Ask Slashdot: Best Anti-Virus Software In 2015? Free Or Paid?

CryoKeen writes: I got a new laptop recently after trading in my old laptop for store credit. While I was waiting to check out, the sales guy just handed me some random antivirus software (Trend Micro) that was included with the purchase. I don't think he or I realized at the time that the CD/DVD he gave me would not work because my new laptop does not have a CD/DVD player.

Anyway, it got me wondering whether I should use it or not. Would I be better off downloading something like Avast or Malwarebytes? Is there one piece of antivirus software that's significantly better than the others? Are any of the paid options worthwhile, or should I just stick to the free versions? What security software would you recommend in addition to anti-virus?

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[pubwvj]

Stop doing Windows.

Re:In after somebody says don't run Windows.

[cbiltcliffe]

AC: "I'm a fucking idiot, and have no idea how to tell if a computer's infected without big scary warnings from my antivirus software, therefore everybody else is exactly the same."

Never mind the fact that if nobody could detect an infection without a/v software, then it would be impossible to ever add new viruses to the definitions of any antivirus software; meaning, of course, that all antivirus software would have a precisely zero detection rate, and therefore would be completely useless. So, even if you're right, then you're still wrong.