How to Chose a Good Antivirus Program
It is important to evaluate your needs before purchasing an antivirus program. Choosing the wrong antivirus program compromises the safety of your computer. Evaluating your platform, the features you want to download and how the program ranks with experts will help you choose the right antivirus program.
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Instructions
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Choose an antivirus program compatible with your platform. Not all platforms are compatible with antivirus programs. Some antivirus programs are also made for specific platforms, such as the Mac platform.
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Decide if you want to pay for your program. Some antivirus programs, such as AVG, are free, whereas Norton Antivirus charges a yearly subscription fee. Subscription programs usually have more features, such as email and instant messenger protection.
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Determine if you have enough space. Antivirus programs take up a lot of space on computers, often 1GB or more in computer memory. You can find out how much space is required by looking at an antivirus company's website or in the product manual.
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Check the program's ranking with PCWorld. PCWorld is a professional source that determines an antivirus program's ranking according to scanning ability, features, and value. If it is in the top 10, this is a good antivirus program.
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Choose if you want it bundled with an anti-spyware. Anti-spyware applications protect your computer from additional malware, such as spyware, keyloggers and adware. Antivirus programs bundled with anti-spyware protection use more space, however, slowing down your computer's speed.
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Evaluate whether you want email protection. Brand name antivirus programs, such as Norton Antivirus, includes email protection that protects your online email accounts. It prevents the downloads of malicious email attachments and spam messages.
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Pick out any other features, if desired. If you want full protection, a good antivirus program will have Internet browsing protection and instant messaging protection. Although it slows down your system, these features prevent you from accidentally downloading malicious material.
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