Best antivirus software for xp?

[Evelyn]

Hey, I just had to get a new hard drive for my computer cuz my old one got corrupted somehow (yay -.-). So my subscription to Norton is now lost with the CD key, and I'm in need of something new. Looking for something good, so recommendations are welcome. Free and open source would be nice but not required.

Thanks in advance.

[diony]

AVG free edition is one option

[GSDragoon]

Your brain, seriously.

[Epical]

A lot of people say AVG, but I disagree. Kaspersky.

[Shuemue]

If you're able to source it, Symantec Corporate is solid and uses minimal resources.

[Cephius]

The problem with AVG is that it's real time protection, if you can even call it that, is a joke. Secondly, it misses a lot of stuff when scanning. Don't get me wrong, its great for being free, but you're still at risk from the more persistant viruses. It also doesn't fare well against most forms of spyware.

Symantec Corporate (NOT Norton, totally different) is the way to go if you can get your hands on it. I also like NOD32, it has the highest detection rates and eliminates spyware as well.

[Viena]

NOD32 is the best I've ever tried. It's highly customizable, offers a high level of detection/protection and its resource footprint is minimal.

[BIGSTIC]

My cousin who is an IT guy for a university gave me McAfee for my laptop. He said it was real good and since it was the Universitys edition it would never run out. Problem is it slows the computer down so much i tend to never leave it on. Thought about puting it on the desktop but once again why put it on if you always turn it off.

Yeah i run AVG but honestly it misses alot. So yeah i hate anit-virus programs.

[Evelyn]

well Kaspersky has a 30 day trial so I'm gonna try that out, see how it goes. Thanks a bunch

[Killgannon]

shhhhhhh dont tell anyone but i may know a way for you to get your grubby paws on symantec corp>.>;

[alt]

shhhhhhh dont tell anyone but i may know a way for you to get your grubby paws on symantec corp>.>;

omg tell me how

[Khamsin]

All I can find is Symantec Endpoint Protection. Why don't they sell Symantec Corporate on their site, as well?

[Sigi]

for a freebie, I've been using Avast!

>_> 500x better than Mcaffee and Norton.

[Ghostsix.Midgard]

symantec antivirus. pm me if you need a copy.

[Fallso]

A lot of people say AVG, but I disagree. Kaspersky.

Correct, I used AVG for years, now I use kaspersky and all the "red herrings" that AVG picked up I don't get problems with and all the actual viruses are still picked up just fine.

[Isiolia]

For free there's also Clamwin, though I couldn't say how great it is stand-alone. OSS though, and has versions for OS X and others as well.
I have Symantec Corporate for most things though, but I get that through work.

[Cephius]

Yeah, If anyone wants Symantec Corporate there are ways to get it. The most common way is if you're in college, where most universities offer it for download to all students (better to have everyone with free clients than no protection at all) which comes in an unprotected executable. I have plenty of copies available, I have no idea if it'll eventually deny you but.. PM me with an e-mail addy and I'll send it over.

EDIT: Specify if you run Vista or XP, two diff packages..

[Bartylby]

avast! superantispyware and hijackthis for the trifector.

i've heard good things about nod32 but it's not free, unfortunately.

[Cephius]

avast! superantispyware and hijackthis for the trifector.

i've heard good things about nod32 but it's not free, unfortunately.

Newegg has the OEM version, 25 bucks for a year of protection, its really not that bad.

[Khamsin]

By the way, I discovered that my company extends its antivirus software license to employee's home computers. So I'd be able to use it for free. Except I'd never heard of it until I worked here, and at work, I generally don't come across viruses so I don't know how well it really works.

Anyone know anything about Sophos? Should I take advantage of the free software and updates from the company, or is it so horrible that I should go with something else? How "bloated" is it?

And one other question: Speaking of bloating, what are some of the most, and some of the least, bloated antivirus software that still acts as antivirus, real-time protection, firewall, and antispyware? I have norton on my laptop because it came with it, but seems to take a lot of resources.