OKay, here is my take.
Hardware firewalls are the best. They remove your computer from direct connection to the internet. That removed many of the possible security breaches that can happen.
Set your email to not accept attachments. Email attachments are the source of about 99.9999999% of all viruses. Eliminate that single deal, and you have eliminated most of your risk.
If someone needs to send you an attachment, they will let you know. Direct them to your hotmail account, where it can be checked before your download it. Nobody should be sending you an attachments without warning anyway. If they are doing it, most of the time it's a virus.
I can go on... but by taking a couple of simple steps, you can remove much of the software you have protecting your PC and you can live a happier life. Protect your self, don't rely on others to do the job.
Alex