"Free-To-Try" Software: The Lie We All Despise

Is it too much to ask for a reliable antivirus software that is both free and not full of spy/adware? I purchased an HP Pavilion Media Centre desktop computer in October, and payed over $1500 for it. Included in this wonder-package was a "full version" of Norton Antivirus, which I saw and thought: "wow, great deal!". Little did I know that this was only a 3-month trial, and so I never bought any other antivirus software or argued on the extra $100 that made up "software costs".

Silly me.

about 2 months ago, my Norton gives me a funny little message: "please register your product so that we can update the virus database." Now this got me a little peeved. I scampered over and politely asked a Geek Squad employee what the hell was going on. He replied that the version sold with the computer is only a trial, and the $100 was the operating costs of installing all the drivers, software, irritating extra unnecessary programs (does anyone really need a bar on their desktop with quick links to the HP website? Not when it uses 30 MB of memory to do it!), and all the other stuff I could have done myself since I'm not an epileptic orangutan with Downs Syndrome.

So once the security personnel removed my thumbs from the idiot's eyeballs, it was explained that for only $89.99 I could purchase the full version! So now 2 men are screaming and the cops have been called. I finally resigned myself to the fate that I'd have to use the "free software" available online *shudder*. So I spend a month looking at all the various choices, weighing options and reviews, and finally settle on one called "Spyware Terminator". This claims to eliminate spyware, adware, viruses and clean my registry; which sounds great IN THEORY. All the reviews are very positive, so I download the setup.exe and run it. It installs, no problems, all is good.

Then I double-click "Run".

As soon as I do, my firewall pops up like a senior on Viagra, warning me that the program I'm trying to start is attempting to run adware. Surprise surprise; a piece of "free, reliable software" is full of ads directed at me, and my crotch in particular.

Why, why, why is it that a company can't make respectably good free software without trying to screw me over? WHY?!?!?!? *cough* sorry bout that, back on topic.

people ask "why not just buy some software?", and this would be an excellent question if anyone could finish asking it before I hit them with a fish for ignorance. I am a college student. I am a PISS-POOR college student. So spending $90 on this crap is saying I'd rather safely surf porn than eat for 2 weeks.

I'll stick to my survival if you don't mind.