Which anti virus??

[Egon]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( for the bandwidth impaired )</font>

Trev:

What do they have for me? [ the challenged one ]

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[v8dave]

I have a specific recommendation against Norton Anti-Virus. I just looked at Grisoft AVI-Free and will use that product next time.

I got Norton Anti-Virus four years ago with a claim of $5 per year for updates. I also installed Norton Firewall also with $5 per year updates. Well, that lasted two years and then no more $5/year updates. Not wanting to go bare and seeing how difficult MacAfee was to manage at work, I decided to stick with Norton. I bought a new boxed software package and installed both Works (with Anti-Virus) and the Firewall. They made no claims about what the renewal price would be.

Some really annoying and stupid decisions by Symantec/Norton about the renewal process got me so mad, I swear I'll never buy another Norton product.

1) The darn thing started reminding me 30 days before the expiration date to renew the %&#* thing, not once, but twice, every time I turned on the computer. The reminder is a stop everything and either buy the upgrade or skip. You have to choose one to continue. I have a lap top and only have it on when I'm using it--this was a major PITA. Now-SYMANTEC, LISTEN UP HERE-this isn't a mail in, where you need to worry about delivery turn around time, it's an on-line give 'em your credit card number done with in short order (short order--a mistaken belief on my part). This is an out and out grab to have free use of your money for an extra 30 days.

2) This irritated me enough so that I waited an extra week after the expiration to run the upgrade. Only to get the price shocker for the renewal. Almost the same price as a new installation.

3) Now you'd think a big company like Symantec/Norton would continue their policy of click here, enter your credit card number there and have the renewal automatically done. Well, you be mistaken to think so. Incredibly, the upgrade process which is run from inside the Norton tool couldn't even figure out what product it was. You have to stop in the middle of the order, run the anti-virus and look at the "About XYZ," pull down and choose that product name from a long list of nearly identical product names! If you didn't write it down or have a corner of the window peeking out from the desk top, you got to do this two times. It took me two or three hours to figure out how to do the order and then get it installed. Including a trip to their obscure help web-site for an incomplete tech order explaining how to install the update. I had finally given up trying to install the update to a point where I got a "done" notice from the installer. I had mentally given up and written off the upgrade price as an expensive lesson to never again use a Norton product. I powered down the computer and then re-started it and lo and behold it had been successfully installed.

I was so mad I couldn't see straight. Never again.

All this for a product that adds a minute to the start-up time of the computer and noticeably delays running almost everything else too.

Even if the firewall has detected and stopped some intrusions. And the Anti-virus has found some infected attachments, I am going to find a better product next time. It looks like Grisoft may the choice.

 

[v8dave]

I have a specific recommendation against Norton Anti-Virus. I just looked at Grisoft AVI-Free and will use that product next time.

I got Norton Anti-Virus four years ago with a claim of $5 per year for updates. I also installed Norton Firewall also with $5 per year updates. Well, that lasted two years and then no more $5/year updates. Not wanting to go bare and seeing how difficult MacAfee was to manage at work, I decided to stick with Norton. I bought a new boxed software package and installed both Works (with Anti-Virus) and the Firewall. They made no claims about what the renewal price would be.

Some really annoying and stupid decisions by Symantec/Norton about the renewal process got me so mad, I swear I'll never buy another Norton product.

1) The darn thing started reminding me 30 days before the expiration date to renew the %&#* thing, not once, but twice, every time I turned on the computer. The reminder is a stop everything and either buy the upgrade or skip. You have to choose one to continue. I have a lap top and only have it on when I'm using it--this was a major PITA. Now-SYMANTEC, LISTEN UP HERE-this isn't a mail in, where you need to worry about delivery turn around time, it's an on-line give 'em your credit card number done with in short order (short order--a mistaken belief on my part). This is an out and out grab to have free use of your money for an extra 30 days.

2) This irritated me enough so that I waited an extra week after the expiration to run the upgrade. Only to get the price shocker for the renewal. Almost the same price as a new installation.

3) Now you'd think a big company like Symantec/Norton would continue their policy of click here, enter your credit card number there and have the renewal automatically done. Well, you be mistaken to think so. Incredibly, the upgrade process which is run from inside the Norton tool couldn't even figure out what product it was. You have to stop in the middle of the order, run the anti-virus and look at the "About XYZ," pull down and choose that product name from a long list of nearly identical product names! If you didn't write it down or have a corner of the window peeking out from the desk top, you got to do this two times. It took me two or three hours to figure out how to do the order and then get it installed. Including a trip to their obscure help web-site for an incomplete tech order explaining how to install the update. I had finally given up trying to install the update to a point where I got a "done" notice from the installer. I had mentally given up and written off the upgrade price as an expensive lesson to never again use a Norton product. I powered down the computer and then re-started it and lo and behold it had been successfully installed.

I was so mad I couldn't see straight. Never again.

All this for a product that adds a minute to the start-up time of the computer and noticeably delays running almost everything else too.

Even if the firewall has detected and stopped some intrusions. And the Anti-virus has found some infected attachments, I am going to find a better product next time. It looks like Grisoft may the choice.

 

[heehaw]

i've been using Norton for several years, with no problems, other than maybe a slow computer: but it hasn't cost me anything in a long time, staples usually runs it on a special, free with the purchase of something else, every year, so i use turbotax and get the norton stuff with it.
when you folks say your using the dsl router for a firewall, are you referring to the modem that is connected to the dsl line or a separate router that you installed?? i bought a new netgear router when i had the dsl installed, but haven't done anything with it, because i'm a little afraid its over my head.
heehaw

 

[heehaw]

i've been using Norton for several years, with no problems, other than maybe a slow computer: but it hasn't cost me anything in a long time, staples usually runs it on a special, free with the purchase of something else, every year, so i use turbotax and get the norton stuff with it.
when you folks say your using the dsl router for a firewall, are you referring to the modem that is connected to the dsl line or a separate router that you installed?? i bought a new netgear router when i had the dsl installed, but haven't done anything with it, because i'm a little afraid its over my head.
heehaw

 

[texasjohn]

I speak for a band of 5 computer buddies..... we've all used Norton and McAfee.... with varying degrees of success and also some problems that led us to search elsewhere.... and AVAST! is where we ended up... After installing AVAST! (it's free for home use) it found virus that the others had let thru.... and has never caused any problems after a couple of years use, unlike Norton/McAfee.

 

[texasjohn]

I speak for a band of 5 computer buddies..... we've all used Norton and McAfee.... with varying degrees of success and also some problems that led us to search elsewhere.... and AVAST! is where we ended up... After installing AVAST! (it's free for home use) it found virus that the others had let thru.... and has never caused any problems after a couple of years use, unlike Norton/McAfee.

 

[Inspector507]

I don't think there is any firewall protection in my cable modem, but there is in my router.

 

[Inspector507]

I don't think there is any firewall protection in my cable modem, but there is in my router.

 

[heehaw]

i have a netopia dsl modem, and either it has firewall protection or the phone co has?? when i sign on, there is a page i can go to, and make changes, but that may be from the teleco??? like i said, this stuff is way over my head.
heehaw

 

[heehaw]

i have a netopia dsl modem, and either it has firewall protection or the phone co has?? when i sign on, there is a page i can go to, and make changes, but that may be from the teleco??? like i said, this stuff is way over my head.
heehaw

 

[Trev]

The whole issue of NAT routers is gone into in depth in the latest SecurityNow podcast:

http://www.grc.com/SecurityNow.htm#42

"NAT Traversal

Leo and I delve into the inner workings of NAT routers. We examine the trouble NAT routers present to peer-to-peer networks where users are behind NAT routers that block incoming connections, and we explain how a third-party server can be briefly used to help each router get its packets through to the other, thus allowing them to directly connect."

 

[Trev]

The whole issue of NAT routers is gone into in depth in the latest SecurityNow podcast:

http://www.grc.com/SecurityNow.htm#42

"NAT Traversal

Leo and I delve into the inner workings of NAT routers. We examine the trouble NAT routers present to peer-to-peer networks where users are behind NAT routers that block incoming connections, and we explain how a third-party server can be briefly used to help each router get its packets through to the other, thus allowing them to directly connect."

 

[flwiii]

Steve Gibson and Gibson Research has been around computers since the days of the IBM XT. I have used his product called Spinrite since he released it for the XT's and love it. It is the best Harddrive testing and recovery tool I have ever used for the money.

He is very savvy in the Security Arena as he has been doing quite a bit of research since his site was hacked a few years back. He is one of the last few remaining Assembler programmers. Not many left, since most people migrated to C and C++, but I digress.

As far as virus packages I have used a lot of them. AVG is a very good product as well as McAfee and Norton AntiVirus. AVG has less overhead and thus is less invasive. McAfee and Norton are notorious, as of late, for slowing down the OS (operating system). I currently run Norton's Antivirus in combination with ZoneAlarm which works well with the software packages I use. I've gotten used to the combination and I am not interested in making any changes.

Unless you are using a hardware appliance especially for firewall protection (ex. Cisco Pix Firewall or Nokia) you truly don't have much in the way of a firewall. NAT routers give some protection against the basics, which is ok for the home users who just read e-mail and surf. If you run a business from your home, then hardware appliances become more important to your systems safety.

Script Kiddies, not the professional hackers, are the ones who most often go after home users. There just isn't enough in the average home user systems to warrant a pro going after it, so the extra (ie expensive) hardware is not necessary.

 

[flwiii]

Steve Gibson and Gibson Research has been around computers since the days of the IBM XT. I have used his product called Spinrite since he released it for the XT's and love it. It is the best Harddrive testing and recovery tool I have ever used for the money.

He is very savvy in the Security Arena as he has been doing quite a bit of research since his site was hacked a few years back. He is one of the last few remaining Assembler programmers. Not many left, since most people migrated to C and C++, but I digress.

As far as virus packages I have used a lot of them. AVG is a very good product as well as McAfee and Norton AntiVirus. AVG has less overhead and thus is less invasive. McAfee and Norton are notorious, as of late, for slowing down the OS (operating system). I currently run Norton's Antivirus in combination with ZoneAlarm which works well with the software packages I use. I've gotten used to the combination and I am not interested in making any changes.

Unless you are using a hardware appliance especially for firewall protection (ex. Cisco Pix Firewall or Nokia) you truly don't have much in the way of a firewall. NAT routers give some protection against the basics, which is ok for the home users who just read e-mail and surf. If you run a business from your home, then hardware appliances become more important to your systems safety.

Script Kiddies, not the professional hackers, are the ones who most often go after home users. There just isn't enough in the average home user systems to warrant a pro going after it, so the extra (ie expensive) hardware is not necessary.

 

[Trev]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Steve Gibson and Gibson Research has been around computers since the days of the IBM XT. I have used his product called Spinrite since he released it for the XT's and love it. It is the best Harddrive testing and recovery tool I have ever used for the money.)</font>

Yeah, Steve is really something.. a gentleman and a scholar.. and a heck of a nice guy!

For anyone interested, here's a little bit about him:

http://www.grc.com/resume.htm

And some letters from people he's rescued:

http://www.grc.com/sr/testimonials.htm

He says it's getting letters like these that make his day....

Bob

 

[Trev]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Steve Gibson and Gibson Research has been around computers since the days of the IBM XT. I have used his product called Spinrite since he released it for the XT's and love it. It is the best Harddrive testing and recovery tool I have ever used for the money.)</font>

Yeah, Steve is really something.. a gentleman and a scholar.. and a heck of a nice guy!

For anyone interested, here's a little bit about him:

http://www.grc.com/resume.htm

And some letters from people he's rescued:

http://www.grc.com/sr/testimonials.htm

He says it's getting letters like these that make his day....

Bob