What's The Best Desktop Antivirus Application?

f you're going to stay safe out there on the internet, a good, reliable antivirus utility is a great tool to have in your back pocket. This week, we want to hear from you which ones you trust to keep threats at bay without bringing your machine to its knees.

Let's be fair-"common sense" only gets you so far, and because it means so many things to so many people, it's less useful advice than to just have a good tool that does its job and keeps your system as protected as possible. Antivirus utilities aren't perfect or a panacea, but they're good to have, and we want to know which ones you think are the best. Sound off below!

Let's hear your vote in the discussions below!To cast your vote, follow these guidelines:

1. Follow this format for your vote, including the bold print. If you don't, it won't be counted:

   A SCREENSHOT OR LOGO OF THE BEST DESKTOP ANTIVIRUS APPLICATION

   Vote: [BEST DESKTOP ANTIVIRUS APPLICATION]

   Why: Why is this antivirus utility the best, or the one you'd recommend to others? Maybe it's lightweight and great for newbies. Maybe it's free and offers great protection. Make your case! Try to keep it to a single paragraph, maybe two.

2. Don't duplicate nominations! Instead, if someone's nominated your pick, star (recommend) it to give it a boost, and reply with your story instead.
3. Please don't leave non-entry, direct comments on this post. They'll just get pushed down. Save your stories for others' submissions!

If you're not sure what we mean, just check out the nominations by our writers below. We'll give you a head start, and they should all be in the proper format, so you can just follow our lead.