Here’s our take on some of the most important things to consider:

antivirus detection accuracy
Each antivirus vendor uses their own mechanisms to detect viruses. Some are highly accurate, detecting the vast majority of threats to your PC; some are terrible, leaving your PC vulnerable to all but the most basic viruses.
antivirus heuristics
Since new viruses and other threats are come out daily, antivirus software needs to detect viruses that haven’t yet been identified. This is another place where things vary significantly from one antivirus manufacturer to another.
scanning speed
Whether you’re manually scanning your files or allowing the AV software to perform an automatic scan, you don’t want to wait all day for the scan to finish. In our testing we found the best antivirus software can perform the task, quite literally, twice as quickly as lesser-quality programs.
resource utilization
As with scanning speed, how resource-hungry your antivirus software is makes a big difference in how your PC performs when your PC is protected.
Low-quality antivirus programs can be such a drag that some users are forced to disable their AV software altogether just to get their PC to have enough free memory and/or CPU to be able to perform a certain task on their computer.
Since this is never a good idea, having software that can do its job while you do your job is critical.

* Check Windows — Before installing personal firewall software on a Windows XP, Vista or 7 computer, be sure that the firewall built into the Windows operating system is turned off.
* Just One, Not Two — Never use two software firewalls at the same time. Completely uninstall one before installing another. Use the vendor’s uninstall utility or if not available, try AppRemover, for Symantec products use the Norton Removal Tool, or use the Windows add/remove software tool in the control panel.
* Hardware Firewalls — You can and should use a hardware firewall with a software firewall including a Wired Router, Wireless Router or a Broadband Gateway.
* Patches & Updates — As soon as your firewall is installed, check the vendor’s website for patches and updates. If the firewall offers an automatic update function, turn it on.
* Testing — After you install a firewall, be sure to check it with an online service like Security Space to make sure that it is configured correctly. Testing your firewall is the only sure way to tell that your computer is really being protected.

Insidious by nature, modern spyware uses a ton of different techniques to spread onto your system and monitor what you’re doing.

Some spyware is fairly innocuous, as it “only” shows ads based on your web surfing habits. Other spyware is much more evil and can actually record every keystroke you type and every activity you perform on your PC and then report it back to a central location.

The worst spyware can even record the usernames and passwords to your most confidential data including your bank accounts and credit cards.

Today’s best antivirus software also include antispyware components, too, so in addition to being on the lookout for you against threats from viruses, trojans, and worms, good antivirus software will keep spyware at bay, too.

More accurately it should be called “Internet security software.”

If you are the proud owner of any type of computer, then you need the best antivirus firewall protection available. Viruses and malicious software can cause much damage and death to your computer.

The severe ones can change or erase important files that will harm your software as well as hardware. Or, they may target files that are vital to the integrity of your operating system. The less harmful code will stay resident in your computer feeding the infecting site with user information, or worse, personal information.

Additionally, these harmful scripts will slow your computer down greatly while your computer executes this extra, unnecessary load. Without the best antivirus firewall software, you will, not can, suddenly find yourself with an unexpected system crash or failure.

If you are lucky enough to only have the less harmful viruses and scripts, then you may not need to replace your computer. However, you will need to restore your computer to the prior condition before the viral infection. Believe me, needing to recover your computer from such an event is both tedious, time consuming and sometimes costly. If you do not have your information backed up, you will lose a lot of important files. In the worst case scenario, you could end up having to spend even more money for someone to fix it for you. This could mean several days or weeks without your computer, while they are working on the problem.

Having to repair or replace a computer from viruses and other malicious scripts is a truly avoidable problem. Having the best antivirus firewall software will eliminate 99% of infections. Such problem is truly avoidable.

So as you can see, antivirus software is vitally important to the health and integrity of your operating system. It is well worth investing in, because it will save you both money and hassles. You do not have to buy an expensive one to have adequate protection. You do, however, need to make sure that the one you use is reliable and updated regularly.

Constant and automatic updating is very important. It is like a cat and mouse game. Bad people make a virus and then the antivirus software companies recognize and stop it. Then, the bad people make another virus. Again, the antivirus software companies make an update for it. This process occurs almost hourly every day. That is why you need the freshest updates available to adequately protect your computer.

Firewall software is still important, but works this software little differently than virus software. Firewall software protects your computer from rogue attacks on the Internet or a network. It is not always easy to tell from a URL that you are visiting, whether or not any given website is safe. It is even possible for people to fake valid security certificates.

Some people will try to use your Internet connection to gain access to the information on your computer. If they can get in, they may search for personal information that you have stored in it. This could include details that will allow them to steal your identity. Everyone is well aware of the problems that arise from identity theft. It can take years to clear up all the problems it can cause you.

If you do online banking or store financial information in your computer, this is another prime concern. There are many bad programs that have been created only to mine or dig through your computer for banking or credit card account numbers. If they manage to gather these, they can drain your accounts or run up your debt in just minutes.

A good firewall is always actively running on your computer. It monitors for just such intrusions and can deny them access to your sensitive information. In most cases, you will see a warning pop-up that lets you know something or someone was trying to gain access. This is just another example of a case where prevention truly is the best remedy.

Recently, there have even been a few good free programs made available that you can use. They are available for personal use and can be of great help. Sometimes, there are occasions where people just cannot afford to pay for these programs. They are not, however, usually a great choice for people that always constantly surf questionable websites. Remember, this antivirus firewall software is free.

But, if you find yourself making only limited use of your computer, they are perfectly adequate. Most of them will update automatically and provide real-time virus and firewall protection. It really just depends on how much protection you need. If you are not certain, then you should do some research and consult someone who is knowledgeable.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to have antivirus firewall software installed. Your computer is an investment and the less time and money you have to waste on it, the better. While you may never need these programs, if you do, you will find yourself very glad you had them running.

Antivirus Firewall software is a must. It may be the most important software you’ll ever install on your Microsoft Windows computer.

As a computer user you’ve probably come across terms like viruses, spam, Trojan horses, worms, etc. Some of you may know what these refer to; others of you may have heard of them but have no idea what they mean. In a word they mean: DANGER!

We can’t emphasis this too strongly. Anytime you go online to shop or to access your email or just to surf the web you and your pc are vulnerable to attack by dangerous elements.

These threats come in many forms and sometimes they can come from sites you’ve been to many times and “trust.”

The virus and malware writers are now taking it upon themselves to take over reputable sites and install viruses, worms, trojans, and the like on these otherwise reputable sites most often completely without the site’s owners ever knowing it has happened.

In essence, these and other malware attacks are attempts by disreputable individuals to disrupt the proper operation of your computer; in some cases rendering it useless. Others can cause you financial ruin.

Think, for instance, that if all the important information contained on your pc was suddenly wiped out. All those priceless family pictures-gone forever. How about the novel you’ve been writing and didn’t make a copy of? Whatever you hold nearest and dearest has disappeared and you can’t begin to replace it.

Then there is the danger of identity theft. If someone can get your social security number, banking, or other financial information it can mean months, if not years, of suffering.

* A good detection rate is key. Several third-party companies test antivirus software for detection rates. Mary Landesman, About.com’s guide to antivirus software, says, “Before considering any antivirus solution, you should check their ItW [In the Wild] certification by consulting any of the following: VB100%, ICSALabs or Checkmark.” Most mainstream products perform well, including those discussed in this report. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don’t share an editorial affiliation.)

* Check the system requirements before you buy. If you are using Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7, any current antivirus software will work. If you have an older or slower computer, however, a large antivirus software program can consume a huge percentage of your computing power. Check our Comparison Chart for system requirements for the software included in ConsumerSearch Best Reviewed.

* An intuitive interface makes software easy to use. Because antivirus software can be customized in many ways, it’s important that the interface guides users through the various settings.

* The ability to update daily is crucial. Most software provides one year of unlimited free updates. After that, you must renew your virus-update subscription, buy a new version of the same program or switch brands. Virus signatures are specific strings of binary code that can be detected by antivirus software. Most programs will automatically check for updates. Some free software relies on a manual check.

Most people running Microsoft Windows operating systems now have the Windows Firewall up and running. Is Windows Firewall enough protection? No. Although Windows Firewall helps protect your computer from inbound intruders, it does nothing to protect you from outbound security issues. Much spyware and malware that is already inside your computer can easily get data packets through Windows Firewall and out to the internet. Although Windows Firewall is a bit of help, it does not fully protect you against both inbound and outbound threats. You need a third party personal firewall or hardware firewall to do this.

Free anti virus software is available in many forms. Most major internet security product developers offer a free “trial version” to test before you buy. This type of free anti virus program is either time limited (it quits working after a certain period if you don’t buy) or has limited features. A free antivirus download of trial software is a good idea in order to see if you like the product. As long as you download the product from the official vendor website, you need not worry about infecting your computer with malicious spyware. Several good antivirus products to try are McAfee anti virus, Norton antivirus, Avast, Nod32, EZ anti virus, AVG and Panda. See our antivirus software page for information and links.

For those on a tight budget, there are some good free anti virus downloads out there. To avoid downloading from an unscrupulous site however, please either use the links on this page or go to a good software review site like PC World or PC Magazine. A good review on free antivirus can be found on About.com. These online versions of computer magazines include reviews of just about any antivirus product you can think of. Use the links supplied there to get your free antivirus software.

AVG Antivirus – Grisoft software makes two versions of their excellent antivirus product, and fortunately for those of us on a budget who need good virus protection – they make a free one. With the ABG free anti virus download you get only the basic antivirus product with no bells and whistles. There are no automatic updates with agv anti virus, and no technical support. It’s a great antivirus product though – if you don’t mind doing manual updates on a regular basis. Best of all – it’s anti virus gratuito – free anti virus! You can find it from this link – just browse through the Grisoft products.

F-Secure Antivirus – FSecure Protects your computer against viruses, worms and rootkits, is easy to install and use, and also includes anti spyware protection. F-Secure has been designed to automate all key tasks required to keep your computer and data safe from viruses – it’s so easy, all you have to do is install and forget about it. A free F-Secure antivirus download is available on their website. You can download and use a free trial version of this product and decide if you like it.

Bit Defender – BitDefender Free Edition is an on-demand virus scanner, which is best used in a system recovery or forensics role. The company advises that if you are on an “always on” internet connection – you should invest in a more thorough antivirus solution. You can find it through this link – just browse through the BitDefender products.

Avast Home Edition – Complete antivirus solution, fully able to find computer viruses, to create and check the integrity of programs installed, to test executed programs and opened documents, to test and check email and other functions. Scanning is also available in the shell extension and screen server. Avast anti virus is totally free for home users who do not use their computer for profit. It does include automatic updates and even supports 64 bit Windows.

The firewall performs a very different function versus the antivirus software suite. You could say that the antivirus is the vacuum cleaner in the house while the firewall is the main door. You as the owner of the system owns the key to the main door and chooses which software or processes can send or receive data from the external world.

Without the firewall, a computer system with only an antivirus software installed, would not be able to block strange traffic coming through its numerous ports. The antivirus would be required to constantly detect and delete viruses. Whereas using a firewall, much of the unwanted traffic would be blocked and there would be lesser need for the antivirus software to wake and destroy the virus or Trojans. This in turn reduces the overhead of system resources as well.

So if you have the firewall software together with the antivirus tool, you should simply install both systems.