AVG FREE edition for years, so it's on my trading computer by default (all purpose PC). I'm planning on getting a PC specifically for trading and will probably get the paid edition including internet security. I'm actually more concerned about the firewall as we traders are online for so long. I used to use Comodo (free) when I was on XP but with Windows 7 64 bit I am using the bundled firewall - initially there seemed to be compatibility issues with Comodo. Have not heard any complaints about the Windows firewall but the AVG Anti-Virus is really good so I would expect the same of their internet security.
The proiblem with Norton is their version release model model. Every year they release a new version of their Internet Security (sometimes 2 versions like actual Internet Security and Norton 360). Note that Internet Security is a "subscription" software. Because the main value of the software is regular updates with new virus signatures etc, the upfront cost with most providers is close to zero. With Norton when you subscribe for another year you don't get the latest version, instead you get subscrition for virus signatures for your (now outdated) version but for the same or higher price than the newest version in a retail box coplete with 1-year subscription. As you keep using the older version support decreases, online help stops working etc. It's naturally a seriosu stratch for Norton to support 10 or more version cocurrently each with its own visrus signatures. On the other hand, if you buy the newest version instead of extending subscription, it's a lot of hassle to uninstall the old version, install the new version. To make it worse, components form the older version that didn't uninstall properly often make the newer version unstable. That's exactly the kind of hassle you don't want from a utility that is supposed to run unobtrusively in the background. My advise is as follows. Get internet security software that only has one (latest) version, not a new distinctive label every year.
Just signed up for another 2 years with ESET Nod32 Antivirus, and I had zero problems on two computers for the last two years. It is not free but it is not much to pay for a program that does everything I need it to without getting in the way or taking too many resources. On one of my computers I donât even try to be careful when I am surfing and clicking on links and I have never had a problem so far.
None. I have two computers. One does email and daily and ordinary stuff. It is "protected" by McAfee and has constant problems. The other one is for trading only. I access two brokers on this computer and two subscription services, absolutely no email, no IE (I use Firefox), no Adobe, and no "protection". So far, so good.
Over the years I've used several AV programs. All seemed to be OK, as I've never had an attack... in a malware scan, found something called "backdoor.bot" once, but not sure where that came from. The reason to change AVs is because they sometimes get buggy with all the new versions. Currently using Panda Cloud AV.... "Cloud AV" seems to make sense and is likely the way of the future. In a recent review of many of the currently available AVs (including most of the free ones and several of the paid ones), Panda got a good rating. Noted, however, that it's "very good" about keeping a clean machine, clean... but not very good about cleaning an infected one... suggesting that if your rig is infected you should try 2 or more other programs to remove the culprit(s). For the last several years, I've used a router... router firewalls might (?) contribute to keeping your rig free of malware. Some have suggested that router firewalls are good enough that they're worth having even if you don't have a network... just a buffer between your rig and your modem. (If you'd like to look into this, Newegg's most highly recommended by multitudes is the Linksys WRT54GL... Last price I saw was $55. Sometimes they're $30-$40 after rebate.)
I've had Norton and McAfee at different times. They can be such a PITA, I refuse to have either program on one of my rigs.