Easy to install and then scan your C drive. It did not find a virus, everything was clean and surfing the net improved temporarily. It seems the problem was not my computer or a virus but rather Comcast. I called them and they said there was no outage in my area. After trying everything I could think of, I called them again and said, send out a man. The lady said, there is an outage in your area. This problem has gone on for three weeks with them and they kept saying it was my equipment. I even installed a new modem and checked every connection a million times, while cleaning everything out of my computer. No wonder they are the most hated company in the country. No TV reception either. Now, one TV, I never watch but am charged for, gets only one channel. I am sure they will say that is my fault too. I believe their tech people just read from a script.

I'm a Security Software tech, and wanted an AV that would protect me from Ransomeware?-
I have a Fast Win7 desktop computer, with a 10k rpm Hard Drive, and 60mbps cable internet.

According to independent AVcomparitives review, my old "Buggy" ESET IS AV did Not protect me!
I then tried Norton Internet Security "Premium", and it's backup files option made it SLOW (even when disabled)!

I gave WSA a 2month try, and Hate it!-
Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus is Cloud based, with No data memory... files on your computer.
This means that "every" time I open any program/application..., it has to upload the info..., check it, then download the OK back (big lag time!).
I've tried 3 cloud based AV's, and they were All slow!

I then installed Norton Internet Security "Standard (get Deluxe if you want it to also protect your other devices (cell...)", with No backup...
It is Fast, and I disabled their useless Search page.
It has a fast site advisor, and scans downloads...

This is the first time I've gotten the Webroot Antivirus, as opposed to Webroot Internet Security Complete 2017 | 5 Devices | 1 Year | PC [Download]. That's due to the fact I will not pay more than $20 a year for internet security for two to three computers. In past years, I've always gotten the Security Complete for actually less than that either here at Amazon or a last year version at eBay. This year, the Webroot prices have not been that low at Amazon, and I fear getting older versions now due to Webroot's new policy of cutting off support to older versions. (A policy I cannot understand to save my live, regardless of how many times I read it.) Also, this year the Antivirus was always $19.99 at Amazon for the PC download, until I needed it this week. It actually went up to $39.99 the night I was going to buy it! That made me think: Kaspersky here I come! But Kaspersky went up this week, too. (I've been checking the prices for both for weeks.) Fortunately, I noticed the Webroot Antivirus PC disc was still $19.99; and why the disc would be cheaper than the download is beyond me. Moreover, you don't even have to use the disc if you can't or don't want to when it arrives. You can still download the software from the Webroot website, because all you need is the product keycode.

So, here we are . . . one difference I see between the Webroot Antivirus and the Security Complete is there is no maintenance button where you get rid of temporary internet files and such. But I certainly don't need Webroot to do that little task. There's also no firewall, but the Windows 10 firewall is fine with me. (See comments below about a firewall.) In addition, you can't put the Antivirus on cell phones or tablets, as you can with the Security Complete. Once again, not a problem for me; I have a Microsoft phone that can't take a download of Webroot, and from what I understand about Fire tablets, no security software is needed. Thus, one more hopefully happy year with Webroot. I do really like Webroot. It just stays quietly in the background and does its job, and does its job well. Yet I'm not paying more than $20 a year for it for two or three devices, regardless of how much I like it.

P.S. Contacting Webroot tech or sale support is simple. You just right-click the Webroot icon, choose "help and support", and then you can easily contact them by clicking "send us a message" at the bottom of the page you are taken to. You get an e-mail back when they have answered, giving you a link to click, which takes you to a page which not only includes your current question and the answer, but also all the other questions, with answers, you have ever asked Webroot. My questions go back to 2012!

If you're reading this you probably have already searched a variety of tech sources for the "best" antivirus software and, like me, consistently found Webroot near or at the top of the list. Buying antivirus software is one of the most dreaded computer-related task most people face "¦ just reading the daily headlines reinforces that computer hacking is real and proper protection is necessary. You want to make the right choice in buying antivirus software but there seem to be so many negative horror stories about antivirus software. Here's why I ended up with Webroot.

The first thing I want to share is that I have been buying antivirus software for over 20 years, for business and home, and I am not married to any one brand. In fact, over time, I have bought and used nearly every brand sold. And yes, some of them were true horror stories.

When WIN 10 came along I made the decision not to add any third-party protection at all to what is already part of the WIN 10 suite (Windows Defender). While most independent experts agree that Defender isn't the best solution out there, they also agree that it is good enough for most people who use their computer for casual everyday use. Defender has the huge benefit that it has almost no negative impact on computer speed or performance and it works totally in the background and never nags or bugs you (unless there is a reason to alert you to a problem). Another major benefit of Defender is that is updates itself (in the background) so you are always assured of being protected against the latest threats.

IF you want to add more protection to your computer but you like the positive benefits of Defender, Webroot is one of the best options out there.

SOME THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. Unlike most software there isn't really an "old or new" version of Webroot. As long as you are running one that is compatible with your computer's operating system Webroot works like Defender in that it is really merely an interface to their online services where all the actual "smarts" are located. That is why Webroot won't work unless you are online. You don't have to worry about updating to a "new" version each year or doing periodic downloads because (as Webroot calls it) it is "always up to date".

2. Because Webroot doesn't install a large number of files directly on to your computer, it utilizes very little of your computer's resources, thus most people will probably never notice any difference in computer speed or performance.

3. When the term of your license runs out you don't have to buy a new disc and reinstall the program. Buying a new license just allows the software to continue to run for another year (or whatever the term of your license is). There is good news and bad news in that. The makers of Webroot don't seem to have figured out how to reward existing customers who want to renew their license. Instead, when their "offer" is sent to you as your license is about to expire their "special" price is ridiculously high. I mean all they're doing is giving you permission to use their software for another year, you would think they would/could offer you a special price for you loyalty, but no. Which forces people like me to simply buy a whole new disc from whoever has it on sale for the best price at the time. Fortunately my renewal time is around Black Friday each year and I am able to buy a whole new disc for peanuts.

4. People who review Webroot usually have mostly positive things to say (except for the license renewal issue discussed above) but too many of them mention how Webroot has a nag box that appears on your screen every time you turn your computer on. Not true, or at least not fully true. Yes that will happen, but all you have to do is uncheck that feature in the advanced settings box and you will never see any messages from Webroot unless you have an intrusion alert (or your license is about to expire). The fact that Webroot doesn't have nag boxes is one of the major reasons I prefer it over Brands X, Y and Z.

5. When you first install Webroot it does a quick scan and tells you your computer is "safe". Don't believe it. The FIRST thing you should do is force a deep scan. Webroot makes doing that harder to find than most of their competitors. To do a deep scan, open you file manager (the screen that shows you your hard drives) and right-click on each available drive, starting with your boot drive (usually your C drive) and choose "Scan with Webroot". Then sit back, the deep scan will take a long time, depending on how full your drive is and how fast it accesses files it can take up to a couple of hours. There will be a dialogue box with a progress bar, how many threats were detected, elapsed time, etc. It's best not to do anything else (multitask) at the same time until the scan is completed.

BOTTOM LINE

This is the third consecutive year I've made the conscious decision to choose Webroot over other brands of antivirus software. In that time I've never had a virus infect my computers, I've never noticed a slowdown of my computer's performance, I've never been annoyed by needless advertising popups, and I've been able to protect 3 devices for a full year for about five-cents a day. I like that.

INSTALLED THIS YESTERDAY ON NEW LAPTOP AND BY FAR, IT WAS THE EASIEST INSTALLATION OF ANY ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE I HAVE EVER HAD - AND I HAVE BOUGHT A LOT OF DIFFERENT BRANDS OVER THE PAST TWENTY YEARS. GOOD PRICE FOR 3 DEVICES AND IS DOING THE JOB OF MUCH PRICER BRANDS THAT CAN BE A BEAR TO INSTALL. THE NEW LAPTOP DID COME WITH MCAFEE ALREADY ON IT, SO I UNINSTALLED IT IMMEDIATELY SO AS NOT TO HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH INSTALLING THE WEBROOT. WEBROOT, AFTER JUST A FEW MODIFICATIONS, JUST SITS QUIETLY IN THE BACKGROUND WITHOUT THE CONSTANT INTERRUPTIONS THAT MOST OTHERS SEEM TO HAVE THE HABIT OF DOING THESE DAYS. DID NOT EVEN HAVE ANY MORNING STARTUP UGLY MESSAGES TO START THE DAY WITH AS WITH THE OTHERS. DEFINITELY RECOMMEND AND WILL BUY AGAIN WHEN EXPIRATION TIME COMES AROUND.