How often is necessary to update antivirus software?

I have an Internet Security Suite (anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-hacker, etc) installed onto my PC at home. It can be set to automatically receive updates every 4 hours, but is that really necessary? I just do regular email, surf the internet, and occasionally make purchases or pay bills online so it's not as if I'm doing anything incredibly high-tech.

Is 4 hours too much or should I set it so I manually update it, something like every other day? Or how often should I have the Suite updated?

How often is necessary to update antivirus software?ariel

Basically it is whatever you prefer but every 4 hours might be somewhat excessive, especially if it immediately runs a full system scan when updates are downloaded which can cause your computer to slow down significantly.

Once a day should be sufficient. Check your automatic update settings, you should be able to change it from every 4 hours to once a day or when you first log in. You may also want to time any system scans to take place while the computer is running but unattended (such as when you sit down for your dinner).

How often is necessary to update antivirus software?computers

I recommend at a minimum... once a week. Twice a week is better. New virus definition files are generally released once a week by antivirus software companies.