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Spyware, viruses, & security forum: Keep/Dump Norton?

by: TheeOx January 2, 2013 11:42 AM PST

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Keep/Dump Norton?

by TheeOx - 1/2/13 11:42 AM

Hello to all.

My Norton is set to expire soon, and the thing is getting more expensive every year. I was looking into telling Norton to take a hike and
using instead free antivirus or perhaps the free Security Suite from my ISP.
So what would you suggest?
Keep Norton, or use free antivirus software? And if so, which free antivirus package(s) would you suggest?

Remember, the keyword here is ' Free '.

Thanks!
Thee


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I had the Norton Security Suite

by itsdigger - 1/2/13 11:50 AM

In Reply to: Keep/Dump Norton? by TheeOx

that comes with Comcast and it just bogged my computer down, slow start ups and false readings were a trouble. I got rid of that and been using Avast free for 4 or 5 years with no problems and no slowing down of the computer. That's my pick ...Digger


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Norton vs Free A/V Alternatives

by Carol~ Moderator - 1/3/13 7:09 AM

In Reply to: Keep/Dump Norton? by TheeOx

Norton used to be known as a resource hog. Some say the recent versions have improved, while other's still complain about its high CPU usage. I don't know what is fact. The choice is up to you.

I'm not an advocate of suites. Suites and "all-in-one" programs run the risk of using more resources, and affecting performance. I'd rather use a program which is designed to focus on one task, as opposed to a multitude of tasks. Just my opinion.

Below are only a few (FREE) commonly used A/V's:

• Avira Free Antivirus
• Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) - Should you select MSE see: "Checklist for installing Microsoft Security Essentials"
• Avast Free Antivirus
• AVG Free Antivirus

If you do decide to go with one of the above, it would be in your best interest to download and run the Norton Removal Tool.

Best of luck..
Carol


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Norton vs FREE

by pgc3 - 1/3/13 7:37 AM

In Reply to: Keep/Dump Norton? by TheeOx

If you use Norton, use ONLY the 360 variant. As far as the FREE stuff is concerned, it is fine, to a point, if you just do basic browsing and do not access exotic sites . But remember, the freebies are limited in some respects compared to the paid versions of the same software. As Carol stated, the suites can use more system resources but in certain situations, that may not be a bad thing. Of course some of the issues also tie in with system and server capabilities, it goes on and on, so many choices and so many opinions.


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