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But I don't feel like trying out all those different types of programs again to see which ones I like


But you have to do this to see what spyware and virus solutions work...

There is also OS X as a possibility that is much easier then Linux to pick up, and has the Unix core to get you more used to the basics of Linux.

Though I still also stand by Firefox and now also Thunderbird (instead of any Outlook mail) being a good solution when running a Windows box. Lately I have been changing IE on any box I touch to not allow anything (ActiveX, Javascript, cookies) on all sites except Windows Update, to prevent applications that use IE in them from also letting in spyware that way.