I don't think this resource has been listed on the boards yet and wanted to make sure it's added because it is a great completely free security option:

Microsoft Security Essentials

From the site:
Microsoft Security Essentials provides real-time protection for your home PC that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.
Microsoft Security Essentials is a free* download from Microsoft that is simple to install, easy to use, and always kept up to date so you can be assured your PC is protected by the latest technology. It’s easy to tell if your PC is secure — when you’re green, you’re good. It’s that simple.
Microsoft Security Essentials runs quietly and efficiently in the background so that you are free to use your Windows-based PC the way you want—without interruptions or long computer wait times.

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I love MSE and highly recommend it! I use this on my Win 7 laptop. We know how much Windows OS gets viruses and all so it's but natural for Microsoft to release its own version of security software.

Great post Tess!...I have it on my pc and laptop,but alot of others may not.It's great...Take care...
Maryella

Do you use any other virus or malware protection in addition to MSE>
Wendy

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EHR implementation/support, Computer software training, Medical Billing and Coding

I do...I use Avast!...It is really good in my opinion, and has saved my watouche a couple of times from different things. Research all possibilties open though, this is a free antivirus and to me very effective thus far. Hope this helps....
Maryella

Thanks a bunch, Tess! I was just thinking yesterday that I needed to see if I could find some additional, inexpensive security for my computer.

However, I already have McAfee installed and when I went to install Microsoft Essentials, it gave me a warning that I would need to uninstall any other antivirus or anti spyware programs, as they may conflict with Microsoft Essentials and cause performance issues on my computer.

I don't know a whole lot about this type of software, so if anyone can tell me which is better and why, or if you have any resources that I could use in my research, I would appreciate it. I would like to be able to intelligently answer any questions about security that my clients have, too.

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Jennifer Simons - Girl Monday
www.girlmondaysf.com

@Girl Monday - Unfortunately, you cannot install 2 or more anti-virus software on your computer as they will cause conflict with each other. So since you already have McAfee, just make sure that it's always updated and you do regular scans on your PC to make sure it's virus-free. Also, you may need to look for a good anti-spyware software. Spyware is different from viruses. They're the same in the sense that it may destroy your computer however, having an anti-virus software doesn't protect your pc from spyware unless it is mentioned.

Tess,

Thanks for the info - I have not used ME - I have always used Trend Micro / Webroot -and/or Kaspirsky.

I am definately going to looking into ME and see if that will be beneficial to my office.

You are awesome! - we are all so lucky to have you!

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Patricia Loehn : Owner / VA
American Virtual Associates

I worked with a client who had an older Dell computer and when MSE was installed on his system things pretty much ground to a halt. I did some reading and found that it's not really supported by older systems.

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Penny Fant
www.pennyfant.com

Hi! Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to this thread
There are two anti-virus programs that we don't touch with a ten foot pole: Norton and McAfee. I'll spare you my rant but will share a few links that might help clarify why we steer clear...

Why McAfee is still at the top of my Not Recommended list

(Scroll down to the bottom of the article for numerous links to additional external conversations re: McAfee: "I have had little confidence in McAfee as a company since they released a defective virus update back in April 2010 that rendered target systems unable to start. And that was just the latest in a long line of screw-ups. See A pox on McAfee (2004), and the comments on this post (2007), and this post about McAfee’s sloppy response to the Conficker worm (2009). Based on this week’s personal experience, I continue to advise against using McAfee security software."

Norton AntiVirus 2012 User Reviews

Avast was mentioned in the thread as a good option - I agree! We do have that running on a few machines.

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