Free antivirus that still supports Windows XP

Microsoft no longer protects you in Windows XP, but there’s plenty of free security software that does. outlines the best antivirus tools for XP

Don’t be fooled by Microsoft’s recent U-turn on patching Windows XP. The surprise security fix for Internet Explorer 8 (the last internet explorer version that works with Windows XP) doesn’t mean that XP is now safe after all, or that the end of support for XP on 8 April was a big lie to get us all to upgrade to Windows 8. The internet explorer 8 patch on 1 May was a one-off, and it’s very unlikely there will be any more.
Microsoft will continue to update XP’s built-in security software, including Microsoft Security Essentials (http://bit.ly/1fxEN7D) and Windows Defender, and it still updates its virus definitionsin XP. But that just won’t cut it. Th  ese tools score far below many free alternatives in antivirus tests, so it’s dangerous to rely on them. One recent Windows Defender update on the internet even caused thousands of XP computers to crash at startup. As a result, Microsoft’s Technet forums were flooded with angry posts from Windows XP users (read them at http://bit.ly/1p9s6Zm). 

To stay safe in Windows XP, you need to build a solid wall of third-party security tools that do the job Microsoft no longer does. Antivirus companies are busy releasing and updating programs to meet demand from the Windows XP users that Microsoft has abandoned, so you have plenty to choose from.

Keep viruses off your XP PC

The best antivirus products that keep you safe in Windows XP come at a price. Premium suites Kaspersky Internet Security 2014 (www.kaspersky.co.uk), Norton Internet Security (uk.norton.com) and ESET Smart Security 7 (www.eset.co.uk) achieved the best results in the latest Home Antivirus Protection test by our security team at Dennis Technology Labs.

But right behind them were two completely free products: Avast Free Antivirus (www.avast.com) and AVG AntiVirus Free 2014 (http://bit.ly/1todjWi). Avast Free Antivirus is easy to use and very powerful security, with various scan levels that range from very fast to very thorough. Its database of virus definitions is updated constantly to give you ongoing protection, even against zero-day vulner abilities like the one Microsoft eventually patched on 1 May. Avast has pledged to support XP for at least another two years, which is great news to the 27 per cent of Avast users who still use XP and don’t plan to change. 

AVG AntiVirus Free is less powerful than Avast, but it also uses up much less processing power, so it’s ideal if your computer is a bit old or slow. AVG says it has “no plans to stop supporting XP users” and that XP will receive virus definitions “for the forseeable future”, which our Technology Labs team defines as 2016 or later. Read AVG’s statement at http://bit.ly/1BYABMz.

Try out all these programs to see which suits your needs best, but only keep one on your computer. If you have two security antivirus programs running at the same time they will conflict, eff ectively identifying each other as viruses and stopping either program from working properly. Having two antivirus programs is as bad as having no antivirus at all.

Find and remove malware

The outstanding security anti-malware program Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free (www.malwarebytes.org) is designed to run alongside your antivirus, and won’t conflict with it. The new version of Malwarebytes includes “guaranteed lifetime support” for XP. Malwarebytes told Computeractive: “We will continue to support XP for as long as it’s technically possible. Th  at goes for our free version as well as premium. Twenty per cent of our users still run XP, and they shouldn’t have to pay to get protected.” Each time you open Malwarebytes it updates its database, so it won’t overlook any recent malware or PUPs (Potentially
Unwanted Programs), such as adware that slow down your computer and could be used by hackers to break into your PC.Select ‘Perform full scan’ the first time, then use the default ‘quick scan’ every week or two to keep your computer clean. It’s a portable program, so you can run it from the EXEfile on a USB stick to check for unwanted nasties on a friend or family member’s computer.

Block threats in Internet

Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome Web Of Trust (www.mywot.com/download) is a free add-on for internet explorer, Firefox and Chrome that uses a traffi c-lights system to warn you about phishinglinks, malicious sites and other traps. A green icon indicates that a link has excellent safety reports; amber is ‘unsatisfactory’ and red means ‘poor’. Red links are blocked by default, but you can still click them if you really want to. Web Of Trust is internet browser based and constantly updated, so it’ll always work in Windows XP.
A firewallis another essential weapon against threats from the web. Comodo Firewall Free (http://bit.ly/1zMP5KB) works alongside your antivirus and anti-malware programs and acts like a shield to protect you against threats like internet malware and zero-day attacks. Its current version still works in XP. 

Note that if you’re using Internet Explorer in XP you should be extra vigilant. Iinternet Explorer’s popularity makes it a prime target for hackers.