Internet Security

[Mr Light]

I bought a new computer a couple months ago, and it came with a free Norton security program... which just expired. What's the smart move here? I see on Amazon you can buy a new internet security package for $20.

But is it necessary? I don't think I even had anything on my old comp and I never had viral problems. I use Firefox which I understand is very virus resistant unlike Internet Explorer.

Can you go swingin' unprotected? Is there some free download program that does the job you need? What's the cheap-o option?

 

[Turbo]

Norton is really not worth it. There are free programs out there that do a much better job.

I personally use Avira, but many people like AVG and Avast! as well.

Just remember to completely uninstall Norton before installing another anti-virus program. I recommend using Revo Uninstaller to help you get the leftover registry values out that Windows Add/Remove Programs tends to leave.

 

[Vulcan Princess]

Don't go without virus protection. You never know what you can pick up out there. I use AVG, and I'm pretty happy with it. They have a free version, which is the one I use, and they have a few paid versions as well that come with support. My only complaint is that it tends to hog system resources when it's scanning.

 

[Amaris]

I bought a new computer a couple months ago, and it came with a free Norton security program... which just expired. What's the smart move here? I see on Amazon you can buy a new internet security package for $20.

But is it necessary? I don't think I even had anything on my old comp and I never had viral problems. I use Firefox which I understand is very virus resistant unlike Internet Explorer.

Can you go swingin' unprotected? Is there some free download program that does the job you need? What's the cheap-o option?

Avira has a very small footprint, uses far less memory than Norton, has a high detection rate (higher than Norton's) and is free. I use it for my XP boot side and it works flawlessly.


J.

 

[archeryguy1701]

Do not go unprotected! Even websites that you think are safe can sometimes do bad things, and if you do any surfing in general, then you never know what you'll stumble across. The trio I use is the above-mentioned AVG, Spybot: Search & Destroy and Ad-Aware. These three operating in concert have done a very good job for me. AVG is pretty well automated- you set it up and go. The other two, though, take a little bit more managing, but it's as simple as going in once a week, updating the software, and running a scan. Norton is almost entirely worthless and it slows your machine down rediculous amounts. The free options are definately the best way to go.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Just remember to completely uninstall Norton before installing another anti-virus program. I recommend using Revo Uninstaller to help you get the leftover registry values out that Windows Add/Remove Programs tends to leave.

Quoted for truth. I once had an old version of Norton installed on a (then new) computer which was wrecking my set-up so much that I reverted to my older antivirus and firewall setup. However, the old Norton was not fully uninstalled, and each time I tried to access the Internet the computer crashed and auto-rebooted due to a clash of firewalls. (It explains my absence from this board from October 2005 to May 2006.)

 

[Mr Light]

Thanks everyone! I'm installing AVG as we speak!

 

[DiSiLLUSiON]

When installing any antivirus program, you have the option of letting the program scan every file that's read or written automatically (so-called "resident protection"), or to disable that and scan manually.

If you can remember to scan your entire PC once in a while (every month or so), and remember to scan each file you manually download, you can forgo the resident protection. This is good, since it can slow your computer down (a little to significantly, depending on how fast your computer / hard drive is). And it's not that hard to learn the routine where, after downloading, you always right-click the file to scan it, though it might take some getting used to.

If, however, you don't know if you can remember to scan every time you download something, it might be better to leave resident protection enabled. The option to automatically download virus database updates is still highly recommended no matter what you do, though.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

When installing any antivirus program, you have the option of letting the program scan every file that's read or written automatically (so-called "resident protection"), or to disable that and scan manually.

If you can remember to scan your entire PC once in a while (every month or so), and remember to scan each file you manually download, you can forgo the resident protection. This is good, since it can slow your computer down (a little to significantly, depending on how fast your computer / hard drive is). And it's not that hard to learn the routine where, after downloading, you always right-click the file to scan it, though it might take some getting used to.

If, however, you don't know if you can remember to scan every time you download something, it might be better to leave resident protection enabled. The option to automatically download virus database updates is still highly recommended no matter what you do, though.

This. And I think Firefox (don't know about other browsers) can automatically scan downloads for viruses, so that's one less thing to worry about.

I have AVG on my system, which I rarely need to use because I just scan things I download. Virus infections to date? Zero! (And I download a lot of stuff.)

 

[Drogo]

Windows Defender, updated IE8 and Vista. Commercial Anti Virus companies are a scam.

For all we know, they may be the virus creators - Think about it.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Windows Defender, updated IE8 and Vista. Commercial Anti Virus companies are a scam.

For all we know, they may be the virus creators - Think about it.

That's been a long-standing suspicion in many circles. For the longest time, they refused to classify spyware/malware/grayware as viruses, because those are made by allegedly legitimate businesses, even though they pretty much fit the definition of "virus."

 

[Mr Light]

Haven't I also read that Internet Explorer is made with intentionally horrible security to force consumers to buy security programs from Microsoft?

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Haven't I also read that Internet Explorer is made with intentionally horrible security to force consumers to buy security programs from Microsoft?

Never attribute to malice that which can be just as easily explained by stupidity or incompetence.

 

[Amaris]

Haven't I also read that Internet Explorer is made with intentionally horrible security to force consumers to buy security programs from Microsoft?

Never attribute to malice that which can be just as easily explained by stupidity or incompetence.

A big nod in agreement here.


J.

 

[Mr Light]

Mother****er. I just spend FOUR HOURS downloading/installing the AVG thing. Then it said I need to uninstall Norton first. So I did so. Norton said you need to restart the computer. So I did so. This erased the FOUR HOURS OF DOWNLOADING and now I need to start it all over again from scratch!!! I really want to hit something.

 

[DiSiLLUSiON]

Four hours? That's quite excessive. I don't know exactly how large the AVG download is these days, but perhaps you should try Avast! Home Edition then, it's quite a small download.

 

[kustirider2]

I use COMODO. The firewall is pretty good too

 

[Faranight]

Maybe you should take a look at Linux and forget about your security problems

 

[FordSVT]

Haven't I also read that Internet Explorer is made with intentionally horrible security to force consumers to buy security programs from Microsoft?

Never attribute to malice that which can be just as easily explained by stupidity or incompetence.

A big nod in agreement here.


J.

Does Microsoft even make anti-virus programs? They offer things like Defender, but that's built into the OS. They used to have One Care, but I don't think it's supported anymore.

Just Googled, they're about to launch an anti-virus platform called "Morro". It will be free. It's essentially a stripped-down version of OneCare that will compete with the likes of Avast! and AVG. It won't be a full security suite though.

 

[archeryguy1701]

Mother****er. I just spend FOUR HOURS downloading/installing the AVG thing. Then it said I need to uninstall Norton first. So I did so. Norton said you need to restart the computer. So I did so. This erased the FOUR HOURS OF DOWNLOADING and now I need to start it all over again from scratch!!! I really want to hit something.

My apologies if this is what you did, but it's usually best to download and save rather than download and run, just in case something goes wrong and you have to start over. This way, the file will be saved to a folder somewhere, and you can skip the download step.