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A friendly suite for the less-experienced user, but technical types may find it limiting.

Stack your system full of software without paying a penny, with our guide to essential downloads

External hard disks are a great way to add storage. We test 13, from sub-$130 portable drives to mighty terabyte desktop units.

A solid, usable package with online backup to boot.

A do-it-all package that detects an exceptional range of malware

An irritating package without a future.

A highly usable all-round security suite, but ultimately a strong runner-up rather than a new champion.

A comprehensive package, but not the most usable or effective

A new behavioural analysis module only adds to AVG’s capabilities, although it isn’t the most elegant marriage

A capable package, but McAfee Total Protection 2009 is conspicuous and expensive.

A high-quality Core i7 motherboard with great expansion potential and premium features.

A clever, convenient little drive that you can carry around with you in your pocket.

How much capacity and how many drives do you need? We look at a selection of storage options

Fifteen security packages go head to head in our labs test, including Kaspersky, Norton, ZoneAlarm, McAfee, F-Secure and AVG. Find out which will keep you safe and which could let you down.