Antivirus program

[ScottNOFX]

I am looking for input on antivirus programs.
I currently have Norton 360.
I have a very fast DSL connection but pages seem very slow to load.
I recently reinstalled windows to freshly formatted drive and installed new
version of Norton 360.
My computer screams other than email and browsing.

Is Norton a pig?
What's better/faster

Thanks in advance,
Scott

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Windows OneCare:
http://onecare.live.com/standard/en-us/default.htm

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Desktop Experience

---------------------------------------------------------------------

I am looking for input on antivirus programs.
I currently have Norton 360.
I have a very fast DSL connection but pages seem very slow to load.
I recently reinstalled windows to freshly formatted drive and installed new
version of Norton 360.
My computer screams other than email and browsing.

Is Norton a pig?
What's better/faster

Thanks in advance,
Scott

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Norton is a pig.

I can recommend Avira AntiVir (free), NOD32, and Kaspersky.

Norton applications are notorious for not uninstalling cleanly. After
uninstalling Norton 360 *and* LiveUpdate via Add/Remove Programs,
download/run this removal tool and reboot before installing your new
anti-virus application:
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039

NB: Make certain the Windows Firewall is enabled after unintalling N360!

I recently reinstalled windows to freshly formatted drive...

Is the machine fully patched at Windows Update?

 

[JS]

Norton 360 scan incoming and outgoing Email
which you should be able to turn off.
There should be other Internet options which you
may be able to turn off/disable to speed up things.

I recently evaluated NIS 2009 and NAV 2009 (but not 360)
and found no significant slow downs except for slightly longer
boot times when installed.

JS
http://www.pagestart.com

 

[Mick Murphy]

Norton is bloated rubbish; Windows One Care is not much better!
They try to be everything to everybody, and fail dismally.

Try using Avast Free 4 Home; it is very good.
Also, I included a good security Programs combo to use in XP, or Vista.

http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html

Avast Anti-Virus is XP and Vista compatible (32bit and 64bit Versions),
FREE, auto-updating, and a low resources user of your computer.
And, only have 1(one) Anti-Virus installed / running on your computer at any
one time..
Conflicts may occur if you have more than 1(one).

http://www.spybot.info/en/index.html

Spybot Search & Destroy 1.6 is a very good, FREE Anti-Spyware Program.
Download, install, update, and immunize your System with it.
Then SCAN with it.
Update it, and scan your System once a fortnight.

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

SpywareBlaster 4.1 is a non-intrusive, FREE Anti-Spyware Program (no
scanning by you!).
SpywareBlaster prevents the installation of many so-called spyware, adware
and malware programs by disabling the CLSIDs of popular spyware ActiveX
controls, and also prevents the installation of any of them via a webpage
Update it once a fortnight.

http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php

Malwarebytes is as the name says, a Malware Remover!
For the Free version scroll down their page to either download from
Download.com, or Major Geeks.com

Download, install, and update.

 

[Ken Blake]

I am looking for input on antivirus programs.
I currently have Norton 360.
I have a very fast DSL connection but pages seem very slow to load.
I recently reinstalled windows to freshly formatted drive and installed
new version of Norton 360.
My computer screams other than email and browsing.

Is Norton a pig?
What's better/faster

In my view, Norton is the worst anti-virus program available, even worse
than McAfee, which is second worst. Almost anything else is better than
either of these.

I think the best is NOD32, or if you want a free product, Avast.

 

[Terry R.]

The date and time was 11/13/2008 8:04 PM, and on a whim, ScottNOFX
pounded out on the keyboard:

I am looking for input on antivirus programs.
I currently have Norton 360.
I have a very fast DSL connection but pages seem very slow to load.
I recently reinstalled windows to freshly formatted drive and installed new
version of Norton 360.
My computer screams other than email and browsing.

Is Norton a pig?
What's better/faster

Thanks in advance,
Scott

Hi Scott,

I personally use AntiVir. I used Norton Antivirus & Utilities many
years ago (maybe up to 2002), but as others stated, the Antivirus became
a resource hog.

BUT, the 2009 Antivirus versions have been getting excellent reviews. I
haven't personally used them, but it seems that Symantec may have
finally seen the light. I believe that most if not every one of the bad
reviews of Norton posted here are on past experience also. Norton 360
is a kitchen sink of programs, so with all that running at the same
time, it's no wonder it slows a computer down.

If you already own 2009, I'd keep it. But when it comes time to renew,
why pay for what you can get for free?

--
Terry R.

***Reply Note***
Anti-spam measures are included in my email address.
Delete NOSPAM from the email address after clicking Reply.

 

[JS]

Another option would be to contact Symantec support using "Live Chat"
Don't use the Norton 360 link to Live Chat but instead use the link to their
web site's Live Chat:
http://www.symantec.com/norton/support/productdetail/contact_ts.jsp?pvid=n360_2.0

For some reason I've get less wait time and the Live Chat user interface is
better.

JS
http://www.pagestart.com

 

[Unknown]

Nothing, is better than Norton. (A play on words) You are far better off if
you had nothing instead of Norton.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I am looking for input on antivirus programs.
I currently have Norton 360.
I have a very fast DSL connection but pages seem very slow to load.
I recently reinstalled windows to freshly formatted drive and installed new
version of Norton 360.
My computer screams other than email and browsing.

Is Norton a pig?
What's better/faster

Thanks in advance,
Scott

You'll get nearly as many differing opinions as you will responses.

I'll start by saying that I don't think any security "suite" is a
good choice. It'd be better to use smaller, less-resource-draining
stand-alone products. And, having had personal experience with
Verizon's business practices, I certainly wouldn't trust anything they
offer. Even if the product/service itself is fine, there'll be hidden
costs and "unadvertised" conditions and limitations associated with it.

I had used, and recommended, Norton Antivirus and then Norton
Internet Security, for many years, on Win98, WinNT, Win2K, and WinXP,
all without any significant problems. I had used McAfee prior to that.
But it's been several years since I've been tempted to try McAfee
products. Their quality seemed to take a steep nose-dive after they were
acquired by Network Associates.

However, when my subscription to Symantec's updates for Norton
Internet Security 2002 came up for renewal (at a cost substantially
higher than the preceding year's subscription), I decided to try less
expensive solutions. I downloaded and installed the free version of
GriSoft's AVG (http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php ). It proved
to be easily installed, easy to use, and quite effective. Additionally,
I was pleasantly surprised to see a small but very noticeable
improvement in my PC's performance, once I'd replaced the Symantec
product. Another free (for personal use) anti-virus product is AVAST! 4
Home Edition (http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html), which is what
I've used without problems on both WinXP Pro and Vista Business.

For a recent comparison of anti-virus products:

Retrospective / ProActive Test
http://www.av-comparatives.org/


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

 

[witan]

To each their own.  I have Symantec Corporate 10 on all my boxes,
receiving all their updates from a server than manages them.  All
those boxes run lean and mean and I have NEVER had a virus on any of
my boxes.

My experience with an earlier corporate version of Symantec antivirus
has been similar. I feel symantec / norton has been unfairly maligned,
or perhaps the corporate edition is quite different from the ordinary
"home" edition.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

My experience with an earlier corporate version of Symantec antivirus
has been similar. I feel symantec / norton has been unfairly maligned,
or perhaps the corporate edition is quite different from the ordinary
"home" edition.

Comparing Symantec Corporate Editions to Norton SOHO applications is like
comparing a 2009 Bentley to a 1978 FIAT.

 

[Ken Blake]

Nothing, is better than Norton. (A play on words) You are far better off
if you had nothing instead of Norton.

As much as I dislike Norton, I strongly disagree with your statement. Bad as
Norton is, it's still better than having no anti-virus protection.

 

[Ken Blake]

To each their own. I have Symantec Corporate 10 on all my boxes,
receiving all their updates from a server than manages them. All
those boxes run lean and mean and I have NEVER had a virus on any of
my boxes.

Although I have no personal experience with Symantec Corporate, my
understanding is that it is an entirely different product than Norton
Anti-Virus and, unlike Norton, is a *good* anti-virus.

 

[Unknown]

Hogwash. Norton screws up almost all the time. I DO NOT have an antivirus
program and never had a virus.
Of course I DO NOT click on strange things.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

To each their own. I have Symantec Corporate 10 on all my boxes,
receiving all their updates from a server than manages them. All
those boxes run lean and mean and I have NEVER had a virus on any of
my boxes.

Sadly, there' a world of difference in the quality and usefulness
between Symantec's corporate/enterprise products and their
consumer-grade "Norton" product line.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

 

[Ken Blake]

Perhaps true. However, if you look around, Symantec Corporate can
usually be found free of charge and works just fine. I have three
dekstops and a laptop at home, along with a server. The client sits
on all four boxes and is managed from AV Server on the Server which
pushes out all the updates, both to the engine and signatures, on a
regular basis unattended. Works beautifully and as I mentioned was
free of charge. Just look around.

It is *not* free of charge. If you are finding it free of charge, you are
finding it on a pirate site. That is not only dishonest, but downloading
anything from such a site is always a dangerous thing to do.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Perhaps true.

Definitely true, and that's the point I was making: while Symantec's
AV-CE is a fine product, its Norton line isn't.

However, if you look around, Symantec Corporate can
usually be found free of charge and works just fine.

Not legitimately.

I have three
dekstops and a laptop at home, along with a server. The client sits
on all four boxes and is managed from AV Server on the Server which
pushes out all the updates, both to the engine and signatures, on a
regular basis unattended. Works beautifully and as I mentioned was
free of charge. Just look around.

Thanks, but I've no interest in pirating software, nor would I be
foolish enough to brag about doing so in a public venue, if I were.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

 

[HeyBub]

Strange. I got it logging into Symantec's public FTP website. How
is that pirating their software?

Gee, how is opening an unattended cash register and helping yourself to the
money theft? How could one possibly get in trouble by removing the hubcaps
of a parked car? Would copying pages from a library book and submitting it
as a term paper be considered wrong?

One wonders...

 

[ScottNOFX]

Thanks to all!
As always you have been very helpful

Scott