While today’s antivirus programs are designed to work on every type of computer and smart device, there are still those who simply need to protect their computer. As long as your PC has the right system resources to meet the minimum requirements of security programs, you have a few really good choices. Which one should you consider? What would be the best Windows internet security program for you?
There are a number of important factors to consider, including an intuitive interface, daily updates, zero-day performance, customer support, and ease of use. The interface should be straightforward for beginners, yet comprehensive enough for more experienced users. It’s also a good idea to choose a program that is designed to automatically update itself regularly. “Zero day” performance means that it has the ability to identify a bug that is brand new, and not just widespread, common threats.
Now, if you’ve already been experimenting with antivirus and anti-malware programs, it’s important that you uninstall it all completely before installing something new. This is because internet security programs do not play well with similar products from different vendors. They will only cause conflicts with each other, which will result in problems for your system. If you have a newer version of Windows, make sure you remove Windows Defender before installing any new program. For Windows 7 or earlier, remove Microsoft Security Essentials.
What to Consider When Looking for the Best Windows Internet Security
Another important factor to consider is a program that doesn’t give false positives. This can be very annoying. The best Windows internet security software will be able to detect the true threats and weed them out. There are some legitimately safe programs that might be lesser-known – you don’t want an annoying “warning” to keep popping up when trying to install them. Always take the time to read reviews from other users to see if there are a lot of complaints about false positives.
Do you even really need a full security suite or will a standalone antivirus program be enough? It’s recommended that the average computer user at least invest in the Pro version of an Antivirus program, if not an entire suite. If you don’t have children then you obviously won’t need a Parental Control feature. If you’re not interested in torrenting / P2P and don’t travel much, then you probably won’t need a VPN connection. At the very least, consider a security suite that includes anti-spam, anti-malware, anti-phishing, and some type of identity theft protection, such as phishing / ransomware prevention. You’ll likely need a firewall as well.
Now that you know what to look for, it’s time to settle on the best Windows internet security program. One product that is often highly-rated is Avast Antivirus. It’s an award-winning program for Windows 10. There is a free version and a paid version, both of which offer excellent coverage. Avast discounts are often available if you want to upgrade.