New
#1241
I dumped A/V two years ago for Sandboxie. Runs your browser in a sandbox so it doesn't matter what you pick up online, it gets deleted when you close the browser. Nothing can escape the sandbox into the system unless you download a file and recover it from the sandbox. In that case I use an on-demand scanner before opening the file (MWB).
Can also optionally set Sandboxie to auto-sandbox your USB ports if you don't have full control over the computer, (i.e. others in the house that might have an infected drive), so that nothing can enter that way either. There are many options...
The Personal Home version works free for 30 days then becomes nagware without a license. The first time each day SBIE starts [after the trial period], a 30-sec <?> window first encourages to buy a license. But it will function without a license with some features missing that most people probably don't care about anyway. See details here.
When installing SBIE can also set it to show in the shell/context menu. This is very handy as you can right-click on a file to choose to "Run Sandboxed."
PC runs so much faster/better without an AV. Will never go back. AVs will always be subject to the occasional, smarter, zero-day threat and are not 100% reliable, plus there are privacy issues involved with an AV (for those who care about that).
Sandboxie's effectiveness is not subject to "unknown threats" or bizarre viruses or malware, as whatever happens to get picked up while surfing (if anything) can pose no threat to the system. Even ransomware. If the browser DOES pick something up, just close the browser and the problem is gone, deleted with the sandbox. Re-start browser and you're fresh and ready to go with a new sandbox.
IMHO there is no better security than running your browser in a sandbox and saying goodbye to AVs. Before starting this, however, I'd recommend a good full system scan to make sure there isn't already a virus in the system. SBIE is not an AV scanner... it's a completely different method of security.