When to pay for separate anti-virus software

By JAMES DERK
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Aside from the volume of letters I usually get when I say anything negative about Apple, the readers have really piled it on this week.

My mailbox is bulging with letters about the discontinuation of AVG Free, a no-cost version of AVG Anti-Virus. It seems everyone who had AVG installed received a pop-up that said their version was going to be discontinued and suggested that they purchase the retail version.

What the pop-up didn't do a very good job explaining is that while version 7.1 is indeed being discontinued in January, there's a new version (7.5) that remains completely free for home users.

A careful reading of the pop-up would give you a link to the new version, but I admit that Grisoft doesn't make it easy to find. To download the new version, head to http://free.grisoft.com.

What is the benefit if you decide to purchase the retail version? AVG is a good anti-virus product, and doesn't take up too much of your system's resources. It recently purchased one of my favorite anti-spyware products called Ewido, so it also has that going for it.

However, the retail version also has a firewall built-in, one that has caused several issues with PCs that customers have brought to my shop. Turns out it is not the most intuitive firewall out there (Norton probably wins that award) and people who have installed it and not paid much attention have found themselves locked out of their e-mail or the Internet.

So do you need a second firewall? With Windows Vista, no.

With Windows XP, most people don't if you keep your computer free of spyware and viruses. (The built-in firewall with XP is one-way; it keeps bad stuff out but doesn't stop your PC from sending bad stuff out. A good firewall does both.)

If you connect to the Internet through a router keep in mind your router has a great firewall built in so that reduces your need for a software firewall.

So back to anti-virus. Should you pay for a product when AVG is free? For most people I'd say no unless you need another product bundled with the security suite. It was one thing when Norton and others were $20; it's quite another when these suites now cost $50 to $75.

If you're concerned about a free product, you can supplement it every few weeks with a free online scan offered by several anti-virus companies, including Kapersky and Trend. These online scans work in your browser and serve as sort of a second line of defense in case something slipped through your defenses.

And, it must be said, if you own an Apple you still don't need to worry about virus software. And we shall soon see how well Windows Vista handles security.

WEEKLY WEB WONDER: Google has a site that lets you search the full-text of many printed catalogs. Give it a look at catalogs.google.com

(James Derk is co-owner of CyberDads, a computer repair firm, and computer columnist for Scripps Howard News Service. His e-mail address is jim(at)cyberdads.com