Free Anti-Virus Software For Windows 7 Vista and XP

There are plenty of paid antivirus software like Norton out there for Windows, but what if you want a free anti-virus. The good news is that there is plenty of free Anti Virus software that are out there.

Below I’ve listed the best of the free security software that is compatible with Windows 7, Vista and XP.

Microsoft Security Essentials

Many reviews say that Microsoft Security Essentials is the best free antivirus out there. MSE is very lightweight and effective, but it does have some issues when detecting false positives. If you want to use MSE you can download here.

Panda Cloud Antivirus

Panda Cloud Antivirus is security software in that works in the internet. The software is very lightweight, but it takes a very long tome to scan for infections. You can download here.

COMDO

COMDO has been really popular for a long time now. Like the other two options I mentioned it performs well and has OK detection. Click here to download COMDO. COMDO has different options for 32 Bit and 64 Bit PC’s so choose correctly.

AVG 9

Of all the software I’ve mentioned AVG is the most popular, but it does not mean its the best. Over the years AVG has went from performing excellently to just being plain awful. If you feel confident enough to try AVG you can download it here.

Avira

Avira is a very popular free Antivirus app. It has excellent detection and the scan speeds are the best you’ll find out of all the free apps.

The one big downside is the annoying nag screen asking to upgrade.  If your willing to put up with nag screens you can download it here.

Avast! 4.8

Avast is one of the favorite security apps of experts. Its lightweight, fast and it includes a DOS-based boot time scan, which is abnormal for free Antivirus software. You can download Avast here.

Looking at screenshots and deciding which antivirus has the good looks and which is ugly is easy. The hard part is choosing the one with the highest detection. Luckley PC world has orginised a chart with the detection rates. Here they are:

Panda: 99.4%

Avira: 98.9%

Avast: 98.2%

MSE: 97.8%

AVG: 95.8%

Comodo: 74.6%

What ever software you choose I recommend you download Both AVG's LinkScanner and Comodo Firewall as add-ons.

Remember to voice your opinion in the comments section.

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Save $80 When Buying Windows 7 With a Few Hacks

The trusted Windows expert, Paul Thurott have figured out how to use a Windows 7 Upgrade disk to do a clean install of Windows 7. This is really great because the Windows 7 Upgrade costs a whole $80 less then the regular version.

Here are the installation instructions:

1. When installing Windows 7 do a clean install. You should have no problems doing this.

2. Make sure there are no Windows Updates pending -- if there's an orange shield icon next to the Shutdown button in the Start Menu, that means you need to reboot before attempting the next steps.

3. Open the Windows Registry Editor.This can be done by clicking start and type “regedit” (without quotes).

4. In the Registry Editor navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Setup/OOBE/

5. Change MediaBootInstall from '1' to '0'

6. Open Command Prompt. This can be done by clicking start and searching for “CMD”.

7. Type slmgr /rearm -- and press enter.

Your PC will restart and run the Activate Windows utility. Then like magic, everything works and you’ve got another $80 in your pocket.

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The Today Show Helps to Launch Windows 7 by Showing in on a Macbook

Thank the lord the Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer did not turn around when he was launching Windows 7 on the today show, or he would have had a heart attack. Someone at the today show must really like Macbook’s or was pulling a funny prank because, as you can see in the above image, Windows 7 is shown on a Macbook.

We also have to consider that Ballmer may have noticed and just did not care. He may have just thought that it just promotes Windows 7 because it shows the wide verity of systems the Windows 7 can run on. Anyways you can watch the video above.

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Overpriced Gadget of the Week: $101,353 Dell Laptop

It may be another mistake by Dell or, a joke, or a complete rip off. Either way Dell is selling a Intel Core i7 Laptop for $101,353.

The Studio XPS 16 with a 1.6 GHZ i7 chip costs $101,353, but if you want to upgrade to a 1.73 GHZ chip you only have to pay about another $350. The good news is that they are taking $100 off faster memory, but frankly Dell I don't think that helps.

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The Journey to Windows 7

In the development of Windows 7, several things have been speculated and screenshots were leaked. I could not think of a better day than today, the launch of Windows 7, to look back at the development. Below is a series of screenshots which have been collected over the past two years.

Windows 7 Milestone One

When Windows 7 Milestone One was leaked, the blogosphere went wild with rumors and reports. Something as little as an out of place button caused crazy speculation. When bloggers, including myself, look back and read this speculation it makes me stop and wonder what we was thinking.

Windows 7 M1 was a very small step forward from Windows Vista. At that point the two OS’ were almost identical except for a few minor changes. Of course, Redmond has lots of things up their sleeve. You can see more screenshots here.

Windows 7 Milestone 2

There is not much to say about Milestone 2 other than it improved the stability and speed of Windows.

Windows 7 Milestone 3

Windows 7 Milestone 3 was without doubt, the biggest leap in the operating system’s development. Not only did it feature a radically different interface than Windows 7 M2, it had plenty of enhancements under the hood. It also gave us our first look at features like Homegroups and Library's. Windows 7 Milestone 3 was also the first version of the OS that Microsoft released to the public.

Windows 7 Beta

Compared to Windows 7 M3, the Beta provided more under the hood enhancements than anything. There were a few visible changes, nothing too major. Windows 7 Beta did set in stone what the Windows 7 UI would be like, setting to rest any wild rumors.

Windows 7 RC

The release of the Windows 7 RC came as a shock to most people because, abnormally, there was no Beta 2 or 3. That just went to show how confident Microsoft was in reliability of their product.

The RC debuted a a feature called Windows XP mode which will greatly change how compatibility worked. In previous versions of Windows, if you wished to use a program designed to work in a old operating system in a new one, you had to run it in a virtual PC. With Windows XP mode people no longer have to do that. If you want to read more about Windows XP mode you can do so here.

Windows 7 RTM

The RTM marked the end of Windows 7’s development. The RTM was not very different than the RC, but it is without doubt the most important stage in an operating systems development. When the RTM is completed it means the the operating system is finalized, and that computer’s are beginning to be shipped with Windows 7. Remarkably the development of one of the best OS’s only took 2 years.

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