Seeking (Free) Antivirus Alternatives

[paladindythe]

If you're willing to spend a little, I'd recommend ESET's NOD 32. You can only buy it online, but it's a great product.For free, I'd recommend Microsoft Security Essentials, as a light weight solution.
There's some helpful security habits to get into as well:

• Keep your computer updated with Windows Update
  
• regularly check for updates for all the software you use
  
• uninstall any software you don't use (Java has earned the moniker "Just Another Vulnerability Announcement" lately)

If you suspect that there's malware in your system, the nuke-from-orbit solution is to copy your data off your system, format your hard drive and start over -- this can easily kill a day or two. 
There are some smaller scale steps you can take:

• Run 'mrt' from the command prompt. The is Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool, which is updated monthly (you have automatic updates enabled, right?)
  
• Download and burn the image for Windows Defender Offline, and then boot off the disc. This runs a (long) scan of your discs from a known uninfected OS (it's rather like a Linux Live-CD for dealing with malware).