Antivirus guide for 2009

People get puzzled as to the best antivirus software that guarantees complete system protection for their computer. Some also take the path of naivety by placing so much hope on the antivirus software that came along with their computer. A good antivirus software is supposed to provide protection against viruses, Trojans, spywares, botnets and a host of other malware attacks that slow down system performance and damage vital information.

Enjoying your computer with a good antivirus software gives you peace of mind. The top rated antivirus programs such as Windows live OneCare, Avira, kaspersky, AVG, Avast!, NOD32, Pander, Norton, BidDefender and the likes provide good system security, but not all hands are equal. Some provide better protection than others do.

Now, how can one identify an antivirus program that provides unblinking system protection, is lightweight, is easy of usage, and is friendly on the wallet? We break down some of the top antivirus software below

As you may be aware, the more your disk space, the better your PC performance. So why lay your hands on an antivirus program that eats up large chunk of your disk space when you can get a lighter alternative at almost the same price.

We have automobiles that are gas-guzzlers; in the same vein some antivirus software programs can be likened to 'time-guzzlers.' They simply drag their feet. One yardstick to separate the grains from the chaff is the time it takes to perform a complete system scan. Time is very important in today's business world. On an average, it takes 25 to 40 minutes or thereabout to perform a full system scan. Some antivirus programs require less time.

To put pictures to names and be candid, BitDefender Internet Security 2010 is too bulky, sluggish and is capable of compromising system performance. Nonetheless, this piece of software is one hell of a gatekeeper. It encapsulates all the programs on your system and controls what is coming in from the internet to the computer and vice versa.

Microsoft's Windows Live OneCare superbly blocks malicious software programs. It also tunes up and creates backup files for your computer. You can also defrag your hard disk with this piece of software. Windows Live OneCare is a jack of all trades: it can conveniently replace the performance tools that came along with your Windows Operation System.

McAfee offers a level of top-notch protection. However, McAfee can't make it to the number one spot for many obvious reasons. First, McAfee doesn't detect certain malwares. In addition, some of its definitions are not very relevant in the fight against malicious software attacks. So what are they updating? Only the people at McAfee can tell.

Norton antivirus provides good system protection as well. The software is colorful but it's not an ideal security software for computers with low RAM or hard disk space. Due to its size, you may experience cases of computer programs freezing up. While some antivirus programs allow for multiple PC use, a single licensed key can only be use on three family computers.

Avira antiVir is lightweight with an incredible scanning speed. It is a complete top-notch system protector against malware attack. Avira antiVir Personal is a FREE antivirus that protects almost like the premium. One of the problems with this free antivirus is that, it pops up annoying ads every now and then.

First, before we plunged into the ratings, it's important to note that the key to picking the best antivirus program should be based on reviews and not personal sentiment. The following ratings show to what degree the top 10 antivirus programs can detect malware attacks. In each case, all antivirus programs did cross the benchmark to be rated as satisfactory but some performed better than others did.

1. Windows Live OneCare
2. Avira AntiVir Premium
3. BidDefender 2010
4. Norton Antivirus 2009
5. Panda Global Protection 2010
6. NOD32 Antivirus 4
7. Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010
8. McAfee Total Protection 2009
9. Avast! Antispyware Professional Edition
10. AVG Internet Security 8.5

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-By Dominic

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