I was going to be sarcastic because this topic comes up very frequently, normally as a thinly veiled spam thread,but you sound sincere so this is what I would recommend.
Panda Security has worked very well for me in the past.They have both paid versions and a new, free, last time I checked, cloud version.
The same goes with the next item I recommend, which also has free and paid versions. In this case I have never tried the paid version so I cant promise anything about it, but as an IT professional I can say that the free version has saved me lots of time and money. The other program is Malwarebyte's Antimalware program.

Niether link is an affiliate link.

Now, let me tell you, you might get many answers in this thread, but most are from everyday users, not computer professionals. Other than myself, I can name 5-10 people who post here in OT that I trust their word. Just something to think about.
Good luck.

Lawrh,
Adaware IS good and I both used and recommended it till Malwarebyte came out. Actually it is still good to run it now and then just to make sure nothing has slipped through.

Ok a couple recs for Malwarebyte, I'll check out Avira and Panda, as well. Thanks for the info so far everybody. I've got about 4 more days til it runs out, so hopefully I'll find something by then.

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If you are looking for some excellent freeware anti-virus programs, I can recommend a few.

Avast Anti-Virus (very good, easy to use, highly secure & 1 year free)
Avira Anti-Vir Personal (very in-depth, a lot of options & customizability)
AVG Anti-Virus (basic & simple, does the job)

I use all of these, 24/7 running in the back, I do not feel any CPU loss or anything and they all update themselves automatically. You do not need to purchase any expensive subscription for a anti-virus, firewall or spyware detecter. The freeware does the job good and sometimes even better.

Avast free.
It is reliable, intuitive, robust, and do not slow down your computer.
I have used many paid anti-virus before and, since I tried it (a couple of years ago), I have never spend one single dollar in antivirus again.

Avast hands down! Been using it for 3 years now, great and free.

I use McAfee Enterprise... and its amazing.

I don't know about MCafee enterprise,but the regular home version is terrible. Where I am from several of the major broadband providers give it away with their service. And they kept me in the virus removal business for months.
I was going to post the following in a diferent thread, but its just as relevant here as there.
Someone posted his PC with :"bloody XP which kept getting viruses like once every week ".
You know, if you are getting viruses "like once every week " with a PC, its not the PCs fault but the user's. If someone practices smart computing they will rarely get a virus,even without any antivirus programs running on your machine at all.
Of course, I still recommend everyone have something on their computer.

What I'm using now is Kapersky and Malwarebytes and they're both working great for me eversince.

Hmm I did some digging of my own and have found that everyone's got something negative and positive to say about different programs, different people swear by specific programs, got burned by others which other people swear by. Thanks for your input everyone.

ps:

I started downloading Avast's free version to check it out from their website and McAfee (I still have it for 3 days) paused the download (which it never does) and warned me that downloading this program might be unsafe. Anyways, just thought that was hilarious.

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Kaspersky anti-virus is ok as it update authomatically whenever on a live connection which I use to use until I allow to expired. NOD 32 2010 edition which I now use is working fine for me.

I am using Kaspersky and it offers the best anti virus protection available today.

M using Microsoft security essential and it works really great.......

I'm using AVAST

I have tried about a few differnet antivirus softwares.. bitdefender, kaspersky. f-secure, avast, agv free and a few others.. Most had terrible customer service once you have a virus.They run away!! I like Avast the best. I blieve it scans in real time 24/7.. but it had a wierd dashboard.. Agv free is okay.. but from what I have heard & read.. Free is.. well FREE.. It is Okay but not Great..I have agv 9.0 Internet security and I love it!! Avast or AGV 9.0.. With AGV 9.0 I did get two tears for the price of one!!

I am using eset nod 32 , it is very light and good anti virus ....

Avast and AVG the free version does evrything that i want from a anti virus the worst one was Norton,i also use Ad Aware and SpywareBlaster oh and the ultra reliable free version of Zone Alarm.

avast and glary utilities both free from download.com and anti spy on yahoo toolbar also free and keeps things working

Avast! hands down free version continually updates itself and has covered my butt and blocked alot of possible bad sites and downloads.

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Most antivirus programs work equally well; what makes them really effective is the computer user who is aware of what could happen when visiting questionable sites, when downloading, and/or when adding files from external sources, and understands how to use the security software to protect his computer. Not even the most expensive and most powerful security software is idiot-proof

so far microsoft security essentials works fine with me !!

I used F-security..not to say very good but still ok ..

Kaspersky is the best, when you download you get a months free trial its well ace

Josh

for me avast

As others posted already, Avast is "The Top AV for me!

I use AVG free edition for two years and no problems till now. On other PC I use Microsoft Security Essential on windows 7 , and it is great too. I find Kaspersky is so expensive to do what others anti virus doing for free.

according to me

avira and nod32, these both are the best

microsoft security essential is not bad too

For free, Avast above all for many other reasons than free, and I would rate Eset in 2nd, Bitdefender 3rd, and the rest...

Take care,

Bernard St-Pierre
Marketing Consultant
Copywriter/Teacher

The best part of using Security Shield 2011 is the fact that is powered by BitDefender. This antivirus company protects tens of millions of home and corporate users across the globe. The Shield Deluxe 2011 will protect your PC and personal data from theft, making it worth considering.

You can set your computer to update viruses weekly and run a complete virus scan. The system can be restored after malicious activity. It controls the status of the system registry.

Norton AntiVirus 2011 is a high-speed protection for all types of malware. The new Norton Protection System employs a multilayered set of security technologies that operate by consensus to detect, identify and prevent attacks. It 's still in the top performance of the class.

Quick Heal Anti Virus is the best Anti Virus Software. I had used these Quick Heal Anti Virus Software since last Three years and These Quick Heal Anti Virus software provided 100% Protection to my Laptop.

Malwarebytes is not as good as people think it is. It missed some trojans when I was doing a scan, but Webroot was able to detect them.

Best antivirus software - your brain!

Or a mac

Best antivirus software that i consider is Bitdefender, despite the fact that is taking many resources

I like AVG as well..

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avira is excellent and not too expensive

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I use a mac and I though I have an antivirus installed, i've never had the need for it.

*let the flaming begin*

Kaspersky is what I'm currently using and I'm happy with it. I have used Panda in the past and it is a good product too.

If you are looking for something free then take a look at avira and avg. Microsoft also has security essentials, don't know whether I would try it or not though.

I have tried and was not happy with avast, bitdefender, mcafee, norton. Not that they are necessarily bad products, I just think there are better ones.

All antivirus software is NOT created equal. Do a few searches and read a few current reviews before making a decision.

I also use malwarebytes which is free. I would recommend using it no matter what anti-virus you end up going with.

AVG is the best i know. I use it for some years and it works great.