ignorant and feeling stupid!!!

homealone_2

when i first got a computer approx 3 years ago with alot of help from a friend they managed to set up norton anti-virus for free, for which for the most part did the job. then they wrote last year saying it was due to expire and would cost bla bla bla to continue as i didnt have aclue i followed the on screnn instructions and ended up paying over the odds (friends said later) fo r a renewal, which also did the job. i have now received a similar email saying norton will expire in nov and just to renew will cost £35, for better facilities the price goes up significantly. do i just follow the script as i did last year? or is there someone out there willing to show me the way to receiving secuurity by not breaking the bank? as previously stated i am a complete half wit when this all gets a bit technical so if possible i would need something foolproof to follow. thanks everyone!!!

John_Gray

If you want to stick with Norton then check out much cheaper deals, e.g. from Amazon (put Norton antivirus in the search box). Bizarrely, it is often cheaper to buy again the entire "next year's" package than to renew your current version of NAV online!

Other people will be telling you lots of alternatives, including free ones like AVG or Avast, and I'm prepared to bet that someone will say something along the lines of 'Norton is complete rubbish and you really ought to get xxx antivirus'!

You might like to think about getting an "Internet Security Suite" (which has several security components) for less than your renewal of Norton would cost. Brian Livingston's newsletter (see the Securoty Baseline section) recommends the one I use, ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 6.5. Have a look on Amazon and elsewhere for prices. There are several other versions, e.g. from Norton, McAfee, etc, and all have their proponents and detractors.

John

Murtle

Have a read through this thread at the different options, there are lots of free options out there.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=36497

as it's for the security of your pc, it's probably best if you have a look first to see what they do, select the ones you are happy with and check back if they will cover you totally

There are heaps of options and as you'll see from the thread people all have their own personal preferences.

F1F1

I also stuck with Norton for quite a few years. No problems but did start to wonder about all the free ones that people talked about. So I tried AVG and haven't had any problems. It updates automatically - nae bother.

http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/downloads/2129071/avg-antivirus-free-edition

I haven't tried the other free ones. People also talk highly of Avast but each probably has their own favourite.

dm999

There are products out there that will give better antivirus protection than Norton, they cost less and use less system resource than Norton.

I've been using BitDefender for the last 6 months after several years of using Norton and am well impressed with it.

For unbiased reviews and comparisons (performance and price) of the top performing antivirus software packages (including freeware) look here:

http://anti-virus-software-review.toptenreviews.com/