Member Avatar for Cyber 14

Hi all,

Just wanted your opinion on which security suite to run on my new Windows 7 Dell Studio 8100 (Intel i7 CPU) machine. The machine came with McAffee Security Center as standard and it seems a decent program, but they don't offer anything in the way of browser virtualization, which was a feature of ZoneAlarm Extreme Security Forcefield that I have always liked. ZoneAlarm did, however, slow down my 2003 era Dell 8300 XPS slightly, in terms of booting the PC and browser, and shutting down.

Does anyone here run Extreme Security with browser virtualization on a Windows 7 machine? Does it slow down the opening of the Internet browser, or slowdown or hang the boot up or shutdown of the PC? I've always liked the inredible speed of this pc, and I don't want to screw that up without good reason.

Which one do you think I should stay with?

Thanks.

Peace out and God bless.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by kristain

Dani AI

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Short summary for : pick by feature tradeoffs, not brand loyalty. Browser sandboxing gives real added protection against drive-by attacks, but it also introduces extra initialization and kernel-level hooks that can affect boot/browser startup. On a modern i7 it will usually be small, but the only reliable way to know is a simple before/after test on your actual machine.

Practical test plan (do these in order):

  1. Make a full disk image or System Restore point.
  2. Use the vendor removal tool for whatever is preinstalled (to avoid leftovers) before installing an alternative.
  3. Install the ZoneAlarm trial (or the McAfee clean install if you stay), then measure cold boot and cold browser-start times across 5 runs and average them. Use Autoruns to capture startup entries and Process Explorer or Task Manager to watch CPU/disk spikes during boot and first browser load. Check Windows’ Diagnostics-Performance logs for boot/shutdown timing. Disable suite components one at a time (firewall, IM/email scanning, sandbox) to see which feature causes the delay.

Tuning and safety notes: as said, compatibility matters — confirm the suite’s Windows 7 x86/x64 support and recent build. As implied, kernel-level drivers can raise boot time because they load early; that explains why some suites feel heavier. Never run two real-time AV engines simultaneously — that causes conflicts and big slowdowns. If speed is your top priority (as hinted), test lighter engines or use a dedicated browser (or VM) for risky sites rather than weakening core protection.

Bottom line: try the ZoneAlarm ForceField trial and measure with the steps above. If the sandbox benefit outweighs the measured slowdown, keep it and tune features; if not, stick with the lighter configuration of your current suite or try a low-impact alternative. Prioritize updated definitions, Windows updates, and scheduled scans during idle hours to keep both speed and security balanced.

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Member Avatar for gurukid22

all antivrus software slow down computers quite a lot some more than other but im not sure.

i've used both programs before and i dont like zone alarm i would stick to mcafee

whatever you decide to do check that they are compatible with windows 7 because a lot of software is not.

Member Avatar for davidmorgen19

i suggest you 2 anti virus , Norton and avast.
if you want full Security then install Norton but it slow down your computer. and if you want your computer speed then install avast.but here some more feature come with avast like boot scan, on access scan. choose as your need.

Member Avatar for kristain

Like most security programs, ZoneAlarm Extreme Security one provides full system scans for viruses and spyware. You can schedule scans daily, weekly or monthly. ZoneAlarm provides kernel level virus protection and updates their definitions often.

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