is there anything better than Norton Antivirus? (NOD32??)
 

My PC is a Celeron 1.70 GHz with 112 MB RAM, and I run Windows XP SP1. My antivirus protection is Symantec´s Norton Antivirus 2004 version 10.1.0.13. I use the built-in Firewall from Windows XP, and run Spybot S&D as well as Adaware SE. But I have a bad habit ( :o ) of using P2P programs such as Kazaa Lite and Piolet (in oredr to run Piolet on Windows XP - they require the user to turn off the Windows XP Firewall).
Where am I trying to get at?
I think Norton slows down the PC too much and I still get adware/ malware in my system and Norton won´t remove things like Blazefind or Mybar, or Dealhelp :(
I heard of a new antivirus which is meant to be very light on the system: NOD32 :!:
What should I do to protect myself and not slow down my PC too much????

Re: is there anything better than Norton Antivirus?
 

Personally i dont like norton i preffer mcafee. norton has too much stuff that doesnt really do anything. Like the internet security i have plenty of internet security becuase i know how to get rid of stuff plus i run kerio professional firewall.

Re: is there anything better than Norton Antivirus?
 

As long as you use P2P programs, you will continue to have problems.

This thread has links to free antivirus and firewall programs:
http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread5690.html
The firewall is nearly as good as Norton without using up as much of your systems resources. Most 3rd party firewalls are better then the XP firewall.

Unfortunately, no antivirus/spy/ad ware program will clean up everything -- you need to have several programs, keep them updated, and scan with them regularly. That thread has additional utilities besides the ones you are already using that can help keep your system clean.

You also seem to have a problem with your memory, as 112MB is not a standard size (and barely enough for XP anyway).

Re: is there anything better than Norton Antivirus?
 

Thanks dhl 6213, looks like it´s always you who are helping me out....
I understand my P2P habits are responsible for my getting in trouble with malware.
I also understand my memory is not ideal for Windows XP. The problem is that this PC comes with the emergency restoration disks so if the hardware is changed, then I can´t restore the original setup anymore. Ever. I guess that leaves me with two option: change the whole PC or settle with this one and get used to it being slow. But what about NOD32 - what is your opinion on this antivirus program?
(P.S. as soon as I find some time I want read all the threads you linked me)

Re: is there anything better than Norton Antivirus?
 

HANDS DOWN the best antivirus is Kaspersky (http://kaspersky.com)

I don't think there is another antivirus program out there that can do what it can...it actually works better than the 2 big uns...macaffee and norton...and it does it with LESS resources occupied. It's amazing...I've run it continually now for about 3 yrs and will never go for second best.

Re: is there anything better than Norton Antivirus?
 

That doesn't sound right to me, where did you get that information? You should be able to add RAM without affecting setup. :confused:

Re: is there anything better than Norton Antivirus?
 

i installed PC-CILLIN 2000 quite some time ago, i run celeron 1.7 with 256 mb memory, with regular updates and real time scans plus spy bot, adaware 6 and spy blaster i find a smooth running operation and no problems as such.

Re: is there anything better than Norton Antivirus?
 

112Mb is simply a 128Mb module with 16Mb used for onboard graphics. Adding more RAM will NOT mean you can't reinstall the system, the reinstall will work perfectly. 128Mb is not enough to run Windows XP efficiently, and you should definitely add more.

Re: is there anything better than Norton Antivirus?
 

Thanks Catweazle :!: :cool:
I heard the same explanation talking to an expert who mounts PCs. I´m thinking of changing to a new computer with 2,4 GHz and 256 MB RAM, and a 40 G HD. It´s funny that the configuration I have 112MB for Windows XP came in a "brand" computer. :evil:

Re: is there anything better than Norton Antivirus?
 

I would not settle for merely 256Mb of RAM either. Windows XP works very efficently with 512Mb of RAM. That's the amount I personally consider necessary. In a system with multiple user accounts, and on which multi-tasking is frequently carried out, I install 1Gb of RAM.

It does not surprise me in the slightest that PCs get sold inadequately confugured by 'Name Brand' manufacturers. Although the quality of support service is generally extremely good with such systems, they are notorious for being considerably more expensive and underpowered in comparison to 'White Box' systems.

Re: is there anything better than Norton Antivirus?
 

Zone alarm and kaspersky are good antiviruses which dont take more resources. And a funny thing ... I've also run win xp on 64 mb of ram .. and it worked fine for me .. hehe.

Re: is there anything better than Norton Antivirus?
 

:eek: Holy crap! :eek:

Re: is there anything better than Norton Antivirus?
 

I work for BGSU's Computing Connection, and I use/reccomend Zone Alarm for a firewall, and McAffee for anti-virus. Oh and Firefox for Internet browsing.
Kaspersky may be good, i've never tried it.

Re: is there anything better than Norton Antivirus?
 

hmm.........

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the quality of NOD32 in this discussion. Quite frankly, it's the best performed of all personal AntiVirus products. It does carry a fee, but the cost is quite small, and the system overheads are far, far better than the more widely known products such as Nortons or McAffee. In addition, virus signature file updates are made available much more frequently than with competitors.

ZoneAlarm is a fine product, and Sygate Personal Firewall is a worthy alternative. Norton Internet Security would be about the worst of all available alternatives, perhaps, primarily because of the performance it gobbles up.

But I'd recommend that anyone with better than a dial-up Internet connection use a Gateway/Router beteen their ADSL/Cale modem and their PC, or an All-in-one Modem/Router/Firewall, so long as the one used has SPI firewall protection. They can be found quite cheaply nowadays, and check all incoming information to ensure that it is actually requested.

I also recommend that people discontinue using Internet Explorer as a web browser in favout of a better, more secure browser such as Mozilla, Firefox or Opera, regularly use Spyware detection and removal tools, and adopt safe and sensible browsing habits.

Re: is there anything better than Norton Antivirus?
 

Kaspersky is an excellent product. I switched to it (corporate license, sometimes it pays to work for a reseller ;)) when my license for Panda expired and their support department were completely deaf to support requests getting my account reactivated (after paying of course, they still didn't respond...).

Use it in conjunction with ZoneAlarm (beware of ZA5 though, it blocks some things it shouldn't even when you specifically tell it not to, I stick with ZA4.5 for now).

Ditching IE isn't necessary at all unless you want to be politically correct and show how much you hate Microsoft.
If you turn off automatic execution of ActiveX you're safe (and don't just click OK to everything that wants to run of course).
1) don't visit warez sites, they're hothouses for all kinds of nastiness (plus using warez hurts the software development community badly as well as being illegal...)
2) don't install anything you don't know in advance what it will do
3) don't open email attachments you didn't expect you'd get (even from people you know!)
4) ditch those p2p programs, run legal software and play legal music and movies
5) be careful visiting porn sites :mrgreen:

Re: is there anything better than Norton Antivirus?
 

Hello,

I am currently evaluating Sophos on my Windoze box, my Linux boxen, and my Macintosh. So far, so good.

I also believe in ditching IE. Go for Mozilla Firefox, or consider Opera or Casino. Safari works nice too. IE has a certain set of standards defined that are not platform independant. I would like sites that examine their logs to know that there are other browsers out there than the Redmond Explorer.

Christian

Re: is there anything better than Norton Antivirus?
 

thought i'd share a nice article that i read this morning. i'm so fed up of these antivirus software companies making way too much money on our back...

http://blog.jeefy.com/antivirus-or-internet-security/

nice site by the way!

Re: is there anything better than Norton Antivirus?
 

why awaken a thread from 04?

Re: is there anything better than Norton Antivirus?
 

and a link that has more typeo's that my posts .lol

Re: is there anything better than Norton Antivirus?
 

I do quite like BitDefender.

Doesn't slow down the PC like Norton and McAffee do. Plus it is A LOT more powerful. Quite cheap too.

What more could you want?