This article is from the Mini-FAQ: alt.comp.virus FAQ, by George Wenzel gwenzel@telusplanet.net with numerous contributions by others.
Everybody has different criteria for quality, and different products excel in
different areas. It is more important to get a reasonably good anti-virus
product and to use it often than it is to worry about having the absolute
best anti-virus product. For maximum protection, it is generally
recommended that more than one kind of anti-virus program be used.
Scanners are generally used as a front line defense, but they must be
updated regularly. Generic anti-virus programs can be of use since they do
not need updating as often, and they can catch new viruses that a scanner
might miss.
Independent comparative reviews can be found at the following sites:
"Virus Bulletin" http://www.virusbtn.com/
"Secure Computing" http://www.westcoast.com/
University of Tampere http://www.uta.fi/laitokset/virus/
University of Hamburg ftp://ftp.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/pub/virus/
and http://agn-www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/vtc/naveng.htm
 
Continue to: