Can't run any programs unless I run as admin?

[monkey0506]

Norton is a fair compromise too

Sorry, but, no. I'd take free AVG, memory leaks and all, before I'd take Norton. Their virus definitions are usually decent, but the software is a bigger resource hog than the latest versions of Windows (Running Norton on XP is comparable to running Windows 7 Ultimate with full Aero effects inside of a virtual machine on Windows XP...it's literally that resource-intensive).

I've never used F-secure, so I can't comment on that, but avast! Home/Free has never failed me. The one and only time I got a virus is when I wanted to be stubborn about viewing a page it was warning me about (and no, it wasn't "pr0n"). I'd actually rate avast! well above any paid antivirus software that I have ever seen or used (and they have a paid version too if you're really that insecure about a free antivirus).

I find that very helpful, however I need to go through a lot just to reinstall windows. I guess I am better off (A)making a another account or (B) Updating windows to ultimate.

No, and no. Neither of these would be useful routes to take. Creating another user account under Windows is not going to change the fact that your computer is infected. Not your Windows user, your entire Windows installation is infected. Which is also the reason that an "update" would not be beneficial. Updating to a higher version of Windows is not the same as reinstalling Windows. You could do a fresh install of a higher version, which would be fine, but if you leave even one file behind, you're leaving yourself at risk of leaving the virus in-tact. It is essential that if you're going to go for this route (which is by far the easiest, but is the most likely to cause you to lose important data if you forget to back something up), you must reformat your hard drive. If you don't reformat, then you're not fixing the problem. Preferably, if you do reformat, you should do a full format, not a quick format. Trust me, it's worth the extra 5 minutes.

it can't be that hard.

That's what she said! 8)

[WHAM]

@Monkey
You're right about Norton on the older 2008-2009 versions, but in 2010 they really fixed the resource issue quite well, and even the customers I worked with were quite happy about how the version update made it lighter. Then again, even this depends greatly on the rig you are running it on, so the results may vary.

I used to use avast myself once, even recommended it to my family members and relatives, but for reasons I cannot recall right now, I decided to get rid of it over a year ago. Maybe it's the fact that I used to do sales as well as maintenance, but participating in some F-secure trainings they had for our company pretty much opened my eyes to how much stuff is going on in the background, and I can't bring myself to trust the free software to quite keep up anymore.

Then again: I recommend F-secure if you are prone to getting viruses and trojans, as it is the best there is in my opinion.

Myself, I use the Microsoft Security Essentials software on my Windows 7, along with Windows' own firewall, and its plenty enough for me. It's all about the user and their habits. If you're a safe web user and can keep your paws off of the dirtiest sites on the web, you can keep quite safe with the free stuff and it doesn't matter what you use.