Cobbs said:
After many hours of searching, the internet has failed me. AVG is the best, unless you use Kaspersky. But Kaspersky sucks in comparison to Norten. :S
The obvious solution is to get the general consensus of the Escapsits. So dispense your thick salty knowledge upon my tender face!
I don't think a general consensus is highly probable.
No single one solution is outstandingly good on all fronts.
Norton was the best around fifteen years ago. These days, I consider it to be one of the more bloated, annoying and useless ones. It's not completely useless, but I wouldn't want to rely on it. I never recommend Norton, it seems to have become one of those things that offer you a certain feeling of security every year you let it have your credit card data. It also pats you on the back for not having any viruses, but the typical Norton user around here gets confused by even those pop-ups, so...
I've had good experiences with the free offerings of AVAST! and AVG, and my internet provider gives me a branded F-Secure solution that works much more efficiently than AVAST! and AVG, but it also tends to eat up resources, mess things up if you up the security, as I found it does not like the way I handle security in the home or home office environment. Also, it's a bit awkward if not downright impossible to fix things, with a bit too much of the more important stuff being hidden away or not up for modifying, so F-Secure is one of those that tends to get turned off often, because it randomly disables the most simple tasks, like printing over wifi.
I have to fine-tune it, which is a bit of a pain in the butt, especially if one relies on duplicating well-kept installs of the Windows Firewall, and the software insists of bringing its own take on a firewall to the table, with no easy way to import any sort of settings.
Usually, mix'n'match is not a good idea. My personal favourite (in tandem with the Windows Firewall) is Kaspersky Antivirus, has been so for some years now. I've had to rely on Kaspersky's Rescue disc/USB-Stick twice already, and it's been a lifesaver. Just the rescue disc alone (in combination with up-to-date virus/malware definitions) can easily be a one-stop solution to the most pesky pests. It boots into Linux, so basic Linux knowledge doesn't hurt.
One of the most important anti-malware best practices is careful clicks around search engine results, and extreme vigilance around email messages containing links. That doesn't do anything for drive-by-downloads through modified ads or payload-download over java- or some other script.
Some people rely on Microsoft's 'free', as in integrated offerings. It really depends on how risky you roll on the interwebs. If you're in the position where you generally don't think you know what you're doing, get a free 30-day trial (if possible) and see how you like it. If you feel secure and in control, and it doesn't break things, slow everything down to a crawl or annoy you too much, get a license for an all-in-one solution for a year.
