AntiVirus for Windows - Need ability to quickly disable

[oddible]

I'm looking for recommendations for AntiVirus software for my laptop that I can quickly disable. Any AV is going to slow down my performance but I don't have the luxury of a dedicated audio performance laptop so I use my laptop for other things as well (email, etc). I need to run some AV on it but would like to be able to quickly disable the entire AV suite with some easy to operate mechanism.

I've used AVG for years but it seems to be getting more and more invasive and less and less easy to control. In fact, in the current versions there is no easy way to simply disable all of its features through some handy user interface.

I've also used Norton a bunch - I used to say that Norton was a huge CPU / Memory hog over AVG but AVG is just as bad if not worse now (my tests are showing that Norton will relax its use of the CPU more readily than AVG if the user is doing something on the machine). Norton used to have a fairly easy method of disabling all of its features as well.

Avast seems much more cumbersome and has a dreadful user interface.

Interested in others thoughts / reflections and recommendations if you have any. I'm less concerned about cost and more concerned about easy of use.

Thanks.

[sven303]

Take a look at ESET antivirus....can disable with a right click of the icon in the task bar
Although it doesnt appear to use a lot of resources and i seldom have to turn it off

http://www.eset.co.uk/

Im using Eset smart security 4 and never had a problem

[Rinsemeister]

Hi.

This may be a stupid comment but.........

Just disconnect from the "big brother web ting" when doing toons.
You don't want to be distracted dooya?

Z.

[twisted-space]

Take a look at ESET antivirus....can disable with a right click of the icon in the task bar
Although it doesnt appear to use a lot of resources and i seldom have to turn it off

http://www.eset.co.uk/

Im using Eset smart security 4 and never had a problem

+1 for ESET Nod32

[Rinsemeister]

I must admit that I use Kaspersky and it gives me no problems whatsoever.

Having said that.......If I'm getting serious I switch my router off and shut all
background programs down.

The lower your CPU load the better.

Z.

[adventurepants_]

I must admit that I use Kaspersky and it gives me no problems whatsoever.

Having said that.......If I'm getting serious I switch my router off and shut all
background programs down.

The lower your CPU load the better.

Z.

turning off your router or disconnecting your net will have almost zero effect on CPU, unless youve got a very old PC.

[ekwipt]

Antivir is a great free anti virus, you just get a stupid popup whe n you boot, but it's free software so.... easy to disable as well

[nebulae]

Been using Avast free for years. Right-click on the bottom right icon and disable for recording. Super-easy.