anti virus software

[ThisIsNotWhatIWasAfter]

My shiny new proper full screen internet is being installed tomorrow but i don't know which anti virus to use. Which covers the most risks? My computer is a bit old and sad so i don't want something that will slow it down any further. I don't want to buy something that isn't right for me and im not sure if a free one will do what i need it to. I am baffled and confused.

If Barclays is your bank, they will supply one free.

Not with Barclays. Not sure it would be worth it for free a.v.

I use AVG which is free and never had any virus issues.

I use the free AVG and I also use CCleaner which I run weekly, registry and cleaner, just to clear up cookies and other rubbish. That is free too...

I would recommend Norton, they do a free trial and after which you pay. With anti virus 'you get what you pay for' ie the company has to have resources and technology and people constantly monitoring for the newest viruses to protect you from getting them. Therefore the level of protection is never quite as good with a free one

Microsoft security essentials is worth a look (free) -
www.microsoft.com/en-gb/security/pc-security/mse.aspx

AVG also have a paid version with support, so the argument presented above doesn't quite stack up. I have had Norton in the past (free with laptop) but took it off because of the demands it put on the system. However as 2cats points out you can have a free trial to see how it performs on your system. Avira is free and pretty good.
I currently use AVG and visit some pretty dodgy websites and haven't had a virus in over 2 years.

. I might try the free Norton til i make up my mind. I use free avg and avast on my mobile but i seem to remember avast being a bit trigger happy on computer. I really appreciate the feedback. I read a few online reviews but they all seem to prefer different ones. Will Google Avira I've never heard of that one.

Just looked and Barclays use Kaspersky Internet Security SW as their free package and i have not had any probe, so far lol.

Have gone with the free trial of avg for now but will definitely try Norton at some point there's something about the familiarity of the name that is reassuring. Thank you all for your input, there was a bit of a delay in getting online properly while i kicked outdated internet explorer into touch but hopefully now I'm secure and running at a decent speed with a fullsize screen.

I second beachyhead in recommending CCleaner. It's brilliant at freeing up disk space. I use Avast free, it's very good.

Your ISP may provide something free. They are not free as such, it is a license to use the full paid product but you do not pay, the IPS does. Same goes for banks.

I currently use:
Mcafee - free from ISP, 5 licenses so is installed on all my laptops.
Norton DNS server is configured on one system - see here
Malwarebytes
Ccleaner