Computer newbies forum: avast or norton??

I would try the ?Avast. You can download and install it for free. Turn off the Norton, and see how you like the Avast. Try setting various features, and see what you think. I know there are many free programs which are better than Norton! Go to www.infostar.com, send (Paypal)
Peter Green a small donation for maintaining this super site, go to the AV page & take your pick! I use BitDefender, and I have AVG installed on another PC.
Also several free firewalls, etc. Good Luck!

Earthquake Mc Goon

I have been using Norton for two years now and I was happy with it's detections but for my computer, it was too slow to load at startup and too slow to use. Also, you have to pay for subscriptions to updates. However, I made the switch to Avast Home (which is a free download) and I have been very happy with it. It makes my PC runs faster, uses less memory and resources, ahs a high detection rate, has a lot of great features, you can get updates for as long as you want just as long as you register every 14 months for free which is easy enough. Avast Home version is great and best thing about it is that all of it is 100% free - a free download, free updates, free everything! I would definately go with Avast. Although McAfee and Norton were both good for me, Avast seems to use less resources, is faster and is free!

Avast Home is free to home users. I use and find it worth it. Norton, to me works good but it has a tendency to be a resource hog and also tends to bog system down and on top of that, when it has a true problem, its never Norton's fault, its yours. Visit Norton support forums an d see how users are befuddled with the working of Norton AV.

FYI - I've gotten away from Norton products and I "loved" SystemWorks whcih when bundled with the AV and similar did wonders but when it falters, it falls hard.

tada -----Willy

you will have to disable it via the start up programs (msconfig) just clicking the icon in the taskbar will not be enough

I have Norton Systemworks and so far so good. I wish I had known about the problems before purchasing and installing on my brand new computer. (Particularly the difficulties in removing it.)

I wonder if I will ever be able to uninstall it without calling the geek squad or paying to have it done. As a result, I am probably stuck with it. UNless someone can point me to a tutorial explaining how to remove it.

p.s. I will keep it for this subscription, but when it expires I would prefer to install AVG or Avast based on everything I have read, including these forums. Only concern is how to uninstall NAV Systemworks.

I could not access the link. Do you have another? Thanks!

Much appreciated.

you should definetely remove the quarantined files. I don't think they are removed by uninstalling. Even if this is the case: better safe than sorry.

This is an article I found some time back, hope it helps.



Important information
Before using the procedures in this document, read the following sections to determine whether there are any exceptions that apply to your situation.

If you have other Symantec products installed
When you have other Symantec products installed (in addition to Norton SystemWorks and its component products), performing the following procedures may prevent those programs from functioning properly. This problem exists because many Symantec products share some of the same files and registry entries. Removing all files and entries for one product may result in removing files that are used by another product.

If another Symantec program does not run after following these instructions, then uninstall and reinstall that program.

When to remove all Symantec products
Remove all Symantec products in either of the following situations:
Symantec Technical Support has instructed you to remove all Symantec products.
You have determined that the original problem is related to a Symantec product, but you cannot determine which Symantec product is causing the problem.

If you want to remove all Symantec products, use the Add/Remove Programs applet in the Windows Control Panel to remove the bonus products and other Symantec products, and then use this document to remove Norton SystemWorks and its point products.

If you are uninstalling GoBack 3.x Personal Edition (installed from the Norton SystemWorks CD), read the document How to uninstall GoBack.
List of Norton SystemWorks bonus products
Norton SystemWorks bonus products include WinFax, Norton Ghost, and GoBack. Once you have used Add/Remove Programs to uninstall Norton SystemWorks, Norton Ghost does not appear in Add/Remove Programs.

To reinstall Windows Script 5.6
1. Go to the Microsoft Windows Script 5.6 Web site.
2. Click the Download button under the section headed "Windows Script 5.6 for Windows 2000 and XP."
3. Click Open or "Run this program from its current location."
4. Click Yes at the next prompt.
5. Click Yes at the license agreement.
6. When the installation has finished, at the "Windows Script 5.6 is now installed!" dialog box, click OK.
7. Exit all programs, and restart the computer when you are asked.
8. Continue with the next section.

Remove Norton SystemWorks from the registry
Follow the steps below to automatically remove Norton SystemWorks registry entries using a reg file.

WARNING: We strongly recommend that you back up the system registry before making any changes. Incorrect changes to the registry could result in permanent data loss or corrupted files. Modify only the keys specified. See the document How to back up the Windows registry before proceeding.


To remove Norton SystemWorks from the registry
1. Click nsw2004xp_reg_removal.reg to start the download.
2. Change the location in the "Save in" field to Desktop.
3. Click Save.
4. If prompted, click Close when the download completes.
5. On the Windows desktop, double-click nsw2004xp_reg_removal.reg to import the changes into your registry.
6. At the next prompt, click OK.
The Norton SystemWorks registry keys are removed.
7. Exit the Registry Editor.
8. Restart the computer and continue with the next section.

Remove Norton SystemWorks files and folders
In the following steps, if Windows does not permit you to delete a folder, delete the files that are in the folder and then continue with the next item. Windows might not permit you to delete all the files in the folder. If so, delete the files that you can, and then continue with the next item. You may also start the computer in Safe Mode to delete the folders. All Windows 32-bit operating systems except Windows NT can be restarted in Safe mode. For instructions on how to do this, read the document How to start the computer in Safe Mode.

To remove Norton SystemWorks files and folders
1. In the Windows taskbar, click Start > Programs > Accessories > Windows Explorer.
2. Delete the Norton SystemWorks installation folder:

C:\Program Files\Norton SystemWorks

Note: If you installed Norton SystemWorks to a location other than the default location, then delete the Norton SystemWorks folder in that location.


3. If you have no other Symantec products on the computer, delete the following three folders:

C:\Program Files\Symantec
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Symantec
4. If you have other Symantec products on the computer, delete the following folders:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Symantec\Norton AntiVirus
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Symantec\Ghost
5. If you cannot delete the file Navshext.dll (which is in the Norton AntiVirus folder) follow the steps in the document Error: "Cannot delete navshext.dll . . ." when deleting the Norton AntiVirus 2002 program folder to unregister the file and then delete the file.
6. Close Windows Explorer.
7. If you could not delete one or more of the files or folders that are listed in steps 2-4, restart the computer and repeat steps 1-6. When performing these steps, note which files or folders you still cannot delete.
8. If you still cannot delete all the files and folders that are listed in steps 2-4, repeat step 7 until all indicated files and folders are deleted. This process may take several restarts.
9. If you have other Symantec products on the computer, delete the following folders:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Symantec\Norton AntiVirus
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Symantec\Norton Internet Security
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Symantec\Norton Personal Firewall
10. Navigate to the C:\Winnt\System32\Drivers folder.

Note: In Windows XP navigate to the C:\Windows\System32\Drivers folder.


11. Select the following files and press the Delete key:
Symdns.sys
Symfw.sys
Symndis.sys
Symredir.cat
Symredir.inf
Symredrv.sys
Symtdi.sys
12. Navigate to the C:\Winnt\System32 folder.

Note: In Windows XP navigate to the C:\Windows\System32 folder.

13. Delete the symredir.dll file.
14. Close Windows Explorer.
This concludes the manual uninstallation procedure for Norton SystemWorks. If you do not plan to reinstall Norton SystemWorks, please follow the steps in the following section to remove the Norton SystemWorks shortcuts, context menus and scheduled tasks.

Remove Norton SystemWorks shortcuts and scheduled tasks


To remove the Norton SystemWorks shortcuts
1. In the Windows desktop, right-click the Norton SystemWorks icon, and then click Delete.
2. In the Windows taskbar, right-click Start, and then click Open All Users.
3. In the Start Menu window, right-click Norton SystemWorks, and then click Delete.
4. Double-click the Programs folder.
5. In the Programs window, right-click the Norton SystemWorks folder, and then click Delete.
6. Double-click the StartUp folder.
7. In the Startup window, right-click Norton Auto-Protect, and then click Delete.


To remove Norton SystemWorks scheduled tasks
8. In the Windows taskbar, click Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Scheduled Tasks.
9. Delete the following items:

Norton AntiVirus- Scan my computer
Norton SystemWorks One Button Checkup
Symantec NetDetect
10. Close the window.

This concludes the manual uninstallation procedure for Norton SystemWorks.

According to the link with regards to GoBack it should have come from symantec.com (www.service1.symantec.com) It has been quite a while since I downloaded so I am not sure.
Hope you have success on that site.

Vince,

Im quite happy with AVG right now but might I ask why you switched to Avast and what they offer that is different?

Thanks,
Ken (who is always looking for a better mouse trap)

They also have an anti-virus, but I've been useing Avast and don't want to change (see my other post in this thread). So I've had no direct experience with ZoneAlarm's anti-virus.

I am personally very satisfied with Zone Alarm, and it is free as well!

I second everything the above guy said. I'm not sure when it happened, but Norton Products are now worse than the worst virus. And their tech support is far worse than useless.

I have used Norton Utilities since the passing of CPM machines. In those days Norton was young and the only utility avaliable. Help from Norton was available, and it was a friendly piece of software. Since the advent of Norton suites to run under Windows format, I have found Norton to be flakey {tend to crash programs as well as my PC}, help available for an inflated price, if you could depend on it, antivirus updates available only on a subscription basis, and in general Norton developing a Microsoft attitude.

I switched to SystemSuite utilities which has the same but better operating utilities than Norton. Also SystemSuite has a scaled-down yet functional utility called PowerDesk which is a superior file handling program than Windows Explorer. I preferred PowerDesk over Windows explorer to the extent I purchased the full version of PowerDesk.

Vcom has bought SystemSuite but has not changed policies, which includes dependable help, free upgrades, and free Anti-virus upgrades.

apoluo