» Security » Virus »

Non Intrusive Antivirus Software, does it exist? (15 posts)

D Wild Posted 6 years ago Joined: 12 years, 5 months ago

Hi,

My system is a P4 3Ghz, with 1Gb RAM, running Win XP. It's two years old but is not too senile yet.

I am becoming more and more disgruntled with my antivirus / security software and am trying to find a more workable solution.

I am presently using Norton Internet Security and Systemworks and have for several years. I have upgraded to the latest version each year and get all its updates at least weekly.

It has been OK as far as the security side goes, but I find it slows my system loading down to a crawl, interferes with loading of other programs so that I have to turn off their "autoloading" feature (AdAware/Adwatch) and load them manually when I need them.

They are also very intrusive as far as their constant reminders to renew subscription for an entire month before they are even due, and turning themselves OFF until I re-activate them (they were already activated previously why do I need to do it again?)

I added to that the two Norton programs don't even seem to work together all that well.

There must be other "complete" antiviral solutions out there that still work but don't take such a toll on my system, but I haven't been able to find any recent general reviews of this topic.

Can PC World (or its readers) help me out here? I need help from the gurus.

Thanks.

Nigel Stringfellow Posted 6 years ago Joined: 12 years, 5 months ago

Re: Non Intrusive Antivirus Software, does it exist?

This is only my persoanl opinion but I gave up using Symantec(Norton)products a few years ago and have been using a free product(AVG 7) for quite a while and find it does a good job with an easy to use interface and does not seem to interfere too much with day to day tasks. There are of course many anti virus programs to choose from and selecting the best one for your situation may be difficult but there are a lot of good people who use this site who may be able to guide you in the right direction.

Cheers

Nigel

Dick Tracy Posted 6 years ago Joined: 12 years, 5 months ago

Re: Non Intrusive Antivirus Software, does it exist?

You'll probably get a few more anti-Norton hits. I had NSW 2003 (bought for Ghost) and couldn't wait to get rid of it as it was too intrusive- and it would appear that everything other than Norton is less intrusive.

I have been using McAfee from versions 4 right through to 10 (AV & Firewall) and have not had any real problems and it is very unobtrusive ( My mate switched to McAfee and couldn't believe how good it was in this area).

Of course you have to pay for it.

I have read some good reports on a number of the free AV's around and if you can get past the 'nag screen' (can't remember which one) then you will have adequate AV protection.

Chris Burrage Posted 6 years ago Joined: 12 years, 5 months ago

Re: Non Intrusive Antivirus Software, does it exist?

I too use AVG7 free edition and it serves me very well. (Home network, 5 children 5 to 13, wireless and wired, 7 PC's.) The best on the market is NOD32 but is not free. Almost any major name AV will run rings around Norton, both in detection and significantly lower usage of system resources.

Chris B

patrick Welsh Posted 5 years, 11 months ago Joined: 12 years, 5 months ago

Re: Non Intrusive Antivirus Software, does it exist?

I like the others got rid of norton a long logg time ago and up till a few months I to used AVG and had no complaints with it and still haven't but I have now turned to Avast 4 free for the home user and with out any doubt its the best I found that AVG allowed the virus to come through and then told you so you could fix it Avast stop's any being down loaded .

Bygum.

Paul Carson Posted 5 years, 11 months ago Joined: 12 years, 5 months ago

Re: Non Intrusive Antivirus Software, does it exist?

Perhaps this means you'll join the happy band of EX-Norton users? My experiences with NAV were similar and I dumped it years ago for that reason and switched to McAfee (only because I got a free copy in a competition), but nowadays I use nothing for than Grisoft's AVG-7. It's free from grisoft.com

It's so UNobtrusive that I used to wonder if it was actually working at all, but one day it did warn me of a virus intrusion, so I'm confident that it's doing the job. Many people on this forum have bagged Norton, so you're not the only one who finds their AV product a pain in the neck. In my experience, it didn't even work properly, failing to detect two viruses at different times, which other AV software found and deleted.

Give the free AVG-7 a go. It gets good raps from those who use it and mine is set for auto-update so you don't even have to worry about that.

Paul.

gabriel jeracitano Posted 5 years, 11 months ago Joined: 12 years, 5 months ago

Re: Non Intrusive Antivirus Software, does it exist?

I dropped Norton's for Kaspersky last year and now I am running Kaspersky Internet suite 6, i find it very good, not so resources hungry and the suite is a really integrated tool not just a collection of different programs put together. Updates are daily. Cost is slightly higher than Norton, I spent 76USD first year and about 40 at renewal.

I feel it is better than any other free program you can find if you need to protect your sensitive data, if computer is only un for fun there are plenty of free solutions offering a good degree of security.

Douglas Stiles Posted 5 years, 11 months ago Joined: 12 years, 5 months ago

Re: Non Intrusive Antivirus Software, does it exist?

G'day

I'm using Zone alarm security suite which uses the Vet antivirus engine. It's pretty easy on resources and has also firewall, spam filter and antispy features.

Pretty good as far as I'm concerned It's available for trial download

Regards Douglas

vikki kerrington Posted 5 years, 11 months ago Joined: 12 years, 5 months ago

Re: Non Intrusive Antivirus Software, does it exist?

After 2003, I also gave up on Nortons. Symantec wants to be all things to all people and has become so intrusive it is unbearable.

At first I tried NOD32 (not free), but found it very difficult to setup. Setup options are very difficult to find and understand exactly what they do even when you find them. My understanding this will be corrected in version 3.0.

At present I am using AVG Pro (not free) and find it about as unintrusive as any AV can be expected to be. The interface is easy to use and default settings do everything I want it to do. The price is NOT bad, a two year update is about $40 US. From what I have heard, the free version is also very good, although I have not tried it.

That is my 2 cents worth, good luck BTW my boot time is now about 1/3 what it used to be using Nortons.

Anonymous Posted 5 years, 11 months ago Joined: N/A

Re: Non Intrusive Antivirus Software, does it exist?

I had Norton come pre-installed on my PC and after the three month trial was up I paid up and kept it for the following twelve months. However, after downloading an update that effectively shut down my firewall and disabled Norton itself I learned my lesson.

I immediately started doing my homework on a replacement and found none better than NOD32 - except perhaps Kapersky. I followed detailed instructions in setting up NOD32 and have only the greatest respect for the product two years later. I'll be renewing my licence in September without question.

Having said that, I have also installed AVG and Avast on computers for friends who didn't want to spend money on antivirus products and have found both of those products to be acceptable - and both are better than Norton.

As mentioned earlier, find out the right way to uninstall Norton and make sure you clear it off your system before you install any new product.

Good luck.

Nicky

Post a Reply

Posting as an anonymous user (Sign in if you have an account, or register to create one)

Most Popular

What's the difference between an Intel Core i3, i5 and i7?
Samsung Galaxy S III vs. HTC One X: Head-to-head
How do I connect my TV to the Internet?
Apple iPad 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1: Tablet showdown
Laser vs. inkjet printers: which is better?

Plan Comparison

Prev Next
Loading...
Deals powered by WhistleOut

Best Deals on PCWorld

TabletsView all »
NotebooksView all »
Mobile PhonesView all »
Printers & ScannersView all »
Networking, Wireless & VoIPView all »