The first computer virus appeared back in 1982. It was launched by a teenager from the USA. I started it out of hooligan motives, because the guy was then only 15 years old. Today viruses have a much more complex structure, and their authors often pursue the goal of making a profit or disabling information systems. Applied to regular users, hackers are interested in credit card details and the money they extort for unlocking a computer... Why install an antivirus on a laptop? How to choose from many suggestions that slows down your computer least of all, but does not miss threats, in this article.
Do I need to install antivirus on a laptop running Windows 7, 8.1 or 10
With the advent of a special standard program Defender in Windows, discussions began to arise: does a Windows laptop now need a third-party application to protect against viruses. It is not difficult to check that the Defender is in his post. Click the Start button and start writing the name of the Defender program. If you receive such a message, then the program is disabled and has transferred its powers to an external antivirus. Otherwise, you will see information about the status of the standard protection application.
Discussions on Windows Defender have come to an end today. Moreover, by Microsoft itself. The developer stated that his protection application is not capable of fully combating advanced third-party solutions from professional manufacturers of programs that protect the computer from infection. But we do not recommend disabling the Defender until another application is installed to prevent virus infection. Yet basic defense is defense too.
Why does antivirus on a laptop slow down?
To understand the question of choosing the best free or paid antivirus for our laptop, we must understand the main thing: why such applications slow down the system. The answer is simple.
- The largest number of threats today are downloaded by users themselves from the Internet or opened from e-mail.
- A program installed on a laptop may not itself be a virus, but over time it will infect other applications with a virus.
Therefore, any antivirus must constantly scan files downloaded from the Internet or created by programs already available on a laptop. They are checked against specially prepared databases that need to be updated regularly. This takes away processor and disk resources, which are already limited on a laptop.
An ordinary user will not be able to independently determine the minimally inhibiting, but at the same time effective, antivirus. We will help you with this.
How to find the best laptop antivirus
There are special resources on the Internet that are devoted specifically to independent testing of antiviruses. Moreover, both expensive paid ones and absolutely free ones. This is how, for example, the conclusion of one such resource, Av-Comparatives, looks in their recent test in terms of phishing protection. Everything is simple and clear: 3 stars is good, 1 is bad.
The longer the green bar in the test category corresponds to the higher performance. We marked with a red frame two applications that showed good results in the performance test and have free versions.
For greater objectivity, we present the data of another antivirus software expert, AV-test. There are three columns here: the degree of protection, Protection, performance, Performance and usability, Usability. This last rating is consistent with the usability of the program. As we can see, of the free versions, Avast is also in the first places. 
Paid and free versions of antiviruses
As a rule, paid versions of software products provide the user with a better service. Antiviruses are no exception. You shouldn't expect them to work faster. But paid versions will provide more effective protection.
Free Antivirus Limitations
Using one of the leading free AVG antiviruses as an example, we will look at the developers' approach to limiting functionality.
We have highlighted the possibilities of a free license with a red frame. All the most probable ways of infection and penetration of the threat to the laptop are marked in the free version. If you are attracted by one or more of the additional features, your choice is the paid version.
The cost of paid antivirus software
What is the price of paid antivirus software? It is different, but the principle is the same for everyone: the number of licenses and their validity period. To clarify the range of prices, we provide the cost of home use, on one laptop, for several developers.
As you can see, prices are about the same for everyone. Functionality too.
Attention! The price of an antivirus for a laptop is a conditional concept. It can change very significantly during the campaign. It is at this time that the acquisition of such programs is most profitable. But the renewal will be carried out at the regular price.
How to install antivirus on a laptop (step by step guide)
- Choose, following the principles described above, the developer and delivery option for the security program. We took Avast as an example (we do not insist on this choice, this is not an advertisement).
- Be sure to head over to the developer's official website. Here you are guaranteed to get a real program, and not a virus disguised as it. In our guide, we will be downloading the free version. Please note that different developers on the site make finding the free version as inconvenient as possible, and you can get confused. With the paid versions it is easier - all the paths on the site lead exactly to their purchase.
- Find an invitation to download an antivirus for free
- The free version can be hidden under a slightly different name: basic, starter, and so on. This should not confuse you. Read the text carefully so as not to download the trial paid version!
- During the process of downloading and installing the program, you will be prompted to buy the paid version more than once. So again, read the message texts carefully when you press the buttons.
- After the antivirus has started to work in full force, you can disable the regular Windows Defender.
Approximately the same steps must be taken to install free antiviruses from other manufacturers on a laptop. For example, here's what the invitation to
Support of a domestic manufacturer
It's not a secret for anyone that Kaspersky's company has been working on the antivirus market for a very long time. It is not the first year that they have been producing software at the highest level, which is confirmed by the demand not only in the domestic market, but also abroad.
Having conducted our research, we can say that Kaspersky Anti-Virus is no worse than foreign counterparts and is one of the leaders in this area, and that is why we use only their product.
How to use paid antivirus on a laptop for free
There are two options for free use of paid antivirus packages, which in no way violate the licensing rules, and therefore do not entail any liability in terms of legislation.
- In magazines, especially about computer games, and on various sites on the Internet, you can find keys with a limited validity period for fairly solid antiviruses.
- The second way is to become a tester of a manufacturing company. The easiest way to do this is with the developer Avira. So you get an unlimited period of using the company's top paid products.
What is the best antivirus for my laptop?
It is impossible to say with certainty which antivirus is the best. Everyone praises the one they like. At one time I had DrWeb, then Kaspersky and Norton, and now Eset Nod smart security. But even now I cannot say which one is better. Each has its pros and cons. A good antivirus can only be for corporate clients.
If you approach the protection of your computer, then antivirus alone is indispensable. I have always installed and still install a firewall (for example, Comodo). Additionally, I install plug-ins from advertising (for example, AddBlock) on my working browser. But all together this greatly slows down the system, so users begin to resent and switch to other antiviruses. Here you have to choose - protection or speed, since the work of protection eats up a lot of the computer's RAM.
If you don’t want to bother, you can check DrWeb Curreit, AVZ and CCleaner at the end of your work with the computer.
I don't see much difference between antivirus for a laptop or for a personal computer.
It depends on what your laptop is intended for. If, first of all, for the Internet, then it is better to install Kaspersky in my opinion, but it should be borne in mind that you should not install it on an old (weak) laptop, since this antivirus is quite resource-intensive (it does not load system memory too weak).
Still good options - Avast, Nod 32. They say that DrWeb antivirus is good, but personally I have not worked with it.
In general, some advanced users do not use antivirus services. They themselves know perfectly well how to notice that an infection has entered the computer and calculate it through the Task Manager. It is not difficult to find a virus, and you can remove it, for example, with a simple but effective Unlocker program.
For a laptop, the best antivirus is Eset Nod 32. Again, you did not specify what operating system your laptop is on. If Windows, then download the node, there is even a grace period for a month. You can download Nod 32 here: http://www.esetnod32.ru/download/overview/ If it's a Mac Book, I won't even tell you.
I have avast free antivirus, it's free. True, there is also a paid version, it has many more features. But the free one is enough for me. Every time you download something and the file turns out to be with a virus, the program warns you.
I don’t know about you, but I like the AVAST antivirus. And it is better to buy an antivirus immediately for a long time, and not trial for 30 days. Well, or on the Internet for free, you can find the key to it. Since the trial versions are not strong protection.
As for me, in any case, it is better to opt for the paid antivirus Doctor Web. I have already tried Avast and many others, but for several years now Doctor Web antivirus has been installed. Try installing the free trial on your laptop first and then decide which one you like best.
It would be best to install antivirus from Kaspersky or antivirus from Microsoft, these antiviruses are good because, unlike Avast, they do not slow down and when you go to some unprotected site or a suspicious site that may have viruses, these antiviruses tell you about it warn. There is, of course, one drawback, that these antiviruses are paid. It is also a good idea to install cleaning programs such as CCleaner to remove temporary files and fix errors.
Here opinions can be divided. It seems to me that there is nothing better than GCD -32. I have been sitting with this antivirus for over ten years now, and I have never been fooled.
The system practically does not load, there are constant updates, after which even the Doctor Web utility does not find jambs (at least for me).
There are no universal antivirus programs. Each antivirus program has its own pros and cons. I use Eset Nod 32. There are no particular problems. You can always pick up a free key on the Internet. Friends use AVAST, and they are also quite satisfied with it.
I have AVAST installed, I'm quite happy with it.
In general, there are many decent antiviruses. Find your favorite by trial. Each has both pros and cons, so there is a large selection, try and find one that you like.
I began to install Japanese disposable viruses. Very conveniently, they are free and they clean everything perfectly. Doesn't slow down my laptop. I felt something suspicious and put it on time. I cleaned it later, he himself, as it were, remains in sleep mode. And here are some more free anti-viruses.
Very often, laptop users do not care about its safety, but this is extremely important. Do you still doubt whether you need an antivirus for your laptop? If a laptop without an anti-virus program connects to the Internet, then you can be sure that in a couple of hours it will already be infected.
To avoid viruses from entering your computer, be sure to turn on the firewall, download a free laptop antivirus and install it. This protection goes much deeper than at the operating system level. Nowadays you can find a huge variety of free and paid antivirus software from various developers. This article will help you decide which antivirus to choose for your laptop.
I would like to say right away that there is no antivirus that will protect your laptop one hundred percent. No software guarantees perfect protection for you. However, this does not mean that you will not be able to protect your computer from viruses.
The choice of antivirus software is enormous. But how well you select the antivirus will depend on how well the laptop will be protected. A high-quality program will provide protection somewhere around 95%, from almost all threats. Moreover, it does not matter at all what model of laptop you have, because you can download antivirus software on your laptop Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba.
Antivirus Is a software product that monitors the security of your device and protects it from malicious software. The antivirus program constantly monitors the data with which we interact and reports on possible threats. Further, the viruses that were found are destroyed.
Before deciding what is the best antivirus for a laptop, you need to understand one point. Only one antivirus should be installed on the laptop. Some people think that the more antivirus software installed on a laptop, the better protection will be. This is absolutely not the case. If two antiviruses are installed on the computer at once, then they will conflict with each other. And if you choose an antivirus for a weak laptop, then such a conflict will lead to a severe system slowdown.
If you want to use another antivirus, then, first of all, remove the previous one. However, this rule does not apply to auxiliary programs for fighting rootkits, spyware, and the like.
Now is the time to consider free laptop antiviruses:
- Kaspersky Anti-Virus is undoubtedly the leader and ideal for home use. It has the highest level of protection, works quickly, does not slow down the system, and blocks malicious sites. The disadvantages include the fact that for a full scan you will need to close all programs.
- Avast - you can use it for at least a year for free and at the same time it perfectly protects the laptop. Scanning is fast, but Avast does not see some viruses.
- Avira is a multi-award winning high-tech antivirus. Suitable for more professional protection. Thanks to centralized management, resource consumption is minimal.
Many manufacturers of protection products release free editions of antiviruses, which can be completely downloaded from the official website of the manufacturer and used on their computers.
Most developers include only anti-virus scanners in free editions without real-time protection, but there are developers who provide a full range of tools to protect your data in their free version.
Below is a selection of antiviruses that you can download and use for free.
07/19/2018, Anton Maksimov
The ranks of free antiviruses with constant protection have been supplemented by a new version of a Kaspersky Lab product called Kaspersky Free. If earlier they had only a curing utility (antivirus scanner Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool), now they also release real-time protection of the file system and protection against malicious sites on the network.
06/12/2018, Anton Maksimov
There is never enough security. This is the opinion of many manufacturers of protection systems. Including the developers of the free antivirus 360 Total Security, which includes as many as 5 engines. Yes, this antivirus has many different engines, each of which performs its own task. It includes Avira and Bitdefender virus detection engines, QVM II proactive protection, 360 Cloud and System Repair.
04/18/2018, Anton Maksimov
Avast Free Antivirus is a free antivirus suite with real-time protection. Perfect for home use. In addition to the anti-virus module itself, it has a number of additional tools that will help save data and protect you from network threats.
01/11/2018, Anton Maksimov
So we got our hands on the free Comodo Internet Security. It is a set of tools for protecting your computer, which includes firewall, antivirus and proactive protection module. I will not describe all the properties of Comodo Internet Security, because, in my opinion, they are standard and are present in most similar programs. The main difference of this program from the rest is its free and amazing reliability. If configured correctly, the program allows you to secure your computer to the maximum. The other day I reviewed several comparison tests that were conducted by various companies, and the results of these tests surprised me quite a lot. As an example, I will give the results of one of these tests.
10/05/2017, Anton Maksimov
AVG AntiVirus FREE is a world renowned antivirus program that is available for free to home users and is already used by millions of people around the world. Unlike many free scanners from major antivirus laboratories, AVG is a complete product that can keep your PC fully secure. AVG Anti-Virus FREE is easy to use and does not slow down the operating system (has low system requirements).
07/12/2017, Anton Maksimov
Today I will tell you about another free antivirus Avira Free Antivirus, which recently settled on one of my computers. The situation with him is special, since this antivirus is not a simple scanner, you do not need to download it every time you need to check the system. This antivirus hangs in memory and does everything on its own. It independently downloads and installs updates, independently checks the files accessed by the operating system and various applications.
A massive attack by the WannaCry ransomware (WannaCryptor, WanaDecryptor) infected tens of thousands of computers in organizations and public institutions around the world. The malware uses a known vulnerability described in security bulletin MS17-010 and a combination of EternalBlue / DoublePulsar exploits, which allow attacking other vulnerable Windows systems on the same network. As a result, infection of one computer can lead to the compromise of the entire corporate network in the organization.
After a vulnerability appears on a computer due to the successful exploitation of a vulnerability, the WannaCry ransomware encrypts all files and documents of certain formats, executing remote commands sent via the SMB protocol and spreading to other Windows computers on the network.
Perhaps you are too gullible, and therefore did not install the antivirus on your PC, or the license for your antivirus has already expired, or the antivirus installed on you does not provide maximum protection, and ... maybe your PC is infected!
02/20/2015, Anton Maksimov
For the vast majority of home users of Windows 7 and Windows 10, a regular antivirus product from Microsoft is fine. In the Windows 10 operating system, it is already built into a system called Windows Defender and does not need to be additionally downloaded and installed. But for Windows 7 you will have to install it by downloading the Microsoft Security Essentials distribution kit from the Microsoft website. Basically, they are one and the same product, but with different names for different systems.
07.22.2013, Anton Maksimov
Dr.Web CureIt! - an antivirus that is noticeably different from the usual programs for everyone. This utility does not work all the time, preventing malware from appearing on the computer. It allows you to cure an already infected PC from viruses, Trojan horses, rootkits, etc. This feature of Dr.Web CureIt! defines the scope of this product. It can be used periodically to check the reliability of the anti-virus installed on the computer, as well as in cases when, by indirect indications, a PC infection can be suspected. In general, Dr.Web CureIt! difficult to overestimate.
06/26/2013, Anton Maksimov
Continuing the popular topic of free antivirus, I want to mention one more development that I got acquainted with relatively recently and which I have not yet had time to write about. In theory, it would be possible to add this information to the original message, but I decided to arrange everything in a separate note. So, today we will talk about a free antivirus from Kaspersky Lab called Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool.
21.10.2009, Anton Maksimov
An interesting free antivirus program is released by Microsoft. The utility is called the Malicious Software Removal Tool. This tool automatically scans your computer for a number of malicious programs and immediately removes them when it is found. The tool is not a replacement for the usual anti-virus utility, it only allows you to perform an express analysis for the presence of common viruses.
The first task of the Internet user is to secure their device, be it a stationary computer, laptop or gadget. Antivirus will help us with this. In the Russian Federation, the most popular are free antiviruses, but as practice shows, they do not provide the same level of protection as paid software.
Several factors are taken into account. I will try to help you choose a product. Below are the top 5 best antivirus programs in Russia.
Choosing an antivirus
As you already know, there are many different antiviruses on the Russian market, both paid and free. It will be quite difficult for a person who is not versed in computers and software to choose a product that suits him from a huge list.
Key points to help you choose an antivirus:
1. The level of protection that the product you are interested in can provide. 
For this, there are specialized forums where users share their opinions, you can also find out information on the antivirus website. The main attention should be paid to the frequency of the antivirus updates. Find out if there are additional tools other than malware search.
2. The amount of resources consumed by your operating system. 
It is imperative to read the requirements of the antivirus for the device, since your device (laptop, tablet, smartphone - usually they have a small amount of power), which will lead to freezing and unstable operation of the antivirus, in the end you will have to abandon this product.
3. The price issue. As mentioned, there are free and paid software. For people who are not particularly versed in computer devices, in most cases the paid version is suitable, 
You don't have to manually check and configure your antivirus every time. Install it - and a whole year, no worries, no hassle. But even with the free version, you will not know any problems if you are as vigilant as possible when working on the Internet!
Top 5 antiviruses
one. . Takes a well-deserved first place. Ideal for Microsoft operating systems Windows 7,8,8.1,10 series. You can rest easy using social networks, surfing, downloading various files. This antivirus is equipped with a two-way firewall that protects your computer from external media with virus programs.
With BitDefender Antivirus, you can easily restore your system in case of an error. The cost of an annual subscription is from $ 30.
2.. The second most popular antivirus software in Russia. This is one of the most powerful antiviruses at the moment, protects against all possible threats from the Internet and removable media. Antivirus is recognized as anti-spyware, protecting against bots and spyware.
Like BitDefender, it has a System Restore feature. It has the widest database, which is updated every day. The cost of this product for 1 PC is 1799 rubles.
3.. Very popular in Russia. Well suited for beginners, as the design and simplicity of the antivirus is amazing. Kaspersky not only blocks all incoming virus software, but also heals those that have slipped through. With this antivirus you will forget about the word spam, the program simply prevents spam links and messages from reaching the user.
However, this antivirus is not intended for users with weak machines, because it requires a lot of resources. The price of an annual set with a period of one year is 1800 rubles.
4. . According to the latest statistics, this antivirus is considered the most popular in Russia, due to the fact that it provides a free trial version.
Antivirus continuously monitors the firewall while improving device performance. Spam protection is at the highest level. The cost of the product is 1439 rubles and more.
5. . To check this antivirus, there is a free version, without some features. The main advantages of this antivirus is the fight against spyware and spam. It protects your device well from malware viruses. It has a distinctive feature in its asset - it not only updates its databases, but also updates other programs on your computer.
The cost of the Premier version package is 1250 rubles. The price of an annual subscription for Internet Security and PRO versions ranges from 700-900 rubles.
