Thanks for the quick responses.
 
 

mixmkr
That's all I use and the builder of my computer said it should be just fine as long as you don't go to any *unsavory* places.  Audio forums like this should be fine, figuring you don't open any links from those morning posts we sometimes get.  ;-D

The data suggest that your chance of being infected by visiting a legitimate site that has been seeded with malware delivery systems (compromised site) is much greater than your chance of being infected by attack sites deliberately designed to deliver malware. Most users have little reason to visit an attack site, and there is some effort being made by search engines etc. to flag the worst of them.
 
Keeping malware off a website requires constant vigilance, a strict policy  a dedicated staff and a budget. To the extent that this forum is safe it has more to do with the limited design of the forum (no ads loading automatically etc.), luck and a low chance of attracting a lot of activity to make it worth while to compromise. Although I post links here routinely, I am aware that a link on this forum could lead me to malware.
 
If you dare, have a look at the Google transparency report located here:
 
http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/safebrowsing/
 
The diagram titled "sites hosting malware detected per week" shows a tiny amount (blue) of attack sites compared to compromised sites (green).

djwayne
I don't thing MSE works that good, so I bought the Pro version of Avast. I haven't had any problems since.

I agree
 
I've had the odd bit of malware install itself (not on my Daw!!) and MSE totally failed to recognise it.
 
All I use now is Malwarebytes (Paid version) which is very system friendly, and you can use the same registration details on multiple computers

Something to keep in mind is that both my ISP and my company offer Virus Protection to their users at no extra cost. It's worth looking into before you choose to pay.
 
FWIW, I have not installed any Virus Scanner beyond Windows Defender in 10 years. One of the original purposes of Giant AntiSpyware which is the original source of what became Windows Defender was to protect your privacy by scrambling bits on your hard drive for old deleted documents and deleting cookies from IE... that sort of thing. This was removed from Windows Defender.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Defender
 
BTW, if you want a search engine that is at least trying not to track you, check this one out...
https://duckduckgo.com/
 
It was the default search engine in my most recent Linux Install. I thought it was worth knowing about.
 
Lastly, notice that you can exclude File Types, Processes and Locations from the scanner. This can be pretty helpful in making sure it doesn't get in the way of your recording process. What's the chance that one of your WAV files will have a virus in it?

slartabartfast
...
If you dare, have a look at the Google transparency report located here:
 
http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/safebrowsing/
 
The diagram titled "sites hosting malware detected per week" shows a tiny amount (blue) of attack sites compared to compromised sites (green).

Google itself delivers links to malware. Search for "download adobe reader" and the first presented link is malware.

This is what I use because (and no offense), 1-Webroot let a very nasty virus through two different times and 2-I find Norton and McAfee to be as bad as spyware for their intrusion and demand on system resources.  The Microsoft version is free, also.
 
I was surprised to find myself happy with a free Microsoft package, but it was actually recommended by techs at Sweetwater.
 
As with anything, you must connect to the Internet periodically to get updates.

konradh
This is what I use because (and no offense), 1-Webroot let a very nasty virus through two different times and 2-I find Norton and McAfee to be as bad as spyware for their intrusion and demand on system resources.  The Microsoft version is free, also.
 
I was surprised to find myself happy with a free Microsoft package, but it was actually recommended by techs at Sweetwater.
 
As with anything, you must connect to the Internet periodically to get updates.

For years MS seemed totally incapable of making Windows secure. Now it still isn't though much better but not really truly secure but it is surprising how good MSE is. As you say its free lets just hope they don't screw it up. They do have a habit of doing that. 

Here's what Noel Borthwick, Cakewalk's CTO, wrote in response to a post I wrote last October. When recording I disconnect the net and disable MSE. It works very well, especially compared to others I've used (I concur with konradh on Norton).
 

Noel Borthwick [Cakewalk]
It is generally a bad idea to run antivirus software on a DAW. Many AV programs are really intrusive and do background checks all the time.
The only AV I use is Microsoft Security Essentials and it seems to not affect performance for me. I think MS is a bit more careful about using as few resources as possible compared to the other players.

djwayne
I don't thing MSE works that good, so I bought the Pro version of Avast. I haven't had any problems since.

interested to know what problems you had?

Bristol_Jonesey

djwayne
I don't thing MSE works that good, so I bought the Pro version of Avast. I haven't had any problems since.

I agree
 
I've had the odd bit of malware install itself (not on my Daw!!) and MSE totally failed to recognise it.
 
All I use now is Malwarebytes (Paid version) which is very system friendly, and you can use the same registration details on multiple computers

again, interested in more info here - how did malware install itself? What did you click?