The Bottom Line: ZoneAlarm Extreme Security 2010 isn't necessarily the best suite around, but it's definitely effective and should appeal to those who like making granular adjustments to their protection.

Specs: Complete package, 2 GHz or higher (Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows Vista Business, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate), 1 GHz or higher (Microsoft Windows XP SP2, Microsoft Windows XP SP3, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Windows Professional)

The Bottom Line: Norton AntiVirus 2010 builds on the immense progress made in last year's version, maintaining a low system profile while strengthening its security framework. It's not perfect, but even Symantec's detractors should check it out.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP2, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate, Microsoft Windows Vista Business, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic, Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition SP2, Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2, Microsoft Windows Vista Starter, CD-ROM, 300 MHz or higher, 300 MHz, Windows, Internet Explorer 6.0 or later

The Bottom Line: Norton Internet Security 2010 builds on the immense progress it made in last year's version, maintaining a low system profile while strengthening its security framework. It's not perfect, but even Symantec's detractors should check it out.

Specs: 3 PC in one household, Complete package, Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP2, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate, Microsoft Windows Vista Business, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic, Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition SP2, Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2, Microsoft Windows Vista Starter, CD-ROM, 300 MHz or higher, 300 MHz, Windows, Internet Explorer 6.0 or later

The Bottom Line: Trend Micro Internet Security Pro's broad feature set combined with its look and feel make it a serious contender, but its questionable efficacy and middling performance make it a program we're not recommending.

Specs: 3 PCs, Complete package, Microsoft Windows XP SP2, Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows Vista (32/64 bits), Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Microsoft Windows XP SP3, Microsoft Windows Vista SP1

The Bottom Line: Trend Micro Internet Security Pro's broad feature set combined with its look and feel make it a serious contender, but questionable efficacy and middling performance mean it's a program we're not recommending for this year.

Specs: 3.0, Complete package, Intel Pentium

The Bottom Line: Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 is a full-featured security suite, and the 2009 version scored well on independent antivirus detection and removal tests. However, be prepared to pay a premium for what you're getting.

Specs: 3 users, 10, Complete package

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.

Specs: 5 users, Complete package, Microsoft Windows Home Server, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, 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 Vista Home Premium (32/64 bits), Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional / XP Professional, CD-ROM, Internet connection, 800 MHz, Windows, Internet Explorer 6.0 or later

The Bottom Line: Once it's up and running, McAfee Internet Security 2009 is competitive with Norton on speed, detection, and removal of malicious software.

Specs: 3 users, Complete package, Windows

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 XP Media Center Edition SP2, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP2, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate, Microsoft Windows Vista Business, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic, Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2, CD-ROM, 300 MHz, Windows

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