Norton Anti .... or free?

bigglesinc

AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic (about 8 Mb) http://www.free-av.com/antivirus/allinonen.html

Mr_Skint_2

As I am a IT boff I recommend AVG or Avast

libra10

I use AVG and Syegate - my PC is now much speedier than when Norton was installed.

smcicr

<personal opinion>
- comparably norton slowed down my machines (had it on several before i realised there was a better way)
- norton cost me money
- i value the contents of my hard drive very highly indeed
- comparably norton used more system resources than my current option - AVG
- norton released updates that prevented me from running it as an AV program - the update killed it for whatever reason. a little worrying as i then had to connect to the net without AV to download a free replacement - ironically that was my road to damascus - ta norton
- AVG seems to update as regularly as, if not more often than, norton
- norton have got into this internet security thing where they provide ALL the security features in one - i'd rather have specialist progs for each
</personal opinion>

so i currently run sygate firewall software (free) and AVG (free), have done so for nearly two years now i reckon and haven't had a problem.

(ps: and it's not just me: http://www.computergripes.com/letters/a.php there isn't much activity for AVG on there - granted it has a notably smaller user base but still...;))

cslogg

Avast and Zone Alarm firewall (also free) works for me and has done for the last couple of years without problems.

cslogg

whitejedi

As an I.T. technical advisor, I started off using Norton but on further investigation on how it behaved, discovered that the software literally took over the whole system as it was resource hungry. I eventually changed to using AMD processors as my video editing choice of preference and with my new AMD motherboards, PC Cillin came as the bundled security software on the driver disk. Having run it for three years, I've been very well protected by it especially as a peer to peer file transfer user. It updates every night and uses up very little of my system resources. I was so impressed that I sent Trend Micro the makers of PC Cillin a thank you email for keeping me safe. They were so grateful for the feedback that they sent me a copy of their new updated version free of charge. These guys know their business really well so give PC Cillin a try and see for yourself. You won't be disappointed since it includes firewall, email scanner and scheduled sweeps that you control. It blows all the rest right out of the water.

peter_the_piper

When my Nortons finally runs out I'll change to Avast/Zonealarm, their renewal system stinks.

don9999

I'm always very weary when I read forums where individuals recommend this utility or that one. Just because one person is happy with it, gives very little assurance (to me) that it is the right package for me.

Just doing a quick search on the internet turned up this page: http://www.software-antivirus.com/program/avg-antivirus-review.html

AVG is given a pretty hard ride. The summary includes:


It's important to be aware of the fact that antivirus software has a very limited ability to detect new and unknown viruses, they usually detects between 15% and 50%. Testing has put AVG Antivirus in the lower range, with only a 15%-20% detection rate. AVG Antivirus is the only decent free antivirus program available, but unfortunately it's far from good enough. Our advice: Don't listen to friends or fellow net users praising AVG Antivirus. Stay away if you're serious about staying protected.

Of course, I have no idea who wrote this site nor what their qualifications are, but it just goes to show; where one person states how wonderful a program is, there are always other people that say how rubbish it is.

The best ways are to read magazine reviews (where they compare and contrast all similar programs at once), and more importantly, try them all out!

'Personally' I currently use Norton Antivirus. I'm reasonably confident of it, and have had NO problems for all the years I have used it. However.......I DO often feel that my PC is running slow, and this is often cited as a problem of Norton. Hence....I'm going to un-install it and try one of the free ones, to see if my PC is faster, yet my security level is the same.

Suck it and see I suppose........

Cheers,
Don

wolfman

don9999 wrote:

I'm always very weary when I read forums where individuals recommend this utility or that one. Just because one person is happy with it, gives very little assurance (to me) that it is the right package for me.

Just doing a quick search on the internet turned up this page: http://www.software-antivirus.com/program/avg-antivirus-review.html

AVG is given a pretty hard ride. The summary includes:


It's important to be aware of the fact that antivirus software has a very limited ability to detect new and unknown viruses, they usually detects between 15% and 50%. Testing has put AVG Antivirus in the lower range, with only a 15%-20% detection rate. AVG Antivirus is the only decent free antivirus program available, but unfortunately it's far from good enough. Our advice: Don't listen to friends or fellow net users praising AVG Antivirus. Stay away if you're serious about staying protected.

That review is quite old. It still mentioned v1.x of Nod32 which was replaced by v2.x about 2 years ago. AVG has improved quite a lot since then.

AVG is generally a very good av, so is Avast. If you want the best though it costs. From most reviews and forums I've been on Nod32 and Kaspersky are seen as the best. Nod32 is nice and light, quick and scanning and has a good detection rate. It's what I currently use. Kaspersky is meant to have the best detection rate around, but from using it I found it took a little longer to scan and was a bit heavier on resources.

I used to have Norton Antivirus 2004, but since 2003 (had that too) it has become more and more bloated. It does have a good detection rate from what I've read, but I don't think it's quite as good as Nod32 or Kaspersky.

If you want a free av, go for AVG or Avast. If you're willing to spend £20-30, and want one of the better or best av's, then my recommendation would be Nod32.

Toronto

I have norton on my pc and it is now saying it is due for renewal, as someone installed it for me I assume they paid for it at the time and I can't afford to pay. So my questions are - if I don't renew will I have to un-install it, if so how? and is it easy to install one of the freebie ones? all help greatfully received and please note that I am not very technically minded so need instructions in very plain English Thankyou.