Norton OEM vs RETAIL package ???

Rochdale_Guy

Hi.

I currently use the free ZoneAlarm firewall and the free AVG Anti-Virus programs, but having seen the half price PC World £24.99 "Norton Internet Security 2005" deal am very tempted.

Thing is, it appears you can get this even cheaper if you buy an OEM version.

But, what IS an OEM version please ?

eBay is full of cheaper, unregistered OEM versions with no manuals or boxes.... but are these the 100% real FULL versions please ?

Also, I don't know whether I should just go for Norton AntiVirus instead ????

I don't think I need the extras that come with "I.Security 2005" :-/ :-X ???

Also (again), my girlfriends sisters PC came with Norton AntiVirus pre-installed. It ran out last week so I uninstalled it and put on the free AVG prog. instead so she is protected at least, but that's going really slow and making her PC weird out

Any urgent advice please ASAP ?

BTW - There isn't a PC World near me

One in Oldham but I don't drive so thats out ! Don't see why I should pay £3 postage on the PC World website either

Rant over >:( :P ??? :-/

Rochdale_Guy

Another daft question is....

If I bought the PC World £24.99 "NIS2005" package and installed in on my PC, I would be covered for a years worth of updates, then I would pay a renewal subscription for further years worth at a time updates, but, if I wanted to install it on my girlfriends sisters PC, I would get stuck as it's already registered in my name.

Anyway around this please ?

We can't afford £50 for 2 copies :-/

maninblack_3

OEM stands for Original Equipemtn Manufacturer.
This means someone who sells pc hardware and or complete systems. OEM licenses are supposed otbe only sold with hardware and are generall cheaper because of this. Its a bit of a grey area and you can usually get away with it.

maninblack

maninblack_3

Rochdale guy grab yourself a copy of avg perosnal edition its free and very good

maninblack

blinky

Norton uses a Product Activation sequence since version 2004 so you can't install the same software using the same serial on 2 different machines.

AVG doesn't give that good protection - I saw some worrying statistics on it a few months back.

Norton isn't perfect either - it's very resource intensive and can dramatically slow down the PC.

Personally I recommmend NOD32 by ESET http://www.nod32.com/home/home.htm
it uses very little resources, has a good track record for virus catching and isn't that expensive.

LincsLad_3

Just be a little wary of some of the OEM items for sale on eBay. While there are plenty of legit sellers out there, there are some who will sell illegal or unlicensed copies of software.
I would recommend checking feedback carefully before bidding.

OEM products will not come in a shiny box with step-by-step install instructions. You may get a lower level of support [from Norton], as the OEM company itself (i.e. YOU in this case) may be responsible for some degree of support.

Re your girlfriend's sister's PC: Make sure you have uninstalled ALL traces of Norton AV - it can be notoriously difficult to remove completely, and ANY two AV packages running together can cause a conflict that will slow down the PC.

There are alternative free products that many people use and keep themselves free of problems. Check out this thread for more info.

condyk

I buy OEM updates each year via ebay. Check the seller has good feedback. I always by Norton Systemworks Professional. Don't see the value in Internet Security package unless you specifically want what's included. The latest Windows update SP2 provides a decent firewall or Zone-Alarm is also very good ... both free of course. Systemworks includes anti-virus and a number of useful everyday tools to keep things running smoothly. I usually buy a year behind, i.e. this year I bought version 2004 rather than latest 2005 ... no significant impact on security or usability and the update services also works perfectly. Systemworks, Adaware, and Windows update is all you need ... plus the common sense to use them!

Any system that is not kept running optimally will cause problems and the last 3 years of Norton have presented me with no 'resources' issues at all.

Toxteth_OGrady

Personally I recommmend NOD32 by ESET http://www.nod32.com/home/home.htm
it uses very little resources, has a good track record for virus catching and isn't that expensive.

NOD32 rocks        


In fact it has the best track record during independent testing for 'In The Wild' viruses.

See here and here.

8)

TOG

blinky

For registered users of NOD32 there is a beta of the EMON plugin for Outlook.

http://www.nod32.com/download/downbeta.htm for more details and then download.

I also like Kaspersky but it's becoming a resource hog.

Used Computer Associates EZ Antivirus, catches virii well but only seems to let you delete infected files by disabling the antivirus scanning, which is bad.

Rochdale_Guy

Thanks.

Will try and get a cheap "Norton AntiVirus 2005" OEM CD.