which antivirus ?

[bristol-girl]

We have 12 mth old PC with vista. Norton antivirus due for renewal, Doubtful whether to renew or use a free antivirus, if so which one.?
Please , any views & advice greatfully received. Would you renew, or go for a free one?

[Stevesw]

Hi Bristol girl. I was in the same situation as you, bought Norton which we had nothing but problems with. Judging by some articles in one of the latest pc mags, Im not alone. Now using AVG whch everyone seems to recommend. Its free, easy to use and the updates are free too. Give it a try. Dont forget that Norton is such a hassle to get off your system, the company has bought out its own removal tool, which you must use. Norton needs to be uninstalled before you use another anti virus. Good luck :-)

[VHG]

Remember that PC security is more than just anti virus.

If you have a full security product (be it Norton or any other company) and you remove it and replace it with just anti virus you are leaving yourself wide open.

I think the biggest threat nowadays comes from spyware / malware from internet sites, and anti virus software may not protect you from that.

As well as anti virus you need a firewall, and a spyware / malware product.

There is something to be said for having an all in one security suite from the one company, but of course you normally need to pay for them.

[BilluSugger]

Or download them from bittorrent

[bristol-girl]

Many thanks for your views, always interesting to hear from others before deciding on course of action.

[aresee]

Norton used to be considered the best but now is so heavy on resources that more and more people are moving away from it. I myself use Windows LiveOneCare on all my computers. You can get it for free trial for 90 days and then to buy only costs �39.99 for 3 computers. I have had it for 2 years or more and absolutely no problems, running in conjunction with Super Antispyware. After all, as I always say, who better to look after Microsoft, than Microsoft themselves.

[BilluSugger]

As mentioned above Norton needs it's own removal tool http://service1.symantec.com/Support/tsgeninfo .nsf/docid/2005033108162039

[alavahalf]

I have used CA security suite for years...never had any problems with it, but I never seemed to use most of what I was paying for, so decided to look around for a replacement.
After doing a bit of research and running the free trial for a month, I have opted for ESET nod32.
Must admit my system runs a whole lot quicker.

[VHG]

> I myself use Windows LiveOneCare on all my computers.

Live OneCare gets very poor reviews in the computer press.

And Microsoft have decided they are no longer going to sell it anyway so I would not even consider buying it.

http://www.betanews.com/article/Microsoft-to-r eplace-Live-OneCare-with-nocost-antimalware/12 27049072

[Wak]

I've used the FREE Avast anti virus program for nearly 10 years now and wouldn't use anything else.
You could also have a look on here,

http://www.firewallguide.com/freeware.htm

For lots of FREE programs.

[amy.lillian]

I found a free antivirus yesterday,then i tested it ,quite nice speed and use less memory.Nice software and even its freeware.You can try it .give you a link
www.kingsoftsecurity.com/
Anyway i like it.