Malicious programs come in a huge variety of different types. Viruses spread from computer to computer by infecting other programs. Worms spread by exploiting capabilities of the network. Trojans pretend to be useful and valuable programs...until they turn and do something nasty. Adware's pop-up ads interfere with your work. Spyware can steal personal information while keyloggers steal everything you type, and more. Rootkits subvert the operating system to hide their activities. Scareware pretends to be security software but at best does no good. Which of these should your antivirus remove? Simple-all of them! Viruses make up only a small part of threats "in the wild," but the term antivirus has come to define protection against all types of "malware"-a term that hasn't gotten much traction outside the security industry. When most people talk about antivirus software, what they really mean is anti-malware software, and that's how I'm using the term here, too.
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MoreA full-blown security suite is the best protection against the gamut of security threats, as it combines antivirus protection with a firewall and other protective components. Still, many users prefer to build their own protective suite from separate best-of-breed components. Here's a run-down of your choices for standalone antivirus utilities.
Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus 2010, our Editors' Choice for for-pay antivirus, is the star player in the security lineup from PC Tools. In my hands-on testing, it holds the top scores for both malware removal and malware blocking, even beating out previous champion Norton Antivirus 2010 (though Norton remains the rootkit removal king). PC Tools Internet Security 2010 offers this same level of protection plus antispam, firewall, antiphishing, and a browser protection toolbar.
Avast! Free Antivirus 5.0 includes the same anti-malware protection found in company's full suite, avast! Internet Security 5.0. However, its protection level is more on par with the better free products than with the best suites or standalones. Yes, the best commercial products are significantly more effective than the free products. Avira AntiVir Personal 10 is also free for personal use. McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2010 offers the same protection found in McAfee Total Protection 2010, though neither of these is free. All of these products are significantly better at keeping malware out of a clean system than at cleaning up active malware on an infested system. AntiVir in particular left a number of rootkits and other threats actively running after its alleged removal.
Sunbelt Software's VIPRE Antivirus 4.0 outscored all but the very best of its competitors in my testing, and it includes some bonus features more often found in suites than standalone antivirus products. Sunbelt's own suite, VIPRE Antivirus Premium 4.0 adds little to the antivirus-just a firewall and a malicious website filter.
Unlike the pairs of products mentioned so far, AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0 and AVG Internet Security 9.0 offer different levels of malware protection. The free product scored significantly lower than the suite for both malware blocking and malware removal, and also scored lower than several other free antivirus solutions. Microsoft Security Essentials, another free solution, offers average protection against most sorts of malware but is especially weak against rootkits and commercial keyloggers.

Autor: Albert Robbins Iii. Just a company trying to bring technology ungeeked to the world!
Source: http://articlebiz.com/article/624426-1-when-most-people-talk~