DescentBB

At a friends office they use Norton 360. They have an older computer and the e-mail scanning brings the computer to a crawl.

Can they set the scan time or scan it manually?

Yes, they can set the scan time AND scan manually.

Yes, it's a hog.

Norton sucks- it's mega-bloatware, system resource hog, and has so-so detection. The best scanner out there is NOD32. Very simple, very light on system resources, and much better protection than Norton. Get it here. I recommend the full Smart Security suite. And yes there is a free 30 day trial.

EngDrewman wrote:Norton sucks

Agreed.

Yeah- I'm serious though about Norton 360 not providing proper protection. I do a moonlighting Geek Squad style tech support service, and I have seen several computers with a FULLY UP TO DATE Norton subscription and virus definitions that have been rendered useless by spyware. In fact, in one recent repair job, it completely failed to stop the infamous Antivirus XP 2008 hoax! It's like Norton doesn't even try when it comes to newer threats.

EngDrewman wrote:Yeah- I'm serious though about Norton 360 not providing proper protection. I do a moonlighting Geek Squad style tech support service, and I have seen several computers with a FULLY UP TO DATE Norton subscription and virus definitions that have been rendered useless by spyware. In fact, in one recent repair job, it completely failed to stop the infamous Antivirus XP 2008 hoax! It's like Norton doesn't even try when it comes to newer threats.

Same experience for me. Symantec Enterprise versions, Norton "Endpointe" versions (their newest full-suite Enterprise suites), Norton 360, and home versions ... I've seen adware/malware blow right past them. Recently it's been the Antivirus 2008 stuff and also the recent bugs getting passed around on people's thumb drives. I (personally) do not recommend or use Symantec/Norton products. Too much hog/bloat and not effective enough while other free products stop those nasties in their tracks.

On the other hand, I'd like to keep Symantec/Norton and McAfee around for a while. I'm making good money spending hours cleaning up other people's systems.

Anything better out there other than the 2 expensive pay antivirus crapware selections?

All this Norton/etc failing is nothing new, it has been going on for at least a decade. Almost without exception every computer virus removal job I have done had a working and paid and up to date subscription for either some flavor of Norton/Symantec or McAfee. I strongly advise against relying on them because they just chronically don't work and they tank the computer worse than a lot of spyware does.

Norton is the plague.


AVG and NOD is soo much better

I stay away from Norton programs. Also, I won't touch the box of it. X3

How about Kaspersky? I'm using it.

AceCombat wrote:Norton is the plague.


AVG and NOD is soo much better

The free version of AVG is insufficient protection too. Didn't stop an email virus from stealing my Dad's credit card number. I don't know how good their full pay-for version is, but given my Dad's experience with their free version, I wouldn't trust it.

Here are your best options:

Non-free: Eset Smart Security (Nod32)

Free: Avira

dont know what your dad did, but i have yet to have a single virus/trojan/spyware/adware slip past me and i use AVG Free

AceCombat wrote:dont know what your dad did, but i have yet to have a single virus/trojan/spyware/adware slip past me and i use AVG Free

That is my experience as well.

Obviously, it is important that all users of AVG Free remember that AVG Free is anti-virus protection only. It is not "anti-rootkit" or "anti-spam", it does not provide a firewall, download protection, safe instant messaging, or web surfing protection. To get those kinds of additional protection you have to pay for the "Pro" or "Internet Security" versions of AVG or other products that provide similar services.

Even then, none of those steps will protect the user from the actions the user himself (or herself) takes. The weakest point in this is still the user.

Heh download in a Vm. Scan it with any and all scanners you can find. Free or demoed. Let it sit for a few weeks. No viruses or trojans yet ever.

TechPro wrote:

AceCombat wrote:dont know what your dad did, but i have yet to have a single virus/trojan/spyware/adware slip past me and i use AVG Free

That is my experience as well.

Obviously, it is important that all users of AVG Free remember that AVG Free is anti-virus protection only. It is not "anti-rootkit" or "anti-spam", it does not provide a firewall, download protection, safe instant messaging, or web surfing protection. To get those kinds of additional protection you have to pay for the "Pro" or "Internet Security" versions of AVG or other products that provide similar services.

Even then, none of those steps will protect the user from the actions the user himself (or herself) takes. The weakest point in this is still the user.

True- my point is that using AVG by itself is insufficient protection. Yes, the weakest point is the user, and even the most experienced user is likely at one time or other to fall for some hacker's trap, which is why good security programs are necessary as a safety net.