If you're still using Windows XP, then why not just install an older program version of Avast (like version 6 or version 7)?
You will still receive your virus definition updates.
Under settings, just ensure that Program Version updates is set to manual.

cautiousness 😀

I'd second ClamAV. Lightweight and anti-virus is a rare mix nowadays; most of the antiviral genre is a marketing ploy to scare you into subscription plans</tinfoil>

jesolo wrote:

If you're still using Windows XP, then why not just install an older program version of Avast (like version 6 or version 7)?
You will still receive your virus definition updates.
Under settings, just ensure that Program Version updates is set to manual.

I remember when I have to update the program version to receive virus definition updates, though I didn't remember exactly the details. It was some years ago (I started using Avast from 2010, before that I used AVG until it became bloatware.

leileilol wrote:

cautiousness 😀

I'm not cautious, I'm paranoid. 😉

leileilol wrote:

I'd second ClamAV. Lightweight and anti-virus is a rare mix nowadays; most of the antiviral genre is a marketing ploy to scare you into subscription plans</tinfoil>

Thanks! 😀

last time i used clamav it didnt monitor in the background, so i just manually checked every downloaded file and the machine was pretty clean;

I've never had any issues activating BitDefender free. It is my go-to recommendation for personal use. But if you're having issues with that, MSE is my 2nd choice. Their detection rates have gone up considerably (see av-test.org) in recent times, which was always their Achilles Heel.

Regarding ClamAV, they were recently tested by av-test.org and did about as poorly as I've ever seen an A/V do. IMO, ClamAV should be limited to a background scanner for linux servers. It doesn't have what it takes (especially on Windows PCs) for a desktop scanner.
Another good site to check detection rates is av-comparatives.org

edit: so here is the article. ClamAV caught 15% of Windows malware and 66% of Linux malware.

I'd revisit BitDefender Free. I've never had an issue activating it on many PCs. You just have to give them an email address. If you can't make it work, (and since you're so well protected on other layers), Microsoft Security Essentials is MORE than adequate enough as a single layer of defense. Here are their latest results.

Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman wrote:

I am already well-protected even without antivirus. I have blocked malicious sites and ad sites using hosts file (as well as updating it regularly)

Oh, by the way, I'm using Windows XP SP2 32-bit. Many thanks.

Have you looked at the browser add-on uBlock Origin? It has the ability to use multiple block lists AND HOSTS file entries, and auto-updates.

I just noticed you want the A/V for XP, so that rules out Microsoft Security Essentials. 🙁

clueless1 wrote:

I just noticed you want the A/V for XP, so that rules out Microsoft Security Essentials. 🙁

The final non-FUD version of MSE, v4.4.304, still works fine with SP3. I'm not sure about SP2 though.

Qihoo's 360 TSE is very nice.

eL_PuSHeR wrote:

Qihoo's 360 TSE is very nice.

😳 😳 😳 Are you sure?

Anyway, I think most virus today come from USB flash drives, because based on my experience, disabling Autorun solves most of my virus problem. I have yet to encounter acquaintance(s) who get virus by stupidly opening executables from email attachments, for instance. Maybe in the year 2000, a lot of people did that, but today nobody seems to care enough to open dubious attachment from unknown email. Flash drive virus, on the other hand, has become very ubiquitous that I almost never found flash drive without autorun.inf file in it. Heck, me and my colleagues once called it 'venereal disease', since it is transmitted by inserting the 'male reproductive organ' (the flash drive) into the 'female reproductive organ' (the USB port). I even knew someone who has a habit of making 'oooh yeah' noise every time he inserted a flash drive into his laptop's USB port, too bad he's a male. Gyah.

Sometime ago I used in 7 AVG and that rig with E2180 and 2 GB ram ran very good with that, a lot better than with Avast. Now I have only Linux Mint MATE and run much better than everything before.

If you want to try to get away from A/V on a Windows PC, here are some layers that will help:
-use a limited/standard user account and get used to typing an admin password when needed. Over 90% of infections could be prevented by just doing this.
-install CryptoPrevent. At its most basic level it changes local policy to write-protect sensitive OS areas that malware typically uses as entry points (such as appdatalocal). You have the option to whitelist legitimate programs. It has no performance impact whatsoever as all it's doing is changing policy defaults. This and the limited account will protect against infected USB flash drives.
-use a filtering DNS service such as Norton Connectsafe or OpenDNS.
-use uBlock Origin browser add-in which brings with it various ad-blocking and malware domain blocking via well-know IP and domain blocklists as well as well-known HOSTS files such as MVPS HOSTS.
-scan your system periodically with Malwarebytes Anti-malware, Junkware Removal Tool and AdwCleaner. Get the last two at bleepingcomputer.com.

I use a whitelisting system rather than blacklist, it's easier to maintain by far. How many sites do we actually visit anyways?

Antivirus is a scam, haven't used it in 8 years now. I think antivirus companies purvey virus and even put their own in as a leverage tactic to get you to buy their crap </faraday cage>. All I use is Malwarebytes occasionally to manually scan, and check what things add to my start up and task scheduling with autoruns and/or msconfig. Blocking ads and javascript is far more effective imo... also avoiding downloaders and "wares" sites, as well as porn and click bait (news) sites.

Avast is a pure shit.

hwswITA wrote:

Avast is a pure shit.

Years ago, I ran AVG until it got too bloated. At one point its updates were actually killing systems, so I stopped using it.

Then, I ran Avira AntiVir until it too became bloated and I couldn't stop the ads.

For the past several years, I've been running Avast and stopping its advertising by blocking avastui.exe in my firewall. For the low price of free, I can't complain. What is it that you don't like about Avast?

I also run MSE on some of my other systems. It seems to work pretty good too.

Both Avast and MSE seem to catch the same problems when I throw a known-bad file at them.

I haven't used an anti-virus since 2009 or so. 🤣

I wonder what's on my hard disk by now...

Avast blocked K-Lite codecs short after install, also did it with elements of Kadu or Libreoffice and stopped entire rig when I downloading games from GoG by a Galaxy Client, and used all ram by doing that, it scans after few seconds repeating that game file scanning I downloading and also harddisk work all that time hard. Sometime earlier Avast also was downloading newer versions of other programs and even when I uninstalled Avast that downloading don`t stopped. Avast gived me very very much problems, AVG work far better, Avira was slowing my PC worse than Avast. I tired of antyvirus programs and I use only Linux for now.

Panda Free is also nice but some people claim it doesn't work too well with slow Internet connections.