# Girl wont give up her Norton



## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 28, 2011)

My friend feels like her Norton anti virus is saving her computer better then anything else. However, i told her that Norton is the reason her computer is slow and its really not doing anything for her other then acting as Bloatware and recommended her MSE. However, shes worried that because its free its bad. So she wants to do research so i made a thread for her to see what you guys have to say. I think we can All agree Norton is terrible.

EDIT: Even Kalsperky or whatever it is is 100% better then Norton


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## animal007uk (Jan 28, 2011)

+1 norton went downhill years ago and i mean YEARS ago, I wouldent use it again even if someone offered to pay me to use it.


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## Solaris17 (Jan 28, 2011)

I got 3 free codes from work for norton 2010 ISS i never used them. i use avast personally but anyone is better then norton.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 28, 2011)

thanks guys. this thread is just reinforcing my argument


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## johnspack (Jan 28, 2011)

I used to love norton.  It's very bad now!  Comodo Internet Security is rated one of the best now,  and it's free:  http://www.comodo.com/home/internet-security/free-internet-security.php


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## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 28, 2011)

johnspack said:


> I used to love norton.  It's very bad now!  Comodo Internet Security is rated one of the best now,  and it's free:  http://www.comodo.com/home/internet-security/free-internet-security.php



thats another option for her thats 100% better then Norton lol


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## sneekypeet (Jan 28, 2011)

so while your GF is yelling "I like Norton" from the kitchen, install Avast anyways?


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## Easy Rhino (Jan 28, 2011)

MSE is great so long as she doesnt look at a lot of porn.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 28, 2011)

sneekypeet said:


> so while your GF is yelling "I like Norton" from the kitchen, install Avast anyways?



shes not my GF. I WISH! haha shes a friend of one of my other friends. they live like 2 hours away


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## LDNL (Jan 28, 2011)

Norton isn't that terrbile. Its just too heavy for older PCs and not so user friendly. Go with Avast. I was suprised when it even had my own language pack available


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## Easy Rhino (Jan 28, 2011)

nvidiaintelftw said:


> shes not my GF. I WISH! haha shes a friend of one of my other friends. they live like 2 hours away



2 hours isnt too long to drive a sandwich to your place.


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## Solaris17 (Jan 28, 2011)

Easy Rhino said:


> 2 hours isnt too long to drive a sandwich to your place.



im ok with this.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 28, 2011)

Easy Rhino said:


> 2 hours isnt too long to drive a sandwich to your place.



DIRTY!


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## johnspack (Jan 28, 2011)

Yes,  the only problem with Comodo,  is that it takes someone with a bit of knowledge to set it up right,  but I guarantee you will never see another virus or trojan again!  Also,  Malwarebytes anti-malmare should be added.


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## TheMailMan78 (Jan 28, 2011)

If the girl wont give up the Norton then you have to get her drunk first. Maybe slip her a quaalude? Just be sure to use MSE "ribbed" for her pleasure....and so you don't contract a virus.


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## Sinzia (Jan 28, 2011)

I've met Peter Norton before, good guy... the software is just a shell of its former glory.
Good: AVG, Avast, MSE.
Bad: Norton, McAffee.


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## 1nf3rn0x (Jan 28, 2011)

Some really good Anti virus.

AVG, even the free edition is awesome. Avast. Kaspersky. Etc. They are all pretty good at what they do.


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## de.das.dude (Jan 28, 2011)

i think norton should be declared a virus  it slows down a computer more effectively than a virus would LOL.
kaspersky sucks ass too.
i only rely on esset. pricey but awesome.


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## puma99dk| (Jan 28, 2011)

de.das.dude said:


> i think norton should be declared a virus  it slows down a computer more effectively than a virus would LOL.
> kaspersky sucks ass too.
> i only rely on esset. pricey but awesome.



i have to correct u Kaspersky don't sucks it's just a little over protected that's all, and that's good for some ppl all them that normally push Yes without reading online what it do, and KIS is better than even Avast, i found out when my dad got virus from facebook i uninstalled Avast and i didn't even finished installing Kaspersky Internet Security on his Windows 7 machine back than and KIS had already removed the virus and blocked facebook until they had remove their crappy virus 

i use KIS2010CBE myself and luv it that it may be a little over protecting but rather that than end up with crap from the internet


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## Sinzia (Jan 28, 2011)

Nod32 is pretty awesome too, but the free virus scanners do just as good a job for me, but then again, I'm pretty careful.


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## Black Haru (Jan 28, 2011)

meh. I would agree that Norton hogs resources like no tomorrow, but frankly I don't think its too bad otherwise. certainly better than AVG or Avast (personal experience doesn't lie) I have never EVER gotten a virus with Norton, however I have with both AVG and Avast. 


this being said, Norton is a resource hog, and likes to root itself in. If I wasn't getting it for free, I would not be using it.


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## Bundy (Jan 28, 2011)

No reason to pay for any antivirus except Kaspersky. I install MSE on all the rigs I fix and use Kaspersky for gaming.


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## FordGT90Concept (Jan 28, 2011)

Norton has apparently been improved for 2011 because it is winning all the tests when it is compared to the other popular anti-viruses but, that's besides the point.  She sounds paranoid and that paranoia leads to clinginess.  Overcome the paranoia and she will let Norton go.  The easiest way is to tell her that you can still get infected even with an anti-virus installed.  No anti-virus is 100% effective at stopping attacks.  There's always some that sneak by.  That might make her want to install two; however.  At which point, I would stress to her that she has to balance performance and security.  If she wants high security, she won't have high performance.


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## pantherx12 (Jan 28, 2011)

Norton I tend to finds get's taken over by viruses easier than any other anti virus.


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## Phxprovost (Jan 28, 2011)

whats the point of paying for an AV when you can take the same amount of money, buy an external HDD to back up all your files, install MSE or your choice of free alternatives and never look back?


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## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 28, 2011)

pantherx12 said:


> Norton I tend to finds get's taken over by viruses easier than any other anti virus.



huh??? are you tired??


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## Solaris17 (Jan 28, 2011)

nvidiaintelftw said:


> huh??? are you tired??



drunk.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 28, 2011)

Solaris17 said:


> drunk.



i wouldnt doubt it lol


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## _JP_ (Jan 28, 2011)

My recommendations.
Free: MSE, Comodo, Avast.
Paid: ESET, Kaspersky.
And this is just for anti-virus or AV+firewall. I also use other stuff to keep the computer safe.


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## Melvis (Jan 28, 2011)

Black Haru said:


> meh. I would agree that Norton hogs resources like no tomorrow, but frankly I don't think its too bad otherwise. certainly better than AVG or Avast (personal experience doesn't lie) I have never EVER gotten a virus with Norton, however I have with both AVG and Avast.
> 
> 
> this being said, Norton is a resource hog, and likes to root itself in. If I wasn't getting it for free, I would not be using it.



Interesting as i have had the complete opposite, ive gone to a ladies place that had norton installed and it was easy to tell she had viruses on her computer, did a full scan and norton found nothing, installed avast and it found 15 in a very short amount of time.

I have seen this^ countless times on many machines that have norton, it just doesnt find shit.


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## 95Viper (Jan 28, 2011)

Personally, let her keep the Norton, just hop on your H-D and both of you, ride off to a romantic place and...

Ohhh, A\V software.   
Norton does a decent job, but none of them is perfect.  Due vigilance is best; along with Kaspersky (if you are wanting to pay for that warm secure feeling), Avira, MSE, Comodo, or other free options... also, Malwarebytes and\or Superantispyware as reserve clean-up crew.

Also, I have found that nortondns or opendns are fast and pretty good at warning of malicious sites.


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## W1zzard (Jan 28, 2011)

and i came here thinking norton is internet speak for some battery operated girl device


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## LAN_deRf_HA (Jan 28, 2011)

Last time I used norton a virus literally dismantled it. Scattered the files for it all over my computer. It was everywhere but the install folder.


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## Fatal (Jan 28, 2011)

Comodo all the way I have installed it on every build I have done have not had any one bring it back due to viruses. Norton was a hog that I can remember slows pc's down big time. I am sure the new one might be better but its still Norton. I have cleaned a few computers that have had it and as many viruses their computers had I would think Norton was saying come right in.


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## HookeyStreet (Jan 28, 2011)

nvidiaintelftw said:


> My friend feels like her Norton anti virus is saving her computer better then anything else. However, i told her that Norton is the reason her computer is slow and its really not doing anything for her other then acting as Bloatware and recommended her MSE. However, shes worried that because its free its bad. So she wants to do research so i made a thread for her to see what you guys have to say. I think we can All agree Norton is terrible.
> 
> EDIT: Even Kalsperky or whatever it is is 100% better then Norton



Norton causes more harm than good.  The first thing I do when repairing any system is remove Norton AV!  

Why is she worried about using Microsoft Security Essentials?  It's made by Micro$oft so you would think they know quite a bit about protecting a Windows based system 

I switched from NOD32 to MSE and never looked back 



W1zzard said:


> and i came here thinking norton is internet speak for some battery operated girl device



LMFAO, yeah a big ol' double-ender called 'Norton'


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## Drone (Jan 28, 2011)

It's just a myth and bullcrap that norton is slow. It was slow back in the day but norton antivirus 2011 is decent and it's much better than kaspersky. Kaspersky is the slowest and just a hog.

There are some decent free antiviruses: mse, avast, avira etc. Avg got worsen in the last couple of years.


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## Red_Machine (Jan 28, 2011)

I'm a convert to Norton after swearing blind for years that I'd never buy an antivirus.  I found a 6-month trial of IS and bought a license during my local WH Smith's Christmas sale.

Norton used to be crap, but they really got their act together with the 2010 release.  The 2011 release is even better.  From what I remember, you can use any Norton key with any newer version of the product.  Try upgrading her to 2010/2011 and watch her computer fly.


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## MohawkAngel (Jan 28, 2011)

Teel her: Its not because the guy is  going slow that wont get aids ..you need protection !


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## Frick (Jan 28, 2011)

Drone and Red Machine are spot on. It used to be slow, but not anymore.

However, I feel that paid antivirus is pretty unneccesary nowadays. IS packs are a different story as they usually offer other things as well (like backup, parental controls and whatnot) though, but I would never pay for basic antivirus protection.


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## Mindweaver (Jan 28, 2011)

The only thing symantec ever got right was ghost and backup exec and they are slowly screwing up both of those... lol +1 for avast, avg , comodo, or MSE. But i'm with everyone else.. you have to take time to setup comodo, but once you do your good to go.


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## CJCerny (Jan 28, 2011)

I'm gonna stick my neck out here and give the Norton product a lot more credit than you guys are willing to. It finished first in the most recent Consumer Reports test. We recommend it to our customers. It is a resource hog, but there isn't any reason at all to get that girl to switch to something else if she already has Norton, unless you enjoy driving two hours every so often just to "work on her computer".


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## MohawkAngel (Jan 28, 2011)

AVG internet security here  valid until 2018 ill keep it hehe


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## Red_Machine (Jan 28, 2011)

Aye, but which version is it?  If you're on an older version, it's no good.


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## AsRock (Jan 28, 2011)

nvidiaintelftw said:


> thanks guys. this thread is just reinforcing my argument



In that case my ISP offers Norton 360 for free and still will not use it..

If the user uses P2P that be a great reason to use aVast as it detects viruses before download.

aVast, MSE, Outpost Security Suite and Kalsperky  are the only ones i will use.  

I did try Norton 360 like because it was free and did not like it for many reason one being lack of advanced control over a application.


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## MohawkAngel (Jan 28, 2011)

Red_Machine said:


> Aye, but which version is it?  If you're on an older version, it's no good.



The newest one I had version 9 before but now im having version 2011 ...my key is available for all Internet security versions


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## bogmali (Jan 28, 2011)

I have Symantec's Endpoint Protection and McAfee's VirusScan Enterprise 870 which I use on all my rigs. I've never had any issues with them so it's probably the free version that is what's giving everyone the issues. I get them free from my company BTW


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## pr0n Inspector (Jan 28, 2011)

The extreme amount of ignorance in this thread is not surprising. Norton was being praised everywhere for lightweight since *two years* ago.


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## Batou1986 (Jan 28, 2011)

old cpu 2gb> ram MSSE
new cpu 2gb< ram norton


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## HookeyStreet (Jan 28, 2011)

Drone said:


> It's just a myth and bullcrap that norton is slow. It was slow back in the day but norton antivirus 2011 is decent and it's much better than kaspersky. Kaspersky is the slowest and just a hog.
> 
> There are some decent free antiviruses: mse, avast, avira etc. Avg got worsen in the last couple of years.



But why bother payng for something when you can use MSE for free?


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## Sinzia (Jan 28, 2011)

HookeyStreet said:


> But why bother payng for something when you can use MSE for free?



^^ that.


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## JimmyJump (Jan 28, 2011)

Norton has come a long way over the past five, six years. But still, seeing the damage my ex-bro-in-law has had with Norton 2011, it still is as leaky as a sief.

Been using BitDefender since 2005 and wouldn't want to switch to anything else for all the gold in the world. Well... maybe. If such an amount of gold were at stake...


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## qubit (Jan 28, 2011)

Sorry to rain on the parade people, but the _latest_ Norton is actually quite good when it comes to hogging system resources. It's running on an ancient Samsung P40 laptop that my family use and it's not slowing it down very much at all.

It's the older versions, right up to the most recent previous one that were a pile of steaming shit. 

However, I still prefer my Kaspersky for the advanced features. Norton is a dumbed down idiot's security software when it comes to flexibility. Just a few sliders and buttons and that's it. Crap. 

Thought I was missing something until I sat down with it good and proper and looked for the missing features. They were simply MIA, period.


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## INSTG8R (Jan 28, 2011)

I haven't run any kind of AV on my PC's for years. Spybot S&D and Windows Defender is about it.
I tried MSE but it just annoyed me like any other AV program did.

If I have any suspicions that something fishy is going on I just run TrendMicro Housecall. I surf the web with impunity but have yet to ever get infected(That I have caught anyway)

No resources wasted with some "nanny" in the background telling me what I can and can't do.


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## Red_Machine (Jan 28, 2011)

*shakes head*

You haven't gotten infected THAT YOU KNOW OF.  Your comp is probably full of malware that's causing issues and putting your dredit card details at risk, not to mention your email.

Get the new version of MSE.  Much better than the old one.


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## JimmyJump (Jan 28, 2011)

INSTG8R said:


> I haven't run any kind of AV on my PC's for years. Spybot S&D and Windows Defender is about it.
> I tried MSE but it just annoyed me like any other AV program did.
> 
> If I have any suspicions that something fishy is going on I just run TrendMicro Housecall. I surf the web with impunity but have yet to ever get infected(That I have caught anyway)
> ...



That you want to put your own computer at risk is of course your business, but not using an AV program also can put other folks' computers at risk, by you sending infected mails or whatever.

So, for your friends and relatives computers sake, get a nanny after all mate


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## INSTG8R (Jan 28, 2011)

Red_Machine said:


> *shakes head*
> 
> You haven't gotten infected THAT YOU KNOW OF.  Your comp is probably full of malware that's causing issues and putting your dredit card details at risk, not to mention your email.
> 
> Get the new version of MSE.  Much better than the old one.



LOL no that is the kinda paranoia that sells AV to the average Joe. Where did I put my foil hat 

For the record I have just run Housecall for kicks(twice actually, one quick and one full) and of course nothing detected. On this lappy and I am running it on my desktop as well but I have no reason to think I have anything to worry about(I'll get back to you if I'm wrong)

I tried the latest MSE and right away there is something annoying me in the tray about something pedantic I already knew about(much like UAC, which any one with any PC smarts at all turns off immediately)

I just don't buy into the hype of AV and I'm not foolish. I of course run NoScript with my FF and I don't go downloading files from obscure websites. I do download a fair amount of TV shows I will admit, but again I have never caught anything.


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## Frick (Jan 28, 2011)

INSTG8R said:


> LOL no that is the kinda paranoia that sells AV to the average Joe. Where did I put my foil hat
> 
> For the record I have just run Housecall for kicks(twice actually, one quick and one full) and of course nothing detected. On this lappy and I am running it on my desktop as well but I have no reason to think I have anything to worry about(I'll get back to you if I'm wrong)
> 
> ...



Well. Just because you don't get infections does not mean that everyone else is in the clear too. Because avarage joe's NEED AV programs, because they do not do things the way you do. And you've been lucky with the TV stuff I can tell you that, or you belong to a closed parry like passthepopcorn or something becuase if you download stuff like that from lets say torrent sites you WILL get malware. It's only a question of time.

And UAC is only annoying until you realize what it actually does: Prevents programs to run as root or whatever you want to call it. Not needed at all! (hint: it's one of the thingsthat make Vista/7 better than XP)


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## JimmyJump (Jan 28, 2011)

INSTG8R said:


> LOL no that is the kinda paranoia that sells AV to the average Joe. Where did I put my foil hat
> 
> For the record I have just run Housecall for kicks(twice actually, one quick and one full) and of course nothing detected. On this lappy and I am running it on my desktop as well but I have no reason to think I have anything to worry about(I'll get back to you if I'm wrong)
> 
> ...



Well, to throw that tin-foil hat back at you, I once got infected with a bunch of troyans while doing a fresh install of Win XP. I forgot to unplug my internet and during the install XP did an update... After I installed my BitDefender AV, I had multiple troyans having a ball already...

But like I said, to each his/her own. Maybe it's the Norwegian cold that keeps the viri at bay


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## INSTG8R (Jan 28, 2011)

JimmyJump said:


> That you want to put your own computer at risk is of course your business, but not using an AV program also can put other folks' computers at risk, by you sending infected mails or whatever.
> 
> So, for your friends and relatives computers sake, get a nanny after all mate



LOL my emails stay in cyberspace, I don't use Outlook. I'm just not an idiot when it comes to the internet and don't go clicking things I shouldn't and just am an overall smart surfer. 

I more worry about what people send me and don't even understand how people get the FB or MSN hacked, again never happened but I have gotten countless MSN "spams" from others and the old "Hello Friend ,I have such and such for sale yada yada..." on friends emails. I just tell them it's happening but I don't start wringing my hands when it happens. If I was doing that to others I'm sure they would tell me(again never happened)

The last time I got any kind of virus was back in 2004 trying to install and update XP in a hurry.

Ah and seeing as my desktop just finished scanning I did in fact have a generic trojan but I suppose it was to be expected when I downloaded a trainer last week for my legal copy of Apache Air Assault from GCW but OH NOOOES!. what'll I do??!!. 
Simple, I delete it and move along. No panic, no need to start freaking out and adding a half dozen processes running the backround...

If I thought that I was under any serious threat I would just format, prolly take me just as long to format and reload a backup as it would to run a full system scan


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## JimmyJump (Jan 28, 2011)

INSTG8R said:


> LOL my emails stay in cyberspace, I don't use Outlook. I'm just not an idiot when it comes to the internet and don't go clicking things I shouldn't and just am an overall smart surfer.
> 
> I more worry about what people send me and don't even understand how people get the FB or MSN hacked, again never happened but I have gotten countless MSN "spams" from others and the old "Hello Friend ,I have such and such for sale yada yada..." on friends emails. I just tell them it's happening but I don't start wringing my hands when it happens. If I was doing that to others I'm sure they would tell me(again never happened)
> 
> ...



Okay. Judging by the lightness of your tone, you seem more than lost in Norway...


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## Batou1986 (Jan 28, 2011)

No anti virus can prevent stupid users clicking on dumb $*#*, to be fair i don't like Norton or use it because its annoying.
I use MSSE because its un intrusive and i don't need serious protection because i browse smart.

That being said MSSE is about as effective at complete removal as a water pistol in a house fire.
Spyware/adware/rootkits/backdoors/worms/trojans it has lots of trouble with it cant seem to remove them completely which leads to them being detected/cleaned over and over.

Norton's ability to remove bad stuff is second only  to Combofix, if you don't know what that is you should really do your research.


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## INSTG8R (Jan 28, 2011)

Batou1986 said:


> No anti virus can fix stupid users clicking on dumb shit, to be fair i don't like Norton or use it because its annoying.



This! QFT

AV is for my Mother I know where I am and what I'm doing and the first to help anyone(including my Mother...) with any virus issues.
 I happily offer advice on AV to anyone that asks I usually recommend Avast. So I'm not "anti" anti-virus_* I*_ just don't need something running constantly to tell me that I did do something stupid.


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## Wrigleyvillain (Jan 28, 2011)

Bah the vast majority of posts are actually discussing the best AV option even in light of the hilarious thread title. Thanks Mailman for trying. The rest of you I'm very disappointed! lol


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## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 28, 2011)

Wrigleyvillain said:


> Bah the vast majority of posts are actually discussing the best AV option even in light of the hilarious thread title. Thanks Mailman for trying. The rest of you I'm very disappointed! lol



Im just trying to convince her that norton is doing more harm then good.


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## Fourstaff (Jan 28, 2011)

nvidiaintelftw said:


> Im just trying to convince her that norton is doing more harm then good.



How so? Norton might not be the best out there, but it certainly does more good than harm. I have only skimmed the first page, and have not read the rest, but I am pretty sure we will need some specs before commenting that Norton is a hog. (And there might be other power hoggers too, lurking in the background). My parent's rig used Norton (which came pre installed, so might as well use it), and even on that Pentium D, Norton does not make the computer any slower than it already is. Your angle of argument is wrong in my opinion, I believe the right mentality is "there are much better alternatives than Norton" rather than "Norton is bad. Period." Its not easy to talk sense to people about things they are not familiar with (and thus cling to what they "know"), so more subtle forms of persuasion is needed, rather than barge in with guns blazing and talk about peace.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 28, 2011)

Fourstaff said:


> How so? Norton might not be the best out there, but it certainly does more good than harm. I have only skimmed the first page, and have not read the rest, but I am pretty sure we will need some specs before commenting that Norton is a hog. (And there might be other power hoggers too, lurking in the background). My parent's rig used Norton (which came pre installed, so might as well use it), and even on that Pentium D, Norton does not make the computer any slower than it already is. Your angle of argument is wrong in my opinion, I believe the right mentality is "there are much better alternatives than Norton" rather than "Norton is bad. Period." Its not easy to talk sense to people about things they are not familiar with (and thus cling to what they "know"), so more subtle forms of persuasion is needed, rather than barge in with guns blazing and talk about peace.



okay well thats what i was getting to. that there are a lot better options then norton


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## Black Haru (Jan 28, 2011)

here. Norton is not the worst, in fact it is one of the better ones in this test.


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## KainXS (Jan 28, 2011)

Norton, . . . . . I spit on norton "spits"


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## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 28, 2011)

KainXS said:


> Norton, . . . . . I spit on norton "spits"



what???


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## Regeneration (Jan 28, 2011)

Norton used to kick ass in the 90s. But now its nothing but a bloated POS. 

My fav. AV at the moment is ESET.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 28, 2011)

Regeneration said:


> Norton used to kick ass in the 90s. But now its nothing but a bloated POS.
> 
> My fav. AV at the moment is ESET.



but thats not free. but it is excellent


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## erocker (Jan 28, 2011)

Regeneration said:


> My fav. AV at the moment is ESET.



Truly it is very good. I use it on all of my machines at work. We used to have problems with viruses and things of that nature, but for the past half year of using ESET, nothing. It's saved me a lot of time fixing crap.

At home, I use nothing. The only "protection" I have is Windows Firewall and I occasionally run Malwarebytes which hasn't picked up any malware for about a year now. It's kind of been an experiment for me, but no protection, no problem.


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## Regeneration (Jan 28, 2011)

If you're looking for a free AV. I'd recommend both Microsoft Security Essentials and Avira AntiVir.


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## EarthDog (Jan 28, 2011)

AVG = bloated.

Avira = one of if not THE best detection rates.

MSE = If you can stand a M$ product its solid too.

Comodo = BLEH.

http://www.virusbtn.com/news/2009/03_23.xml

http://mrgnome.wordpress.com/2009/04/01/best-antivirus-detection-rates/


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## Frick (Jan 28, 2011)

Regeneration said:


> Norton used to kick ass in the 90s. But now its nothing but a bloated POS.



So you have not used it since 2005? It was bloated, no more.

Oh, and I think w1z should write a script that autobans anyone using M$. Really.


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## TheMailMan78 (Jan 28, 2011)

Frick said:


> So you have not used it since 2005? It was bloated, no more.
> 
> Oh, and I think w1z should write a script that autobans anyone using M$. Really.



Bite your tounge. MSE is awesome.


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## niko084 (Jan 28, 2011)

Solaris17 said:


> I got 3 free codes from work for norton 2010 ISS i never used them. i use avast personally but anyone is better then norton.



I dunno about that with McAfee, CA and AVG still around 

Yes, just send her over to this topic...

Norton sucks, get rid of it!
I have been using MSE or Vipre on a lot of machines lately and been extremely pleased, we are talking about hundreds including an old AMD XP 2000+ chip running XP on 256mb of ram... Didn't really do much to the performance and it's a LOT better than it was with Trend, let alone Norton... My lord if I had Norton installed on my i7 rig I would throw it out the window I would be so pissed at my performance or lack there of.

Sadly it doesn't even have a great detection rate, NO customer support and costs too bloody much.


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## Frick (Jan 28, 2011)

TheMailMan78 said:


> Bite your tounge. MSE is awesome.



I know that. I meant that he should ban anyone using the frase "M$" instead of MS. It looks retarded imo.


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## GSquadron (Jan 28, 2011)

I must spend my 2 cents....
I have always used norton. That didn't block the idea of using new antiviruses. 
So i used Malwarebytes -antimalware and even it is free, i think that makes them notorious.
It is a very good (i am not saying the best, but i have not seen anything else better! )


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## FreedomEclipse (Jan 28, 2011)

pr0n Inspector said:


> The extreme amount of ignorance in this thread is not surprising. Norton was being praised everywhere for lightweight since *two years* ago.



Last time I used Norton was back in 2005 - I bought a retail copy. that was going cheap - and they deactivated my key in less then a week and all i did was install it on my PC - None of the Asians on the Norton customer service line could help. they all thought it was a bad install and i gave up repeating myself like a broken record about how my key was just blocked/blacklisted and nothing to do with a borked installation. I couldnt return it to the shop either since the seal was broken, so I just told them to stick it and never went back to using their software again. But I do know that it has definitely improved overtime 360/2010/2011 arent that resource intensive last time i checked and I have been on a lot of systems running them and it actually aint too bad at all


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## TheMailMan78 (Jan 28, 2011)

Frick said:


> I know that. I meant that he should ban anyone using the frase "M$" instead of MS. It looks retarded imo.



Copy that!


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## EarthDog (Jan 28, 2011)

Frick said:


> Oh, and I think w1z should write a script that autobans anyone using M$. Really.


Lighten up. 



> Originally Posted by Frick
> I know that. I meant that he should ban anyone using the frase "M$" instead of MS. It looks retarded imo.



I think people should be banned for using the word RETARDED before using "M$"... that would(should) offend more people...


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## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 28, 2011)

EarthDog said:


> AVG = bloated.
> 
> Avira = one of if not THE best detection rates.
> 
> ...



how big of a footprint does Avira leave on a system? like how much resources does it take. More or less then MSE??


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## niko084 (Jan 28, 2011)

pr0n Inspector said:


> The extreme amount of ignorance in this thread is not surprising. Norton was being praised everywhere for lightweight since *two years* ago.



Compared to what a bulldozer dragging the moon through the ocean against the tide?

Considering I personally test a few AVs every year and currently have a copy of Norton 2010 sitting right next to me I can personally confirm that it's FAR from "lightweight"

Windows startup and shut down times are extended, software opening is extended, sure maybe it does a decent job at shutting itself down into "game mode" but it still plays a huge role in making computers all around simply slouchy.

You know a few years ago there was a plethora of people claiming CA A/V was the best thing since physics. Unfortunately it's pretty widely known among techs to be probably the single worst major commercially available A/V solution.

Want to call me ignorant, I tested it after being told they would give me the copy for free.
It was tested up against Kaspersky, CA, McAfee, NOD32, Vipre, AVG, TrendMicro, MSE, and Normon.

I tested it on numerous machines to get a general idea, ranging from P4 2.8ghz 1gb of ram Win XP, to an i3 540 4gb ram Win 7 x64, in all instances I found Norton to have the largest impact on performance among that grouping and by a fair amount may I add.

I have been and continue to remove Norton from customers computers complaining that they are performing poorly and replace it with Vipre or MSE and the problems are solved the customers are happy and that is the only change.

Sorry but you can't really refute thousands of customers on thousands of computers, first hand experience from a knowledgeable and trained person doing the work. Again as follows, these systems range from P4 2.4's with 256mb of ram to i7's with 24gb of ram, never once have I had a customer say the change was not extremely well worth it and they will NEVER go back to Norton again.

There is a reason some ISP's give it away for free, that's all it's worth, simply put nothing in the world is free and generally something that is free isn't worth the hassle.

That's my 2cents.
Next year when I do the tests again, when Norton I'm sure is said to be oooo so light weight and easy on resources... I'll post up a good and complete review with graphs showing frame rates, load times, encoding etc.


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## TRIPTEX_CAN (Jan 28, 2011)

My previous employer has Norton Enterprise 2010 and it's garbage. Malwarebytes was called in twice a month to remove threats which Norton missed completely. Norton blows.


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## Frick (Jan 28, 2011)

@niko: Thanks for that, great post. I still believe Norton is lighter than a few years back tho. Did you do the tests with AV only or the full suite?

I have to test this too.


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## LAN_deRf_HA (Jan 28, 2011)

I will say MSE has one major issue, MS can use it to muck about in your system. I had MSE installed and it changed my windows update settings and it downloaded and installed updates on it's own, not updates for itself, but for windows. Wtf? I don't think any other av program would be so bold as to think that's an ok move.


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## niko084 (Jan 28, 2011)

Frick said:


> @niko: Thanks for that, great post. I still believe Norton is lighter than a few years back tho. Did you do the tests with AV only or the full suite?
> 
> I have to test this too.



I have tested both and yes I will agree with you on that.. Norton is a LOT lighter than it used to be... I would say it's still not up to par, but it's a lot better.

Norton also while not having the best detection rates, is far from a poor A/V in that respect.

We will see what happens, maybe they will go back to making a solid piece of software again, I certainly hope so.

Now if AMD would get the graphics drivers a little less bloated and slow... I think that's the slowest loading piece of crapware on my computer


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## niko084 (Jan 28, 2011)

LAN_deRf_HA said:


> I will say MSE has one major issue, MS can use it to muck about in your system. I had MSE installed and it changed my windows update settings and it downloaded and installed updates on it's own, not updates for itself, but for windows. Wtf? I don't think any other av program would be so bold as to think that's an ok move.



Although I can agree and don't really like the idea at the same point don't you think MS employees and systems that analyze that data have something a bit better to do then snoop around in your personal information?

I deal with so many business, accounting, payroll, servers, etc every day. Nobody worries about me snooping through their personal information, and I don't personally want to, I'm there to accomplish a job I want to do it get paid and go home.


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## Black Haru (Jan 28, 2011)

Black Haru said:


> here. Norton is not the worst, in fact it is one of the better ones in this test.



just re-posting this. 

it's a test that compares AV under identical conditions on identical machines. 











most of these posts are just opinion and speculation.


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## niko084 (Jan 28, 2011)

TRIPTEX_CAN said:


> My previous employer has Norton Enterprise 2010 and it's garbage. Malwarebytes was called in twice a month to remove threats which Norton missed completely. Norton blows.



They can't all be 100%, wish they could. In fact non of them can.

I generally scan my drives when I get the slightest bit concerned with MSE, Vipre, Nod32 and Malawarebytes, each one generally misses something.

Although I would like to know why your employers systems were getting infected so much, sounds to me like really bad network and system security.
"When thou can not trust thy employees, thou must block them from the trouble."


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## LAN_deRf_HA (Jan 28, 2011)

Personal info? Who said anything about personal info? I'm saying they shouldn't be overriding your update settings and downloading crap you didn't approve.


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## niko084 (Jan 28, 2011)

LAN_deRf_HA said:


> Personal info? Who said anything about personal info? I'm saying they shouldn't be overriding your update settings and downloading crap you didn't approve.



Oh sorry I must be high today or something.... Busy day not reading very well.

Yes, that is a annoying, I have recently come to notice that.
Even if you select to hide the update it just goes and gets it.


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## Goodman (Jan 28, 2011)

Best tell by Leo Laporte (little dated but still stand)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvDzarJOJNQ


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## Wrigleyvillain (Jan 28, 2011)

Yeah as to LAN_Derf's comment I certainly don't _trust_ MS  but I don't have major AV needs (cause I'm not an idiot for starters) and I've never had an issue with MSE per se. 

I also figure MS knows how to develop software for their own damn OS as well or better than anyone so...


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## Black Haru (Jan 28, 2011)

Wrigleyvillain said:


> Yeah as to LAN_Derf's comment I certainly don't _trust_ MS  but I don't have major AV needs (cause I'm not an idiot for starters) and I've never had an issue with MSE per se.
> 
> I also figure MS knows how to develop software for their own damn OS as well or better than anyone so...



how sure are you?


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## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 28, 2011)

Black Haru said:


> how sure are you?



Vista was not a terrible OS! Why do people keep saying it is?? It was bad for the first couple months till people realized that you cant run a 8 year old POS system on it


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## TheMailMan78 (Jan 28, 2011)

nvidiaintelftw said:


> Vista was not a terrible OS! Why do people keep saying it is?? It was bad for the first couple months till people realized that you cant run a 8 year old POS system on it



The only issue with Vista is it was a lil bloated. Win7 fixed that.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 28, 2011)

TheMailMan78 said:


> The only issue with Vista is it was a lil bloated. Win7 fixed that.



i guess. i never had a problem with it since i always had a rig that could run it with ease


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## Frick (Jan 28, 2011)

OK, I'm running Norton 2011 AV trial (18.5.0.125) atm at I'd say it's pretty light. I've been running around in the interfaces and tools and I'm doing a full system scan and right now the services are running at about 70MB and CPU usage ranges from 10-40% on all cores. MSE is pretty much the same.

On a side note I kinda like the network map thing. There are as of yet 77 units in the network now. Fun to live in an apartment building. 

EDIT: Ok now I'm up on 110 people on the network, I think I can sense the entire neighbourhood.


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## streetfighter 2 (Jan 28, 2011)

Several years ago I encountered a computer loaded with viruses.  It had Norton on it so I decided to check Norton to see if it had detected anything that it couldn't remove.  I quickly found that the viruses infecting the computer had added THEMSELVES to Norton's ignore list.

Since then I've been pretty apprehensive about using Norton.



Black Haru said:


> just re-posting this.
> 
> it's a test that compares AV under identical conditions on identical machines.
> http://img.techpowerup.org/110128/Capture025937.jpg
> ...


That's a great post but do you have a link to the source, and the dates with which the tests were conducted?  I don't see NOD32 on the list and I've heard (read speculation) it's quite good.


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## EarthDog (Jan 28, 2011)

nvidiaintelftw said:


> how big of a footprint does Avira leave on a system? like how much resources does it take. More or less then MSE??


Install is only several MB IIRC. As far as resources, I think its in the teens in MB. I dont recall about MSE. I just know its detection rates are solid according to most reviews.


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## Frick (Jan 28, 2011)

streetfighter 2 said:


> Several years ago I encountered a computer loaded with viruses.  It had Norton on it so I decided to check Norton to see if it had detected anything that it couldn't remove.  I quickly found that the viruses infecting the computer had added THEMSELVES to Norton's ignore list.
> 
> Since then I've been pretty apprehensive about using Norton.



That happened to me to, but with Panda, F-secure and AVG. It's rare for that to happen nowadays.


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## Delta6326 (Jan 28, 2011)

People still use protection? i have yet to get a virus. honestly i don't see how people can get so freaked out about AV, the best AV is your brain.


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## Frick (Jan 28, 2011)

Delta6326 said:


> People still use protection? i have yet to get a virus. honestly i don't see how people can get so freaked out about AV, the best AV is your brain.



Go ahead and download random album from random torrent site (as loads of people do) and that'll change.


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## LAN_deRf_HA (Jan 28, 2011)

@nvidiaintelftw
Avira felt about the same as MSE did on my system, very lightweight but still noticeable.

@Delta
Yeah, I go without any av now for 6 months at a time, install one, do a few detailed sweeps, always turns up nothing.


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## Delta6326 (Jan 28, 2011)

Frick said:


> Go ahead and download random album from random torrent site (as loads of people do) and that'll change.



Well see i don't do that. i use xm radio but i don't do things that most people do, i never download stuff from strange web sites, etc, etc.


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## DaedalusHelios (Jan 28, 2011)

Delta6326 said:


> People still use protection? i have yet to get a virus. honestly i don't see how people can get so freaked out about AV, the best AV is your brain.



I do it with pretty clean girls that have a limited sexual history yet I still use a condom. Better safe than sorry is the philosophy. 

The same goes for using AntiVirus/malware/spyware.


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## Black Haru (Jan 28, 2011)

streetfighter 2 said:


> Several years ago I encountered a computer loaded with viruses.  It had Norton on it so I decided to check Norton to see if it had detected anything that it couldn't remove.  I quickly found that the viruses infecting the computer had added THEMSELVES to Norton's ignore list.
> 
> Since then I've been pretty apprehensive about using Norton.
> 
> ...



that's just a screenshot of the article in my first post (it's linked)

its from this month.


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## streetfighter 2 (Jan 28, 2011)

Delta6326 said:


> People still use protection? i have yet to get a virus. honestly i don't see how people can get so freaked out about AV, the best AV is your brain.


I would subscribe to this line of thought.  My first line of defense is several layers of network security.  If anyone on my network gets a virus it's because they downloaded it and ran it .  The only antivirus I have is MBAM (once a month), Hijackthis (once a month) and combofix (never).  I use virtual machines for testing questionable software.

Unfortunately the world isn't like my network (and it's clients).  The world is filled with people who don't have time (or sufficient brain power) to figure out the difference between a _zip_, _exe_ and _jpg_.  Therefore the argument becomes moot and the necessity of anti-virus software is substantiated.



DaedalusHelios said:


> I do it with pretty clean girls that have a limited sexual history yet I still use a condom. Better safe than sorry is the philosophy.
> 
> The same goes for using AntiVirus/malware/spyware.


Yeah, but once she's living in my house the saran wrap comes off.  The fact is that protection can really lower the quality of the experience.

The same goes for using AntiVirus/malware/spyware.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 28, 2011)

I have a question? why is CCleaner refered to as bloatware?? It seems to work really well for me and client computers along with defraggler


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## jpierce55 (Jan 28, 2011)

Norton started getting bad a long time ago. Almost all virus softwares seem to start good until the name is established. The Eset virus software is the best I have seen atm.


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## Frick (Jan 28, 2011)

nvidiaintelftw said:


> I have a question? why is CCleaner refered to as bloatware?? It seems to work really well for me and client computers along with defraggler



Well it can mess up the system. There are others far worse out there (stay far far away from things related to Uniblue) though. And some people want to do the things it does themselves.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 28, 2011)

Frick said:


> Well it can mess up the system. There are others far worse out there (stay far far away from things related to Uniblue) though. And some people want to do the things it does themselves.



well what should i do with a clients computer if i want to make it faster??


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## jpierce55 (Jan 28, 2011)

nvidiaintelftw said:


> well what should i do with a clients computer if i want to make it faster??



if a one time run is good with you try bleachbit (doesn't run all the time), that will let you clean a system up


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## Dave65 (Jan 28, 2011)

The newer 2010 and 2011 Norton Security suits rock..they use very little resources and keep my puter safe..


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## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 28, 2011)

Dave65 said:


> The newer 2010 and 2011 Norton Security suits rock..they use very little resources and keep my puter safe..



i hope your trolling


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## Frick (Jan 29, 2011)

nvidiaintelftw said:


> i hope your trolling



Try the trial yourself and see how it performs.


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## Peter1986C (Jan 29, 2011)

nvidiaintelftw said:


> well what should i do with a clients computer if i want to make it faster??



1) Make sure you have a realistic estimation in your mind, of how fast the hardware can be if the 'puter is in a good state. A Pentium D isn't an i5, for example.
2) Average Joe/Jane never heard of defragmentation (which still has to be done manually in XP, which some people still use) and removing temporary files. So after you scanned for Malware with Malwarebytes or whatever, you should use CCleaner to clean those temp files (that function of CCleaner is safe, only the registry part should be used with caution) and then do a disk defrag.
3) Consider whether the speed improvement is decent enough for the particular machine (so keep hardware restrictions in mind, as well as the fact that Windows is a heavyweight OS (even with all the eyecandy on, most Linux flavours are a lot lighter and use merely 250-500 MB)).
4) If it is still problematic, consider different security software. Ask whether the client has got the pc behind an ADSL router 24/7, the best way to do this layman-friendly is by asking whether the pc is only used at home or also used at public hotspots like those at MCstuff/Starbucks/etc. If it is only used at home I guess you can safely assume that the pc is behind a router, so that a software firewall is not a strict necessity. In that case, only install an antivirus, in other cases make sure a firewall is installed too. Yes, I know it loads the pc a bit more but a firewall (either in the router or of the software type) protects against threats everyone may encounter (unlike malware, which can be avoided as long as you have the right attitude and brainpower).
When you wish to switch to another AV or IS, make sure you don't only look to the footprint on the performance but also to how well it protects and to userfriendliness. An average joe/Jane will not be aided by a AV/IS that for example asks a lot of user intervention on the decision making, or one that gives a lot of false positives (i.e. marks unharmful stuff as malware). Best check _recent_ reviews about antivirus/internet security software and weigh the pros and cons on a per case basis. Because it depends on the type of user and type of machine (and within what networks it resides) what software is the best option.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 29, 2011)

Frick said:


> Try the trial yourself and see how it performs.



no thank you. i never run a anti virus anymore on my computer. i dont need it


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## Frick (Jan 29, 2011)

nvidiaintelftw said:


> no thank you. i never run a anti virus anymore on my computer. i dont need it



Aww c'mon. It'll take like 10 minutes of your time just to check it out. You've spend more time than that on here hating on it. Isn't it easer to simply try it and get first hand experience of how it works?


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## Kreij (Jan 29, 2011)

Dave65 said:


> The newer 2010 and 2011 Norton Security suits rock..they use very little resources and keep my puter safe..



I agree. I run Symantec End Point Protection SBS on my work networks and it is virtually unnoticable. I run the main server on my personal workstation and only when it's doing a system wide update of virus definitions does it slow me down.


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## niko084 (Jan 29, 2011)

Kreij said:


> I agree. I run Symantec End Point Protection SBS on my work networks and it is virtually unnoticable. I run the main server on my personal workstation and only when it's doing a system wide update of virus definitions does it slow me down.



Um, Symantec End Point and consumer Norton are two totally different things.
Symantec EPP is one of the very best and pretty much always has been.


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## Kreij (Jan 29, 2011)

I assumed that the scan engine tech would have filtered down to the home based products.
If not ... my bad.

I use MSE at home.


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## TheMailMan78 (Jan 29, 2011)

nvidiaintelftw said:


> I have a question? why is CCleaner refered to as bloatware?? It seems to work really well for me and client computers along with defraggler



Who calls it that? I run it all the time. As long as you know what you are doing its a fine program.


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## niko084 (Jan 29, 2011)

Kreij said:


> I assumed that the scan engine tech would have filtered down to the home based products.
> If not ... my bad.
> 
> I use MSE at home.



Aw man, I feel like I came across like a $&%# 
I don't know what it is but they are totally different.
I am not even sure they share the same virus definitions and rule sets.


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## dank1983man420 (Jan 29, 2011)

I use MSE as well, but only because it is free and I downloaded it by accident through windows update.  I never had any problems with viruses before, but had to fix a couple of friends computers with a bunch on them. 



No antivirus is perfect, except for one.......






The viruses are scared shitless of the iron fists firewall of Chuck Norris and instead travel back in fear to infect their creators own pc.​


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## cdawall (Jan 29, 2011)

i have 6 free keys for norton IS and mcaffee IS both of which i threw away


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## LAN_deRf_HA (Jan 29, 2011)

cdawall said:


> i have 6 free keys for norton IS and mcaffee IS both of which i threw away



Couldn't ebay em?


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## cdawall (Jan 29, 2011)

LAN_deRf_HA said:


> Couldn't ebay em?



not legally....


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## Hawkster13 (Jan 29, 2011)

Norton used to be great and than from around 2006-2009 it sucked. The 2010+2011 totally rox! Test it out you wouldnt be dissapointed.

Also i see so many ppl have norton keys that they wouldnt be using. I would love to get a free norton key, if you're in a giving mood.  thanks


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## Easy Rhino (Jan 29, 2011)

this thread has outlived its hilarious usefulness.


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