2009 top 10 antivirus

Best Antivirus Software Review Compare our Best Antivirus Protection Today. See who's best rated antivirus How do I uninstall McAfee Security? See all results for this question. Is McAfee still there after uninstall? At the Security Validation screen: Type the characters exactly as shown on your screen.

Validation is case-sensitive. Click Next. This step prevents the accidental use of MCPR. Click Start, Settings, Control Panel. In the past, Bitdefender has been a bit more resource-hungry than some antivirus apps, but these days, it runs with far less impact on system performance, another useful improvement. With discounts, this flagship product can work out as not much more expensive than Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, so could be well worth a shot for some users.

It's a special software treat for TechRadar readers. It means that fantastic virus protection for your PC is now even more affordable - check out the exact pricing in your locale below, or head to Bitdefender's US site if your country isn't listed:. The core malware protection provided is among the best in the business, alongside the likes of Bitdefender, and offers a novel touch for more tech-savvy types in the form of the Norton Insight tool.

This gauges the reputation of any given file on your system, and may help to pinpoint more obscure threats. If you do want to cover more devices, look at Norton Deluxe which defends up to five pieces of hardware, and delivers further security benefits including an integrated VPN. One of the major strengths of Trend Micro Antivirus Plus is that it puts an emphasis on making things easy for novice PC users. But while this is a great choice for the less tech-savvy, more demanding users will probably want to steer away due to the lack of configurability and options available.

This product also benefits from a good quality antivirus engine, with Trend Micro being rated highly by the independent test labs. That said, one slight weakness is more false positives, or errant detections of malware, occurring compared to the average antivirus.

Those wanting more features and coverage across multiple devices or different platforms should look at Trend Micro Maximum Security, which supports up to 10 devices Windows, Mac, Android or iOS , adding a secure file vault and password manager into the mix.

It offers a good amount of flexibility when it comes to configuring virus scans, too, with a System Watcher module that allows Kaspersky to pick up undiscovered threats like fresh ransomware. There are some passably useful bits and bobs like a vulnerability scanner and privacy cleaner, but some of the wizards provided are a bit feeble.

For more features, you can always push the boat out to buy Kaspersky Total Security, a suite which provides a fully-fledged system of parental controls and a password manager, among other goodies, at a reasonable price. Avira antivirus is engineered in Germany, which immediately makes it feel like a trustworthy option. But it really has the goods to back that up, attracting plaudits from independent testing labs that have rated it highly for its pure virus protection.

Outside that, we like how easy Avira Antivirus Pro is to install and subsequently use. This software is a doddle to operate. While there is no single solution to keep yourself safe, there are a wealth of antivirus platforms on the market that can help. Antivirus systems come at a range of different price points and offer different feature sets.

In order to help you choose the right one for you, Forbes Advisor took a close look at factors such as pricing, usability, encryption and more to decide the best antivirus software of Avira offers multiple products for personal use, but only one product for businesses: Avira Prime. Those are just on Windows, too. Avira has platform-specific features like secure QR code scanning on Android and iOS, as well as web protection through browsers. Who Should Use It: Small businesses that want comprehensive protection for a low monthly price.

McAfee is one of the biggest names in antivirus, and its Endpoint Protection for SMB services offers comprehensive protection for businesses. In addition to scheduled scans and real-time protection for Windows and Mac, Endpoint Protection offers browser security and data protection on removable devices.

Admins can deploy an on-premise version of Endpoint Protection to have control over every aspect of security. You can protect up to 10 devices at once, though the features are more focused on personal use. Kaspersky offers the Small Office Security package for between five and 50 users. The core of the package is local scanning and real-time protection.

On top of that, Kaspersky offers internet, email and browser security to protect against some of the most common threats employees face.

Kaspersky Small Office Security can get expensive depending on how many seats you need. That said, each additional seat adds protection for desktop and mobile, as well as another password manager license. Who Should Use It: Businesses with fewer than 50 people that want proactive protection against common threats. Avast offers several different antivirus packages for business. Teams of under 10 can protect themselves with Small Office Protection, which includes ransomware, email and internet protection.

In addition to real-time protection across desktop, mobile and web, Bitdefender offers a suite of threat forecasts that can help you seal up any leaking holes before they become a problem. Before an attack, admins can monitor things like the number of unencrypted web pages employees visit. After an attack, Bitdefender gives you the tools to break down and understand why the attack happened and how to avoid it in the future.

On top of that, Bitdefender leverages machine learning to predict and block threats before they can impact your business. Who Should Use It: Businesses that need to monitor and analyze threats before they can happen.

Emsisoft employs four different protection layers to keep your data safe from nearly all threats. It starts with protection from malicious websites in the browser, protecting your business from the most significant threats.

After that, Emsisoft uses machine learning to detect zero-day malware and block it in real-time. That should cover most threats, but Emsisoft goes further.

The software uses behavior analysis to detect potentially malicious apps, and it uses that analysis to detect things like ransomware before it can encrypt your data. Outside of protection, Emsisoft includes a centralized web dashboard for seeing the protection across your business.

Here, you can manage your teams, set custom protection policies and much more. Who Should Use It: Anyone looking for holistic protection that you can manage through a centralized dashboard.

F-Secure takes a different approach to business antivirus. All of its services are centered around F-Secure Elements, which is a cloud-native platform that allows you to choose the protection you need. In the latest test results from AV-Comparatives. From CheckVir. Support Symantec has dropped its overinflated per-call pricing schemes of the past; all regular telephone technical support calls are finally free.

That's good. However, its online manual and knowledgebase could be more robust, and an in program link to its community forums would be wise. To take advantage of the free offerings, Symantec encourages users to use its One Click Solutions self-diagnosis tools first; that's understandable since common problems can be self-remedied. In our tests, however, after answering no to "Does this resolve your problem?

Only after supplying a first name, last name, e-mail address, and phone information you previously gave when setting up your Norton Account; why the two can't be linked is unclear are you offered a help ticket along with an option for a free online chat, free technical support phone number, or an e-mail address.

Once contacted, a technician may remotely control your PC while you watch them solve your given problem. Our first encounter with Symantec's technical support ended in frustration. These premium services are also mentioned when you call for technical support. But in subsequent testing, we found neither the call nor the chat technician tried to steer us toward these premium solutions. Of course, that depends on what specific problem you have and which technician you get.

The Norton in-program Help is better than in past years. Within the Help file, more terms are explained and less jargon is used this year, but it's still not as thorough as other Help documents we've seen in competing products. And user options when changing configuration settings, long the bane of this reviewer, are once again not adequately presented to the end user: you still have to trust Symantec's opinion on many things. And the online manual, although indexed, is not very comprehensive, and leans heavily toward installation and the creation of the Recovery Disk.

Only by accessing the Symantec Web site do you see the free community forums. That's a mistake. Despite the company response that the Norton community forum is still in beta, these open communities provide more technical support than the canned responses offered through Symantec's One Click Solutions process.