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!

The NOD32 anti-virus software by ESET is a novel virus program that provides real-time protection against worms, Trojans, spyware, malware, phishing and hackers. The software's quick detection methods and fast performance are in part due to ThreatSense® Technology, which is one of the best anti-virus tools that analyzes code in real time to prevent malware from getting through.

In our quest to determine whether NOD32 was among the best anti-virus software programs around, our review found that it is a viable option to keep your computer virus free. The NOD32 anti-virus software updates the ThreatSense Technology on an hourly basis, which usually does not require reboots. This anti-virus review found the update feature to be time saving and efficient at keeping malware and similar e-bashers away.

NOD32 is a good anti-virus software option and running you $39 for a 1 user, 1 year application, we think they are pretty comparable to some of their competitors' pricing ranges. They do not have a toll-free telephone support line, but there is a phone line for support (with a wait time of 10 minutes.) The email support took a bit of time to reply to us, so if you need a quick answer, you might have to have some patience. We feel they deserve a 4.5 Star Rating.

The installation process for Panda Anti-virus software was a smooth process with only a little confusion (there is a spyware scan mid install process) and a relatively fast process. By looks alone this anti-virus software may be the easiest to use with a simple set up process and easy to use interface as there is almost nothing to it.  Star Reviews feels that consumers are bound to feel comfortable with this product. Panda anti-virus software is an easy to install product that came defaulted with preset functions, just the way we needed them.  Star Reviews loves that Pandas virus updates “at least” once a day … you can request more frequent updates. I suspect this is going to be a nice install and forget product as time goes on.

Panda's Antivirus software comes with an virus and spyware protection.  Panda allows you to block, delete, clean, and quarantine infected files and does not slow your pc down during virus scans which is helpful to those constantly on your PC.  Panda’s Anti-Phishing technology blew us away. This feature seemlessly integrated into my Outlook program! This technology allows you to stay safe from scams.  Panda’s anti-virus software allows you to bank and shop online, as they say, with peace of mind!

Panda provides free technical support and is priced right so it gets a 4.5 Star Rating.

McAfee is a leading brand name when it comes to anti-viru