Can anyone advise how I can install comodo av on this? I have tried a few forum suggestions to no avail. btw I just wanted to test linux to see what it offers?
hi stuartm,
you can install it! There is no problem at all. 
Just follow these steps, which I have written here:
Follow these steps and you’ll be save. Have fun with your new LinuxMint. But to be honest: I would switch to Ubuntu, because Ubuntu has newer sources thant LinuxMint. LinuxMint will stick to these old sources for the next to years for developping LinuxMint onwards. But: through a ppa-repository, one can also install Cinnamon-Desktop in Ubuntu. Just have a look on launchpad.net. You find this ppa-repository here:
Just install it in your ubuntu, then go to your Synaptic packagemanager and remove all packages which have to do with Unity-Dsktop. Reboot your machine then and everything should be fine.
Greetings
Ubuntuexpert