Advice Request How Often Do You Change Security Programs On Your System?

[Freud2004]

Trying not to change almost nothing, working for computer stability with good results.

 

[CyberTech]

Stick with MD

 

[blackice]

I do some testing (and then reimage) when I find something interesting, but generally try to stick to the same solution for a year. Sometimes I switch at 6 months if I’m bored or find something I like more or have problems.

 

[Back3]

I have 2 very stable configurations and I stick to those two: F-Secure Safe or Microsoft Defender with Configure Defender and Simple Windows Hardening. My Macrium images (I keep 5) only include Microsoft Defender so no issues if I want to upgrade Windows. I never uninstall security software: I just restore an image.

 

[dinosaur07]

I usually use security software until it expires and then if satisfied I renew the subscription or change the software + some lifetime security i found suitable for my config and taste.

 

[BigWrench]

Believe or not, I used to change between security product every couple of days. Sometimes I restored clean Windows image 3 times during the same day. I know I know I am obsessed and haunted

Guilty of this here as well.

 

[TairikuOkami]

I do not have any favorite brand and I do not care much about features, I just try, whatever is better, lighter in my case, like Panda, Forticlient. I liked McAfee Cloud, while it lasted.

 

[Oxygen]

Don't bother with it anymore as I find Microsoft Defender to be good enough for me. Tried Kaspersky a few weeks ago just to get multiple BSODs so I gave up with trying anything else.

 

[Ink]

I have thought long and hard about this, and here's what I do.

I always change my security programs based upon the latest AV testing sites scores. It is fundamentally important that I meet the near-100% detection rates at any given time. It's no good if a security app does not protect against the user against threats that will never come into contact with my OSes browser, or storage drive.

When my laptop is not connected to the Internet, it is air-gapped in a vacuumed sealed container.

My walk-in vault is an extra deterrent against physical hacks.

100% all-the-time, 24 hours and 7 days a week.

The laptop is strictly limited to playing Among Us and using the Calculator app.

 

[Dex4Sure]

I used Windows 10 default security since 2015 almost all the time. In fact Windows 8.1 days already used integrated Windows Defender mostly. For no reason other than it being super light (lighter than WD) and almost no bloat (I consider "banking protection" bloatware) picked up licence for Eset Internet Security just few days ago.

Concluded most other products are either too resource hogging or simply too bloated for my taste. And I really have tried nearly all of them over the years multiple times on different systems. Some of them have gotten better, some of them worse, mostly due to excessive bloatware. I don't like how AV products try to bundle VPNs with them... I use 3rd party VPN (TorGuard atm) and have no interest in these bundled VPNs. I also don't like them including password managers (again use 3rd party like Bitwarden), PC clean up tools (imo just use Windows 10 built in tools).

Now, data encryption tools maybe useful for those who run Win 10 Home version. But since I use Win 10 Pro, I just use BitLocker. Oh and providing cloud back up... There's much better options. To name a few; Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox. A lot of these AV companies have really became just marketing companies.

 

[Eggnog]

I've used Bitdefender Total Security for the past few years. It's on all the family PCs. I see no reason to change; no one's having any problems and it pretty much takes care of itself.

However ... I am installing Win 10 on an old i5 that had been running linux so I might play around with a few other AV solutions for the sake of novelty, mostly just to see what the other guys are up to these days.

 

[Nagisa]

I've been using TrendMicro for a relatively long time and it's been only 5 days.

 

[ForgottenSeer 85179]

I have thought long and hard about this, and here's what I do.

I always change my security programs based upon the latest AV testing sites scores. It is fundamentally important that I meet the near-100% detection rates at any given time. It's no good if a security app does not protect against the user against threats that will never come into contact with my OSes browser, or storage drive.

When my laptop is not connected to the Internet, it is air-gapped in a vacuumed sealed container.

My walk-in vault is an extra deterrent against physical hacks.

100% all-the-time, 24 hours and 7 days a week.

The laptop is strictly limited to playing Among Us and using the Calculator app.

You forget the "/s" doesn't you?

 

[mlnevese]

You forget the "/s" doesn't you?

I think he just hopes everyone can see it's sarcasm

 

[Chuck57]

Or hourly?

No joke, I have installed programs and uninstalled them less than an hour later. And then, after several days installed them again. This is the main reason I have a backup image including my most important software. Eventually, the insanity of installing and uninstalling, over and over, of different programs starts taking a toll, so I go back to the beginning with the backup image - and start it all again.

 

[Ville]

Can we include password managers here too? If so, I switched from one company to another more often than I would like ...

 

[F 4 E]

Currently, I have licenses for Kaspersky, Eset and F-Secure Safe.

I generally only uninstall whatever I'm using, if it gives problems.

I found Kaspersky was putting quite a load on my old PC, so I am now running F-Secure.

I also found Eset to be very light, but I can't be bothered messing around with their HIPS, so using F-Secure for its ease of install and usage.

It's also pretty good against most malware, getting good ratings from both AV-Test and AV Comparatives.

 

[Mountainking]

When I was younger and in college/uni, reformatting (windows was some buggy #####), testing out tons of softwares and trying out different stuffs was the norm.
Now with a 9-5 job, family, I only change software IF the current one is acting up. Used bitdefender free for years until I saw it was using like 2GB SSD space and then I swapped to Kaspersky free.
CCleaner for ages until they went spyware, mining crap and then bought a licence for Kerish.

To cut it short, never until something important makes me change.

 

[fabiobr]

Maybe a month or something close to this if I'm at home and testing.

My main suite is Kaspersky since 2018, when I try new things I only change on my desktop or laptop, the last days I've been testing (and changing my mind for good) about Avast.

 

[MegenM]

Very rarely. Never had issues with Bitdefender Total Security.