grandmas....I will not let country of origin make my decision, but I do still believe in buying made in the USA if possible, and that's hard, but another subject. I too am a "Grandma" and not that computer savy. That is the reason for my two posts about virus scans. I was looking for other peoples ideas and experiences, since mine are so few and I feel I am not qualified to make a good decision based on my knowledge alone (which is little). I probably will go with Avast from the comments posted. I do want something that updates daily. Maybe you could tell me of your experiences with MSE since you are trying it on one of your computers and have Avast on the other. I only have one computer and it's all I need, it's a Gateway and I will have to look at the box to see where it is made. I know my old Gateway was made in America, not sure about this new one, well 1 year old. I'm just trying to get as much info as possible before the 12th, when I have to decide. I have looked at websites that compare virus scans but that can be confusing. I want real answers from real people, it makes more sense to an old Grandma like me. LOL Thanks everyone for your help, I appreciate it so much. It's nice to have a forum to ask for help.

Thanks, Raven. I'm sure he's behind on lots of stuff. Early in 2009, I had him change his update settings to notify him of updates, but not automatically download. That was to hold off on sp1 (at a time when I think I read here that folks were having trouble with it - but I didn't follow that topic, so didn't realize sp1 had become a good idea and that sp2 followed). We also set it that way bc. his computer was automatically updating and then rebooting when he was in the middle of doing other things. So this was to allow him to time his own downloads and installations. But he just never thought of it - and I didn't think I needed to keep track for him. I do keep track of his Avast, superantispyware, malwarebyte and spywareblaster. Every now and then when he's done surfing I have him leave out the laptop and go ahead and update and scan. I'll have to keep track of more than that, obviously. I got foxit reader on my ancient laptop in my office and love it. It takes so little room and does what I need quickly. Do you like pdf-xchange viewer more than foxit reader? Or does he need to use firefox to use foxit reader? I installed firefox for him - and set up tabs with the places he likes to go (did that in the summer) - but he hasn't used it. He's a bit resistant to tech changes. He balked when I got Tivo's - although he loves it now. He's a musician - and I got him Protools so he could record the music he wrote. That was over 1 1/2 years ago - and he hasn't learned it yet - he's barely scratched the surface. Last spring he bought an Imac bc. it was better for recording music. And now he's finally setting up his den and equipment. I'm hoping he'll actually learn the software this year. I'll take care of the rest for him so the only learning curve he has is Protools (certainly the most challenging of them all). But I digress. I'll check his other updates and run Secunia - I'm pretty sure I already put that on his computer last year. Thanks. Lynn.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/defender/support.mspx And, Windows Vista is an operating system made by Microsoft which contains a built in malware protection tool called Windows Defender, which can also be downloaded and run as a stand alone service for Windows XP. Windows Defender is a part of the Vista operating system, so it cannot be removed without risking total failure of the operating system. Hence, for Vista users, Defender should be disabled if it's services are not needed. In Windows XP, the stand alone install of Defender can be uninstalled normally. http://www.ehow.com/how_4881875_uninstall-windows-defender-manually.html

With the wealth of programs for internet security it is about the same as picking Ford, GM or Chrysler as a best vehicle. There are a number of long running anti virus and malware programs that stand up very well. Normally I tend to shy away from the new guy on the block. Note above that Jane_ny uses Live Onecare and seems very happy, I have used and worked on computers that use Windows Defender. This appears to be the best of both. The firewall should not be an issue, it has been used on all Vista models and there have been no big write ups about it being defective. Note too Mikie has been using this since beta and if my memory serves me he mentioned installing this back in the spring or early summer. Like Zep I installed it on my Windows 7 computer just today so I will see what it does for me.