Norton AntiVirus: The Right Tool for the Job?

1. 51

   bunmi2501posted 16 years ago

   Windows computers require protection from common viruses, spyware, and rootkits. A software application is needed that will monitor a system for infections, continually update itself, effectively prevent and remove infections when found, and not overly cannibalize system resources.
   
   Is Norton AntiVirus the Right Tool for the Job?

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   1. 56

      nobama is betterposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      1) NEVER surf the web in adminstrator's context
      2) properly secure windoze before using
      
      
      
      nope
      
      
      
      
      certainly not.   Try SandBoxIE for your interweb browser WHILE not-running in administrator context.
      
      read up http://www.bleepingcomputer.com

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   2. 49

      Kadmielsposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      norton is not the right tool for any job.. there are better options out there

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2. 60

   Caryl Oliverposted 16 years ago

   I recently got a new laptop and it came with Vista and a free three months of Norton AntiVirus.  So when I set it up I just clicked yes to Norton being installed.
   
   I was not terribly impressed with the operating speed of the laptop and spent ages and ages trying to work out what it appeared to be doing in the background all the time that was holding it up.
   
   To cut a long story short we finally worked out that Norton was the problem and without it Vista was great.  So I decided to use to different security and started the process of removing Norton....
   
   Three full days later and many, many long conversations with help desks in India I finally got it off my machine and have now installed different security which does not seem to stop Vista from working.
   
   The simplify the whole saga the following was the issue:
   
   Once Norton is installed you can only remove it by downloading the "Norton Removal Tool" from their website. 
   
   When you run the Tool it also strips out certain files from your registry that are required for any other security system to be installed.
   
   When you talk to the symantec help desk they take you through a manual process that still ends up with using the Tool - even though you have told them you have done this several times and you want a solution that does not use the Tool (deaf ears to this).
   
   Then when the same problem occurs I got the statement "oh well that is a microsoft file so it is nothing to do with us"..
   
   In the end I solved it by restoring the computer back to factory and re-installing everything but instead of accepting the installation of Norton I said no - then I was able to remove it through the remove software in control panel without any problem.
   
   I am not saying Norton is bad but I am saying that they are singularly unhelpful and unfriendly in terms of "allowing" you to make a different choice.

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3. 60

   newwardposted 16 years ago

   Norton is known as a resource hog and is not as efficient as they claim it to be.  Personally I've had better success with AVG freeware.
   
   I spoke to a network security guy recently about his thoughts.
   
   He recommended the following combination:
   EST-NOD (virus)
   
   http://www.eset.com/landing_pages/landi … =est+nod32
   
   Windows Defender
   Spybot (ad / spy defender)
   with a good Firewall

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   1. 61

      casparposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      Ever since I installed Norton 360, my PC has become very, very, slow.  In fact it often grinds to a complet halt.  I've tweaked all the settings on Norton (in fact most of the settings are turned off now) and I've decided to get rid of it.  Although that's not straightforward either.  I'm really annoyed - I only bought it because it's licensed for up to 3 computers, but nobody else in my family will let me put it on their PC now.
      
      

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4. 60

   Caryl Oliverposted 16 years ago

   Yes, I use Spybot which is great and I also use Ad Aware both of which a free for personal use.
   
   What do you think about some of the registry cleaner tools being offered?  Do they work?

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5. 60

   mathan1234posted 16 years ago

   Nod32 is an excellent antivirus. Also, AVG Free is worth trying as well. It's what I used before I switched to a Mac.   
   
   Neither is as much of a resource hog as Norton.
   
   Regarding registry cleaners, they're snake oil. The benefits don't outweigh the risks. It may shrink your registry by a kilobyte or so by removing old entries that don't need to be there anymore, which might technically be helpful, but not enough that you'll ever notice. Literally milliseconds of performance increase.

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6. 68

   JPSO138posted 16 years ago

   Yes I agree with you.  Nod 32 is a great anti virus.  But as of now I'm using Mac. 10 in ! set up. It protects everything from email to internet connections.  Although I'm not sure if its really the best but there were plenty of viruses found in my computer that were not discovered by AVG.  Hopefully this will be okay.  A friend of mine told me that there is no such thing as a perfect anti virus since viruses are dynamic.  Meaning everyday, new viruses are being made.  A good anti virus today may not be as effective as tomorrow.

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7. 46

   photobloggerposted 16 years ago

   I prefer AVG for a few reasons:
   1. It's free (the home version and for non-commercial use)
   2. It's much less memory intensive so works well in the background when I'm using photoshop to edit pictures!

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8. 37

   crazycatposted 16 years ago

   For me NOD32 is very good. AVG freeware can't detect some viruses. Also, it is a need for me to have anti-spyware and the like.

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9. 60

   mathan1234posted 16 years ago

   Ever since I bought my Mac, its been nice not having to worry about spyware or viruses. So I'm a couple of years behind with regards to virus/spyware technologies.
   
   BUT, one thing I do know. Spybot Search & Destroy and Adware are still the standard to be lived up to. There ARE pay products out there that may occasionally catch one or two more SMALL items, but they're usually minor things like cookies etc.. I promise you though, those two free programs are, hands down, better than a lot of products out there that will cost you money. Don't get fooled into thinking that just because something costs more, that it's better. Running both of those regularly will keep your machine free of spyware.
   
   AVG is fine is you're careful about what attachments you open. Don't open any email attachments from people you don't know. Never ever ever open .EXE and .SCR files from an email (.SCR files are screensavers, but they're executables). Don't open MS Office files unless you know specifically what it is, you can get viruses and malware from malicious macros.
   
   Being a careful, thoughtful and responsible user is the most important thing you can do. Gambling and Adult sites are often the worst places to acquire malware. There are plenty of security experts out there that don't run virus scanners at all. They're just careful about their web surfing habits. Don't let Norton FUD (Fear Uncertainty and Doubt) think you're a helpless user without THEIR help.
   
   Also, make sure you have Automatic Updates turned on in Windows. Keeping Windows up to date is a very important security step, and best of all. It's free.
   
   AVG Free + Spybot S&D + Adwarare + Updates + Being Mindful = Enough Security (in my opinion).
   

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10. 60

    darksideposted 16 years ago

    I made a hub about free anti-virus programs. Reviewing AVG, a-squared, Avira AntiVir, ClamWin, Bit Defender, Avast and Comodo.
    
    Here it is: Free Antivirus Software
    
    I use AVG. On my new notebook I can't feel the difference when it's using the system resources.

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11. 60

    blerimposted 16 years ago

    Norton slows your computer down a lot. I would go with AVG definatly.

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12. 74

    charlemontposted 15 years ago

    Norton makes a nice cosy living by providing its pre-installed software, which many people agree to and pay for renewals. In my opinion it would be better if end-used could purchase computers with no antivirus installed.

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    1. 61

       priyankmaniarposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Go for Bitdefender its the best, norton's virus signature sucks and besides that Bitdefender has so much more in it, it'll look up for your registry, fragments in disk. . . there are lot of more features but this were on the top of my head, jst try its trial once i m sure u gonna love it

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13. 59

    GeneriqueMediaposted 15 years ago

    Norton, like many have said, is a complete system hog. That, and it likes to give you false positives.
    
    Bitdefender is nice, but my two favourite commercial utlitiles of this type are Kaspersky and Panda.
    
    I have avast (its free, and effective.) on my windows installation and my parents computer.
    
    G|M

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14. 59

    icewave5posted 15 years ago

    I believe Norton is good but AVG internet security is better, i have tried AVG and found it to be really good at finding viruses, updated regularly for the latest threats and doesn't load on the system. Contains all protection, firewall anti-rookit, spam whatever you can think of,.
    
    Go to http://hubpages.com/hub/the-unkown-info   to find out how to get Free Full version of AVG without paying a dime.

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15. 61

    hnyajiposted 15 years ago

    Hi
    
    Norton products are good now. They have rewritten the code for their software.
    
    There are some excellent free anti-virus available. Have a look at this post.
    http://hubpages.com/hub/THE-BEST-FREE-A … FT-WINDOWS
    
    A good free internet security set would be,
    1. Avast as an on access (realtime) antivirus and an antispyware
    2. Comodo as a firewall
    3. Malwarebytes' Anti-malware as an on demand scanner
    
    I have seen people using almost every free antispyware out there! Please don't do that, as they all do the same job and slow down the system.
    
    The third party firewalls might not let some programmes to access the Internet and cause problems. In such cases, the firewall has to be manually configured, doing which could be hard.
    
    The Windows Firewall which is shipped with Windows, has only inbound protection by default for Windows Vista and does "not" offer outbound protection for Windows XP. In fact, I ran my system on WIndows XP SP2 with only Windows Firewall for two years, without any problem. For an average home user this should be sufficient as a firewall. It is not advised to save the sensitive data such as the credit card numbers on the computer. This is the data which could go out of the computer, if outbound protection is not active.

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16. 0

    Wadey101mposted 15 years ago

    Not keen at all on Norton or any of their products, as all they ever seem to do is slow down your computer and they become over protective! My Norton once stopped me from using Internet Explorer! as it saw it as a threat. I also believe they are responsible for realeasing half the viruses out there with the corresponding anti-virus to keep themselves in business and at the top! :-)

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17. 72

    earnestshubposted 15 years ago

    I use a combination of safeguards, Spybot as well as AVG and one other. I have always considered Norton to be too buggy and resource hungry.

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    1. 0

       mtsi1098posted 15 years agoin reply to this

       I agree that certain version of Norton can be buggy and resource hungry but it is also important to defend against viruses, adware, malware, spyware.  Get an Internet Security package which does all of this and more.  Before you purchase, make sure that the system requirements (usually on the side of the box) will work on your system

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18. 77

    ngurecoposted 15 years ago

    I have not been successful with Norton AntiVirus and at the back of my mind I consider it to be more dangerous than the virus themselves.

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19. 73

    Dangazzmposted 15 years ago

    I remember someone brought me a computer to fix because it wouldn't boot anymore just a blank screen.
    
    Behold the problem was Norton and McAfee, They thought they removed Norton but didn't use the tool so it was TRYING to start as the first program so it would have administrative control over the computer... But so was McAfee it turned into a huge problem when they restarted to finalize the effects of the install.
    
    Nothing a Safety mode boot up didn't fix however. Remember to actually REMOVE your antivirus if you switch though.
    
    Back to the original topic... I use AVG free edition nothing wrong with it and its not as intrusive, most of the time.

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    1. 0

       mtsi1098posted 15 years agoin reply to this

       I have had problems with Norton and McAfee also...I do not think they play well together

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20. 59

    Jane@CMposted 15 years ago

    I use Norton on my laptop and AVG and Spybot on my desktop.  I set Norton up to run once a week and not to run in the background, I also do not use it as my firewall.  My laptop runs nice & fast.

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21. 71

    thranaxposted 15 years ago

    Norton is the worst when it comes to the big names. It misses almost everything!
    
    Personally, I use McAfee because its free with my cable internet subscription and works better then Norton.
    
    ~thranax~

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22. 60

    White Teethposted 15 years ago

    I had McAfee for several years, and it never detected a virus. But it would bring my system to a crawl very often. I got rid of it and use AVG once every several months just to make sure...but still no viruses (virii?) in the last 7 years...just go with porn you can trust...

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