We have to say, the 2008 version of BitDefender Antivirus was a breath of fresh air. No frustrating download and install process here! Just click, follow the prompts, reboot your PC and you're on your way. Total install and setup time? Less than half an hour. Try doing that with some of the other cumbersome products on the market!

Once BitDefender Antivirus 2008 is up and running on your system you'll notice how easy the user interface is to navigate. Green check marks or red x's tell you if all is well (or not well) offering at-a-glance status overviews. One-click updates and scanning are also available via the user interface.

Highlights:

• Real-time protection from spyware, malware and viruses.
• Automatic hourly updates.
• Minimal use of system resources.
• Anti-phishing tools.
• New “gamer mode” makes temporary modifications to system settings so your game instances aren't interrupted.

Star Reviews was also impressed with BitDefender's price of $24.95.  We were equally as happy with their customer support, but we would like to see faster response times via email.  All in all, we really like BitDefender it has earned its 5.0 Star Rating.
 

Norton Anti-Virus Software 2008  is by far the most well known anti-virus software, so if you are looking for a name brand you've found it.  We had to take a look at the newest version, and we're glad we did!

Right off the bat, we noticed how much quicker our system ran, even during scan times.  Norton Anti-virus 2008 will make it very clear that it has detected a virus. However, we would have liked to see a little more in the area of customization. We weren't given the option of scanning 'recently modified files' if we didn't want a full system scan. Still, we realize it's 'better to be safe than sorry.'

• Network mapping utilities-Monitor multiple computers networked in your home.
• Protection from spyware, worms and viruses

Norton's anti-virus software has definitely upgraded the quality of its products over the past few years and has eliminated many of the issues of the past. They are working on their customer support, as evidenced in the brand-new one-click access to technical support. You will be able to see how long the wait time will be and how much support will run you for various questions/problems you have. When we called telephone support, we only held for around 4 minutes (but call time and question do alter this). Pricing is still at $39.99, which is fairly reasonable. All in all, they receive 5.0 Stars!

This just in: Kaspersky just released their brand-new, Kaspersky 7.0 anti-virus software. So we know they are a leading name in the anti-virus software industry, but what can you expect from their newest program?

One of the first things we noticed was the optimal speeds we encountered with this virus protection product. When scanning, it automatically pauses until more system resources are available, so you won't have to run the program and have slow PC times.

• Real-time email scanning & automatic hourly updates
• Rootkit and keylogger protection

Star Reviews likes that Kaspersky includes important anti-virus software functions such as real-time email, file and web scanning, as well as the ability to remove spyware. However, we did notice a leap in pricing, with a one-year user license costing you $59.95. We understand this is a new product, but that price is pretty steep. Customer support is good here, with efficient telephone and email help. There is no live chat if you are accustomed to this method of support. Due to their huge, uncompetitive price jump Kaspersky anti-virus software receives 4.5 Stars!