I'd like to visit some of these sites to check out current trojans and viruses.
Can you list a few urls here please ?
Thanks very much.

As I said, not very computer literate so I have no idea what sfc/scannow is.
I would like to get a free anit-virus program so I'll try AVG or Avast. Which
is better? They won't conflixct with Windows Firewall?  

hello
thank you for all that info on this tread
my AVG free 7.5 all so expires on May the 31 st
and there is a avg 8 free available that I will install
2 questions
Do I need to uninstall  avg 7.5 first?
I guess so,   if so
Do I need to down load a  Removal tool ?
to remove it properly
if so, where can I find it?
guess there are 3 questions here
I appreciate  a responce

sorry, forgot
I don't need a firewall
my Vista security and firewall that came whit the system  works just fine
guess I can download the AVG 8 without that firewall

LesleyON,

No Virus Software can catch every virus out there and their only as good as
their definitions. It's not that NIS is bad for missing Viruses, it's the
total integration with the system and the fact NIS has messed up thousands
of systems. You are one of the lucky ones and if it works for you go for it.
I used AVG for years and not long ago I switched to Avast because AVG is
getting bloated and more and more we are seeing threads about the newest
version messing up more systems. So far Avast IMO is written very good, it
has on demand options to turn off certain features without having to
uninstall and re-install. The biggest problem I see with some of these Virus
Software Company's is they are integrating to much junk in a package deal
and it's becoming pathetic. From a business standpoint I can see their side,
but not from a user standpoint. These total package's that include Virus,
Spyware, Firewall and who knows what else IMO is going to be the downfall to
many of these company's. I work and have worked of thousands of machines and
the first thing I tell any new customer is if you have Norton or MacAfee on
their system it's coming off or they can take it elsewhere. I know that's
sounds blunt, but I refuse to clean up this mess before I get into other
problems these systems have.

Like SG mentioned, no anti-virus has a 100% detection rate. Generally, the
free AV solutions perform surprisingly well in tests. Symantec products also
have ok test results. Take a look at these sites:

http://www.av-comparatives.org/
http://www.virusbtn.com/vb100/

The major Norton criticisms are related to stability and footprint, the most
common problem being slow-downs because of the massive system resources
Norton hogs. There are products on the market with equal or better test
results than Symantec's products, consuming less resources at a lower price
(even free ones).

Charlie42

My wife's computer came with a free trial of Norton.
When it expired, I removed it and installed AVG.
The initial scan found 4 viruses that Norton had missed.
Just because Norton says you're OK doesn't make it so.