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In this day of viruses, real and virtual, the adage, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is very true. But the true delima seems to be what you should do to prevent an infection. I really can't help you with the biological viruses (see a nutritionist or doctor for that), but I can help you with the PC kind. Here are some helpful hints. Before I start though, please keep in mind I recommend these things based of experience as well as to help your computer live a long and happy life. The programs I recommend are generally free and tend to make your computer work at its optimum.

Your Costs

As a rule, the anti-virus you buy at retail stores are good, but unless you have a really beefy system (I'm talking about quad core procesors and 6+ GB of ram), they also tend to slow your computer down by quite a bit. Some of these programs are no better then viruses themselves since trying to uninstall them is a real bugger. In this situation, how much you spend doesn't necessarily define the quality you get. Further on, I will give some recommendations for programs that work very well for little or no cost and do not have the negative attributes I have stated here.

Whatever you choose for an anti-virus program, keep in mind, the best time for it to run is while you are not using your computer! No matter if you have a old computer or the most advanced, when a scan is running, you should probably not be on it.
Most Anti-Virus programs offer an option to schedule scans. Some even offer a scan on a daily basis. Unless you are a VERY heavy down loader or you live on the edge by opening a lot of email from unknown people, this option is not for you. Once a week is sufficient really. Further more, usually said program offers the option for a time.
I leave my computer on over night at least once a week (on Sunday nights for me) so a scan can run. I am usually asleep around 1 AM (unless cramming for a test) so that is the best time for the scan to run.

My Recommendations

As I said, it is really up to you as to what antivirus program you should run on your computer, but here are a couple of Anti-Virus program I like that offer basic services for free. Both of them require you to register with a VALID email with them, but a little advertising once in a blue moon is worth the cost to me. Both offer more advanced Anti-Virus Services which I only recommend if you are a VERY HEAVY web user, if you buy a lot of things online, or you are paranoid like me...

Grisoft AVG: A very sturdy and well rounded anti-virus program. It takes up very little space yet packs a punch for its size. The nice thing about this little guy is that even when I am using the computer while a scan is running, it isn't slowed by much. The schedule on this little guy is really good as well. AVG gives you the option of getting a "news letter" or joining their forum board in order to get thier free service. I am lazy and did the news letter. I have an email specifically for junk mail, so I use that when I register the software. The  more advanced protection is definately worth it for the price since you can get a 2 year subscription for less then $30.

AVAST!: This is also a very good AV program. It is a little annoying since it comes installed with an audio announcement that is very loud, but once you disable that (or keep it if you wish) through the settings, you can enjoy a very quick and effective anti-virus system. Avast! requires you to register when you start using the program, then 3 months later, re-register, after that, re-registration is required every year from month 3. It is very nice.

Both programs update quickly and are very low impact.