Download Free Antivirus Software Today

If you buy a new computer these days, chances are it comes preloaded with a program designed to protect the machine against viruses. You usually get either McAfee or Norton, both of which are system resource hogs that you probably need to renew with paid subscriptions after a year or two. Moreover, those two programs are notorious for causing computers to hang up or "freeze", and for not flagging infections. These problems can be eliminated by opting for free antivirus software instead.

There are many websites out there that offer a large selection of free antivirus software that you can download now and install instantly. These programs are 100% free, and often there's no need to buy anything or register with your email address. Sure, in many cases you'll be asked to pay for a more sophisticated version that comes with lots of additional features, but obviously there's no obligation to upgrade. Just stick with the free antivirus software that you originally downloaded, update the definitions when prompted to do so, and you'll be fine.

While it's great that open source or free antivirus software is readily available, how should you go about choosing one? They aren't all of the same quality, nor do they possess the same capabilities, so this is an important point. I recommend reading reviews of any free antivirus software that you're thinking of installing on your computer. You want to make sure that the program works at detecting all the viruses and spyware that your PC could become infected with, and that it's effective at safely removing those threats once they have been flagged. User reviews should tell you all of this. Plus, they might alert you to other bugs or quirks that you should watch for after installation, thereby saving you from a few headaches later on.

One thing you should be aware of before downloading free antivirus software is that support may be very limited or even nonexistent. The program was likely written by volunteers who received no compensation for their contribution. These programmers often have day jobs or are busy with school and don't have time to address every issue that users identify. There might be a scant list of FAQs to help users deal with known bugs, but that's about all you can expect. Usually, you'll have to live with the problem until the next version is released, or you can uninstall the free antivirus software and try something different.

The bottom line is that you can find free antivirus software that will protect your PC just as well as the stuff you have to pay for. So before you go and spend your money on a bloated commercial product that will slow your system down to a crawl, be sure to give the freebies a good look.