be many other free anti virus programs available online, but these three have been around for years, which show a company willing to support its product, as well as stability for updates in the years to come. I hope this article helped you, if only to let you know that there are more options out there for the budget-minded PC user.
