AVG AntiVirus is discontinuing their AVG version 7.1 which may be installed on your system (if I installed it for you, it is more than likely version 7.1) They're not discontinuing the free service, they simply require that you install the new version. Go ahead and download the new AVGFree 7.5 here from their website.
Panda Antivirus is an incredibly powerful alternative.
You can tell if you have version 7.1 using several methods.
Download and install the file above anyway, no harm should come from this.
Open up AVG and open the information menu and click "About AVG Free" and look for the version number.
If you are getting a warning when you start your computer that AVG will expire on 1/7/07
If you have any questions, write to me via email or my blog and I will do what I can to answer all of your questions.