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Old 01-31-2013, 03:32 PM   #1
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Norton

Curious...I have been using Norton virus protection for a few yrs at $50 per year.

Is this really needed or do you feel the Windows protection is sufficient?

Tks in advance!
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Old 01-31-2013, 03:50 PM   #2
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I have used Avast free edition for years with great success. Try it.

avast! Free Antivirus | Download Antivirus Protection Software
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Old 01-31-2013, 04:01 PM   #3
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Norton is generally ineffective against the Kramden virus, so multiple layers of protection are advisable.
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Old 01-31-2013, 04:08 PM   #4
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I do and I would. My sister used the free version of AVG and had problems.

the place that built my pc recommends Norton and he's a 20 year computer tech. I was also told to buy the newest version from them on DVD as it costs less than renewing via Symantec each year plus I have the DVD if I need to reload as I just did last week.
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Old 01-31-2013, 04:09 PM   #5
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'Windows Security Essentials' is highly recommended by a local computer consulting firm that also does a radio computer talk show on weekends. I've been running it on all my systems for 2 years. No problems.
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Old 01-31-2013, 04:10 PM   #6
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I generally end up removing norton for people. It causes more issues than it fixes.

The Microsoft security essentials is free and does a pretty good job. Malwarebytes is one of the best around for removing problems.

The biggest thing you can do to protect yourself is to not run your windows PC with administrator rights.
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Old 01-31-2013, 04:17 PM   #7
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I've spent $0 on security software in decades of computing.

I'm not saying Macs are invulnerable, just that while viruses and malware are technically possible, there haven't been widespread attacks, like there have been on Windows.

I've had to reformat PCs for people -- when you can't even run task killer to try to kill certain malware processes.
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Old 01-31-2013, 04:30 PM   #8
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I've spent $0 on security software in decades of computing.

I'm not saying Macs are invulnerable, just that while viruses and malware are technically possible, there haven't been widespread attacks, like there have been on Windows.

I've had to reformat PCs for people -- when you can't even run task killer to try to kill certain malware processes.
+1
Viruses...and lifetime of a pc laptop are the reasons I went to a Mac about 3 years ago.
There may come a time when Macs become more vulnerable....but until then I'll stay with my Mac.
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Old 01-31-2013, 04:32 PM   #9
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Looking at the thread title I thought it was about motorcycle, Norton.

On the topic, I also use Microsoft security, works like a champ, no issues.
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Old 01-31-2013, 04:46 PM   #10
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I get Norton for free on 5 machines as part of my Century Link DSL. Works fine for me.
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Old 01-31-2013, 05:00 PM   #11
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My beloved F. used to have Norton, now uses AVG, and has never had a single problem or issue with AVG. He thinks it is just as good. I believe him.

I still use Norton, though.
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Old 01-31-2013, 05:32 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rbmrtn View Post
I generally end up removing norton for people. It causes more issues than it fixes.

The Microsoft security essentials is free and does a pretty good job. Malwarebytes is one of the best around for removing problems.

The biggest thing you can do to protect yourself is to not run your windows PC with administrator rights.
+1 for PC fans.
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Old 01-31-2013, 05:51 PM   #13
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I've never found any of them to be 100% effective but for the price (free) Microsoft Security Essentials seems to do a good job.
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Old 01-31-2013, 05:54 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by rbmrtn View Post
The biggest thing you can do to protect yourself is to not run your windows PC with administrator rights.

This is also very good advice.
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Old 01-31-2013, 06:11 PM   #15
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This is one of the number one questions people ask me. I have been repairing computers for 16 years and believe me I have seen just about everything know to man on computers. I could tell you MSE is the best but because its free many will not use it.

Its sort of like anything you buy. If the price is to cheap most think it is not any good.. At one time several years ago it was a known fact Norton would bring a computer to its knees. The computer would be running fine until someone installed Norton then a slowwwwww computer is what they had. Norton finally got wise and trimmed their version down and it uses very little resources now.

No one antivirus is going to stop everything out there today. I highly recommend malwarebytes pro version as it will block you from a bad website. Its has worked many times for me. I also have Webroot SecureAnywhere myself. The only reason is I bought it for someone else and you could put it on three computers. They just give it to me one for buying it for them. It works good and I do like how it saves passwords without me typing when I visit certain sites. I also like the add-on it installs in your browser showing bad and good sites. That also is not 100% because the bad guys are always ahead of us.

Just watch when you search using a search engine like google watching to see how long that site has been there. I have seen them show 10 minutes ago when I would search for something and my webroot showed it a safe site. They also have a way of putting a bad site on the top of the search engine. I just watch where I visit.

The bottom line is this. If Norton makes you fell safe then by all means buy it. I have seen specials where when you buy it a rebate comes with it and many times you get it for almost nothing. I bought Webroot last week for $50 with a $45 rebate. I also suggest to anyone to keep your programs updated, especially Java and Adobe. I actually removed Java this week and will wait and see if I really need it.

The bad guys have figured a way to exploit a computer when someone has outdated software. Java is one they are hitting. Also you may think your computer is safe but the first thing a trojan does is disable your antivirus updates. It will look just fine sitting threre in your taskbar but it will never work correct until your remove the trojan. There are some out there today that is next to impossible to remove without reformatting your system. The trojan will also stop updates from microsoft without you ever knowing it. Here is a good site to check if the site you are going to visit is safe.
Zscaler Zulu URL Risk Analyzer - Zulu

I also recommend this to people, especially if you have younger ones in the house that will be using the internet. It works great.

OpenDNS for Homes and Families
The free version works fine.


Good luck
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Old 01-31-2013, 06:30 PM   #16
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I have had Norton for a few years, pay $50 / year. Never had a problem.
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Old 01-31-2013, 06:49 PM   #17
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I have Norton for my Mac. Seems to work though I'm a dinosaur when it comes to IT. So, YMMV.
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Old 01-31-2013, 07:15 PM   #18
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Symantec bought Peter Norton Computing in 1990. While the company has phased out the Peter Norton name in a number of its products, it still pays $.01 for every product sold with the Norton name on it. You have helped Peter with a tune of about 10 cents if you have used it for 10 years. I wish I could market my name like that. Its all about how a product is advertised. I could tell you to save your money and of course you would not listen to me and continue spending that $50. That's just the way life works. oldtrig
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Old 02-01-2013, 05:32 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rbmrtn View Post

The biggest thing you can do to protect yourself is to not run your windows PC with administrator rights.
I had not heard this before and I have a fairly new Dell laptop so I did some checking on this. My computer has the Windows 7 operating system and net searches say the administrator account is disabled by default. It would seem this covers me. Correct?
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Old 02-01-2013, 06:54 AM   #20
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Depends how it was installed. But yes, in general MS finally wised up and disabled the admin account. The reason they disabled it is most malware knows that the majority of admin accounts don't even have passwords. That creates some other issues as sometimes you need to login in as admin to work on something. For most you can use the "Run as" command to do something with administrator rights. But YOUR account may have admin rights when it was setup ( you need this for instance when you install new software).

If you run with admin rights, even if you have antivirus software, it's the same as having an alarm system but leaving your front door wide open.

I normally enable the admin account and use a good password. Create a standard user account with just normal user rights, Use that for normal everyday usage. You only need to switch to admin when installing/repairing something.
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