David said:
Either one is good, I personally wouldn't pay for one while these free
options are still available. As long as you stay away from Norton and
Mcafee you'll be fine.
I feel that statement deserves a bit of clarification, to illuminate
both the good and the bad.
I use Norton AV as part of System Works, and have for about 6 years now.
As an AV program, it works splendidly - I have never once been
infected with a virus while using it, but I have lost count of the
number of times it has stopped a virus, worm or Trojan *inbound* to my
computer.
It also updates seamlessly and silently - you aren't even aware it was
updating until a little box momentarily appears telling you it did.
That said:
It does - no question in my mind - slow down you machine, especially
boot. It has a few useful features other than the AV, and a number of
"bloatware" features, too. I am currently studying up on Avast - if I
feel I can trust it to the extent I can Norton, I may well go to that, soon.
As for McAfee, I have to agree - putting up with McAfee's way of doing
things is almost not worth being safe from virus - almost. I would
advise avoiding McAfee too. I used it for several years, and got
disgusted with it's ever-bloating approach in successive versions. Wife
still uses it - and hates it - she is going to get something else, too.
Tony
