protection help

What does everyone use for Virus protection?
I got 15 months of MacAfee Super-dooper Firewall Plus with my new computer 2 yrs ago and then via email they offered to up it to 2yrs for a very reasonable charge; so I did.
I just saw a $32 charge to my credit card from MacAfee. I did not authorize it. I checked my saved emails and saw no info about automatic renewal. I checked recent emails and found no requests or notifications from M. I checked my program and couldn't find an expiration date for my service. I looked everywhere, including exactly where the Help program said it would be. Not there.
I went online with M and asked. He checked and said my exp for Privacy & Spam is 1/23/2009, but virus scan & firewall plus are 1/23/2008. So I'm guessing the unauthorized charge is for Privacy & Spam which I don't care about and I can't seem to find a way to renew. He told me to uninstall, then reinstall. I don't have software. He said he'd give me link, but would not comment (I asked 3 times) about charges. I gave up.
I called the credit card and started dispute proceedings on the $32 charge. I guess this means I will have no protection after 1/23/08. I don't want to pay big$ for extreme protection including things like spam protection which I keep turned off. However, it does mean uninstalling M. Unfortunately, I cannot find the Uninstall app. It's not in any menus or in the M program The Help program does not recognize the word "Uninstall" and I've searched every folder in Windows Explorer under macAfee. When I opened Add/Remove programs in Control Panel though, it lists MacAfee Uninstaller - but in CP, all that means is that I can uninstall the Uninstaller - not what I want to do.
I've got to decide something in the next 3 wks. If anyone can offer words of advice on safely getting rid of M (including getting it out of OE) and/or what other programs I should employ, I would love to hear it. I know I need something, but not an extensive program. Probably just virus protection, anti-spyware (is that what they mean by privacy?), and I guess something for firewall. M was a very invasive program, constantly annoying me instead of just doing its job. I used to have Norton, but it would only work with a lot of cajoling. Is there a happy medium, easy to use product out there, that doesn't cost big$? 

thanks for any help.


Kitty
neIN, Zone 5 
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