Quest for Antivirus/Antispyware Utilities

I did a little research for some antivirus/antispyware utilities so i thought I'd share my findings.

On one of my computers, I had some problems with occasional spikes on CPU usage.  I was not suspecting a virus since I had Live One Care installed and running.  However, I became tired of those spikes so I looked at antivirus reviews over the Web.  PC World did a review of the latest security suites and Norton Internet Security 2008 got the top score. 

I was a long time Norton antivirus user but high CPU usage convinced me to ditch it a few years ago.  This reviewer for a local newspaper noticed high CPU usage (20%!!!) after installing Norton Internet Security 2008 so I was convinced not to go that way again. (French but with many screenshots)

After giving up on Norton, I used the free version of Grisoft’s AVG antivirus.  While free and low on CPU usage, this version is for non-commercial use only and it places this message in each email you send:
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.20.4/1277 - Release Date: 2/13/2008 8:00 PM

What I was looking from an antivirus was:

• Simple antivirus program (not an entire suite of blotted software)
• Simple way to turn it off (I don’t need it most of the time)
• Very low CPU usage
• Cheap (even better if the license could cover 3 machines)

After searching a little bit, I found that BitDefender AntiVirus would fit the bill so I downloaded an eval version and did a scan of my PC.  Guess what?  It did found some kind of trouble in a file called smss.exe located in the \system32\drivers directory.  Live One Care didn’t detect that one.

After a few days of use, I came to the conclusion that it was meeting my needs.  I was about to buy it online when I was puzzled by the pricing.  Basically, the site shows you this pricing: 1 year/1 PC for $25.  However, if you dig a little bit, you can find a page that shows 1 year/3 PCs for $30.  Grrrr!

I then noticed that Staples/Bureau en Gros had a sale for the Internet Security Suite at $40 for 3 PCs for 2 years so I decided to go with the suite and to disable the functions I didn’t need.

While searching online, I noticed that PC World gave top marks to PC Tools’ Spyware Doctor so I decided to investigate.  Always, be careful with these magazines showdown.  Does the fact that the PC World Website is crammed with Spyware Doctor ads was a factor in the high rating?  Can’t say but   ;-)

You can buy it online at PC Tools Website for $40 for 1 computer but if you look at the different versions available, you’ll see a link for a “starter” edition available with Google Pack.  That version is free but with some disabled features, mostly the real time protection stuff.  However, that version has the ability to cleanup problems, the eval version does not.

This is a screenshot of the starter edition.  Notice that OnGuard protection is limited and there's one action required...upgrading  ;-)

You can enable the real time protection by upgrading for $25.  I decided to give the starter edition a try and guess what?  It did find one problem that Live One Care didn’t find.  Being happy with this version (you can disable it easily and it's very low on CPU), I didn’t want to upgrade to the full version until I saw it at Costco at $20 for a licence covering 3 PCs, so I bought that one.  But why does PC Tools charges $40 per PC if you buy it from their Website?  And why does it cost $25 if you go thru Google Pack?

One thing I found strange is the fact that you pay much higher prices if you buy direct even thought there are no CDs, no boxes and no manuals involved.  Go figure!

Oh, BTW, no more CPU spikes!   :-)