Computer Associates (CA) is to cease providing updates for its free InoculateIT Personal Edition (IPE) anti-virus software on May 15.

CA stopped taking on new users for IPE in June last year and replaced it with the eTrust EZ Antivirus subscription service; at the time it advised users that support was to be continued at no cost for existing users of IPE who chose not to migrate.

In breaking this undertaking, CA argues that viral activity on the Internet has made IPE obsolete. Nothing to do with cost, then?

To sweeten the pill for users considering a move from IPZ to eTrust EZ Antivirus, CA offers the product for $9.95 with an annual renewal charge of $9.95 (half the normal price in both cases).

In more expansive times, several AV vendors offered cut-down AV packages free to personal users. CA's IPE was the best known of these packages.

The number of such free packages has fallen, but there are still a fair few left, Register readers inform us.

Grisoft's AVG AntiVirus is Windows XP compatible and is recommended by many of you. Trend Antivirus also does a free online scanning service for home users.

AntiVir personal edition was also mentioned in dispatches, as is ActiveScan from Panda Software .

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CA's announces death of InoculateIT Personal Edition