Internet Security/Antivirus Software?

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

12/13/2008 11:53:02 AM · #1

I've pretty much come to the end of my patience with Norton's Internet Security & Antivirus software. I've been using it for years, but the last two editions have gotten much, much worse, and I'm fed up right now with the way it's working - or to be more precise, not working.

I'd like some suggestions on alternatives - specifically I'm interested in hearing about AVG's software. I've seen it mentioned on here before, but I can't find a whole lot about it on the net. Mostly I want to know that it is truly legit, and not just spyware, and that it does in fact work very well, and will keep my computer very safe.

My gripes with Norton are it's flaky software as of late, the price to renew, and the amount of resources it consumes. And I am definitely not interested in McAfee.

Anyone? Please?

Dirt_Diver

Nikon D3s

12/13/2008 11:54:38 AM · #2

Go with AVG they are awesome

Sigma 70-200 /2.8 APO EX DG Macro HSM II

12/13/2008 12:04:41 PM · #3

Originally posted by Dirt_Diver:

Go with AVG they are awesome

Do you think the free version good enough, or is it worth buying a subscription?

sulamk

Canon EOS-60D

12/13/2008 12:11:53 PM · #4

I use the free edition of AVG they update regular and I have n't had a problem.

CraigD

Sony DSLR-A900

Lensbaby Composer

12/13/2008 12:16:15 PM · #5

Use an Apple Mac.

Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro

12/13/2008 12:18:56 PM · #6

Originally posted by CraigD:

Use an Apple Mac.

I'm looking to spend $65 on software, not $2000 on a new system (never mind needing all new software)! :-) On top of which, I think Apples are grossly over-rated and over-priced, and these days don't perform differently enough from PCs to make a difference.

slickchik

Olympus OM-D E-M1

12/13/2008 12:22:19 PM · #7

AVG free is totally enough and works great

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

12/13/2008 12:32:32 PM · #8

Okay, I think I'll buy AVG Internet Security - I want some of the features, especially the integrated firewall.

Thanks for the recommendations, everyone. Hopefully this causes me far fewer problems than Norton is.

AVG does really run smoother and take up less resources, correct?

soup

Canon EOS-30D

12/13/2008 01:11:26 PM · #9

i've seen AVG mentioned here 100 times, mainly cuz it's free. i can't recall anyone saying it was less of a resource hog...

FWIW - i ditched norton this year, and switched all my PC's to Mcafee - though you seem to rule that out, i'm more content with the mcafee than norton.

Message edited by author 2008-12-13 13:13:06.

SteveJ

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

12/13/2008 01:23:08 PM · #10

AVG is free, it does very thorough scans and picks up any stray virus, malware and spyware. It works in the background without slowing my laptop and desktop down in any noticeable way.

The one main thing is, it doesn't take over your PC like Norton. Norton is prone to panic attacks and dominating your machine. AVG just quietly gets on with it and once in a while pops up to tell you it has found something and dealt with it.

Use Free or pay, either way you won't have any problems with it.

cpanaioti

Canon EOS-40D

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

12/13/2008 02:02:38 PM · #11

AVG does slow things down (mainly PS and LR) when it's doing a complete scan.

bergiekat

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

Canon EF 24-70 2.8L II

12/13/2008 02:18:04 PM · #12

A few here including myself use Avast! and it's also free. GREAT program. I also pay $39/year for a program called Noadware and it finds stuff that Spy Sweeper, Norton, MacAffe never found. It can be a resource hog while doing a full scan, but it keeps my pc running well. Very easy to use! Might be overkill, but the Noadware has been invaluable!

Message edited by author 2008-12-13 14:18:31.

Yo_Spiff

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III

Olympus 12-100mm f/4.0 M.Zuiko ED IS PRO

12/13/2008 02:40:50 PM · #13

I've been using AVG's free version for years. Works well. It's usually in the "recommended" list of most group reviews I see, though the top recommendation will vary. I've used it on so many systems for myself and others, that I really should buy a full version simply to do my part to keep them in business.

AVG will slow things down a little while doing a full scan, as I think will everthing else. (I am running a 5 year old Athlon 2000, and the slowdown usually seems to be with hard disk access.)

For anti-spyware, I do a number of things.
-I periodically run Spybot S&D and Ad-Aware SE. Catches mostly tracking cookies these days.

-I use Mozilla Firefox as my browser with the NoScript extension, so Javascript cannot run unless I specifically allow a site to run it.

-I also use the Flashblock extension in FF. Mostly this just keeps annoying flash based ads from scrolling by, but may block some ocassional spyware that uses Flash to get in.

-I have a custom HOSTS file in my computer so that requests for well known advertising and malware sites (such as doubleclick) are redirected to go nowhere. I always know this is working when a box that should display an ad banner instead has a message that Firefox cannot find the requested page. Sponsored links in Google searches are unreachable for me as well. You can easily remove a site from the list if you do want it to work. I have no trouble with Amazon, it works fine for me. Paypal used to route through doubleclick and I don't know if they changed that or not. (They got raked over the coals for that about a year ago on Securtity Now! Episiode #119, if anyone is interested in hearing or reading it)

BeeCee

Nikon D40

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 ED

12/13/2008 02:46:17 PM · #14

Originally posted by yospiff:

AVG will slow things down a little while doing a full scan, as I think will everthing else.

-I periodically run Spybot S&D and Ad-Aware SE. Catches mostly tracking cookies these days.

Ditto. I'm on a super-old, small, weak beast so it slows me majorly, but I simply program it to run while I'm sleeping (in my case, 6am until about 10ish). I can tell when it's updating because I slow some, but that only takes a minute or two.

Hey, it doesn't clog me up as badly as PS3, and I'm willing to run that! ;)

dacrazyrn

Nikon D300

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

12/13/2008 02:50:31 PM · #15

You could always go see Kim at Komando.com. Always free stuff that works and she isn't hard on the eyes either. SCHWING!

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

12/13/2008 02:52:09 PM · #16

I have a problem...I have MIRAR toolbar on my laptop and nothing seems to get rid of it.
We bought Spysweeper with anti-virus and it doesn't find it. Tried several free versions of anti spyware and nothing seems to touch it. Any suggestions?
Thanks for any help!

Simms

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

12/13/2008 02:58:20 PM · #17

Originally posted by sfarrell23:

Might be some info here as to how to remove.

Yo_Spiff

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III

Olympus 12-100mm f/4.0 M.Zuiko ED IS PRO

12/13/2008 03:11:24 PM · #18

I hate all those "helpful" add-in toolbars that install themselves. I am always very careful to read install screens and license agreements for stuff that wants to install toolbars for me. I've seen computers with half the real estate in the browser window taken up by add-in toolbars. I'm afraid I don't know how to get rid of that one.

Thant brings up another malware tip. If you are using Internet Explorer 6 or earlier, get rid of it and upgrade to IE 7, FireFox, or some other browser that does not allow ActiveX controls to run without permission.

Message edited by author 2008-12-13 15:12:11.

12/13/2008 03:34:34 PM · #19

we have changed browsers to Firefox...and believe me it is a lot faster and cleaner...IE allowed an install of MIRAR without any dialogue, it just showed up...and in referencing it... it is very hard to get rid of..it is a real pain.

Originally posted by yospiff:

Message edited by author 2008-12-13 15:35:21.

bergiekat

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

Canon EF 24-70 2.8L II

12/13/2008 03:49:34 PM · #20

If you are somewhat computer savvy, try Hijack This. Great program, but you might need to post the log file for someone else to read if you don't know what to delete. (Tom Coyote was a name I remember...Google him.)
That program does amazing things and gets rid of the hidden crud.

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

12/13/2008 04:16:21 PM · #21

I'm definitely not comfortable deleting stuff from the registry so I guess we'll just have to have it removed by someone more hardware knowledgeable. For now we just disabled the add on from the control panel and it is working ok.

soup

Canon EOS-30D

12/13/2008 04:37:11 PM · #22

that's kind an ironic link - don't ya think ?

ie: symantec == Norton...

Originally posted by Simms:

Originally posted by sfarrell23:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have a problem...I have MIRAR toolbar on my laptop and nothing seems to get rid of it.
We bought Spysweeper with anti-virus and it doesn't find it. Tried several free versions of anti spyware and nothing seems to touch it. Any suggestions?
Thanks for any help!

Might be some info here as to how to remove.

soup

Canon EOS-30D

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

12/13/2008 04:39:20 PM · #23

click

start > run

type

msconfig
in the run dialog

at the top right should be a tab called 'startup'

locate the unwanted toolbar malware, and uncheck the box next to it.

click OK and reboot.

Originally posted by sf:

Message edited by author 2008-12-13 16:40:04.