It seems like with every new version of an anti-virus, spyware, ad-ware, etc. programs are being made to hog more and more of your computer resources. With anti-virus providers attempting to increase their user base, each new generation of anti-virus program attempts to do more than the last and by so doing, also ends up stealing more of your computer’s resources. When you’re in the middle of a game, or editing a video and feel your system slowing down and come to find out that your anti-virus program decided that it was the best time to run a on-the-fly scan of running files on your computer, it’s time to ditch that program.

I’ve personally tried Symantec, Norton, AVG, ClamAV for Windows, but settled with Avast. All of the other anti-virus programs just hijacked my system attempting to run all sorts of real-time scans which sap previous CPU time and RAM. Avast easily takes the backseat while I do what I want, then when the system is not being used, it takes care of its business.

Out of all of the programs that I have used and  worked with, Norton Internet Security has to be the absolute worst of them all. Not only is it a paid program with features that several free programs offer, but it also has to be one of the most resource intensive programs. Many of the features users rely on will be blocked by Norton, so you can expect to have issues with sending pictures in email, have problems with Internet connection, and not to mention if you rely on remote connections to servers for FTP, SSH, or any other remote administration, Norton will see to it that you jump through hoops to use those. Try disabling the program and it doesn’t allow you to disable it permenently, just until the next system startup.

AVGFree has also gone the way of the resource hog. I’ve been a big fan of AVGFree but the company has to begin to offer a smooth upgrade from one version to the next. When Version 7 was first introduced, users on Version 6 received a nasty message every time the computer was restarted stating that the program would no longer be supported after the release of the new version. Why not just offer a nice upgrade message? Not quite sure what the thinking was but you had to install a separate instance of the new version of the program to “upgrade”. The same thing has happened with the release of version 8.  Version 8 also has a number of complaints from users about the amount of system resources it uses, so it’s best to avoid it. It’s a shame that an excellent program has become so bad.

Avast!, at least for the time being, is a safe alternative. Free to download and install, you will just be required to register with an email address to receive a license. The license is free so why you’re required to do this is a mystery, but at least you have a program that will give you the strong protection but is light on resources as to not become cumbersome to you as a power users.

Avast! Free can be downloaded here (download offered by Download.com: http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html