Is Norton system works and virus scan worth the trouble?

I have had my computer for 1 year and I have yet to get a virus. My past

experience shows system works to be a useless program that slows your

computer down. Right now I am being pressured to get system works/virus

protection. Is it really nessicary to get this software? I know that viruses are

real. I believe that the only way to obtain one is to open a virus infect'd

program/exuctive file. I believe that you cannot get a virus by simply surfing

the web. Am I right or do I need to get my facts straight?

 

There are much better virus scanners out there. Norton is a resource hog. I use NOD32. But yes you do need virus software.

 

You can get a lot more than just a virus. It's a common way to transmit trojans and also an easy way to phish a computer.

No fan of Norton here; there are probably more threads posted here with Norton-related problems than any other product, and System Works is resource-hogging eye candy in my opinion.

Major Geeks has a huge software repository with safe, streamlined programs than can do anything Norton & System Works can do. Many of them are free, and all are tested by the owners of MG before being offered here not only for features, but for spyware. And should you ever decide to remove any of them, they aren't nearly the pain.

Welcome to Major Geeks

 

Yes i do see Norton System works as being a resource hog, my step dad has it

and it slows down his cpu so much, it's as fast as my old 400mhz cpu. Ok so I

need some sort of protection. I need something that wont suck up all my pc

memory when it runs in the backgound. Any recommendations? thanks

 

Ok so im right that you cannot get viruses just by surfing the web. I'm aware of spyware and bots, ect.

 

No, you're not. You can get viruses, trojans and much more, just as Star17 stated. It can be done through ActiveX and/or Javascript exploits and many more that I'm unaware of probably, without your knowledge or input. I use Avast Home, and I've seen a lot of recommendations for Antivir. There is also AVG free to consider.

 

Norton System Works is a suite of programs, and not just a virus scanner.

It's up to you if you think you can benefit from them, but you must have an Antivirus package and a firewall.

I would also suggest you go to the Spyware Forum and follow their recommendations in the stickies to make sure you are fully protected.

 

As a former NIS user, all it did was bog up my system and after when I thought I had uninstalled it, there was still registry keys left over. Check the board for other suggestions on virus protection that it free, but ensure that you have spyware protection too.

 

The only part of Norton SystemWorks I use are Speeddisk and WinDoctor. Both of which I use at least 3-4 times per week. WinDoctor has been extremely helpful, for me, over a long period. I do not load them at startup, but run them manually after I have logged off the Net, as part of my PC housekeeping.

I use ZoneAlarm and Avast, though, for Firewall and Anti-Virus protection. Bazza
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Yes norton is a resource hog on most peoples computers but not all. And yes there is some other good virus scanners but norton is one of them.

Id recommend NOD32 since its really light on resources and you should not see the system slow down at all. But otherewise what Insomniac and Just Playin suggested are also good choices

I currently use alot of security programs..just to name my antivirus and firewall:

Antivirus: Dr.Web
Firewall: Outpost Firewall Pro 3.0


Brandon