Are two antivirus programs better than one?

More is better ... two heads are better than one ... the more the merrier ... These proverbs would seem to back up the idea that two antivirus programs are better than one. However, the proverb most applicable to such a scenario is: The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

Antivirus programs simply aren't designed to work with another antivirus program. Instead, they'll interfere with one another, possibly decrease (rather than increase) your computer's security, and slow your computer down considerably. Therefore, you should always uninstall any antivirus program you currently have installed on your system before you install another one. Never have two installed and/or running at the same time.

This rule does not apply to different types of security programs. You can have more than one security program installed, as long as each program does different things. For example, an antivirus program and a software firewall will work fine. However, two antivirus programs is a no-no. If you have a home network, activate the firewall built into your router and don't install a firewall program on any of your computers. The two will just conflict and slow things down.