Antivirus / computer security program -- which one is the best?

My McAfee subscription is coming to an end, (no thanks to them, they re-billed me after 2 years for $90 for a subscription continuation without asking, underhanded toolbags).

I've been quite unhappy with McAfee, I went through the Hijackthis forums a while back and found out that McAfee has missed A LOT over the years.

So now I'm on the prowl for a new anti-virus, firewall, scanner deal, you know - a security package of some sort. What should I get? There is a plethora of free software out there, what is the best? (or the best combination?) or is it better to pay for one of the major brands?

ps I'm running XP-SP2

Thanks a bunch,

~Sam V

Antivirus / computer security program -- which one is the best?aurora

I have used AVG Anti Virus, Zone Alarm Firewall, Spy-bot Search and Destroy and Ad Aware both spyware killers for years. They are all free for personal use and I have had no trouble with Viruses Trojans etc. AVG does not slow the system down as much as some other products and Zone Alarm allows a lot of personal configuration unlike the Windows Firewall. They can all be downloaded from http://www.download.com/ I also use Windows Defender from the Microsoft site. It is safe to use two anti-spy products but never use more than one A/V as it can cause conflicts. You should run A/V and anti spy weekly. Hope this helps

Antivirus / computer security program -- which one is the best?download