Learn Me: Anti-Virus

My frustration levels are getting high.
For years now over a couple of machines I have used Avast as my anti virus.
I have only ever used the free version.
In addition, I have Malwarebytes, again, the free version only.

My main machine, Netbook Win 7 starter has been under attack.
The home page constantly gets changed to an AVG homepage (I typically have Yahoo as a home page.)

I had another unit here that I recently pulled out of its box, new. Another netbook but running Win8.
I used PCDecrapifier to pull off preloaded Norton and added Avast Free (which I think I have had good luck with in the past.)
Now, on this unit, the home page keeps getting changed to:
http://www.default-search.net/?sid=476&aid=100&itype=n&ver=13072&tm=402&src=hmp

On both units, the browsers (either Firefox or Chrome, I never use IE) will move slow or completely time out, crash.

The main questions I have is:
1. Should I pony-up for the paid version? I read Avast's terms and it seems that they will charge my credit card annually for infinity.
2. Is there a better protection provider?

Sure, Apple sound cool but it is not really the solution (spend $700-$2k) I am looking for.

I know you said Apple wasn't really the solution … but just so you know … I've been using an MacMini since 2007 … zero down time due to virus invasions … so how much is you time/frustration worth ?

John, try to run a scan on these machines after booting from a read-only medium with a virus scanner installed that was created on a known clean machine.

It might also be a good idea to reinstall Windows 8 on the newer netbook, scan it, install avast from a known clean medium and then go and hook it up to the Internet and not the other way around.

wbjones wrote: I know you said Apple wasn't really the solution … but just so you know … I've been using an MacMini since 2007 … zero down time due to virus invasions … so how much is you time/frustration worth ?

Been running my systems with a $65 copy of webroot for 8 years now. As long as I don't let my wife on them they've been issue free. She has a Mac since she doesn't know how to take basic online precautions.

I've been running Microsoft Security Essentials and Spybot Search and Destroy for a couple years now and it's been working just fine.

After much research and action i may be good now.
Seems I may have picked up some PUP (potentially unwanted program) which may have been bundled while downloading something else.
"Settings Manager" by Aztec Media seems to be the ugly program. I foolowed this tutorial for removing it and now, hopefully, I am back to clean.
http://malwaretips.com/blogs/settings-manager-popup-virus/

I'm so very tech unsavvy all through this thread all I could hear in my head was charlie browns teacher (wah wah wah wah)

Can't computers figure out how to cure themselves?

Is it really that hard to just start executing the shiny happy people who write computer viruses? I'll flip the first switch if that's what it takes.

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: I've been running Microsoft Security Essentials and Spybot Search and Destroy for a couple years now and it's been working just fine.

I do the same and have had no problems on any of our computers. I started using Norton stuff when I was working in IT in the 90's. When we got new W7 machines at home I went with the MS stuff. Now that we have W8 machines I am sticking with the MS stuff.