I just switched from K7 Total Security (k7TS) to Panda Essentials. Reasons: 1- K7TS has a built-in Firewall (FW) component. Its FW is is only so-so and has a somewhat complicated rule-making/editing process. I would like to put in a better FW BUT K7TS's FW cannot be disabled. I asked K7TS's support for a fix or work-around. They quickly responded with a courteous pronouncement that their FW can't be disabled so -- live with it. 2- Thus, I decided to dump K7TS so as to get better FW protection. That meant I needed to find either: (A) 2 apps: a good stand-alone FW AND a good stand-alone antivirus, OR (B) 1 app: a good antivirus with a good FW built into it. 3- On another security forum I read some comments by a skilled FW sly guy. His posts indicated that Panda Essentials (PE) has an excellent, highly configurable FW. So I purchased a 1-month subscription to PE. (Yes, the Panda website offers MONTHLY subscriptions as well as annual subscriptions.) 4- Bingo! I found that PE's FW is grrreat!! Very configurable. No discernible impact on computer's speed & responsiveness. Extremely user-friendly process for folks who want to develop spacial FW rules. Minimal pop-up alerts PLUS those alerts give users the info needed to easily make sound decisions. 5- Bottom line: I bought a 1-year subscription to PE for $19.99 at Newegg. Installed it. Set it up. It's running as I write this -- smooth as a baby's cheeks. 6- BTW, I am running WiseVector (WV) alongside of PE. WV is an antivirus. It is nicely designed to run alongside other antivirus apps, if user desires. There is no conflict. WV is also VERY light so the PE/WV combo keeps my aging laptop very agile & speedy. 7- Reasons why I run WV together with PE: (A) @cruelsister thinks highly of WV & many folks (me included) think VERY highly of her security expertise. (B) WV has a built-in (but optional) process called "WMI FW" -- WMI stands for Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). WV's WMI FW is a useful FW adjunct for reasons given in THIS article. (C) WV has a VERY unintrusive HIPS (Host-based Intrusion Prevention System). PE does not -- nor do most other top tier antiviruses. (D) WV has very advanced machine learning/AI to augment PE's capabilities for dealing with malware for which signatures don't yet exist. 8- Analogy: At night, I secure all my doors & windows. Even so, I also activate the burglar alarm. By the same token, PE secures my computer's doors & windows. WV is the burglar alarm. PE/WV is light so........ why not?
I have a 3 year license for Panda Dome Essential but I am only using Panda Free Antivirus because Panda Essentials DOES have a built in firewall man. As for Panda itself, been using it for a while now, it's the lightest AV I ever used and unlike what others say, it never gave me any false positives. I love it, light and good AV, no bloatware. If you ever want to install the free version, just make sure during installation to untick the box which offers to install Opera browser then go to settings, general tab, scroll down to the end and uncheck the 2 boxes for the Panda news and you're done. Free for life! PS: Another good AV only with no firewall or snake oil is F-Secure Antivirus but it's not as light as Panda
See screenshot above -- Panda Essential firewall is very easy to disable. If you want to disable it, all you need do is move the switch from On/right-side to Off/left-side. (I do not disable the FW because it is EXCELLENT). BTW, Panda Essentials offers the following abilities that are NOT present in Panda Free: (A) firewall, )B) process monitor (I disabled this), (C) Application Control (it's a whitelist/anti-exe -- a superb protective adjunct to ANY antivirus), (D) Wi-Fi network protection.
Right, and I need none of those which is why the free version suits me best. All I want is a good/lightweight local file scanner. I never run cracked apps or fishy stuff on my laptop heck I could go without an AV but I just keep it for the peace of mind. I want nothing touching my internet connection, I want maximum snappiness when I click on links/visit sites so a good file scanner and an adblocker (I use Adguard) is more than enough for my needs.
Although in the past I have had mixed results, I installed Panda Dome Essential and I like it a lot. At first, programs and pages were slower to load than with Defender, but after some time, many programs were markedly faster to open, etc. I like it so far.
0, just disable the news info in Settings > General, scroll down to the end and uncheck the 2 boxes. Then you won't ever know Panda is there unless there is a threat.
The FREE version of Panda does encourage you to try/buy a paid version. By their very nature, free versions of antivirus apps ARE advertisements for that developer's paid versions. Compared with the Free version, Panda's paid versions have additional protective components as shown by the columnar chart that can be viewed if you scroll about half-way down THIS web page.
In case you didn't know, disabling Process Monitor means, Panda won't be able to detect malware on memory. If a malware is known to Panda, and it's running on memory, Panda will fail to detect it. I have tested this. I think it's possible to disable URL monitoring or something like that in Process Monitor, which is probably safe to disable.
Great catch! You are correct & I have activated Process Monitor this instant. You are also correct that it is possible to disable URL monitoring & I have done so because I have other protections covering that aspect of security. Thank you for the heads-up!
it would be helpful to tell others about. so others can tell you which events are double covered - which can lead, and most times lead to new issues - and which not. any how, i cannot give you any advice.
Glad to do so. On my browser I have add-on's of uBlock Origin, Decentraleyes, & Emsisoft Browser Security. One or more of those ought to do the job, right? Happy 2023, @Brummelchen !
emsisoft is futile against uBlock. and this is not what i meant, Panda is a software, extensiosn are extensions for browsers and specific. webinspection (any current antivirus performs this) means investigating (= MITM) into any traffic. extensions do not block by traffic, more on event. extension do not know about content of malicious files, they block by address or tag or similar. and they do not block browers by their behavior - they do not know about.
@Brummelchen -- Per your comments, I will enable Panda's URL monitor & see if makes web surfing a drag or not. If my computer explodes, it's your fault.
I changed my mind on Panda. Slowed my computer to a crawl several times for no obvious reason. I got a refund.
I deliberately kept quiet and waited patiently for first bad experience with Panda. I didn't want to spoil @bellgamin's initial joy however I was sure it wouldn't take too long to happen. So, based on my experience and that of all my friends, Panda is the worst AV solution. Heavy on resources, full of FPs, poor AV protection. Anyway if it works well for someone and meets their expectations, that's OK and I fully respect that.
Panda is bad at protection , also see this : https://malwaretips.com/threads/do-not-choice-panda-panda-dome-free-vs-panda-dome-complete.119791/
In my experience, Panda is one of the lightest antiviruses there is and is lighter than the majority of antiviruses. But I have seen occasional posts from people finding it to be heavy. So I certainly do believe you, but just be aware that your experience is not typical. I used it for some time and experienced very few false positives, despite often downloading new and less commonly downloaded software. I agree with you about its protection and as such I don't recommend it, but its not terrible.
Panda was the last AV I ever used. IIRC quite a few people disabled URL monitoring, including myself.
I use Panda on my laptop that you see in my signature in addition to 10 year old laptops, there is no AV that's lighter. I've installed it on my laptop and multiple laptops for friends and family. Sorry, but I just cannot take anyone's comment that it's heavy on their laptop seriously. If Panda is heavy on one's computer, I suspect another underlying issue with the computer itself, drivers, software running in the background, or on the rare occasion, a utility for the computer or software conflicting with Panda.
