Need good advice about additional protection!

[goranilic]

Hi all,
I am new to this and BTW I'm not into comp softwares.
Use to used Norton, last 2 years MicroTrend... which expired last week. After scanning it reported 4 corrupted PDF files with something "Bloodhound"!!! (BTW never heard about this fella!?) In the mean time (last 3 days) I was reading reviews, on the PC World, CNet..., about AV Softwares. So, I've decided, downloaded, installed AVAST! HOME Edition. After everything's done I scanned my comp with 3 different scanners and didn't notice anything similar to "Bloodhound"!
After downloading Avast! everything's smooth (I was afraid it's not ON...lol), but I want to hear from you guys do you recommend any other Anti-spyware-malware software to use beside Avast! I've read some opinions, that avast! malware-spyware protection is side not so strong. Since this is Windows Vista  I have (by default) Windows Defender already, and now Avast! Home Edition and (by default) Windows Firewall.
Well now, I am kinda nervous about my protection. Don't see "Blodhound" around, I don't know how bad is this, but I know there's a lot bad stuff floating.
Please feel free to suggest/recommend what else beside avast (strongly believe this is good choice for AV) and Windows Defender I can use for Anti-spyware-malware
Thank  you very much in advance!

[rodi]

Hi, goranilic

I would use NOD32 Antivirus rather than Avast!. However, if you feel confident about your choice then it is OK. At least Avast is a better choice than AVG, because it has rootkit tool.

As for anti-malware software, I can say that you shouldn't rely only on  Windows Defender. I'm not saying that it is unreliable tool, but is doesn't provide powerful protection against malware. Have a look at this comparison table: http://www.2-spyware.com/compare.php
As you can see, Spyware Doctor is the best choice at the moment. Windows Defender has lower ranking. Besides, you nay use Spyware Doctor and Windows Defender at the same time.

Windows firewall is fine, but not great. However, it should be enough to ensure sufficient protection against known threats. If you want more solid protection, then use PC Tools Firewall Plus (free) or Comodo Firewall.

Good luck!