I post at SearchCommander.com now, and this post was published 18 years 7 months 27 days ago. This industry changes FAST, so blindly following the advice here *may not* be a good idea! If you're at all unsure, feel free to hit me up on Twitter and ask.
*update – as of 1/1/2007 AVG is no longer free…sorry!
Antivirus companies charge a lot for their product, and with good reason. However, there’s a company that has decent software that they give away free to home users, with the hopes of earning your office business.
I really like AVG Free antivirus for home users, and I have it on my kids computer.
Before you download and install any new virus protection, be sure to completely uninstall your old expired antivirus software including any “live upating” as well.
For cleaning up spyware, here’s an article I wrote long ago with some more information.
Then, as always for home users, I recommend running Win Patrol system management software as added protection against unwanted startup including spyware. They have a free version, and a great Plus version too.