[mydogtoby]

Been using Bitdefender Internet Security 2012 for a few months and like it a lot. The paid version comes with a built in Sandbox. I dumped Avira. It did a great job of protecting me but it was a lot harder to use and I got tired of settling disputes between it and other programs on my PC.

[CorDa616]

Eset a thousand times over.

[liam7k]

I highly reccommend Kaspersky Internet Security 2012. Always been the best for me.

[indianacarnie]

Been using Avast Free for years now with no infections, not self inflicted (blush) . Commonsense and Malwarebytes are better protection than all the anti-virus programs in the world for 99% of us.

[valis]

Originally Posted by tonycrossley

Keep away from any Free 'Anti-Virus' Programs, as they don't offer enough protection.
I use E-SCAN which is very good and updated hourly, it has its own Firewall and should be all you need.
www.escan.com.au for further Information.

Sorry tony, but that's just dead wrong. I have not paid for an antivirus in a decade or longer, and I've not gotten infected yet. I don't care if you have a zillion dollar AV system on, if you don't practice common sense, you are going to get infected.

[Snagglegaster]

Originally Posted by Glaswegian

I'm curious to know the facts behind this statement. I've always used free AVs and I've never been infected - in what way do they not offer enough protection?

I believe good paid AV software is a better defense than good freeware. All the same, users who aren't sufficiently security conscious are going to infect their computers regardless of any AV/Antimalware products they run. The free versions of Avira and Avast are excellent products, but I'd still recommend NOD32 or Kaspersky over any freeware, or the "for pay" versions of Avira and Avast. Even though Avira is a really strong contender. tonycrossley hasn't spent enough time in the trenches to be authoritative. I like his passion, but I think he needs to do a little more homework.

[valis]

Originally Posted by Snagglegaster

I believe good paid AV software is a better defense than good freeware. All the same, users who aren't sufficiently security conscious are going to infect their computers regardless of any AV/Antimalware products they run. The free versions of Avira and Avast are excellent products, but I'd still recommend NOD32 or Kaspersky over any freeware, or the "for pay" versions of Avira and Avast. Even though Avira is a really strong contender. tonycrossley hasn't spent enough time in the trenches to be authoritative. I like his passion, but I think he needs to do a little more homework.

think we've danced this dance before, Snaggle......

IMO, the only reason that pay-per AV exists is so that there can be a guarantee for businesses that product A will be more secure than Product B. If it came down to individuals, I'm sure that there would be some pay-per AV, but waaaaaaaay fewer.

[Snagglegaster]

Originally Posted by valis

think we've danced this dance before, Snaggle......

IMO, the only reason that pay-per AV exists is so that there can be a guarantee for businesses that product A will be more secure than Product B. If it came down to individuals, I'm sure that there would be some pay-per AV, but waaaaaaaay fewer.

Yes, we have done this dance before, and you are a lovely partner even if your beard is a little scratchy; but I'd say the only reason free AV software exists is because it's a commercial to sell the "for pay" product. At the end of the day, service and support and updates for any product costs money. Who pays the bill?

[Wolf_1989]

Kasperky is the best antivirus, I've been using it all my life and I'm not planning to stop

[robertjames]

I recommend to use Comodo Anti Virus Software .because I am using for past one year .It is really good and safe .Comodo Antivirus can perform full system scans as well as partial system scans. It can also scan removable drives, including USB drives, CDs and DVDs. Feature:
1. Detects, blocks, and destroys viruses
2. Immediate feedback on suspicious files
3.Prevents malware from being installed
4.Auto Sandbox Technology
5. Cloud based Antivirus scanning
6. Protects with On Access scanning
7.Schedule your scans

[Glaswegian]

Paid AVs often update more than once a day, plus there is some kind of support option offered, but the free AVs still work in the same way.

As valis pointed out, the biggest problem is normally the user - no AV will stop everything. Security needs to be multi-layered, using a variety of tools to cover the gaps. Relying on just an AV is a somewhat naive approach.

[valis]

sorta like one lock on your house........there's still a few other ways in.

[Samuraikill]

Malwarebytes and Spybot Search & Destroy. They pack a pretty big punch, I use them for all my computer repair.

[Snagglegaster]

Originally Posted by robertjames

I recommend to use Comodo Anti Virus Software .because I am using for past one year .It is really good and safe .Comodo Antivirus can perform full system scans as well as partial system scans. It can also scan removable drives, including USB drives, CDs and DVDs. Feature:
1. Detects, blocks, and destroys viruses
2. Immediate feedback on suspicious files
3.Prevents malware from being installed
4.Auto Sandbox Technology
5. Cloud based Antivirus scanning
6. Protects with On Access scanning
7.Schedule your scans

Unfortunately, Comodo doesn't fare well in independent tests. AV-Comparatives doesn't evaluate it, and in Virus Bulletin's testing, Comodo has five fails for five submissions.