Battle Which free AV for my low-end laptop criteria? (bundles not required/ KPA KPSC BD Panda Nod32)

[JeanCraie]

Hello guys

I found your forum posts making much sense to me than spending hours reading any "top-10" blog comments so i came to ask your opinions free from Microsoft fanboyism and "use common sense" helpless gimmicks

I still do not trust Windows Defender AV despite the continuous improvement, and would like to install a 3° AV instead.

My criteria for this AV:
1- must be FREE (fine as long i can untick bars/stuff prior installation)
2-less intrusive telemetry (fine as long i can untick these settings) - for that matter Avast is not desired
3-good real-time / heuristics, efficient definition updates
4-not too heavy (less than 500mb process), not too battery consuming.
5-just doing real time AV is already enough to me (for ex. i'll use malwarebytes free for one-time scans from time to time)
6- i am ok with tweaking the AV, (so default config doesn't have to be considered in your advices)

Main question:
7>>>>>> Which one to pick between Panda , BitDefender, Nod32 , Kaspersky ?


optional questions:
8> About K., does the free cloud one still have compatibility issues with WD detecting it as a firewall? Also heard the non cloud K.AV is not so good against trojans.
9> Do you recommend me to keep WD on for its others features or should i install other 3° complements (firewall, antiexploit, etc) then just disable WD ? (oo-erasing WD? seems to bring more bugs than anything else imho). Would using ZA free or Comodo as active firewall alongside with WD as first layer ip-blocker be ok?

My laptop configs: -win 10 home 64x (regularly updated) -intel gemini lake (1.1-2.4 ghz) -8gb ram ddr4 (reserving 4-5gb ram for homework tasks) - remaining storage of 100gb ssd

Will use less-corporate internet browsers with proper extension (ublock/decentraleyes/etc) and other lightweight privacy stuff found on Answers to common security questions - Best Practices - Anti-Virus, Anti-Malware, and Privacy Software

Thanks ​

==========
ps: can i duplicate this thread to 1-2 of your other subforums for more visibility?
pps: curious why nod32 being invisible in all these hype "top 10" blogs while seeming a decent option in tech forums?

 

[Islam Gamal]

The problem with Sophos Home Free is that it has all premium features' processes running even if you disable them during the free trial. They appear to no longer have a true free standalone AV. Someone correct me if I am wrong please if you can find Free without the trial.

from your account....go to settings.....click on (not interested in premium trial) and it will turn to the free version.

 

[amico81]

another option: Qihoo 360 Total Security Essential = 360 TS without ads

 

[stefanos]

another option: Qihoo 360 Total Security Essential = 360 TS without ads

Have ads

 

[Burrito]

But in general You can not expect much from a free product...

Yep.

Hi and welcome to MT! To be completely honoust, most free av's out there will make use of telemetry and harvest user data. and all of the av's has pro's and cons ( lacking important features, filled to the brim with ads / scare tactics and so on) the that is the most feature rich, least intrusive, highly tweakable would be comodo firewall with cruelsiters settings ( as shown in a video, a couple of answers back.) hope this helps.

Yep.


"Free" is generally not really free.

But, if I had to go the no-cost route, I'd go with Windows Defender strengthened with things... Pick several items from the menu.... OSArmor, Hard_Configurator, SysHardener, ConfigureDefender, VooDoo Free, Binisoft (Malwarebytes) Windows Firewall Control ... and maybe throw in RansonStopper Free. The developer of several of these things is here (at MT) and can possibly assist you in turning WD from a puppy... to a Doberman.

And add some extensions... Pick several from the menu.... uBO, MBEB, WDBP, Netcraft, BT, EBS...

And that's it. Then you live happily ever after.

 

[stefanos]

Yep.



Yep.


"Free" is generally not really free.

But, if I had to go the no-cost route, I'd go with Windows Defender strengthened with things... Pick several items from the menu.... OSArmor, Hard_Configurator, SysHardener, ConfigureDefender, VooDoo Free, Binisoft (Malwarebytes) Windows Firewall Control ... and maybe throw in RansonStopper Free. The developer of several of these things is here (at MT) and can possibly assist you in turning WD from a puppy... to a Doberman.

And add some extensions... Pick several from the menu.... uBO, MBEB, WDBP, Netcraft, BT, EBS...

And that's it. Then you live happily ever after.

 

[stefanos]

If you add only VS with Avat free or Kaspersky free I believe that it will have the same and perhaps better protection from paid version. A challenge for harlan4096 to try Kaspersky + VS at HUB

 

[harlan4096]

So many challenges for me in the MWHub lately: AhnLab 3 Lite Free, Nano AntiVirus and now one more

 

[stefanos]

So many challenges for me in the MWHub lately: AhnLab 3 Lite Free, Nano AntiVirus and now one more

I wish I knew good English to be able to do a test at HUB. But my English is ........................lol

 

[JeanCraie]

I'm using COMODO Firewall with Cruelsister's settings and disabled Windows Defender via Local Group Policy Editor.
In Windows 10 Home you can disable WD using the Registry Editor.
Very light protection.

Kaspersky Free is just as effective as Kaspersky Cloud Free, the only difference is you lack advanced settings.
The Windows Firewall is more than good enough, third party Firewalls tend to cause more problems than you need (do not fill your computer with security software, we don't need to be paranoid).

This is not completely true, this bug was there with W10 1803, but was fixed with the coming of W10 1809 many months ago, I've installed several KSCloudFree 2019 in W10 and none of them have that bug...

WD is not light for many people.

Thanks a lot everybody! I've been keeping my device absolutely uncustomised for weeks (struggling with my laptop online retailer to get some discount instead shipping it back due to unaccurate listing). Now that everything is sorted with my hardware I'm only replying now :S



My last questions are :
A) Are some of you guys staying with 1803 for some reasons? Should i jump to 1903 instead of 1809? (video says both updates are sh##, however comments section of the video says 1809 has no pb).

B) If i'm going to get KasperskyCloudFree with an upgrade towards Win10 1809(or 1903?), should i just then stay with WD, or combine kaspersky with COMODO Firewall with Cruelsister's configs (adding also OSARMOR)?


Thanks for your support, you really helped me think about what i should consider

 

[misterman2100]

Quite honestly, miles may vary with security programs. Layering is essential, but you don't want to overburden yourself with a security set-up that gets in the way of what you want to do with your PC, especially if it's a lower-end one.

For a free, well-rounded AV program, you wouldn't go wrong with Avast! or AVG. You could even slap the quite revered Voodoo Shield with Windows Defender if you'd prefer that route. Kaspersky gets heavy-ish; Eset isn't free; Panda is - well - Panda and hasn't been choice for awhile; and Bitdefender Free acts wonky sometimes.Use Chrome with your choice of adblocker (uBlock Origin), NoScript if you're adventurous, maybe use OpenDNS for extra protection, and you're pretty set. You can always use a secondary scanner as well to supplement your resident protection.

 

[Local Host]

Thanks a lot everybody! I've been keeping my device absolutely uncustomised for weeks (struggling with my laptop online retailer to get some discount instead shipping it back due to unaccurate listing). Now that everything is sorted with my hardware I'm only replying now :S



My last questions are :
A) Are some of you guys staying with 1803 for some reasons? Should i jump to 1903 instead of 1809? (video says both updates are sh##, however comments section of the video says 1809 has no pb).

B) If i'm going to get KasperskyCloudFree with an upgrade towards Windows 10 1809(or 1903?), should i just then stay with WD, or combine kaspersky with COMODO Firewall with Cruelsister's configs (adding also OSARMOR)?


Thanks for your support, you really helped me think about what i should consider

With Kaspersky you fine with OS Armor, no need for Comodo.

 

[blackice]

Edit: To shorten rambling post. For free I’d try WD first. Works great with NVT OSArmor. If you decide to keep WD @Andy Ful ’s configure Defender is helpful in maximizing its protection. If you feel WD is too heavy Kaspersky is a good set it and forget it choice.

As far as updates. I always update to latest. I like having the latest patches and features. Some people have bad experiences with updating immediately and so opinions will vary.

 

[JeanCraie]

Well, i'll get rid of WD to be honest.

I'm fine with a bit of KCF slowdown + OSarmor. Maybe +Comodo if with the two latter ones my computer is still quick enough.
nobody is doing Osarmor+Voodooshield, right ?

Also, if somebody can tell me about their opinions about Windows Updates 1803 vs 1807 vs 1903 that would be cool

 

[Threadripper]

Emsisoft is great with battery life as by default it only scans things that are opened or running, nothing static (this is why Windows Defender is so damn heavy). By default RAM usage is 300ish MB (this means your CPU and disk are used much less, resulting in much better performance) but you can make it use around 30MB by enabling the low memory setting, can't remember its exact name.

When it comes to privacy it doesn't play with certs, the extension uses hashes (+ which is also faster) and you can turn pretty much all telemetry off with a few easy to see settings:
Emsisoft: Quite Possibly The Most Privacy Conscious Anti-Malware Around

 

[oldschool]

nobody is doing Osarmor+Voodooshield, right ?

If you mean both of these + an AV, then no. I would choose one or the other. If you're not going to use any AV, then yes. Together they would be effective and ultralight combo, one reason being you can scan files with VS > VirusTotal ! BTW, welcome to MT!

 

[Zartarra]

Forticlient is light and it has a good protection. I don't now if the solved the bug with Youtube (problems with playing media).

Kaspersky cloud is also light (on test machine it consumed 70 MB Ram), very good protection except against PUP's.

 

[17410742]

i recommend no traditional AV.

Try VoodooShield + Sandboxie / or VoodooShield + ShadowDefender.

You can load up on as many On-Demand scanners as you like, although in my experience, HitmanPro is more than up to the task.

 

[Back3]

If you never go to shady sites, if you're the only user of your computer, if Windows update is a part of your life, if your apps are updated or upgraded twice a year, if you got good security extensions for your browser,play dice and choose an antivirus. Better: watch the promos and get yourself a suite for 15-20$. That's all you need.
If you take risks, that's another game.

 

[L0ckJaw]

Avira. Perfect score and light ( Not the free version use Internet Security )