What can someone tell me about FREE ANTIVIRUS DOWNLOADS?

I have a paid subscription for Norton AV (two years); but I recently asked a question, and several people recommended free AV downloads and other free software to download in order to keep my computer clean.

If I can get just as good, or even better protection and computer service from these free downloads, I am wondering why I should pay for the Norton protection; or is there some catch.

What experiences are people having with these free downloads?

Thanks.

What can someone tell me about FREE ANTIVIRUS DOWNLOADS?anti virus protection

It all depends if you need better protection than the free AV's have to offer. If you use the internet occasionally you can get by with free anti-virus software. I personally use the internet a lot and I need better protection, I use NOD32 which has over 99% detection rate. Don't be surprised if AVG or Avast! miss a virus and you wonder why your computer is no longer working.

The best anti-virus is ESET NOD32 then Kaspersky. NOD32 is the only anti-virus that got an Advanced+ rating in tests conducted at http://www.av-comparatives.org/

The most popular free anti-virus programs (AVG and Avast) have poor detection rates (82.82%, 87.46% respectively). Norton is notoriously bloated and takes forever to perform full systems scans.

I only recommend buying NOD32 (advanced users) or Kaspersky. It has been proven these products are better than the best sellers (Norton and McAfee):