Anti Virus Programs

Unlikely though it may seem, the built-in Win Defender that comes with Win 10 and takes over when there are no other anti-virus systems present is really not that bad.

For other lightweight alternatives you might consider Bitdefender, Avast, or Eset's NOD32. Not as sure about the free versions of each, though.

If you require something with greater strength because you keep spending time on or getting redirected to shall we say darker places on the Internet (or someone else using your computer does), browsers keep getting hijacked by malware, or the threat of identity theft is something you are already coping with, then I'm afraid there is almost always going to be a trade-off with the heavier duty products providing stronger degrees of protection vs. using more system resources, throwing false positives, and otherwise getting in the way of what you really want to use your computer for.

This site doesn't count as one of the darker corners of the internet?

I don't know what kind of Sims 3 install you have, but Avast hates Origin and will stop allowing it to work properly from time to time. It's just something to be aware of if you do decide to try Avast and find one day that your game won't open.

And if you do want something heavier, as igazor mentioned, it's going to take more resources to run, not to mention it might also not like EA products. On the other hand, if you don't need the extra protection while you play, you could always disable it before launching. Just remember to reenable it afterwards.

"puzzlezaddict;c-17650233" wrote:
This site doesn't count as one of the darker corners of the internet?

Well, these things are all relative you know. After all, we are talking about a game where the beings we control may and are at times encouraged to do things like dance in public, be overly affectionate with someone to whom they are not married, hang out in pool (billiards) halls, wear white after Leisure Day and, the biggest transgression of all, use the wrong fork to eat their Autumn Salads with their elbows on the table. How shady all that activity is to be considered will really depend on what other sites one might be comparing it to and whether one's last name rhymes with Crumplebottom. :)

"puzzlezaddict;c-17650233" wrote:


I don't know what kind of Sims 3 install you have, but Avast hates Origin and will stop allowing it to work properly from time to time. It's just something to be aware of if you do decide to try Avast and find one day that your game won't open.

I did not know that, but certainly believe it. I take it that it's not sufficient to grant Origin, EA games, and their data files exclusions from whatever forms of protection that Avast may think it's providing?

"igazor;c-17650249" wrote:
I take it that it's not sufficient to grant Origin, EA games, and their data files exclusions from whatever forms of protection that Avast may think it's providing?

That's usually enough, but every so often it's not anymore, maybe because Avast adds some extra feature to block telemetry or whatever and objects to Origin's aggressive data mining even despite the user settings. Or maybe it's sometimes user error, people that forget to apply ALL the exceptions or decide to reset things and forget to reapply the necessary settings. Whatever the case, it's worth keeping in mind if an Origin game suddenly won't launch.

Also, white after Leisure Day? My sims would never! As for using the wrong fork, I tend to look the other way as long as they're not using the good silver and their grandparents don't see it happen. After all, children should be allowed some leeway, and sims are no different. But if that casual attitude continues into the teen years, well, that's what boarding school is for.

"dest01;d-981029" wrote:
I’m just looking for some recommendations on good antivirus programs that don’t interfere with the game
I know Norton security tends to cause the game to crash . I’d also just like a program with a good amount of features and something efficient (that doesn’t use a ton of ram)

If you have Windows 10 on your computer you might as well use Windows Defender. According to AV-TEST (The Independent Internet Security Institute in Magdeburger, Germany) Win 10 Defender is one of the best nowadays. It's been appointed Top Product with the highest possible score, 6+6+6.

@Auroraskies - The game (all Sims games, not just TS3) is what it is. If you put two sims who are flirt-friendly and attracted to each other in the same place together, chances are they will wish to express that in some way regardless of their marital status to each other or to someone else. If someone is offended by that, then I'm afraid I'm not the one being offensive by pointing it out. :)

@Auroraskies - Yes, I read the smiley face intended even though you didn't include it. :)

Oh now now, watch so you don't offend all the by some called 'conservatives' now; love - that is, marriage and no in-between - has been monopolized and cannot be spoken about by anyone not sharing such opinions.

I always forget the smileys and seem to have a hard time communicating my meaning here, even when I'm just joking, like now.

I actually wouldn't know who these 'conservatives' are, perhaps it just was the one telling me; being so conservative with his words it was a bit hard to catch the meaning of it. :)

Glad to hear my humour isn't as offensive as I feared. :)