I started to write this really long post and then relized that I basically wanted to ask a simple question. Is it OK to run Spybot, AVG Internet Security and Malwarebytes Anti Malware together on my computers? One computer is running Windows Vista Home and the other is running Windows XP Home, SP3.

That was the short question. This is the long story.
I have two computers that I am trying to get free of some problems that I have been having with viruses, spyware, malware, etc. I want the machines as protected as possible from viruses, spyware, malware, etc. considering that they are connected to the internet via a Dlink router that uses a SofaWare firmware firewall. I also use the Vista machine to send and recieve email via MS Outlook and upload files to and from my FTP site via SmartFTP.

Both of the computers are connected to my Network Atached Storage device via my LAN. The Vista machine runs Retrospect backups of both machines and the NAS to external USB hard drives plugged into the Vista Machine.

I have been running Spybot and AVG on the Vista machine for some time. Recently AVG on the Vista machine detected some rootkits on an external USB drive (not the backup drive) with my photos.

I disconnected the external drive that AVG had detected the rootkits and monitored the Vista Machine for further problems. As part of my endevor to cure and prevent further problems I installed Malwarebytes Anti Malware toto both machines.

I realized that I did not have Spybot on the XP machine so next I installed Spybot to the XP machine. As soon as I ran Spybot it detected Virtumonde on the XP machine. I'll deal with the removal of that in another post in the proper forum.

So now you see that I am running Spybot, AVG Internet Security and Malwarebytes Anti Malware on both of these machines. AVG seems to detect things that Spybot does not (the rootkits) and Spybot detects things that AVG does not (Virtumonde). Malwarebytes Anti Malware seems to not be detecting any problems. I added that software at a techs recomendation but I don't know how good it is or if it is compatable with the other two programs.

Are the three softwares compatable?

Are there conflicts between these three softwares?

Are they a good combination.

Thank you in advance for your time and help.

Aloha,
John