[colecampbell666]

I've been looking for a new antivirus so that I can convince my parents to switch before they go out and buy Norton again. Norton 360 is useless, it doesn't even let you scan single files!

Anyway, I've been reading the reviews, and BitDefender and Kapersky seem to be the best, with McAfee close behind. I'm looking for features (Ability to run different scans separately, registry protection/spyware etc, single file scan etc.) and minimal performance hit. Out of the top two (or three) which is the best?

[redsniper]

Get avast.

[Jeff Vader]

Let's see. As far as I'm concerned, it's usually better to have a separate software for detecting spyware and such, since at least F-Secure's spy/adware radar is utterly useless. So I'd recommend getting Ad-Aware or Spybot, in addition to a good firewall and an antivirus. Which brings me to my recommendations.
For antivirus, AVG. Extremely resource-friendly, scans everything, performs single file checks without complications.
Then, for firewall, Comodo. Always at the top of firewall comparison tests, uses an acceptable amount of resources, protects important registry keys. Though personally I liked 2.4 better than the new 3.0, which comes with Defense+, that persistently asks about every goddamn change that takes place in the system. That can get extremely annoying when you are installing software. But then again, you can always disable the Defense+ without sacrificing the functionality of the rest of the firewall. And still, they're both good.

[jr2]

Get AVG... I use the free version, it's excellent.  And they can pay for it, too, so they'll be happy.  www.grisoft.com  free version http://free.grisoft.com  I do believe it has an all-in-one protection suite as well... but I just use the AV and AS systems.

[TrashMan]

NOD 32

[Tyrian]

I would definitely recommend Comodo, especially the v3.0 Pro.  While it does ask you to verify everything under the sun, once you train it, it's actually very user friendly and gives you a minimum of popups.  Much more so than ZoneAlarm. 

Though personally I liked 2.4 better than the new 3.0, which comes with Defense+, that persistently asks about every goddamn change that takes place in the system. That can get extremely annoying when you are installing software.

When installing software and you get the first popup from Comodo, tell it to treat that file/program as an installer.  It prevents the rest of the alerts from being generated. 

[Jeff Vader]

Yeah, I figured that out at one point, but still ended up disabling the whole Defense+, since at least at the moment I consider the firewall itself to be enough. If time proves me wrong, I might put it back online.

[Flaser]

Kaspersky is very potent, though it is a bit of a resource hog (as far as antivir soft goes).

[asyikarea51]

In terms of pure AV only...

Me using AVG Free and Avast (also free).

Both are good, but annoy me at times. AVG Free, the guard sometimes blocks me when I'm messing around with my files. Avast, the scanners at high sensitivity slow me down across the board. And then there's the registration...

There was once when I had like, 5 to 6 AVs loaded in this comp, from those two to less-common stuffs like Avira and Comodo, and OMG the computer very nearly slowed down to a halt no matter what I was doing, even if I did nothing... scanners constantly loading the CPU and warning/error messages coming out once every few seconds, and that doesn't even include the safety messages from my firewall...

I've used older versions of Kaspersky that came with my mobo, so that one's not bad apart from the ADS. ZA, haven't used it in forever. Don't know how it's like now.

Yeah.

[perihelion]

I used to use Trend Micro PC-Cillin, but their 2007 release was a disaster.  I've tried AVG and NOD32 since then and been relatively pleased with the small footprint of both.  The only reason I went with NOD32 in the end was because I wanted to be able to call up tech support if I needed it.

Slightly OT: What is the benefit of having a software firewall if you've already got a hardware firewall (such as a router) up and running?  Is it really worth the additional hassle?  I've asked this before in another thread but never got a reply.

[jr2]

In terms of pure AV only...

Me using AVG Free and Avast (also free).

2 Virus scanners installed @ same time = not good.  They can conflict.  How you survived 5 IDK.

Slightly OT: What is the benefit of having a software firewall if you've already got a hardware firewall (such as a router) up and running?  Is it really worth the additional hassle?  I've asked this before in another thread but never got a reply.

Software Firewall blocks outgoing requests, so if you get infected with a virus, and your AV doesn't pick it up, or your ASpyware, then it should block it and ask you what to do.

[colecampbell666]

So AVG is a good choice? NOD32, from what I've heard, is notoriously hard to use.

What advantages does AVG pay have over the free version? What do they have over Norton, besides smaller footprint?

[perihelion]

So AVG is a good choice? NOD32, from what I've heard, is notoriously hard to use.

I didn't dive in and modify lots of settings from the install defaults, but from my few months on NOD32 I'd have to say that reputation is, if not undeserved, at least exaggerated.  The setup seems simple enough for me, and I'm not terribly educated on network security.  Perhaps this has been a bigger problem in earlier releases?

That said, AVG's setup seemed pretty straightforward as well.

@ Jr, thanks.  I hadn't really considered that angle.  I was really hoping not to need to set up yet another bloody firewall, but I guess that's what I need to do.  My time is getting progressively more and more limited these days, and there are half a dozen projects around the house that need my attention.  I'll try installing Comodo with default settings.  If anything stops working, though, I'm going to have to remove it and deal with it later (like, early next year if I'm lucky.  I just don't have that kind of time.)

[JGZinv]

Avira AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic
Comodo Firewall Pro
Spyware Blaster
Spyware Guard
Spybot Search & Destroy

Semi frequent scanners:
Ad-aware
AVG Antispyware (formally ewido)

All of it freeware that does a decent job.

[Kosh]

Kaspersky is the best I've used so far.

[Mr. Vega]

Kaspersky is great, though it can sometimes hog system resources in the most disruptive and annoying way when scanning things (you'll want to add a lot of applications to the trusted zone). Right now I'm using NOD32. Its interface is kinda wierd, but it's not hard to use at all, and it doesn't freaking grind the computer to a halt like kaspersky can do.

[Hellstryker]

Kaspersky and AVG are both good choices, and Kasperskys firewall is quite reliable. The only downside is kaspersky is not free. I would recommend AVG for an Anti Virus and Peer Gaurding II for firewall, although PG II Is a bit hard to configure, so do that for your parents if they're anything like mine

[jr2]

...Peer Guardian 2 isn't a firewall per se... but it is very good, and has IP block lists that are updated often.

[Hellstryker]

Then what the hell would you call it then 

[jr2]

Known malicious IPs blocker?  IDK  XD  It works inbound and outbound, so it's sort of like a firewall... just not quite.  It doesn't restrict specific programs' access to the 'net, it just restricts all program's access from certain IPs.