Alternatives to Norton 360

GunJack

nikaso wrote: »

If you are wanting a 'does it all' type suite then I have had quite good experiences with Bullguard, I have several clients use it and only one has ever had any problem but I suspect that was some Norton remnants interfering with Bullguard.

use norton removal tool

Interhacker

Never pay for an anti virus, that should be rule number one, if a Virus/ Trojan is good enough to get though a free Version, its more than likely going to get though the Licensed version.

Oldbiggles

Because I regularly read comments on this site, including Techy Stuff. I took the advise offered here a while ago and installed ‘Microsoft Security Essentials’ and I must say I am pleased that I did.
It does what it says on the tin and its free which to us moneysavers is a primary consideration.
Before installing you are told to uninstall all other virus detection programmes as they seem to interfere with the way ‘Microsoft Security Essentials’ runs.

"Nice one Techy Stuff guys." :T

espresso

JasX wrote: »

Can people stop advising posters like this they need a long list of stuff thats far in excess of their original requirements, it just serves to confuse them.

OP basically you need.

Anti Virus (pick one of the good free ones Avast, Avira or Microsoft Security essentials, all 3 are much more reliable than Norton do NOT use AVG -that is a junk AV as illustrated by the virus suffered in post#2 )

Windows needs set to automatically download and install critical updates

Use an up to date browser, latest version of Internet Explorer at minimum, better still Firefox or one of the others.

Worth a quick check windows firewall is turned on

Thats it.

So why should anyone listen to your childish, condescending and insulting rant then!

You have yet again posted "do NOT use AVG AV - that is junk" but this is simply your very biased opinion.

You have stated that "malwarebytes anti malware - not real time protection, not 'needed' to keep your PC secure" when the full version does provide realtime protection, scheduled scanning, and scheduled updating for a one off fee.

You have stated that Spybot is "not related to anti virus or security" more utter rubbish!

You have insulted the OP unnecessarily "still using norton for starters" as well as another poster sassi, who recommended eset anti-virus as well as the "free alternatives, microsofts own, avast or avg".

You have thanked gonzo127's post recommending Zone Alarm (one of the worst firewalls available), which again simply shows your lack of real knowledge on this subject.

Overall, not a helpful or useful post!

You could have simply recommended that they read this sites own PC security article here and let them decide for themselves what security programs to use.

Trinitrotoluene

JasX wrote: »

Can people stop advising posters like this they need a long list of stuff thats far in excess of their original requirements, it just serves to confuse them.

OP basically you need.

Anti Virus (pick one of the good free ones Avast, Avira or Microsoft Security essentials, all 3 are much more reliable than Norton do NOT use AVG -that is a junk AV as illustrated by the virus suffered in post#2 )

Windows needs set to automatically download and install critical updates

Use an up to date browser, latest version of Internet Explorer at minimum, better still Firefox or one of the others.

Worth a quick check windows firewall is turned on

Thats it.

Do this, bonus points for identifying AVG as a piece of ****

gonzo127

espresso wrote: »

You have thanked gonzo127's post recommending Zone Alarm (one of the worst firewalls available), which again simply shows your lack of real knowledge on this subject.

i think you will find the latest version of zone alarm is much improved over the previous version and is no longer one of the worst ones about

http://download.cnet.com/ZoneAlarm-Free-Firewall/3000-10435_4-10039884.html

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2364057,00.asp?tab=FullReview

which really goes to show your own lack of knowledge of the current software, which is also a problem with the information on MSE as its only updated quarterly it is actually due an update pretty soon, which will hopefully reflect the changes which have happened over the past few months

and AVG really isn't the best anti virus at the moment(although this can change as and when they update it), i think (and will try and find the link soon) that it was ranked as one of the worst anti virus programs about at the moment in a independant test http://www.av-comparatives.org/images/stories/test/ondret/avc_report25.pdf - there we go

Avira 99.3% detection rate
Avast 97.7%
Microsoft Security essentials 96.3%
AVG 94.2%
only 4 out of the 20 anti virus's tested scored lower than AVG

JasX

espresso wrote: »

So why should anyone listen to your childish, condescending and insulting rant then!

...blah...

yeah since it seems a trivial exercise I'll leave others to pick apart the inaccuracies and plain incorrect statements you've yet again posted... some have already started I see

I'll also stand by my statement you don't need a long list of utilities, paid for antivirus or 'tweaking' software to keep a PC very very secure, but you can throw time and money away on them if you really want.

/faceplam

Trinitrotoluene

You have yet again posted "do NOT use AVG AV - that is junk" but this is simply your very biased opinion.

I deal with AVG on a day to day basis on over 1500 machines across hundreds of domains - my employer is actually an AVG Gold Partner and I can tell you with no bias whatsoever that what JasX is saying is correct - it is a piece of junk.

fenlander_uk

Over the years I've used Norton, McAfee, AVG, Comodo, Avast and Microsoft Security Essentials. I've also tried three or four firewalls. I've never had a virus, so I guess either they've all worked as intended or I've led a charmed life. One factor for me is that the security on my PCs needs to be unobtrusive, which was what ruled out Comodo - an effective solution but very in your face. For what it's worth, my current prescription is a simple one; it's free and it's invisible.

Firewall: Windows Vista firewall
Antivirus/anti-malware: Microsoft Security Essentials

I am a real believer in the power of the Hosts file to stop infections getting anywhere near the computer. To this end, I use:

Spybot: in "passive" mode, i.e. do not use the Teatimer real-time scanner. Just use it to import malware definitions every couple of weeks and update your Hosts file.
Browser: Firefox OR Chrome, but running the Adblock extension in either case. Most people seem to get infected by website nasties, Adblock stops the vast majority before they reach your machine.

Finally, keep Windows fully updated.

toskdc

Well - here's my two cents.

I use Zonealarm and Avast when my Windows partition is connected to the internet. I used to use AVG, but it got disabled by something so I switched to Avast. I've had no trouble with these two. I keep them and my windows install updated, and there's no problems.

But since I don't trust Windows when connected to the internet, I recently disabled the network connection
The only way to keep Windows entirely safe