the anti stuff

NORTON

The good: Norton 360 is mercifully light on system resources; it's intuitive, covers most of the bases that a comprehensive security-and-performance tool should, and includes free online storage.

The badThe bad: Norton 360 doesn't support Firefox or Opera browsers; doesn't include wireless security tools, doesn't provide an ID vault for passwords or credit card info.

The bottom lineThe bottom line: For home and student use, we think Norton 360 represents the best value for ease of use, tools offered, and overall system performance. We recommend it over McAfee Total Protection and Microsoft Windows Live OneCare.

- http://reviews.cnet.com/internet-security-and-firewall/norton-360/4505-3667_7-32330411.html

AVG

The good: AVG Anti-Virus 8 includes anti-drive-by download protection along with antirootkit, antivirus, and anstipyware protection.

The badThe bad: AVG Anti-Virus 8 tested in the middle or even to the slow end for scanning and boot time performance.

The bottom lineThe bottom line: AVG Anti-Virus 8 is solid at finding and removing viruses and spyware as well as blocking Web threats, but could be lighter on system resources and provide more technical support options.

- http://reviews.cnet.com/internet-security-and-firewall/avg-antivirus-8/4505-3667_7-32887573.html

McAfee
Ease of Use: Excellent

If you use the default settings, setup is a breeze. The default settings provide very good protection against viruses, Trojans, worms, malicious ActiveX controls and Java applets.

The SecurityCenter has several tabs besides the VirusScan tab. There is one for Personal Firewall+, Privacy Service and SpamKiller. These are other programs offered by McAfee.
Effectiveness: Excellent

VirusScan boasts one of the best virus detection records. The software has received the VB100% award, the ICSA award and passed both level 1& 2 Checkmarks from West Coast Labs.

- http://anti-virus-software-review.toptenreviews.com/mcafee-review.html

Kaspersky

Ease of Use: Excellent

Kaspersky has always been among the best samples of antivirus software on the market, but has been less than simple to use. With the release of version 7, Kaspersky dramatically improved their interface giving this software an interface that matches the quality of the overall package. Further improvements have been made for the 2009 version. From a geek’s perspective, Kaspersky's interface is probably the best of all the software reviewed. That being said, it may not be ideal for someone who's not interested in fine-tuning and tweaking their antivirus software. Every feature is configurable and controllable with intuitive and easy to use controls in Kaspersky Anti-Virus.
Effectiveness: Excellent

Kaspersky Labs has always been known for its ability to effectively detect and remove viruses as well as or better than any software program on the market. Like BitDefender, Kaspersky was able to remove over 98% of all viruses it encountered in the most recent objective tests of AV-test.org. Kaspersky is also certified by all of the major virus/malware testing laboratories. Tests confirm Kaspersky's effectiveness. It found every virus on the test computer.

Although Kaspersky is excellent at detecting viruses and malware, it could use some work in the detection of spyware. Independent tests by AV-test.org showed that Kaspersky allowed 8% of adware/spyware to go undetected. Furthermore, Kaspersky’s proactive/heuristic engine failed to meet the high standards set by BitDefender, NOD32, F-Secure, Panda and some others.

Like other software with proactive/heuristic engines to detect malware before their signatures are available, Kaspersky's scan is relatively slow. The time and resources demanded by these proactive/heuristic engines slows these scans, and relatively slow scans may be the price we pay for this level of protection. Of the antivirus software packages reviewed, only NOD32 (see “TopTenREVIEWS Bronze Award” winner) scored high on both proactive detection and scan speed.

- http://anti-virus-software-review.toptenreviews.com/kaspersky-review.html

Ad-Aware


Ease of Setup/Use: Very Good

For the most part, Ad-Aware is easy to use. It has a clean, simple main interface. Some of the advanced options are a little confusing because they are too technical, however, and you may need to consult the Help where it's available. Despite the fact that there is an icon indicating context-sensitive help, we found that it was lacking a lot of useful information. There is also a one-step update feature that you will need to click on every couple weeks to stay updated with the latest Spyware/Adware products; automatic updates would be more convenient.
Support/Documentation: Good

There is an excellent FAQs page on the website. There is also an in-depth Help file, complete with graphics that will explain some of the product's features. If all else fails there is email support, although we had trouble getting through with our support emails.
Summary:

Ad-Aware does a pretty good job of detecting spyware or annoying adware. The program provides some real-time protection (removing spyware as it installs) and is better than average at finding hidden components. It is especially useful for IT or technical users. On the downside, it is more expensive than most other options, including our higher-ranked products and lacks some of the features you can get with said products. Also, the technical support was less than spectacular. You would be better off with a program that has the best of both worlds.

- http://anti-spyware-review.toptenreviews.com/ad-aware-se-pro-review.html

Zonealarm

Ease of Use: Excellent

We at TopTenReviews rate how easy a program is to use from a computer novice perspective. We ask, "If I'm a beginner, would I be able to understand and use the options in this program quickly, without questions?"

ZoneAlarm Pro does exactly that. The well-designed control panel explains and displays available choices simply. Each field (such as program control) offers a brief description of the main choice and then shows other choices available. New users are not overloaded with irrelevant information.

There is some difficulty associated with ZoneAlarm Pro when troubleshooting connection issues. Say, for example, you can’t connect to the net with MSN Messenger. It can be difficult to find which option to change due to the sheer multitude of options and features to contend with.
Ease of Installation: Excellent

ZoneAlarm Pro’s installation was a breeze. Their SmartDefense Advisor makes most of the configuration choices concerning the programs you run on your system without having to wait for a training or learning period. This not only saves time, but makes the installation more simple than many other firewall products.
Reliability: Excellent

We tested ZoneAlarm Pro's ability to protect a computer systems vulnerable open ports. An open port is a small doorway in your computer system that allows data to enter and leave. When you use a chat program online, for instance, your computer opens four ports to allow data to flow back and forth. ZoneAlarm Pro was effective at protecting and closing ports. ZoneAlarm Pro passed the trojan test with flying colors too; no trojan programs made it past the firewall.

- http://personal-firewall-software-review.toptenreviews.com/zonealarm-pro-review.html

i like norton the best because sure it isn't the ultimate security but for what im doing i don't need the best and it's ease of use is perfect for me. simple and easy is what i like.

I dont agree. I think a software should include most of the important features. Even though it is easy to use, I still would go with a stronger software.