I would go with the ad-aware. A computer at my work got some kind of malware and the ad-aware completely removed it when the avg wouldn't.
Deja vu? Wasn't there another thread like this where I recommended Avast!...? Anyways, I would go with ad-aware since all the cool kids use it.
I use ESET Smart Security, which is normally a paid AV/Firewall, it uses about 20MB RAM so it's very lightweight and is very secure, I use Nodenable that renews your licence with trial licences every 30 days. I can give you a copy if you want, it's virus bundled on the internet mostly. And this is not advertising pirated software, it's legal in every way FYI. Either that or get a mac.
depends what operating system do you have mac, windows, linux . i have a mac so i use a scanner called ClamXav that quarantines infected files but since i have a mac i almost never get virus thats about the only thing there good for! well and there more reliable but you cant do **** with them.
Just get the most user-friendly one. Unless you're doing hardcore surfing (going on the "congratulations you've won some popups" websites to collect your 'prize'), or you've got something to protect (credit card details), you should be fine. I have McAfee. I got 1 year for £40. Pretty good price IMO. Slows up the computer a bit though. So generally: don't get McAfee unless you've got a Dell or Vista (or both, like me), don't ever get Norton, don't get BitDefender, it's rubbish and doesn't even have a popup blocker, and don't get Avast unless you already have a virus and you want to remove it. Try AVG or ClamXav. They're both good, but I have no experience with them so I can't guarantee good results. try ClamXav first though. I've been recommended AVG many times but I've only been recommended Clam by people who know computers well.
Protecting your computer actually takes a few decent programs... 1.) AntiVirus software 2.) Malware/Adware removal software 3.) Browser the doesn't allow scripts to run from websites. 4.) Firewalls and other software Anti-Virus software I've heard good things about AVG, but I've never personally used it. McAfee and Norton are probably two of the worst AV softwares I've ever used. I personally use Avast! Home Edition. You just need to register it and you get free updates and upgrades. Best AV software I've used so far. Malware/Adware Removal software MalwareBytes is by far the best software around. I speak from personal experience. On the side, I assist in removing viruses from friend's computers. When in doubt, MalwareBytes does the job 99% of the time. Ad-Aware is decent, but I've found many things that were missed by this program that were picked up and removed by MalwareBytes. To me, that's a pretty good indication as to which one is better. I'ts free to use the Malware remover tool on the software. Browsers I personally use FireFox with some add-ons... 1.) NoScript - this allows you to allow/block scripts from specific sites to run on webpages. Works great if you know what you're doing. It's best to block everything at first, then allow the sites listed that are legitimate. It also allows you to temporarily allows scripts from sites to run. 2.) AdBlock Plus - It's always good to double up on your protection. This helps to keep you from viewing many advertisements. When this is used properly with NoScript, you will never see a pop-up that you didn't allow, again. While a lot of sites still need IE and IE has been slowly improving, most viruses are written specifically for Microsoft products. It's best to try to avoid them as much as possible. I still have it installed and only use it for those sites that need to use IE. Firewalls and etc... I personally don't use any firewalls. I find that they're resource hogs. In the past I've used ZoneAlarm. That one works very well and if you don't mind it using up resources, then that's the one I'd go with. There is a free version available. If you're a torrent downloader, I'd also install Peer Guardian. It helps block your IP address from specific sites on P2P networks. Hope that all helps.
I use a combination of AVG free, Google Chrome with third party cookies disabled and CCleaner which auto removes all cookies and other junk on my computer except for the stuff i want to keep. CCleaner also repairs my registry after i **** with it.
CCleaner is a good program to use as well. It deletes unused or dead registry keys. I use that a lot less frequently than my AV and MW, though. avast.com