How to Choose the Right Antivirus for Your HomePC

You may feel like you’re always on the lookout for new and inventive ways to keep your home or office computer safe and secure. An antivirus program can help protect your computer against viruses and other malware attacks, while also keeping you informed of any security breaches that take place. But choosing the right one can be a challenge. After all, not everyone is sold on the idea of running another software program solely to protect their computing devices. That’s why we created this blog post to help you overcome some of the questions you may have about antivirus for windows programs and choose the right one for your home PC. We rounded up answers from experts to get everything covered — from why you should consider getting an antivirus program for your computer in the first place to how to choose the best one for your needs.

What is antivirus software, and why choose one?

Antivirus software is a program that monitor and attempt to remove (or “vir”) any files on your computer that are malicious or harmful. The antivirus program typically runs from the hard drive and utilizes the malware detection engine to look for potential threats on your computer. After installing the program, the user will be given a scan result in which they can view the items detected. If the program detects any threats, it prompts the user to remove the items if he or she so desired.

What is the difference between a virus scanner and an antivirus program?

Both a virus scanner and an antivirus program aim to detect and remove malware. But there are some key distinctions between them, as discussed below. A virus scanner is designed to check the integrity of your computer’s physical hardware. Such scanners are often bundled with antivirus programs. A virus and malware scanner both look for malware in the files on your computer. But a virus scanner also looks for malicious code inside files that are not supposed to be on your computer, while an antivirus program only catches malicious code within the computer’s own files.

To keep your computer safe, you need to have an antivirus program

Many home and business computers do not have an antivirus program pre-installed. That’s why it’s critical to make sure you know what to look for and how to spot malicious code when you see it. To make sure you’re on the right track with this, let’s look at what an antivirus program does and its main features. Antivirus software scans your computer every day and compares the results against known malware strains. If the program detects a new strain, it’ll immediately notify you so you can download and install the latest version of the software. The program will also alert you if any of your computer’s files are missing or have been altered in any way. This includes images, videos, documents, and other files that make up your computer’s operating system. The program will also monitor your computer’s activity and prompt the user when anything suspicious happens. This includes the ability to manually start the program when you log into your account, along with the ability to set a password to protect your files.

The best way to protect your home PC against malware

Antivirus programs are great for protecting your computer against malware attacks that occur online. However, you should also keep an eye out for malware that invades your computer through your computer’s own resources. This is called “in-house” malware and is commonly found on computers that run on Windows, macOS, or other platforms. When you find signs of in-house malware, it’s critical to run an antimalware program on your computer. For example, researchers have found ways to infiltrate computers by adding fake files to run when you log into your account. Others have looked for ways to disguise malevolent code by changing the file extension to make the detection process more challenging. When you find signs of in-house malware, scan your computer for viruses and other malicious files using your antivirus program. Run an antimalware program on all of your devices, including your computer. This includes all of your devices that connect to the internet — like a smartphone, laptop, or computer. It also includes hardware like game consoles, set-top boxes, and webcams. Keep your computer clean. Malware can only survive for a short time without being able to infect new hardware so it’s a good idea to regularly clean your computer. This can be done manually or automatically with a program like “ perpetually on clean computer ” fromcommand@mac.com.

Bottom line

Antivirus programs can help keep your computer safe from viruses and other malware attacks. However, you should also keep an eye out for malware that invades your computer through your computer’s own resources. This is called “in-house” malware and is commonly found on computers that run on Windows, macOS, or other platforms. In-house malware should be detected by an antivirus program. Keep your computer clean, and remove signs of in-house malware with an antimalware program. You should also keep a watch out for malware that invades your computer through your computer’s own resources, such as adding fake files to run when you log into your account, changing the file extension to make the detection process more challenging, or Trojan horses that target popular file-movering programs.