There are many free antivirus solutions available now, but which one to use? See PC Mags comparison rating table here. AVG used to be the big one out there for free antivirus solutions but now we have some alternatives.
Here are some of my favorite monitoring antivirus solutions with links to their respective creators websites where they can be downloaded without bloatware:
AVG Free- has been around for a while and done a fairly good job considering the cost, but they are not as good as some scans and has been having more included advertising attached to their free version. Can be loaded on a bootable USB stick. http://www.avg.com/ww-en/thank-you?product=avc&build=ppc_avc-ppc534
Bitdefender Free- seems to be the best one on the PC Mag list, has the best detection rates. Easy to install and carefree. Updates the definitions and requires little if any maintenance. I have been installing this in my own computers this year. http://www.bitdefender.com/solutions/free.html
Avast Free- another free option that does a good job. http://download.cnet.com/Avast-Free-Antivirus-2015/3000-2239_4-10019223.html?part=dl-85737&subj=dl&tag=button&ls=media
Avira Free- another longtime favorite, also has linux version available, but its not in the PC Mag ratings chart. Can be loaded on a bootable USB stick. https://www.avira.com/en/avira-free-antivirus
And:
Malwarebytes Free- here's the big one that is not a monitoring program, but is the best all around program for user initiated scans and detects the vast majority of viruses and rootkits. Easy install and quick efficient scans. It only works on Windows and does cannot create a workable bootable USB stick as the program must be loaded while booting off of the infected disk. Periodic scans provide excellent backup tro free monitoring applicatrions. They also offer a monitoring solution that is relatively inexpensive. https://www.malwarebytes.org/mwb-download/
Norton and McAfee trials are often sold with computers, but they both require a regular payments to maintain your protection. Additionally, Norton has been reported to slow down PC responsiveness and be difficult to remove if you choose to do so. Norton does offer 2 free options worth mentioning Norton Rescue Tools. Power Eraser is a rescue media creator for infected computers and a bootable USB with scanning softeware for external scans if you cannot start your computer.
That's it for today, will look at cleaning and malware removal next.
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