Mike, you have put it into perspective. I, we, just want someone from Alwil to give a definitive response. The problem for me as a Win98SE user is that the only free alternative remaining is ClamWin. I hesitate to ever return to Norton because of the bloat, the way it slows the performance of my computer, so I am just trying to plan as a non-techie, not of the computer generation, in case a change is inevitable, can't take a chance on virus exposure if I continue to use a Microsoft OS. I am prepping Win 2k Pro SP4 + Win XP Pro SP3 just in case. The Mac alternative is easy because viruses are, so far, not a problem. It is a shame if we cannot continue using Avast, which has been so reliable, effective, intensive in coping with the ever growing virus crisis. Avast is simply, IMO, the finest anti virus program available. Just continuing to offer definition updates seems, in my non-technical opinion, to be a reasonable stance. Thanks, Ken.