Antivirus recommendation

[John]

Hi

I need recommendation for an Antivirus for win xp. In the past I have
avoided Norton Internet Security as it seems to take too much system
resources and slows the pc down. I have always used Norton Antivirus, while
for firewall I use win xp built-in firewall and router firewall. For spy
ware I use Windows Defender. My question is can I move to the Norton
Antivirus 350 without putting too much strain on resources or is plain
Norton Antivirus still better for reasons I have described above?

Many Thanks

Regards

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I need recommendation for an Antivirus for win xp. In the past I
have avoided Norton Internet Security as it seems to take too much
system resources and slows the pc down. I have always used Norton
Antivirus, while for firewall I use win xp built-in firewall and
router firewall. For spy ware I use Windows Defender. My question
is can I move to the Norton Antivirus 350 without putting too much
strain on resources or is plain Norton Antivirus still better for
reasons I have described above?

Many options to Norton exist.
Most of them use less resources and do the same job as effectively - if not
more so.

( Good Comparison Page for AV software: http://www.av-comparatives.org/ )

AntiVir (Free and up)
http://www.free-av.com/

avast! (Free and up)
http://www.avast.com/

AVG Anti-Virus System (Free and up)
http://free.grisoft.com/

ca Anti-Virus (~$49.99 and up)
http://snipurl.com/13e0u

eset NOD32 (~$39.00 and up)
http://www.eset.com/products/

Kaspersky Anti-Virus (~$39.95 and up)
http://www.kaspersky.com/kav6

McAfee VirusScan (~$39.99 and up)
http://www.mcafee.com/

Panda Antivirus Titanium (~$39.95 and up)
http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/antivirus2007.htm
(Free Online Scanner: http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/)

Trend Micro (~$44.95 and up)
http://www.trendmicro.com/en/products/desktop/tav/
(Free Online Scanner:
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/housecall/start_corp.asp)

 

[Old Enough]

Hi

I need recommendation for an Antivirus for win xp. In the past I have
avoided Norton Internet Security as it seems to take too much system
resources and slows the pc down. I have always used Norton Antivirus, while
for firewall I use win xp built-in firewall and router firewall. For spy
ware I use Windows Defender. My question is can I move to the Norton
Antivirus 350 without putting too much strain on resources or is plain
Norton Antivirus still better for reasons I have described above?

Many Thanks

Regards

Many people, including myself, use AVG Free
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/services/0/0/0

_________________________________
Old Enough
to know I don't know a thing ....

 

[Stan Brown]

I need recommendation for an Antivirus for win xp. In the past I have
avoided Norton Internet Security as it seems to take too much system
resources and slows the pc down. I have always used Norton Antivirus, while
for firewall I use win xp built-in firewall and router firewall. For spy
ware I use Windows Defender. My question is can I move to the Norton
Antivirus 350 without putting too much strain on resources or is plain
Norton Antivirus still better for reasons I have described above?

You could not pay me to put Norton Antivirus on a computer I actually
used. I don't know about the current edition, but the early-2005
edition was a resource pig and many people reported it was a real
bear to uninstall.

I have been happy with AVG Free Edition
http://free.grisoft.com
My thumb drive was infected by a virus from the computer at the
college where I teach. That computer had some virus program; I think
it was Norton but I'm not certain. AVG found and quarantined it as
soon as I plugged the thumb drive into my computer.

 

[NotMe]

I use AVG free from http://free.grisoft.com
and Avast from http://www.avast.com
and ClamWin from http://www.clamwin.com
Each has it's ins & outs, but all 3 work and are free.
And none of them mess up your computer like Norton.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Hi

I need recommendation for an Antivirus for win xp. In the past I have
avoided Norton Internet Security as it seems to take too much system
resources and slows the pc down. I have always used Norton Antivirus, while
for firewall I use win xp built-in firewall and router firewall. For spy
ware I use Windows Defender. My question is can I move to the Norton
Antivirus 350 without putting too much strain on resources or is plain
Norton Antivirus still better for reasons I have described above?

Anything Norton is probably the worst of all possible choices. I
recommend either the freeware Avast! (my personal choice) or AVG.

Note also, by the way, that a single anti-spyware program is not good
enough. Note what Eric Howes, who has done extensive testing on
Anti-Spyware products, states:

"No single anti-spyware scanner removes everything. Even the
best-performing anti-spyware scanner in these tests missed fully one
quarter of the "critical" files and Registry entries" See
http://spywarewarrior.com/asw-test-guide.htm

 

[Anna]

Hi

I need recommendation for an Antivirus for win xp. In the past I have
avoided Norton Internet Security as it seems to take too much system
resources and slows the pc down. I have always used Norton Antivirus,
while for firewall I use win xp built-in firewall and router firewall. For
spy ware I use Windows Defender. My question is can I move to the Norton
Antivirus 350 without putting too much strain on resources or is plain
Norton Antivirus still better for reasons I have described above?

Many Thanks

Regards

And you might want to look at the latest (September, 2007) issue of Consumer
Reports which evaluates the various anti-virus & other anti-malware
programs.
Anna

 

[Lil' Dave]

Hi

I need recommendation for an Antivirus for win xp. In the past I have
avoided Norton Internet Security as it seems to take too much system
resources and slows the pc down. I have always used Norton Antivirus,
while for firewall I use win xp built-in firewall and router firewall. For
spy ware I use Windows Defender. My question is can I move to the Norton
Antivirus 350 without putting too much strain on resources or is plain
Norton Antivirus still better for reasons I have described above?

Many Thanks

Regards

I have 2 instances of XP HE SP2. The first, I use for instances like these,
internet browsing, and email. Am using NAV 2003 along with TrendMicro
Antispyware, windows firewall is on. The second, I use mostly for local
games. Am using NAV 2007, little internet use except XP and NAV updates.
NAV 2007 has built-in intrusion blocking and notification of same. In both
cases, I've set to use XP updates for notification only.

Irregardless the AV you choose, it must be real time scanning of memory, and
have capability of scanning your hard drive.

Believe Norton 360 goes well beyond an AV. See your subject line.
Dave

 

[Kayman]

Many options to Norton exist.
Most of them use less resources and do the same job as effectively - if
not more so.

( Good Comparison Page for AV software: http://www.av-comparatives.org/ )

AntiVir (Free and up)
http://www.free-av.com/

avast! (Free and up)
http://www.avast.com/

AVG Anti-Virus System (Free and up)
http://free.grisoft.com/

ca Anti-Virus (~$49.99 and up)
http://snipurl.com/13e0u

http://home3.ca.com/Microsoft/Default.aspx?sc_lang=en-AU
Free 90-day trial

eset NOD32 (~$39.00 and up)
http://www.eset.com/products/

Kaspersky Anti-Virus (~$39.95 and up)
http://www.kaspersky.com/kav6

McAfee VirusScan (~$39.99 and up)
http://www.mcafee.com/

http://safety.aol.com/isc/BasicSecurity/
McAfee® VirusScan Plus – Special edition from AOL

Panda Antivirus Titanium (~$39.95 and up)
http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/antivirus2007.htm
(Free Online Scanner: http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/)

Trend Micro (~$44.95 and up)
http://www.trendmicro.com/en/products/desktop/tav/
(Free Online Scanner:
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/housecall/start_corp.asp)

Great selection, good luck

 

[neutrino]

Everyone has their preferences, all you can do is try and determine in your mind (and Pc ) which one does the job best for you.

personally I use Avast AV, Spyware Doctor, Ad-Aware, and Paretologic
Antispyware, though I must say I'm not entirely 100% about that one
yet, but the others I'd have no hesitation in recommending.
oh - and regardless of it being bought and dumped by Norton - I STILL
use Sygate Firewall - which I find does an excellent job! and it IS
still to be found in the various corners of the Net.
I'v yet to see any evidence of the Windows built Firewall doing
anything ~ maybe it's just quiet - but I'd prefer to see a pop-up of
some description now n then to let me know it's done this or that -
just to let me know it IS doing something .

 

[Kayman]

Everyone has their preferences, all you can do is try and determine in
your mind (and Pc )
which one does the job best for you.
personally I use Avast AV, Spyware Doctor, Ad-Aware, and Paretologic
Antispyware, though I must say I'm not entirely 100% about that one yet,
nothing is 100%

...but the others I'd have no hesitation in recommending.
oh - and regardless of it being bought and dumped by Norton - I STILL
use Sygate Firewall - which I find does an excellent job! and it IS
still to be found in the various corners of the Net.

you're pretty audacious, aren't you

I'v yet to see any evidence of the Windows built Firewall doing
anything ~ maybe it's just quiet - but I'd prefer to see a pop-up of
some description now n then to let me know it's done this or that -
just to let me know it IS doing something .

you seem to be 'adventurous' sort of a guy, wanna try a different approach
to your overall pc security?

 

[Bert Kinney]

Hi John,

For pay:
NOD32 Antivirus Software for Windows from ESET
http://www.eset.com/products/windows.php

For Free:
Free antivirus - avast! 4 Home Edition Download
http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html

Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://bertk.mvps.org
Member: http://dts-l.org

 

[Gordon]

Kaspersky Anti-Virus (~$39.95 and up)
http://www.kaspersky.com/kav6

Active Virus Shield is a free offering from AOL (no you don't have to
use AOL to get it!) and uses the Kaspersky engine....
http://tinyurl.com/3x8e58

 

[Kayman]

Active Virus Shield is a free offering from AOL (no you don't have to use
AOL to get it!) and uses the Kaspersky engine....
http://tinyurl.com/3x8e58

http://www.activevirusshield.com/antivirus/freeav/index.adp?
We're Sorry!
AOL® Active Virus Shield is no longer available.
Looking for protection from viruses, spyware and hackers?
We are now offering McAfee® Virus Scan Plus-Special edition from AOL.

 

[Gordon]

http://www.activevirusshield.com/antivirus/freeav/index.adp?
We're Sorry!
AOL® Active Virus Shield is no longer available.
Looking for protection from viruses, spyware and hackers?
We are now offering McAfee® Virus Scan Plus-Special edition from AOL.

that's a shame! It's very good.......they are still doing updates....

 

[4dguide1]

Best Antivirus (hands-down) is Avast.
It won't bring your system to it's knees like Norton/Symantec or
McAfee.
These companies should bot be allowed to sell their respective crappy
programs!

Avast is FREE (for Home use) and is available for Unix, Mac/OS-X,
Linux, and Windows.
You can download it from their site. You have to "register" it to get
the full 14+ months of
updates. (all they want is email address to send the key to, country
of origin, check the
box that you agree to use the program ONLY for non-commercial
purposes).
They will email you a key which will work for 14 or more months. And
they will never email you
with offers of any kind, and I have never ever received junk mail as a
function of having
given them MY email address!

Also - Don't rely on Windows based Firewalls!!! A chain is only as
strong as it's weakest link,
and ANY firewall running on Windows is only as secure as Windows
itself is!
If you have a high-speed connection, GET A ROUTER! It isolates your
computer from the
internet by giving it an IP address that cannot be seen over the
internet by other computers.

 

[Leythos]

If you have a high-speed connection, GET A ROUTER! It isolates your
computer from the
internet by giving it an IP address that cannot be seen over the
internet by other computers.

That's not how it works, at least not the protection part of it. The
local IP address doesn't matter if the user is compromised while
browsing the web, reading an email, playing a game, using instant
messenger, etc...

A NAT Router blocks UNSOLICITED INBOUND connections by default - that's
the means of protection.

--

Leythos
- Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum.
- Calling an illegal alien an "undocumented worker" is like calling a
drug dealer an "unlicensed pharmacist"
(e-mail address removed) (remove 999 for proper email address)

 

[JS]

I've been watching and reading the replies to this post with some interest
as to what different people recommend. Yes I use Norton AV 2007 and before
that 2006, 2005, .... along with System Works 2006 and Ghost. Does it slow
down my PC, NO it does not and I'm using an old 933Mhz PIII with Windows XP,
512MB of ram and three hard drives. What do I do on this old PC: Word
processing, Scanning photos and documents, touch up using Photo Shop
Elements and other photo tools, Data Base development (MS Access) along with
CounterSpy, Zone Alarm and other AV Software. So the slow down everyone
mentions just does not happen on this PC.

Does Norton's Tech. Support stink, you bet as it has gone from bad to
useless over the past few years and their knowledge base is horribly
outdated. So while I have no complaints about NAV 2007 (except Live Update,
but that's another story) I am looking at other products. Why you ask, well
Tech. Support is important to me, I can get Sunbelt Software's CounterSpy
Tech. Support with a simple phone call and one call is all it takes.
Symantec took 9 months (many calls and emails) to tell me the product
(System Works 2006) doesn't do what the previous version did and their
standard answer for NAV is uninstall and reinstall.

JS

 

[br1t3estStar]

Hi

I need recommendation for anAntivirusfor win xp. In the past I have
avoided Norton Internet Security as it seems to take too much system
resources and slows the pc down. I have always used NortonAntivirus, while
for firewall I use win xp built-in firewall and router firewall. For spy
ware I use Windows Defender. My question is can I move to the NortonAntivirus350 without putting too much strain on resources or is plain
NortonAntivirusstill better for reasons I have described above?

Many Thanks

Regards

In the newest issue of Consumer Reports magazine (sept2007) there is
an article that gives their "quick picks" of the best security
software suites. here's the list:

1. <ahref="http://trendmicro.com">Trend Micro ('PC-cillin') Internet
Security 2007 (now referred to as "Trend Micro Internet Security
2007")</a>

2. Check Point ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 7.0

3. McAfee Total Protection 2007

4. McAfee Internet Security Suite 2007

5. Microsoft Live OneCare

6. BitDefender Internet Security 10

7. F-Secure Internet Security 2007

8. Symantec Norton 360

9. Symantec Norton Internet Security 2007

 

[Leythos]

I've been watching and reading the replies to this post with some interest
as to what different people recommend. Yes I use Norton AV 2007 and before
that 2006, 2005, .... along with System Works 2006 and Ghost. Does it slow
down my PC, NO it does not and I'm using an old 933Mhz PIII with Windows XP,
512MB of ram and three hard drives. What do I do on this old PC: Word
processing, Scanning photos and documents, touch up using Photo Shop
Elements and other photo tools, Data Base development (MS Access) along with
CounterSpy, Zone Alarm and other AV Software. So the slow down everyone
mentions just does not happen on this PC.

If you are using the default install of NIS, which is what most people
get in a bundle (includes AV and something else), then your machine is
most certainly giving you less time for applications because of ALL OF
THE WORK THAT NIS IS DOING in the background while you do anything.

If you've disabled features or don't have a network connection then you
can regain some performance loss - but the loss is very real.

Defrag your computer, clean as much as you can, then run test with
internet pages seeing how long they take to open, how long it takes to
send/recv emails with attachements, and how long it takes to open
documents/ect. Now do uninstall NIS completely and repeat the tests, you
should be able see the difference immediately.

--

Leythos
- Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum.
- Calling an illegal alien an "undocumented worker" is like calling a
drug dealer an "unlicensed pharmacist"
(e-mail address removed) (remove 999 for proper email address)