Tons of clients ask us what is the best PC anti-virus product. We recommend the following two:

1. AVG Free Edition
2. AVAST Free Edition

We typically use AVG Free Edition as a part of our toolset to clean infected PCs when they come in for repair and we install it on almost every machine before they leave our doors. We like AVG because it is user friendly and highly effective. It scans email, highlights safe links in Google search results, and runs a daily scheduled scan as well as running a real-time live agent for constant checking. AVG is also pretty slim compared to the bloated Norton, McAfee, CA, Panda, and others.

AVAST is also a solid product and we have seen a lot of success with it.

Please remember that an anti-virus solution is NOT a panacea. It will help protect your PC but the only guarantee against threats is to turn off your computer. Or buy a Mac.

Lately, we have received a number of calls and fixed a number of machines infected with XP Antivirus 2008. This piece of malware, like other malware, pretends to be a valid anti-virus tool, but it is actually a virus. Follow the steps outlined at this link.