[deanhills]

Malwarebytes is probably the best hands down, in my opinion.

Totally agreed with Malwarebytes.  However I just find the paid version that much too expensive.  Regrettably, because it's so good.  I only use the free version, that is good for when you have already detected the possibility of a problem and need to scan for something that may already be there.  Malwarebytes can only really be preventative if you have the paid actively turned on version.

I agree that other anti-virus software like Nortons (which I haven't used in a while) or Kaspersky, have become just too intrusive, dragging on one's system.  I reckon that a good anti-virus software is one that isn't in your face and you shouldn't be aware it is there unless there is a real problem.  I hate pop ups of any kind.

Right now I realize I'm not as well protected I should be, I have Windows 7 Professional and am using free Microsoft Security Solutions as it is light on my system.  I tried Kaspersky before and it's really very heavy on my RAM and system resources.  I had to let go of it.  I also have the free version of Malwarebytes that I use now and then to scan. I'm not sure whether I'm correct but I think with Kaspersky it's serving all of the Windows at the same time, and there are massive definitions that aren't applicable to Windows 7, that one loads at the same time when one loads Kaspersky.

A good thing of course when one knows one doesn't have ultimate protection is one is just much more careful than usual. I don't do risky ventures on the internet. I don't use Torrent or visit higher-risk download areas. I understand things are still liable to happen as I do use the Internet many hours every day. But being careful is probably a number 1 preventive measure.

Another great software is ESET NOD32, with the cool robot on the software. It scans web page objects, unspecified, allows you to watch file activity to see if anything has changed, and much more.

Thanks for reminding us of this suggestion.  I've also heard good reports of them but haven't tried them yet.  Maybe when I upgrade to new hardware one day, I'll use them.