How to Compare Antivirus Software
When you go to a computer store, you can be faced with shelf upon shelf of antivirus software.
All of them claim to get rid of viruses and Trojans that are found on your machine.
So they must all work as well as each other, right? Wrong! There is a big difference in performance.
Here is how to compare antivirus software so you get the best product.
First of all you want to find a product that is effective at finding and removing viruses.
Another often-overlooked aspect is you don't want it to give any 'false positives' as this can be a huge time-waster.
To find out this information, visit the websites of companies that do independent software testing.
The best known professionals in this field are Virus Bulletin.
They offer an award, the VB100, to products that they find perform well.
Virus Bulletin are an independent company that have been testing antivirus products since 1998, so they have become a respected authority in the area.
You could also see what the results of PC magazine tests are.
Usually these are carried out by one researcher, so the results may be skewed by their personal opinion on the product.
In addition you want to find out if the software that you have in mind is likely to affect the stability of your machine.
Some antivirus software has a reputation of making people's computers slow down.
You can find out people's experiences with particular software by looking online for user reviews.
These can often be found at the big online retailers.
The other important point to bear in mind when you compare antivirus software is the list of features that are available.
Some software is specifically designed to just look for viruses.
There has been a move recently to include other sorts of protection in one software product.
These products are often called Internet Security suites.
In addition to protecting you from viruses they protect you from spyware, spam and may offer a personal firewall.
You should decide what features you want before you start shopping.
All of them claim to get rid of viruses and Trojans that are found on your machine.
So they must all work as well as each other, right? Wrong! There is a big difference in performance.
Here is how to compare antivirus software so you get the best product.
First of all you want to find a product that is effective at finding and removing viruses.
Another often-overlooked aspect is you don't want it to give any 'false positives' as this can be a huge time-waster.
To find out this information, visit the websites of companies that do independent software testing.
The best known professionals in this field are Virus Bulletin.
They offer an award, the VB100, to products that they find perform well.
Virus Bulletin are an independent company that have been testing antivirus products since 1998, so they have become a respected authority in the area.
You could also see what the results of PC magazine tests are.
Usually these are carried out by one researcher, so the results may be skewed by their personal opinion on the product.
In addition you want to find out if the software that you have in mind is likely to affect the stability of your machine.
Some antivirus software has a reputation of making people's computers slow down.
You can find out people's experiences with particular software by looking online for user reviews.
These can often be found at the big online retailers.
The other important point to bear in mind when you compare antivirus software is the list of features that are available.
Some software is specifically designed to just look for viruses.
There has been a move recently to include other sorts of protection in one software product.
These products are often called Internet Security suites.
In addition to protecting you from viruses they protect you from spyware, spam and may offer a personal firewall.
You should decide what features you want before you start shopping.
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