Another from the series “Updated Windows Security”. If you haven’t read that first article, start by clicking here.

This article got a bit wordy so you can skip down to the blue bit if you just want the answers.

As I have said many times, you absolutely must have anti-virus for Windows. It is essential.

There are around a hundred thousand different viruses out there and more very day. The bad guys are actively working to make new ones and infect computers. It is a really big business.

Do not think that just buying some anti-virus software (AV) is the be-all and end-all solution to this problem. It is not. AV is one part of the equation, not the entire solution.

Ask 6 IT guys what is the best AV and you will get 12 different answers. And it is a moving target. What was good last year is crap this year.

AV is embarrassingly simple. Given a few hours programming experience just about anyone could write a good program. Fundamentally, all they do is check every file on your computer against a list of known viruses. If it’s on the list, it’s bad.

The strength of good AV is in the list it is using. The better the list, the better the program. Now for all the geeks who didn’t read my disclaimer, yes I know there is more to it than that, but we’re trying to boil it down for our non-technical friends here. If you want more meat, go read Wikipedia or Security Now.

Because AV is so simple, all the companies selling it are out to do better than their competitors by adding heaps of extra features. The result is that most commercial products are so bloated with garbage that your computer will slow to a crawl as soon as you install one of these AV systems. Avoid so called Internet Security bundles and get basic anti-virus.

Very recently Microsoft threw their hat in the ring and released Microsoft Security Essentials, a free product that protects and cleans viruses. Many IT geeks are excited about this and it looks like Microsoft might have a winner here.

A lot of people object to paying good money to protect their computers. It does seem like some sort of racket, a con, a money spinner at our expense. Typically the paid for commercial AV was always better then the free give aways. I know a lot of people like AVG anti-virus for example. My feeling is they like it because it is free. I’ve always found it ineffective. At least Microsoft has a good incentive to make a free and effective AV system - someone has to fix this virus problem or all the customers will jump ship and get Macs!

So current recommendations? Well Kaspersky seems ok, and the Microsoft one sounds good. I’ve gone off Trend and I still don’t like Norton. Despite Symantec claiming the new Norton doesn’t slow your computer down, I still find it to be crap. NOD32 gets good reviews but I haven’t had time to test it personally.

Absolutely AVOID and run away screaming from any anti-virus product offered as a pop-up message. Say you are on the Internet and you get a message that your machine has been infected and just click here to fix it - free or whatever. NO FREAKING WAY, you are about to be infected with a phoney product. Anti-virus 2010, anti-virus XP, PC anti-spyware, anti-malware and hundreds of other “free” products are FAKES.

Pull the plug on your modem and reboot the machine. Run a real AV scanner and see if it was too late. If you were using Internet Explorer when you got that pop-up, it’s probably game over for you I am sorry.

And this is my final point about AV. It’s there to tell you that you ARE (or have been) infected. You can’t scan or check a file on your computer until it is on your computer. So it could be too late by then.

Most modern viruses work by exploiting flaws in Windows to stick their virus onto your machine. The anti-virus doesn’t stop this, it just detects the virus once you try to open it. Again, that could be too late. Smart viruses work in stealth mode making them invisible to Windows. This can make them invisible to anti-virus programs too. They can’t scan what they can’t see.

What you can expect from good AV is that you won’t get infected by something too embarrassing. You won’t die from Bubonic Plague, Tetanus, Typhoid or Small Pox. They’ll keep you safe from the preventable things. But they offer no real world protection from a slew of newer nastiness. They may possibly help you clean up after you get something.

Like I said, AV is not the single answer. It is a vital part of the whole solution.