Thanks folks, but it is all a bit too much for my friend. He opted for McAfee as it is offered free to all AOL users. If there are still remnants of Norton in the Registry then hopefully AOL will be able to assist.
Personally I find Avast a bit boring (I had more exhilaration with PC Tools 5.0 for DOS). It just sits there, updates unceasingly and I just surf. How utterly convenient, I hope it stays that dreary.
My sincere gratitude to those anonymous gurus at Alwil.