After having set out to find the best free anti-virus program I found myself recommending two in particular to most people who ask me about it.

AVG Free is an anti-virus program which protects your computer actively while you surf the web, check your e-mail and download files. This is one of the most important features of any anti-virus software because most malicious software comes from various places on the web and through e-mail worms. The database in AVG covered as many known infections as one of the big paid programs (but lacks a lot of other features that programs like Kaspersky have).  AVG updates itself every day. If you decide to install it, don't forget to do a full system scan. Learn more about AVG Free and download it by visiting the home page.

Active Virus Shield by AOL (originally by Kaspersky) is another great freebie. It is simple and user-friendly. The way it runs is a little less annoying than AVG and its user interface is easier to follow. The downside is that it requires you to enter an e-mail address to receive an activation code where AVG does not, which possibly means getting junk mail. Learn more and download it a the Active Virus Shield home page.

If you would like to purchase a full-featured security program...

Kaspersky Internet Security will of course give you far more protection, and combines full firewall and anti-virus capabilities in one program. It also has great features like banner blocker so you can look at web pages without being distracted by web annoyances such as bright flashing ads with moving images. Some of its other great features are that it blocks spyware, auto-dialers and pop-ups and is constantly updated with the latest virus definitions. Kaspersky Internet Security 7.0 - Updates up to every hour leads the industry in response time and detection rates!

Whichever anti-virus app you decide to go with, even if it is one not mentioned in this article, always keep it updated.

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