How do you determine what Anti-virus works?

[msqueen]

I need a referral for a new antivirus all-in-one: firewall, storage, anti-spyware etc. I know most people go by reviews in PC World and other places, but do you guys use trial and error, word of mouth, or other sources? I just want to know what's reliable before I spend all the $$$ or sign up for something random!

[KarmaKiller]

I mainly use trial and error. But if there is one that gets recommend often in threads, I try those out too.
For $, I think Kaspersky is the best.
For free, AVG or Avast probably.

[ShuckyD]

I've always been happy with Avast Home (free edition) but have seen alot of talk about Kaspersky (sp?) and NOD32. For anything I have ever needed Avast Home has been able to do.. and then some. For a corporate structure or business anti-virus it would definately be something that costs $$, so I would be looking into packages like Trend Micro, Symantec, NOD32, and Kaspersky.