A recent publisher’s post on CNET (or was it ZDNET?) touts the latest free Microsoft Security Essentials as being very good. I’m running the current Avast Free on my 64bit Windows7 desktop. Is Avast Free better than the current Microsoft product? If so, in what ways is it better?
Thanks in advance for the info…
Configurability: scheduling, options, features.
Detection rates (of some malwares families).
Update scheme (flexibility and reliability).
OK
I got burned earlier this year when Avast sent out a bad sig file. I had to repair/recover 2 PC’s and wasted some hours doing it.
I presume this is a complaining…therefore…why are you asking which is better??It’s a very odd and not really nice thing to ask on Avast’s forum which is better.Make some tests and decide yourself.
Try both (one at a time ;D) to see which is best for you & your computer.
I’ve tried MSE & several other av’s, I kept coming back to avast!.
I’ve tried many firewalls, but always came back to ZoneAlarm.
I’ve tried a lot of browsers, Opera is the one for me.
I’ve finished my wandering ways! ;D ;D ;D
A general comment on the tone of some replies on this forum.
If a question is asked (like the one framed and posed here by ‘cwr64’), it should be taken at face value. It is not really nice to presume what is not there.
If you have something to contribute, do so.
If you think he/she is trolling, don’t take then bait.
If I may misquote Forrest Gump, “Fanboy is as fanboy does.”
Ok,i’m not presuming.It is a real OP’s complaint.So,you have always the options to seek help on the AV own forum…or to switch to another AV if you are totally disappointed.Not asking which is better.Should someone else decide for you what AV to use? What kind of value does this question have?
I’m not contributing,sorry,just telling my opinion.Unlike others who are contributing…
Avast-“bad sig file”…bad Avast!!!Go with MSE!
Happy now?
He didn’t say that, he simply pointed out an unfortunate incident that everyone knows did happen. He didn’t suggest giving up on Avast! because of it. He is simply asking for opinions on why people think one or the other program is good.
I would say what I’ve said before. Both products do a good job of protecting you from malware infection. MSE is simpler (on the surface anyway, underneath it’s more complex than it looks) to setup and configure and is well suited for those with limited computer expertise. Avast! has more features and therefore more configuration options. Both have excellent detection rates of known threats and both are regularly updated. In most tests I’ve seen, MSE currently does a little better at blocking new malware due to how it will check suspicious files with the latest definitions on the Microsoft servers (definitions that you may not have received yet through the updating process) and will also check with the latest submissions to things like the Smart Screen filter, the malicious software tool and the other malware fighting resources Microsoft provides. I expect Avast! to improve at blocking new threats by improving the behavior shield. There are two computers here, one running Avast! and the other MSE. So far, both have detected a few threats or unsafe web sites and nothing has gotten past either one. I personally feel that the combination of IE8 and MSE works very well on the Vista machine and Avast! with IE8 and the Comodo Firewall works well on the XP system.
My opinion is that following the faulty database update release, which wasn’t tested as per normal protocol, that the likelihood of it happening again with this company is vastly reduced.
I’ve never tested MSE; never felt the need to.
I have tried AVG and Avira in the past. Since running Avast it has stayed there, and Avast would be my choice over MSE, based purely on my experience with it, and the (usually very good) quality of the forum help.
I’m not sure if this is universally helpful but in my forthcoming book “Security Advice for the Miserly” ;D, there are 3 categories of Free security software.
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Free for home use only. Here avast! 5 is my clear favourite (it even scans SSL IMAP email!)
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Free for all use. AFAIK there are only 2, PC Tools Security/Antivirus Free 7 and Comodo CIS 4.1
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Free for Home or Home Office use. There’s only MSE. BTW, Installing MSE on XP will also install ‘Microsoft Update’.
I’m sure you really mean avastly reduced. 
;D ;D ;D
In happens to a variety of AV company’s, so this not something unique to Avast. If you search this forum, you will find the reason and explanation for that bad sig file.
@JoBlack40
I did pick out your words and underline them and in hindsight that was probably a little unfair of me because
your post wasn’t really the target of my “rant” (though it did annoy me enough to tip me over the edge).
The kind of thing that really gets up my nose is when someone posts a problem and the attitude/answer of another forum member is along the lines of, “Well, it can’t be a problem with avast! It must be something else or something you’re doing wrong.”, as if any questioning or criticism of avast! is really questioning the replier’s choice to use avast! It’s just not necessary.
Well I don’t really feeling liking installing Microsoft updates after updating my harddisk memory consumption has always increased…
I see nothing wrong with Microsoft Update. It’s just an expanded version of Windows Update that covers all Microsoft products. I always leave Microsoft/Windows Update on automatic and have never had a single problem with any update delivered. I actually trust Microsoft products over anything by anyone else and always have. If there’s a Microsoft product that wiil do what I want done, I will almost always choose it first over other offerings. That’s why I use IE8, Outlook Express, Office XP, and Media Player 10. I have little or no use for open source, cobbled together, constantly changing garbage. I also feel that the more you use MS products, the less chance you will have to experience compatibility problems and performance issues.
I tried MSE for a week and changed back to Free Avast!
Many more features in Avast which I like.
MSE puts updates and restore points in my PC. Hardly any SYSTEM restore points were showing while using MSE. It looked like MSE restore points “pushed out” the system restore points.
MSE updates only once daily unlike Avast!
MSE’s full scan was over an hour while Avast!'s is only about 20 minutes.
MSE slowed down my browsing considerably while Avast! doesn’t.
Avast! wins, hands down.
Windows XP Home, SP3.
At the end of the day whenever someone makes these threads/topics you can only know whats right for you by giving them a try and seeing what suits your needs, people will always have their own opinions but it doesnt change the way the programs works just how people interpret them, horses for courses and all that 
In my experience Avast Pro was a disaster. I installed it and my computer slowed to a crawl. It uses too much resources and there is no way to configuere it so that it to use less. I see they have released an update but I had so much trouble I don’t want to try it. So there I wasted $30 bit I learned that I should stick with the proven products. Sorry to say I wont be recomended Avast to any of my customers.
Well maybe what you are saying is quite wrong because who knows that your computer is clean or not…
No offence but I mean installing/uninstalling and reinstalling and installing a new program again etc…
There may be junks left behind causing the improper installation of avast…