Spyware, viruses, & security : Norton v. McAfee...that is the question?
Enough of the bloated Norton Talk already
by stocker340 - 9/17/09 4:45 PM In reply to: Used to use Norton by jrhiltonEnough of the Bloated Norton talk already folks.
I will agree with you on the bloat up until the NIS 2009 and now 2010
The older stuff was BAD and may take awhile to get that behind them but please do a little checkling on this stuff before you post on it.
Things change folks and sometimes even for the better.
You can complain about some software but it all depends on the situation and the computer you are putting it on.
If the PC you install it on has all kinds of problems virus or non virus problems nothing is going to be a fix all and you will probably blame the software.
Give the new Norton products a try you will be surprised!
You can buy it for much less then $20 these days for a 1 user 3 pc
Norton or McAfee
by rkmsr - 3/26/05 6:46 AM In reply to: Norton or McAfee by gymnastI.ve run both on several comp. and I have too say I love NAV Systemworks.
For people who say it's hard to remove,just isn't so!! Go to the symantec site and download the removel tool.
The utilities are great. I have "NO" problems with nav.It automaticaly updates and I set it too scan monday and friday.I'm on line 8-10 hour's a day.
I'm retired and do a trmendous amount of searching and reading.
RKMSR
Norton removal
by 1timberwolf2 - 6/20/05 4:16 AM In reply to: Norton or McAfee by rkmsrThere are not one, but several removal tools that must be downloaded and used if you want to remove Norton completely. It is time consuming and not nearly as easy as it should be. What is wrong with Norton? Well, how about the fact that it takes over your Internet connection? If you, like me, frequently shut down services to make your system more responsive, you will find that if you shut-off CCAPP.EXE you lose your ability to connect to the Internet until you restart it by performing a reboot.
Norton vs McAfee
by coldiniowa - 3/25/05 6:41 AM In reply to: Norton v. McAfee...that is the question? by blksmk605The last 2 computers I purchased came with Norton preloaded. I am a McAfee user and subscriber for many years, (My employer used McAfee before I retired) but I figured why not be doubly safe at least for the introductory period of Norton. Wrong! There was an ongoing conflict between the 2 programs. So I decided to just disable Norton. Wrong! Even disabled it caused a conflict! Finally after 2 days of trying to fully remove Norton, the conflict seems to be resloved. Have been running for about 10 months now with no problem on system one and for about 6 weeks on system 2.
For spyware/adware I run Spybot, Ad Aware and the Microsoft beta version. Each finds things that the other 2 don't. I like the automatic run feature of Microsoft and let it run every night at about 2:30 AM. I am DSL with a 3 system wireless network. 2 systems are for my kids and I manually run their systems about once a week. So far so good!
RE: Norton v. McAfee...that is the question?
by stephcraw - 3/25/05 7:26 AM In reply to: Norton v. McAfee...that is the question? by blksmk605As a former Symantec employee and as the former "anti-virus" guy at Microsoft (I was responsible for testing all anti-virus apps for Windows Me, Windows XP, XPSP1, XPSP2, Server 2003, etc.), I am extremely familiar with both, as well as pretty much every other anti-virus software out there.
Let me say unequivocally that you couldn't pay me to put either Norton or McAfee on my computer. Both are garbage. What most people don't understand is that the heart of anti-virus software, the background scanner, the manual scanning engine and the updater, is fairly small.
Both Norton and McAfee are huge, bloated monstrosities because, first, the programmers are hacks who can't write tight code and, second, they jam the apps full of junk that nobody wants or uses.
I use AVG Anit-Virus on my computer. It is free and is limited to exactly what I need an anti-virus app to do.
I understand that as a former Microsoft employee most people will think that I have no right to rip on any other software company. However, in my five years as a Software Test Engineer there I was able to become very intimate with a lot of apps and their vendors.
The real fact is that you couldn't pay me to put anything made by Symantec or McAfee on my machines (OK...I admit, I do use Ghost and Partition Magic...but I am just waiting for Symantec to screw both of those up).
Also, it is somewhat popular to say that it is good or even necessary to have two virus scanners. This is false. Only one is necessary. Again, this is based on years of testing anti-virus software.
My suggestion is to uninstall both Norton and McAfee and install AVG from www.grisoft.com. I know that I sound like a grouchy old man (I'm only 35) but I have seen enough of both of those apps to know what works well and what doesn't.
Thanks,
Steve
Slow AVG
by 1timberwolf2 - 6/20/05 4:24 AM In reply to: RE: Norton v. McAfee...that is the question? by stephcrawI have used AVG for a while now, very happily, but with their latest version (1.7?) it has changed behavior completely. It used to be a fast AV program to use, now it is slower than Norton. It is a shame that Grisoft screwed up a good thing, due to this I will no longer consider buying any product from them.
I've had fewer problems with McAfee and it seems to work
by cscoder - 3/25/05 7:36 AM In reply to: Norton v. McAfee...that is the question? by blksmk605Hi,
I use McAfee because in the last 20 years I've wasted time and money trying to fix problems caused by Norton/Symantec. Most recently they at some unknown point in time they discontinued a version of anti-virus that came installed on one of my computers. The scheduled virus signature updates kept occuring, but the second time I needed to renew the subscription, the renewal was for palm OS (I'm on a PC running XP Professional). I tried to send an email to the link that came up, but the address was no longer valid. I was never able to get in touch with support. So on this one issue Symantec:
1. Discontinued a product without notifying the user base.
2. Used the same product number for a new product.
3. Continued virus updates, probably with the wrong signatures, so at some point my scans were useless, probably.
4. Supplied a non-working email address for problems.
Last but not least, After uninstall failed. I had to download a special tool to uninstall Norton antivirus. In the process of trying to find out how to un-install, I found this is a common problem.
Starting about five years ago, before this last fiasco, I would not use a Norton/Symantec product unless it came installed. Now I will not use one under any circumstances except if there is no substitute (I don't know of any cases).
So I use McAfee, which works ok, in spite of having a completely ignorant interface. For instance in version 8.0:
1. If you're scanning the system, you have to scan the whole system or a single drive. You cannot select multiple drives.
2. If you're scanning file(s) or a directory, the interface comes up and, while scanning the boot sector and memory, it appears as though it's preparing to scan the entire system. When you're just about to cancel, it starts scanning the selected files... maybe.(see #3).
3. After you have scanned a file or directory, it just says, 'no viruses' found, with no indication of which files, or even how many files were scanned. I've sometimes dones scans twice just to make sure I scanned what I thought I did, because the disply goes by so fast you can't see what's being scanned.
The next time I need an anti-virus I will check out the alternatives to Norton and McAfee, but if you don't want to do that, I grudgingly recommend McAfee.
I don't think you can install both. I could not install McAfee until I was able to get Norton unintalled.
As far as effectiveness in finding viruses, I doubt there is much difference.
I think both companies concentrate on corporate accounts so retail consumers get the benefit of the antivirus engine and nothing else, especially in the case of Symantec. I once spent hours trying to find out how to buy an anti-virus product to use on a single web server. I searched the site and I spoke to sales people endlessly before I could buy it. The alternatives were products only avaiable with no less than 10 licenses.
Anyway, good luck.
Rich Waddell
Read User Reivews of Norton
by cscoder - 3/25/05 7:49 AM In reply to: Norton v. McAfee...that is the question? by blksmk605Hi,
Forgot one point. If you need any more convincing of how awful Symantec/Norton is, go to CNet review of any Norton products and then go to the User Reviews links and read the horror stories. You can also evaluate for yourself how accurate the CNet ratings themselves are. Hint: Only trust the user reviews.
Rich
Norton or McAfee
by sp325ret - 3/25/05 7:55 AM In reply to: Norton v. McAfee...that is the question? by blksmk605I wouldn't have either one shoved up my nose. I've used both and both turned out to be a great disappointment to me. They both let viruses into my computer(s). I use AVG (Grisoft) now. I think that is a very effective program AND it's free!
bc
Norton or McAfee?
by harmar - 3/25/05 8:46 AM In reply to: Norton or McAfee by sp325retNeither. Used McAfee years ago and did not like its updating hassles. A brother uses it now and still complains about its updating. Reviews of it by "experts" are generally unfavorable compared with the competition. Used Norton for years after McAfee, but never without hassles. At first, it installed over 1000 vacant files that had to be deleted manually! Later, it developed glitches and had to be uninstalled and reinstalled numerous times. Later still, its LiveUpdate refused to work and updates had to be gotten manually from another site. Lately, it, too, has had less that sparkling reviews by "experts." I now use AVG free. A friend in Scotland alerted me to it. Never a hassle since I began using it. It's updated regularly. Scans quickly. Does not slow my system (Win Me). Kim Komando says she uses it on her home computers, and if it's good enough for her, it's plenty good enough for me.
Previous posts are correct, though, in warning against assuming one product can catch everything. I also run Zone Alarm Pro and Webroot's SpySweeper, and scan weekly, if not more often, with Ad-Aware SE and Spybot Search and Destroy. SpySweeper, Ad-Aware and Spybot seem to catch different items.
There does come a "point of diminishing returns," though. I could run 25 different programs if that's all I wanted to do. I keep my eyes open for new and better things (Thanks CNET Newsletters!), but replace something I'm using with something better rather than just adding on.
Norton... Nah... not my choice
by GBTrevor - 3/25/05 9:49 AM In reply to: Norton v. McAfee...that is the question? by blksmk605I would certainly not recommend the latest Norton on anything other than a new PC. I find that any of my clients that have installed it on older Spec machines suffer with loss of speed. That said when it is running well it is good.
It does, as previously said, use alot of system resources and does embed itself deeply in Windows and when it screws up it does so majorly.
I must admit the latest version (v7) of AVG is excellent and I have found that it can find infections that Norton misses.
As for a Firewall, I use and recommend Sygate personal firewall, its free, and has never let me down for many years.
Okay What would be a good alternative to Norton Systemworks?
by blksmk605 - 3/25/05 11:48 AM In reply to: Norton... Nah... not my choice by GBTrevorI want to uninstall the Norton Antivirus becuase I do have problems with slow performance and frequent crashes, but what would be a good alternative to the Norton System works program? I love how it fixes some of the problems my comp has....
Thanks.
Norton Utilities/SystemWorks -
by harmar - 3/25/05 12:29 PM In reply to: Okay What would be a good alternative to Norton Systemworks? by blksmk605I still use Norton Utilities from the SystemWorks CD which its Manual says is perfectly all right to do. In fact, it just pulled my chestnuts out of a fire a few weeks ago. It can take time to run, but I limit that by running it weekly along with my anti-adware and anti-spyware programs. Defragging 3% of your HD is a lot quicker than waiting for 15%. As long as you're currently paid up with Symantec, you can update it.
I would recommend
by GBTrevor - 4/4/05 5:34 AM In reply to: Okay What would be a good alternative to Norton Systemworks? by blksmk605AVG Free v7 Antio Virus from Grisoft (paid version is a little better in updates more often), but fee version works fine.
Sygate FREE personal Firewall. Easy to install and use.
Also use some sypware remover weekly, something like AdAware.
The absolute BEST
by Dark_Tau - 3/25/05 12:51 PM In reply to: Norton v. McAfee...that is the question? by blksmk605The best alternative is to use neither of them. Use AVG.
Anti-Virus from Grisoft. It's free for virus protection. Plus, unlike Norton's and McAfee, you don't have to pay yearly fees to maintain your upgrades. AVG Free Antivirus is a full program, and I have yet to suffer the predations of a virus. Oh, it's caught MANY viruses, but nothing has yet gotten past it. The overhead is minimal, and it will update itself WITHOUT a system restart. It will even put a small virus checker into the boot record to give you scanning capabilities BEFORE the OS loads.
You can use the free version FOREVER, but the purchased version is cool if you have networks, and want to do fancier stuff. Well worth it.
Thorin
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