My laptop came with a free 90 day trial of Norton Antivirus. This is soon due to expire so i've been searching around for new software. Problem is, i aint made of money so i need something cheap or preferably a free download.

On the download front, AVG free doesn't really appeal and im leaning towards downloading the free version of Avast.

On the other hand, I noticed Norton Antivirus being sold for ?10 (around $20) in my local Gamestation Outlet (a video game shop). It was packaged and all, but is it trustworthy for such a cheap price? Especially as Norton appears to cost around ?40 online.

I am a basic home user that uses MSN, Limewire and surfs the internet alot. I don't download a large number of things. Any opinions or advice?

EDIT: Just remembered that I have Windows Defender, would this suffice once my Norton trial has expired?

Windows Defender is an Antispyware/Malware program and not a dedicated Antivirus program so that really doesn't do the trick.

The version of Norton and Gamestation will be trustworthy and the same as you would buy online, but I would suspect that it is an older version of the program. Sometimes older is better, but it's up to you to judge that.

I'm personally not a fan of Norton and wouldn't buy it because it seriously hogs resources on your computer and slows it down.

I'm also not a fan of Avast because it has a poor record in comparative tests with other programs.

A good free antivirus program that is an alternative to AVG and Avast is Antivir available from http://www.free-av.com . The only downside is that you get a popup nag message everyday, but it is very cheap to buy, only around £15 if I remember correctly. It has done very well in comparative tests and is a lot "tidier" than AVG.