AVG Free did well I believe in the recent AV Comaparitives and was neck and neck with Avast. For an average user like myself I was wondering if I should be concerned about using AVG Free though instead of Antivir that faired much better? The reason I ask is that I want to use AVG Free and the latest version of ZA Alarm Free, for a simple set and forget combo, without the PC slowdowns and nag screens I get from using Comodo Firewall, and Antivir, but still feel protected. Thanks.

If you are not a risky surfer AVG should be OK. I personally know a lot of folks who use it with satisfaction.

I am a believer in layering, and would at least get something like a-squared free as an on demand scanner, and also a free anti spyware application such as Spyware Terminator or Zero Spyware.

If all run well on your machine you will be well protected with some common sense. I would also use Firefox as my default browser.
Best,
Jerry