For paid protection I can not think of anything better than Kaspersky but it does have a bit of a learning curve to set it up at first.

Just my two cents

Give Malwarebytes a shot. It's been working well for me.

I think AVG is the best!

Avira (Free antivirus - Avira AntiVir)

Thanks guys so far.

We have Malwarebytes and Avira which we use to do scans as well as Nortons full time protection, so its nice to know we are on the right track.

Keep em coming!!


Jon

Avast has been great for me, I would highly recommend it to anyone

AVG is tops!

Eset Smart Security 4 is the best imo. I've got it on several pc's and It's never let me down.

It's got everything:
Antivirus, Antispyware, Firewall, Antispam.

The free version of avast, and it does the job.

Actually, after thinking about this for quite some time ... and despite the fact that I do not currently have the wherewithal to set one up, rather than trying to protect Windows that are easily broken, I would have to say setting up a Linux Box.

Linux Rocks! Rocks break windows! Any questions?

Still, for free, the Avast does seem to work about the best and is easily updated but for paid protection, nothing beats Kaspersky ... even with the learning curve.

Just my two cents

I've used quite a few. But using Windows Live OneCare and WebRoot Anti Spyware with Anti Virus. I haven't had any problems and my full scans report clean.

Windows Live OneCare is quick at identifying Trojans and if you downloading and bring one in it tells you and removes it before it starts to be a problem. It has an excellent 2 way invisible firewall. It tells me if something tries to come in or wants to get out and lets me decide. But it doesn't work in safe mode.

Also I screwed it up by playing in files I shouldn't have been poking around in. I contacted support via live chat in the middle of the night and they fixed it. The tech logged into my computer. Went to Program Files and deleted about 4 or 5 files and reinstalled them and got me back up in about 10 minutes as I watched on my monitor. This tech really impressed me. So did the fact that they did it right away.

WebRoot is good at blocking web site pages from loading everything if it finds something in it that could be a problem. It seems to give valid warning that I now pay attention to. I recently visited a video site that looked legit. The page showed member videos of all types. It looked like there where some pretty creative stuff on the homepage but WebRoot told me it was blocking dangerous content. It wasn't a porn site and looked so innocent I thought it might be a mistake. I disregarded the warning and a second later Windows Live OneCare said it caught a Trojan. I told it to remove it and it did before it got me. I looked it up and it was one that replicates over and over until it locks everthing up. So I guess when WebRoot warns me again I'll believe it and just walk away. WebRoot does work in Safe mode so if you have computer problems and need to run in safe mode for a while you can still run scans. It can be set to scan all the start up programs when you start your computer too.

A lot of the free stuff sounds good until you have a real problem. People think there great but just wait. I think I was getting infected when I used them because I used them. I used several I thought where good. Also found out many don't uninstall well or completely using their uninstall programs or via Add/Remove programs in Windows. A lot of the free stuff also spies on you.

They aren't good at telling the difference between a real threat and a Windows file that has a program in it that has a virus like footprint. I had one quarantine some important files after an update. The files that Windows will give you a warning if you try to access them. When I un quarantined then it didn't put the files and folders back. It took me months to figure where all the files and folders belonged and get everything working right again. The service techs (9 certified techs) told me I was screwed and needed a fresh install of Windows. So I fixed it myself.

I also used TrendMicro on another computer and it was great and had some really cool features.

I have Norton on another computer and it's a pain.

Update 2012 AUGUST

Windows Live OneCare is no longer available - I really like it.

Webroot became a memory hog and support wanted me to turn on logging for everything (not just Webroot and turn it over to them. This solution would have been labor intensive and I have no intention of turning over the data for everything on my computer. They had no easy fix, no one that could help me fix it on the spot. This would have left me with a computer that I had to wait minutes every time I hit the enter key. I couldn't be sure I was protected or if I was Webroot could respond in time if there was an attempt to infect my computer. I needed a solution now.

I decided to try Norton 360 and to my surprise it wasn't using a lot of resources. I did have trouble installing it on one of my computers. I went to live chat and support accessed my computer remotely and got it going at lightning speed. I had support fix a problem via remote access a second time after my computer had a power failure. Again it was done right away as I watched.

It even runs on my older low memory XP without a problem. I am really happy with it and the support has been excellent. Support is important and you don't know how good it is until you need it. Also a friend had a problem and they had Norton Internet Security version. He brought it over and I got on live chat and they accessed his computer via remote access and fixed it plus cleaned up some other things they didn't have to do. Made me and Norton look good.

Free Nod & spybot search and destroy
Paid Nod smart security & kaspersky .

Norton use lots of resources , your pc will slow down big time , better use another program , if you want to pay , use nod smart security or kaspersky .

I'd say ESET NOD32 antivirus. It detected some viruses that undetectable by McAfee and several others. The database updated almost daily. It's really simple to use yet powerful.

I use Avira Premium Security Suite - AV Firewall etc with all the bells and whistles. Works great for me.

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I usually use Windows defender. But for extra protection I have been using SafeBytes for two months. One of my friends suggested me to use this antivirus. It works perfectly and I am happy with its performance.

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Hello Voyager 64,
If you are going for paid check Bitdefender Antivirus Plus. It's very light and powerful.
If you are going for free check Avira.

I personally use the free version of Malwarebytes.
Most very destructive viruses can bypass an anti-virus software anyway so you just need to be careful what you open.

The reason is that harmful viruses have become smarter and now change their code before they use your email to spread themselves.

The notorious Cryptolocker for example.