Tony Talmage wrote:
> (Sorry, this is OT. Just curious.)
>
> Malke,
>
> This might sound like a silly question. I use the whole "antivirus
> program no earlier than 2002" advice a lot, and I notice that many
> others do as well, but I was wondering what the difference might be
> between older antivirus software and more recent; I was just leeching
> off the advice of
> others, really =) I'm still using NAV 2000, and I don't seem to have
> any problems with it ("do what I say, not what I do" seems to be
> accurate here). No viruses have been found on my computer in ... I
> would say around 2-3
> years. Should I get something more recent (and free, because I'm
> cheap/poor) like AVG or Avast, or should I stick with NAV 2000?
>
Hi, Tony. Well, that brings up a whole NAV has progressively gotten
suckier tangent. I've used Norton products for years but no longer
recommend them. With NAV 2004, we're seeing so many issues, bloating,
conflicts, etc., not to mention their new activation necessity, that I
wouldn't use it. Re the activation, I understand the whole piracy
prevention thing, but I have absolutely no faith in Symantec's ability
to properly manage this.
That was a bit off the beaten path, but basically there were
improvements in how NAV handled certain issues in versions later than
NAV 2000 and I assume other av programs have some improvements over the
years, too. Some av programs now look for spyware/adware, for instance,
which is a good thing. My main reason for including this bit in my
advice is that I can't tell you how many users just buy the computer
and leave whatever av is on there without updating either the program
or its definitions *ever*. That includes them just ignoring the "renew
your subcription" notices, too. So hopefully my saying "post-whatever"
will make them look at the version they're running. Should you change?
I can't answer that for you. Why not download some trial versions of
various av's and see? Only run one at a time, though!
Cheers,
Malke
--
MS MVP - Windows Shell/User
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"