I can't count the number of times while working at Walmart that I saw McAfee AV come across my register to be bought. I told them about Avast and AVG and they saved some money.

I'll bet your boss wasn't too happy, sabotaging sales like that, but hey...

Like I said before, Pat at my local PC store refuses to stock McAfee products.  He will order them in if the customer is insistent and pays a deposit, but for the most part he recommends they use Avast. As he said to me, he makes such a little mark-up that it's not worth his while tying up capital to purchase MCAfee products, particularly as they're in such low demand around here.

Don't think he likes Symantec/Norton, either... he just stocks it because local demand is there, but like McAfee, I guess he'd rather not.

Thanks for the link, and looking at the test result I am starting to wonder if I need to change my trusted Zone Alarm Pro with any of those top 3 suggested. Anybody using those top 3 firewall app, could share some good and bad points on those apps? Thanks.

Like a hot rock, used it for a year some time ago (the free version) but had too many issues and changed over when AVG came out.

I run spybot weekly, I use two browsers, IE has first and third party cookie control and FF that does not. yesterday's scan showed 22 tracking cookies all downloaded using firefox. (cookie comment, not a browser comment)

IMHO: If you're using Windows, their firewall protection works just fine.

AVG is upgrading their free version, I know this by the daily nag screen reminding me that the world ends December 1st. I've thought about changing over to Avira or Avast primairly due to the nag but realize that I could be trading for a pig in a poke. I wonder how user friendly and hopefully, less obnoxious these other two programs are. comments welcome.

basj ...I have the Kaspersky 2010 on this machine...[Win 7 Ult 64bit] and it works fine...and painlessly...

I do wish there was a truly unbiased evaluation of these software suites...a service that put out true and unvarnished reports about the different apps available.

If anyone knows of such a site, I for one would be greatly appreciative of learning of it's existence: Who should I trust?

gmc,

I use and recommend AVAST to my customers, but if they insist on spending money on an AV i sugest kapersky, but I have had a couple of cases where kaperskey was killed by trojans/rootkits/viruses, but it did stop the internet at the same time, so I can not save it was TOTALLY useless,

and as far as the POS norton/macaffee/computer associates JUNK, my first recomendation is disconnect the cables to the modem/phone line switch the modem off, then uninstall the products,install avast, update with an update that was downloaded on a clean computer, then schedule a boottime scan of all files AND DELETE ALL infected files, which could number into the hundreds if not thousands, and after completeing the boot I then install spybot S&D  iobits advanced system care and their internet 360 and do complete sweeps with all three, and also run a hijackthis and remove any startup items that I ahave not seen before if it is not something that the customer knowes about.

sofar this method of attack usually results in a cleaner faster computer that does not have any significant hangups

harpo

I didn't see it on the list (even searched for it), but I've been using Microsoft Security Essentials, and I have zero complaints.  It's been put through a few tests and come out pretty high elsewhere, and it's free.

I presently use Norton Internet Security 2010. and i find it works spectacular, i used to use norton up until about 3 years ago, then it got too bloated and a huge resource hog, but last winter i needed a new security prog, so i did my homework, and Norton Internet Security was what i purchased, and have no regrets, they completely re did the program, now you dont even know its running in the background, where i was using Avg, Avast, and Mcafee, and norton is the best by far

I, too, have been using Microsft Security Essentials....and I love it!  It is not a system resource hog....it just sits there quietly doing its thing.  I had been using AVG these past few years...but it got increasingly more bloated, to the point that I couldn't do a thing while it was updating.

I had an argument the other day with Kaspersky.

It seemed that a definition update decided my NoCD 'crack' to GTR2 was a trojan.... and cleverly deleted it.

And the backup.

I kept dragging it back from the dead and Kaspersky kept deleting it.  Nothing would convince it that the file was 'OK'.

In the end I gave up.....perhaps the file really WAS dodgey....so I looked it up again....and got another GTR2.exe [strangely quite a bit smaller]...that Kaspersky was/is happy with.

I run all my games from the HD as full installs.... and use the No-CDs as the simple solution to the pain-in-the-bum swapping of CDs when you want to fire up a game.  When Kaspersky knobbled my GTR2 I was in a panic....that's my fave game....I've expended quite a bit of time modding it [adding mods and tracks]....and unlike GTR it doesn't have Starforce to bugger up your CDRoms....

Somewhat related:

The latest AVG update (free version) keeps periodically minimizing whatever current app I'm running. Rather than disable it while playing games, I just want to replace the damn thing. What's the best replacement for someone running XP? Free is a plus but not necessary.

I've been checking out Comodo ....seems promising [and free]...AV and FW.

I strongly suggest Microsoft Security Essentials.  It is compatible with XP Service Pack 2, Vista, and Windows 7...and it is free!

Here's the link to it:  http://www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials/

Fuuny - I use AVG and have it set to manual update. It takes seconds to update and does not bog down the system.

my first suggestion is avast, my second suggestion is comodo, both have 32bit and 64 bit, work on all currently available windows (xp,vista and 7), and BOTH have free versions for home/personal use

harpo

Yeah but after 60 days you have to register Avast and some of my customers get all confused about this and take Avast off the computer. AVG is a better choice.

kona I just give them a home personal registration, that is good for atleast a year, while the registration is irritating, avg has leaked viruses,trojans and rootkits(admittedly not in huge numbers, but enough that I do not recommend it in my experience) since version 8, and for those that want all in 1 type products the comodo av/fw is a adiquate choice.

harpo

Just started using Comodo instead of AVG. Good start, it managed to identify some nVidia files as threats...

Whatever. AVG has never let me down. The registration thing Avast does made many of my customers very upset.