I use Avast Home Edition and Spybot Search & Destroy with Teatimer with 'real time' protection against unauthorised installations and system immunisation. Combined with Vista's/Win 7's built-in firewall and a hardware firewall in my router, this has worked well for me for 4 - 5 years now... I have been virus/malware free in that time.
I have used Online Armor and NOD32, plus A2 as a scanner only for more than 6 years and have had nesx to no problems. The ones I had were my fault.
Of course it was your own fault... I saw you logged in at xxxbabes.com.
Performance and reputation justifies the fee...so 'free' should make you think - twice..
I did think twice! I looked at the 'not free' Norton and McAfee suites and their reputations with many around the world who think they're the bee's knees... and thinked once about using the free Avast because its performance and reputation were documented as being considerably better than Norton, McAfee and other AV's. So, behind the abovementioned security measures I feel safe and have been infection free since implementing them.... so now I think twice about changing... second time to say no.
Norton is horrible.
That resource hogging, less than effective, damned near impossible to get rid of POS!!! Wouldn't touch it with a 40 foot pole being manipulated by the claws of a Hazmat 'containment' vehicle.