Suggested free antivirus?

I know this has probably been asked before, and I did try a search on the forums, but didn't find anything. My subscription to Bitdefender is about to expire and I don't have the money to renew right now. I was looking for a decent free AV. I don't need a lot of bells and whistles. Mainly I'd like something that's constantly monitoring, the ability to schedule a scan, antimalware. I have no problem updating definitions myself. I'd also like something that won't hog resources so it doesn't slow my already slow PC down while I'm gaming.
Thanks!

 

Sadly, you didn't say what OS you are using. If Windows 8 or 10, go with Windows Defender (WD). It's already in there, it is easy on resources, and its free. And ontrary to what some think or want you to think, it really is a decent anti-malware solution.

Think about it for a second. Microsoft always gets blamed for everything any way. And they got blamed relentlessly for 10 years for XP's security woes even though it was the bad guys perpetrating the offenses. So why would Microsoft put Windows in a position to blamed for poor security again? They wouldn't. So they have put a lot of resources into Windows Defender to make it a very capable solution - and it is!

I use Windows Defender on all our systems here.

The thing to remember is to keep Windows and your security solution updated. And you need to avoid being "click-happy on unsolicited downloads, attachments, popups and links - the exact same precautions you must take regardless your anti-malware solution of choice!

Also regardless your primary solution of choice, you should always have a secondary scanner on hand, just to make sure you, the user and always the weakest link in security didn't let something slip by. I generally recommend Malwarebytes free for that.

Windows Defender should automatically enable itself when you uninstall Bitdefender. If you have Windows 7, I recommend Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) It is basically Windows Defender, but for W7. I used it on all our W7 systems until they were migrated to W8 then W10. Never had a problem with malware using either MSE or WD since W7 (and MSE) came out in 2009.

 

Sorry about that, I'm at work and was typing quickly! I have Windows 7. Wasn't sure how well MSE worked. I know I used it in the past, before I got Bitdefender and had no issues.

 

It did work well in the past and there have been many advances and improvements in it since. If you don't partake in risky behavior like illegal filesharing via Torrents or P2P sites, and if you don't visit illegal pornography and gambling sites, and if you don't click on every unsolicited link and popup you see, then MSE will be fine for you. That said, if you partake in those activities, I don't know of any anti-malware solution capable of ensuring your system cannot be compromised.

Either way, try it and see. If you don't like it, you can always try something else.

FTR, I don't blame you for wanting to get rid of your subscription based security program. I think they are all rip-offs, frankly.

Consider this. Of all the security programs out there, only Microsoft has the financial incentive to rid the world malware. All those other programs need malware to thrive so they can justify their existence. If malware went away, Norton, McAfee, BitDefender, Kaspersky, AVG, Avira and all the others would go out of business. Microsoft, on the other hand, would stop getting blamed for a problem they did not create.

If you are considering an another paid program, the only one I recommend is Malwarebytes Premium. It does not cost as much as the others, plus it plays well with other programs. That is, you often hear "don't run two security programs in real time at once!" And generally that is good advice and why Windows Defender (in W8 and W10) will automatically disable itself if another solution is installed.

Years ago, the reason was running two at once could cause conflicts. I used to say it was like 2 dogs guarding the same bone, each wondering what the other was up to. But "conflicts" are not really the problem these day - it just wastes system resources and often bogs systems down.

But with Malwarebytes Premium running along side MSE or WD, the load on system resources is still very light so for most users, they will not even notice any performance issues.

While here, you should be thinking seriously of upgrading to W10 very soon. Mainstream support for W7 ended 4 years ago and extended support ends next January. W7 needs to go the way of XP - gone!

W10 is more secure right out of the box than W7. And note it is easy with Start10 to make W10 look and feel like W7. And if concerned about privacy, first remember that privacy and security are NOT the same thing. Telemetry with the newest versions of W10 is much easier to manage. And frankly, if privacy is your concern, you need to be MUCH MORE worried about Google, Facebook, your ISP and most especially, your cell phone carrier.

Remember, your ISP and especially your cell phone carrier know everything you do on the Internet, but they also know your real name, physical location and your billing information. Microsoft doesn't know or care about any of that, they aren't trying to find that information and in fact, work to protect and secure that information from being compromised!

Microsoft is the least of our worries when it comes to privacy.

 

Good points made. Unfortunately, my 8 year old computer won't run Win10. I had to have the hard drive and fan replaced last year. I had gotten the free upgrade to 10 and while it was in the shop I asked the tech to see about updating as I was having trouble getting the creators update to install. He finally called and said he couldn't get it to update either. He said the PC was not capable. It's a Gateway, i3 3.3 ghz, 6gb ram. Been trying to get a new one or get a refurbished but since my wife lost her job, all money goes to bills, food, etc. Only upgrade I did was get a Radeon 550 4gb graphics card.

 

Yeah, I totally understand. The problem with older computers is W10 drivers are often unavailable. And sadly, it is the responsibility of the hard ware makers to develop those drivers to ensure their hardware is compatible. It is not Microsoft's. And the problem there is, there is no financial incentive for those hardware makers to invest the necessary resources to develop, test, and make available those drivers. That is, they get $0.00 back on those expenses. So they would much rather we buy new hardware.

Not sure what to suggest. I don't know where you live but guessing the US since you said Gateway. Keep an eye on Walmart. They often have some really good prices on refurbished PCs and notebooks that come with W10. Most have 3 month to 1 year warranties too and many have some decent horsepower to them.

For sure, the anti-malware solutions will be able to keep W7 secure for awhile. The problem is, even they depend on vulnerabilities in the OS being patched. So after next January, if any new vulnerabilities are discovered, they may not get patched.