I have been using Solo antivirus on a trial basis (24.95 to buy, not sure if there will be an annual charge though, can’t find anything about it on their site). Worked great in cleaning up NetSky.D virus. Really like it. Solo with Ad-aware 6.0 (free) seem to be a perfect combination for the $. Any other recommendations to try for both virus and adware/spyware?
I install SpywareBlaster and it seems to work. Prevents known spyware from installing in the first place. Lots of people use SpyBot Search and Destroy in conjunction with Ad-Aware. I use AVG anti virus from Grisoft. I use the Free Edition and it is adequate for my needs. Perhaps the best thing for spyware is using another browser rather than IE. I now use Firefox but Opera is good too. If you have to use IE turn off auto install of Active X programs.
I have AVG antivirus (the free version), and Spybot and Ad-Aware. Total cost: $0. I check weekly (at least) for Windows security patches, and haven’t had a single problem in the 3 years or so I have had a broadband (always-on) connection.
I have AVG, Ad-Aware, Spybot, CWShredder, use Firefox as a browser(since IE is full of security holes) and the free version Zonealarm for a firewall. No problems at all, and I haven’t spent a dime.
Spyware Blaster is essential. And you should have Ad-Aware and Spybot (either or both).
As far as antivirus is concerned, it’s a commodity. There is no appreciable difference between them. One will stop today’s virus faster, but another will stop tomorrow’s first. So, like any commodity, the chief factor in buying it is the price.