Anti-Virus.gif (GIF Image, 512×384 pixels)_1259738863887Antivirus software is a computer program that detects, prevents, and takes action to disarm or remove malicious software programs, such as viruses and worms. You can help protect your computer against viruses by using antivirus software.

Here is five most popular options to protect your PC.

Avira

AntiVir is relatively popular and efficient software that is very fast which comes at the cost of thorough scanning however. One of the disadvantages of Avira is the terribly annoying full-screen pop-ups that open up at random intervals. Overall the virus detection and protection is good enough for it to be ranked at the second position in our list.Five Best Antivirus Applications - antivirus - Lifehacker_1259737419898

Microsoft Security Essentials

Microsoft Security Essentials is the newest addition to Microsoft’s computer protection software. It replaces the Windows Live OneCare subscription service and Windows Defender by providing more comprehensive coverage than either of the two originally provided. Microsoft Security Essentials is free for all Windows users and provides protection against a variety of threats including viruses, malware, adware, and spyware.

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Avast!

This software, which shows sufficient and good enough virus detection and removal, comes with a 60-day trial, after which you must register. A completely free version of this antivirus software requires your email address. Although the performance is not bad, it is not easy-to-navigate and does not provide a progress bar that indicates the progress of the scanning process.Five Best Antivirus Applications - antivirus - Lifehacker_1259734900746

ESET NOD32 Antivirus

NOD32 has built a large based of users over the years by having a low number of false positives and a high rate of early detection thanks to their community-sourced ThreatSense detection system. As a fun bit of trivia, American users may know the application as “NOD” and pronounce the acronym as an actual word, but the name is actually an acronym that hails from the Eastern European origins of the application.

The acronym NOD stands for Nemocnica na Okraji Disk (“Hospital at the end of the disk”), a pun related to the Czechoslovakian medical drama series Nemocnica na okraji mesta (Hospital at the End of the City).

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AVG

The free offering from AVG is one of the lightest, feature-wise, among the nominations in this Hive Five. That said, if you’re looking for a basic antivirus application that will scan your computer, keep an eye out for spyware, and keep you from visiting malware and virus laden websites (via their LinkScanner protection), AVG is a solid free offering.

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Which Antivirus Appliaction is Best? (Poll Closed)

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