AV'S The lesser of two evils

Hi folks,

I was wondering which anti-virus would be better between Norton and McAfee? My current AV has expired(Norton) so I'm on the market for another one. I was thinkin of using AVG or Anti-Virus Personal Edition, but they didn't score all that well, http://www.virus.gr/english/fullxml/default.asp?id=59&mnu=59 compared to other AV's. So that's about it. Any imput would be great, especially pros and cons.

 

If you were happy with Norton and it didn't foul your machine then go with that.

Used to use McAfee but found it was causing problems (forgotten why) jumped ship years ago to Norton and have been using it ever since.

 

I don't know the level of security you need, but I've had good luck with avast and it tests better than AVG on that site. I like the frequency of the automatic VDatabase (like at least three or more times a week) and the fact that it caught both recent worms immediately. Since I've been using it they've sent me two program updates also. If you need a stiffer level of protection than the free Home Edition then there's a "Pro" version available. I also like their fast response to email questions (once a tech emailed me back while he was on vacation and out of the office. That's some good service compared to Macaffee whom I used to use.) However, if Norton is working for you . . . well, if it ain't fixed, don't break it -- or something like that

 

Thanks guys,

I was thinking of using avast, but the free version is only good for 90 days. Is McAfee worth a look or is Norton, tests show that McAfee did a better job.

 

I prefer Panda.


It caught two viruses that an updated Norton didnt even detect.

Plus it updates itself 7 days a week.



Symantec releases auto updates only once a week, unless a major virus hits.

I haven't used Mcafee since Windows 95.

EDIT: And it was horrible back then.

 

Interesting. My copy of avast home is free forever on program updates and you don't start to pay for VDatabase updates for a year. Go figure

 

Has anyone ever heard of BitDefender Anti-Virus http://www.bitdefender.com/index.php They offer a free AV. but I've never heard of them before now???

 

when did his happen, was it recent. Starting to doubt the quality of norton.

 

can't you just uninstall Norton, and reinstall to renew free updates?

 

Installing a second AV program often makes viruses just jump up all over the place. IMO, this is either intentional false positives or the new AV program detecting the old one's quarantine.

I've used Norton ever since Win95, when I finally ditched McAfee. At the moment, I've got Symantec Corporate AV, which was provided to me through my school's site liscence. SCAV's real-time protection doesn't seem to be as much of a resource hog compared to Norton, probably because corporations are less forgiving than home users.

As for updates, well, if you REALLY want daily norton updates you can always download the Intelligent Updater files. Those are released every either daily of every three days, IIRC.

I'm not paranoid about viruses, though. Pick an AV that works for you and go with it. As long as you aren't really dumb about email attachments and file downloads, you should be fine. IMO, a firewall is a much more important defense, since worms and script kiddies are a fairly constant threat. A normal virus is not as appealing as hacking or worming. I mean, if you're going to design a malicious program, you might as well find some way to benefit from it.

On occasion, I double check my system with an online scanner such as http://housecall.antivirus.com/, but it has never found anything.

 

It was NAV 2003. Happened a month or two ago.


Nav 2003 has been the only version to ever let me down.


Haven't tried 2004

 

Thanks for all the replies folks,
I also use on-line scanners,(Norton even offers such a service) Now, I'm wondering about real-time monitoring, will Avast catch a virus on the spot, or will it only see it when I scan my system? Still haven't got any info about BiDefender,guess it isn't as popular as others. Oh well, to each there own.

 

Now thats disappointing

As far as avast goes it does have real time monitoring or so it says but I don't know what to think anymore. Anyway I have a system running Norton 2003 and one running Avast. So far both have done a great job.

 

sssshhh.... noone's supposed to know that

 

Just realised something, my subscription has expired, but doesn't that just mean that NA won't get updates on its own. In other words, I can get the updates manualy, right?

Guess I have to wait until Norton updates its virus definitions, so I can try and download them.

 

You can update definitions, but you cannot update the program itself.

 

the only reason I know is because after I formatted my comp, Norton renewed itself. I've never had Norton on the comp long enough for it to expire, before I did a reformat!

 

I paid 50 dollars for Norton Systemworks and they expect me to pay more money after a year? Ridiculous. Highway robbery. I didn't even know this when I bought the Norton software. Do they tell you on the box you have to pay later a year? I doubt it. SO I ain't paying.

 

Actually I bet they do.

They tell you that you get a free year subscription, which indicates, after a year, it aint free, LOL.

 

it's a trap...

 

who the hell is that?

 

How can you be a geek and not know all the characters from Star Wars?!

It's Admiral Ackbar, commander of the Rebel fleet, and the guy who restates the obvious when he cries "It's a trap!" after being told his fleet is flanked by the Death Star II (with shields raised) on one side, and the majority of the Imperial Navy on the other.

 

Meaning???

As long as my virus defenitions are up to date, I'm o.k. Right?

 

No, not 100%. The purpose of an engine update are to fix bugs (alright, features) in the software and to cater for new or unique infection methods.

 

When you don't/cant update the program, you may 'detect' the virus, but not be able to clean it or avoid infection.

 

Hi guys,
I'm running Norton 2002, I'm guessing NA found all the possible bugs and applied the necessary fixes already.

 

Yeah ok

I wouldn't trust it

 

Actually, I just had to reformat my hard drive and after re-installing Norton, it asked me to register (again) and said it's good for a year! And this isn't a new version either.
I didn't intentionally do this to engage in illegal activities, but hey, it's good for another year.
I've been using Norton for years, I use it on XP and '98, never had a problem and my teenage daughter is always surfing and downloading all kinds of crap.
For what its worth, the October issue of Maximum PC rated NAV 2003 Pro as the best AV program.

Just my 2 cents!

 

Hi everybody,
Just downloaded Avast 4.1 home edition.
Don't know if it's a keeper.
Tried an on-line test and out of 4 viruses, it only detected 1

http://www.eicar.org/anti_virus_test_file.htm

Probably going to dish out the money for Norton, again.

 

Why?

Try Panda, you can download a trial.


See how it fares.

 

If you are talking about this test, it isnt exactly a great indicator of how good an AV is.


The page indicates that the AV should be able to at least pick up the .com version of the test.


--Keep in mind that AV runs off of what it knows as a virus. This is a test, not a real one.


http://www.eicar.org/anti_virus_test_file.htm


BTW, Panda picked up all 4.