Does antivirus JUST scan harddrive when prompted so no reason to have the application always running

or does it act as some sort of firewall or protection if the application is running

Does antivirus JUST scan harddrive when prompted so no reason to have the application always running?anti virus software

Yes you need it running, it can prevent you from getting infected, which it will not do when running, however there is a higher rated FREE antivirus program that uses less resources than AVG check out the video below.

The Top Rated Free Antivirus Program researched from those who test Antivirus programs (av comparatives, virus.gr, and other reviews including this video review) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhXZo3dHu... is

Avira Antivir http://www.download.com/Avira-AntiVir-Pe...

Today you are in more danger from Spyware I Download, Install, Update and Run SuperAntiSpyware

http://www.download.com/SUPERAntiSpyware...

( I used this to remove spyware and Trojans from a laptop that adaware would only detect but not get rid of ) It detected and removed everything

Does antivirus JUST scan harddrive when prompted so no reason to have the application always running?aurora

Some anti virus programs will scan the drive automatically, about once a week, or anytime on demand. But, they also monitor the incoming data at all times and will block or warn you about an unsafe Internet site or about any unauthorized attempt to access your computer. They can prevent a problem before it happens because they are always running in the background. Norton and McAfee are two examples. Don't go on the Internet without an anti virus utility.
that depends on the antivirus,