Game-friendly anti-virus software?

[ModernKnight]

Hi folks,

Does anyone know of "game friendly" anti-virus software?

I've been using Norton (NAV) for years and am tired of it. In particular:

1. When NAV auto-updates its virus info, a systray balloon pops up. This forces a switchout from the game.
2. The weekly scheduled full system scan also causes a switch-out. Or - worse - in some games it doesn't, and your game slows to a crawl for reasons unknown, until you remember that it's scan time. It should wait until the system is not being used.

I realize I can turn off auto-updating and/or remember/reschedule the weekly scan. My question is, is there A/V software where I don't have to?

NAV has also had its share of finickiness and hassles over the years. To me, it's been resting on its laurels instead of getting better over time. Also, hackers like to target the big players, and NAV (and probably McAffee) are the biggest. Anyway...

Basically I want A/V software that is entirely quiet and unobtrusive unless there's a true emergency, like my PC is found to be currently infected.

Thanks if you have recommends!!

ModernKnight​

 

[Zanmato]

I used to use Norton but I found it to be too much of a strain on the system. I use AVG which hasn't caused me a single problem since I've had it with any other app. Updates automatically once you have set a time to do it but it's real easy to do.

 

[ModernKnight]

Rob, thanks for the recommend - do you mind telling me specifically,

1. Does it ever do a popup that causes a game to switch out (or crash)? That you know of. You're saying that its auto-update doesn't cause this, right?
2. Does it have a setting to only do a scheduled full system scan, if your PC is idle?

Thanks!! - Mike

 

[netbjarne]

i'm using nod32 which is a very unobtrusive antivirus with low systemimpact, switched from the symantec resource hog last year.

if you're going after freeware, I would also recommend avg antivirus

 

[Zanmato]

Rob, thanks for the recommend - do you mind telling me specifically,

1. Does it ever do a popup that causes a game to switch out (or crash)? That you know of. You're saying that its auto-update doesn't cause this, right?
2. Does it have a setting to only do a scheduled full system scan, if your PC is idle?

Thanks!! - Mike

If AVG is updating a popup will appear but it doesn't require you do anything about it. It updates itself and closes after half a minute after loading in the updated modules. It will quite happily update whilst in the background. I guess of you are using a full screen for Civ it may well possibly switch out back to Windows but you should be able to switch back just as easily. I've never experienced any kind of crash whilst using another app when it's updating.
Just looking at the options and there is an option to 'show the update process' so perhaps you can switch the popup off.

For the next question, if you have scheduled in a full scan it will perform the scan regardless of what the machine is doing. There is however more scan options in the AVG Pro package. I just got the basic freeware one, I think you pay for the Pro package.

 

[ModernKnight]

Hi folks,

I guess of you are using a full screen for Civ it may well possibly switch out back to Windows but you should be able to switch back just as easily.

Ok... but you're not sure, eh? So maybe it doesn't.

I'd pay $30/year or so for good A/V s/w. That's not a problem.

At this point I am leaning toward NOD32 because netbjarne's given the most specific response in terms of low impact. I actually asked about my issues on an A/V message board, but while they were A/V experts, none of them were gamers, so they weren't able to address this well. They just made general recommends, which were NOD32, AV, and F-Prot. Since NOD32 is coming up the best so far, all told, I'm leaning toward it. Unless I hear something more.

Can anybody recommend better message boards for asking about A/V s/w? Especially if there might be gamers there, as well.

Thanks! - Mike