I have avg free edition what other stuff do need to protect my computer?

You haven't said whether it's AVG anti-virus or AVG anti-spyware so I'll assume it's the AV.

Although very popular it's the least effective as it only detects viruses and nothing else. Viruses are all but extinct because no one makes money from them (except the anti-virus companies, of course). There's vast profits being made from spyware and adware and these are the real threats now. AVG free AV gives no protection against these. AntiVir also helps protect against trojans but not other forms of spyware and not against adware. Of the free AVs, Avast offers the most protection.

Please, don't take my word for it, read what the makers themselves tell you about their programs:

Avast free anti-virus:

http://www.avast.com/eng/av4_version_comp.html

AVG free anti-virus:

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/2/

Avira free anti-virus:

http://www.free-av.com/en/products/1/avira_antivir...

It's nice to think that all you need is an anti-virus program, or an AV and a firewall, but it's also very naive. A good anti-spyware program is also useful and absolutely essential if you use AVG free AV. Ad-Aware and Spybot S&D are very popular but, again, not the best. Windows Defender is mediocre. SuperAntiSpyware and AVG Anti-Spyware are about the best of the freebies.

You need a firewall that won't let your personal information be stolen. Most firewalls leak, including Norton, McAfee, ZoneAlarm free and the Windows firewall. OnlineArmor v2 and Comodo v3 don't and they are both free. Use either one. See these firewall leak-test results:

http://www.matousec.com/projects/windows-personal-...

You need to keep *all* your software up-to-date with the latest security patches. The easiest way is to use Secunia PSI to scan your programs, it will tell you which are out of date. It's free.

SiteAdvisor will warn you about known 'bad' sites when using Google or Yahoo search engines. SiteHound will also warn you about bad sites when surfing. Both free.

Firefox with NoScript will help protect you against malicious code hidden on websites. Both free.

Sorry if that's information overload, feel free to pick an 'easier' answer, all depends how safe you want to be.

Free programs:

Use one:

Avast free anti-virus:

http://www.avast.com/eng/av4_version_comp.html

AVG free anti-virus:

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/2/

Avira free anti-virus:

http://www.free-av.com/en/products/1/avira_antivir...

Use all three:

AVG free anti-spyware:

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/download-free-anti-spy...

SuperAntiSpyware free:

http://www.superantispyware.com/

SpywareBlaster:

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.htm...

Use one:

Comodo free firewall v3:

http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/overview.ht...

OnlineArmor free firewall v2:

http://www.tallemu.com/

Use both:

SiteHound:

http://www.firetrust.com/en/products/sitehound

SiteAdvisor:

http://www.siteadvisor.com/

Use both:

Firefox:

http://www.mozilla-europe.org/en/products/firefox/

NoScript:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/722

Use:

Secunia PSI:

https://psi.secunia.com/

AVG antivirus free edition is an excellant virus scanner but lacks the ability to remove trojans. To support it of the feature install Spybot-Search&Destroy, update it. It scans for spywares, adwares and trojans which are generally detected but not removed by AVG. Spybot removes them using it secure shredder. It is 100% compatible with AVG & Windows firewall, lite on system and better than the paid counterparts.

The duo combination provides ultimate protection. I have not had any infection during the last three years of the combo's usage.

I had avg free edition but sometimes it wouldn't detect trojans or certain spyware but avast picked it up really quick when I installed it. You should always scan with multiple antivirus programs because one might miss it and another will find it.

Hey,

I also have AVG free and it works fine with me. You just need a firewall on (window's has one installed) and get windows defender and your set

CCleaner and Ad-Aware are GREAT, and can be downloaded for FREE at www.download.com

When you log onto the website, type CCleaner into the search bar and then click on download. The same for Ad-Aware. I have them both and they are GREAT!!! OH, and did I mention they were FREE (Ha-Ha).

Install a good firewall

zone alarm, crapcleaner, winpatrol, Advanced Windows Care (Iobit.com) all free...cnet.com except Iobit.com

adaware to get rid of ads

spybot

ccleaner to clean out the registry

they are free, too

u dont need anything else. ur perfectly safe. if u wanna more security download Windows Defender.