Did I get rippped off?

I just spent 150 at best buy's geek squad. They reinstalled windowsXP and sold me an adaware thing and antivirus software. Did I really need this stuff? Is it any better than the free stuff off the internet?

Did I get rippped off?antispyware

If you knew someone who could have easily reinstalled Windows XP and also saved/retrieved any of your old data before doing so, then yes. If not, then you probably did the right thing. The thing about free downloads is no access numbers or verifying purchase numbers in the event it doesn't work or you need tech support. You're fine.

Did I get rippped off?best antivirus software

Wow oh wow did you get ripped off! Don't ever buy anything from Best Buy other than what you went there to get. They are truely the evil empire.

Ok, it's not that dramatic, but as far as anti-spyware software, the free versions are far superior to the paid versions. Spybot and AdAware are both great free programs. As far as antivirus, I haven't found a good free program, but ZoneAlarm is excellent and much cheaper than 150:

http://www.zonelabs.com/store/applicatio...

It goes for 30 bucks. With a reinstall of Windows it takes a little time but honestly it's really not that hard. If you have problems there are TONS of geeks on the internet in forums such as http://www.anandtech.com and http://www.tomshardware.com/index.html that will help you for free. Just avoid Best Buy, seriously. Being a little computer literate isn't as hard as they want you to think. The "geek squad" guys probably don't know half as much as your average teenager that hits the forums every once in a while. Better luck next time.
no you did not actually that was a good deal .
There are several free, great spyware removal programs. As long as the anti-virus software can be updated to include the new viruses, then that will do.