A suite has software designed to protect your machine from viruses and spyware, along with a firewall to keep out unwanted intruders.

For its July issue, PC World magazine tested 10 security suites.

"We realized the reason someone would get a suite is because they'd want it to be easy to use," says reporter Narasu Rebbapragada, "so we factored in performance, easy of use, and features. Across the board Symantec had the best mix of all of those."

PC World named Symantec's Norton Internet Security 2006 a Best Buy. McAfee's Internet Security Suite 2006 and Panda Platinum 2006 were also rated very good.

Before you install a security suite, make sure you completely uninstalled a previous suite or anti-virus software. As Narasu explains, "two antivirus engines will interfere with each other."

No matter what software you buy, write down the install date and serial number. You'll need that information if you contact tech support. Remember, in many cases these days, you are paying for phone help by the minute.

Because time is money, here's something to consider if you're having problems - take screen shots of the error messages that pop up. Narasu says there are various utilities, such as SnagIt (see it at this link) that will let you grab these shots. "This will be helpful to tech support agents when you're trying to describe your problem to them," she says.

For More Information:

Read the full PC World article: All-in-One Security

First Look: Kaspersky's Best of Breed Security Suite

Security Software Expands Protection