All Security and encryption

The Bottom Line: CA Internet Security Suite 2009 has made some modest gains over its previous efforts, but overall it lags behind its security suite competition in speed and effectiveness.

The Bottom Line: Norton AntiVirus 2009 hits all the right security notes, and its superior protection technologies might even win back some jaded anti-Symantec folks, though for some, technical support may continue to frustrate.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Microsoft Windows Vista Business, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP2, Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2, Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition SP2, 300 MHz, CD-ROM, 300 MHz, Windows

The Bottom Line: While offering roughly the same features and performance as its competition, F-Secure Internet Security 2009 is about $20 too expensive.

Specs: 1 PC, Complete package, Microsoft Windows Vista Starter, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition, Microsoft Windows Vista Business (32/64 bits), Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate (32/64 bits), Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic (32/64 bits), Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional SP4 or later, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (32/64 bits), 600 MHz Intel Pentium or higher, 600 MHz, CD-ROM, Internet connection, 600 MHz Intel Pentium or higher, 600 MHz, Windows, Internet Explorer 5.0

The Bottom Line: You can't beat the price. For a good, basic Internet Security suite, we recommend Trend Micro Internet Security 2009.

Specs: 3 PCs, Complete package, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP2, Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2, Microsoft Windows Vista Business (32/64 bits), Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate (32/64 bits), Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic (32/64 bits), Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 SP2, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (32/64 bits), Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 SP2, 350 MHz, 800 MHz, XGA monitor, 350 MHz, 800 MHz, Windows, Internet Explorer 7, Mozilla Firefox 2.0 or later, Internet Explorer 6.0 SP2 or later

The Bottom Line: Norton Internet Security 2009 hits all the right security notes and its superior protection technologies might even win back some jaded anti-Symantec folks, though for some technical support may continue to frustrate

Specs: 3 PC in one household, Complete package, Microsoft Windows Vista Business, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP2, Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2, Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition SP2, 300 MHz, CD-ROM, 300 MHz, Windows

The Bottom Line: ZoneAlarm Internet Security 2009 provides top-notch security protection that is light on system resources, allowing you to work unencumbered.

Specs: Complete package, 1 GHz Intel Pentium III, 1 GHz Intel Pentium III

The Bottom Line: AVG Internet Security 8.0 provides strong protection against malicious Web sites, but its full-system scans sometimes tax system resources and produce false positives.

Specs: Complete package, 1 GHz Intel Pentium, 2 GHz Intel Pentium, 8, 1 GHz Intel Pentium, 2 GHz Intel Pentium

The Bottom Line: A near-perfect all-in-one solution for brand new PCs, Norton 360 v2 may be hard to install and run on legacy machines. However, don't count on Symantec's time-consuming and expensive technical support for help.

Specs: 3 PC in one household, Complete package, Microsoft Windows Vista Starter, Microsoft Windows Vista Business, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition SP2 or later, 300 MHz, 2.0, CD-ROM, 300 MHz, Windows, Internet Explorer 6.0 or later

The Bottom Line: Spyware Doctor 5.1 could be more aggressive in removing all traces of found spyware.

The Bottom Line: At $20, ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware is one of the least expensive paid antispyware option we reviewed, offers more features than other similar products, and remains one of the best.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, 7.1, Windows