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General discussion

Which antivirus utility protects your computer?

Jan 14, 2005 4:01AM PST

Which antivirus utility protects your computer?

AVG Anti-Virus (love or hate it?)
Kaspersky Anti-Virus (love or hate it?)
McAfee VirusScan (love or hate it?)
Norton AntiVirus (love or hate it?)
Panda Titanium Antivirus (love or hate it?)
Trend Micro PC-cillin (love or hate it?)
Other (what is it?)
I don't need no stinkin' antivirus app. (really, why not?)

Discussion is locked

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AVG and ZA for me
Jan 18, 2005 8:54AM PST

I use to use Norton 2005 AV system suite. when I really looked at the OH I deleted ALL of it. Was very difficult to cleanup the REG and the services installed by Norton. I use the free AVG and ZONE ALARM pro ( paid for). Works great have not been hit with a virus for months. I think running TWO V checkers is a good protection as running 2 or more spyware programs. ZA and AVG appear to run together just fine while ZA and NORTON would run.

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What about Zone Alarm Anti Virus?
Jan 18, 2005 9:02AM PST

The outfit that protected my computer from hackers for free now protects all of my computers. Simply, Norton refused to support my product when I replaced my hard drive and mother board. They said they'd honor the time I had on my updates but I'd need to buy the latest version. I said "NOT!"

For over a year, I've been running Zone Labs suite and couldn't be happier! I wrote Symantec; and their reply? NONE! So long you big, resource gobbling, hard to remove PITA!

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Zone Alarm's suite has been quite good for me so far
Nov 25, 2005 1:14AM PST

I started out back in the old days with McAfee. I've had NAV which came bundled with several PC's I've bought over the years. I used AVG for a while, but came as close as I'd ever want to being infected by a major virus while I was using it, so I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

At work, most employers/clients have used NAV, but more recently, they've been using McAfee, which appears to have undergone a renaissance. The worst thing about NAV is that as its capabilities have grown, so has its appetite for system resources. Forget spyware, NAV by itself can critically slow down a marginal system.

Along the way, I began using Zone Alarm's firewall, so when they announced an all-in-one suite of security tools at about the same time as a NAV license was scheduled for renewal, I bought it. I've now been using it for several years and am quite happy with it. It works, is affordable, and has minimal impact on system performance. That it also integrates all major security functions (firewall, anti-virus, and spyware) in one package is not only convenient from a management standpoint, it also means that you only have one program running in the background to monitor those things instead of three (or more).

Highly recommended...

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Zone Alarm's suite has been quite good for me so far, yep
Nov 25, 2005 11:41PM PST

I used the free inoculateIT and loved that it used explorer-like GUI. It worked with a small ramprint.I have tried McAfee and Norton and have always returned to CA's antivirus. I tried the combo in eTrust EZ Armor because it is the best antivirus allied with the best firewall, ZoneAlarm. I discovered the same combo in ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite, but with one interface, and more features like Mailfrontiers excellent spamfilter, Privacy, Parental control (I don't use because my kids are grown), IM security, email security inbound and outbound, Program control, antispyware, and, of course, the best firewall provides a comprehensive security solution. Add to that an antiTrojan, you have as best a security as possible. ZA and CA together, you can't get better.

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Norton
Jan 18, 2005 9:35AM PST

I chose Norton because of its seamless integration with System Works and Internet Security (a CNET top choice that is necessary for my parental control of the internet use of my teenager). They also do a great job of keepung my software current at a reasonable price.

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Norton 2005 = JUNK
Jan 18, 2005 9:39AM PST

ok i was foolish to buy nortons internet secerity 2005 just to find out that it doesnt do what its suspose to do like detects SPYWARE .. fine it detects it but will it remove it ? well the answer is NO .. it tryes and fails .. now why would you want a program that fails you .. the tech suport they have there sucks .. u might as well talk to the wall, there answers for removeing the spyware was to buy another program that removes that kind of stuff .. now for the firewall part of this program i really dont know how well it is as i also have a firewalled router .. i had to add my 2 cents worth on this just so others dont make this mistake i made

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Which Anti-0virus protectws your computer?
Jan 18, 2005 9:56AM PST

I've used McAfee and System Suite. There were a couple of others, but I can't recall them.

Sorry. I will no longer pay for this stuff. It is essential, but the various commercial companies continute to up the ante.

avast! for me. It's free, and seems to work as well as any other commercial products.

Another possibility is AVG 7.0. Also free.

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Nortons vs Vet
Jan 18, 2005 10:01AM PST

I use Vet Antivirus by Computer Associates, Australia.
I have tried free AVs and Norton's AV. Whilst using Norton's I found the program to be very invasive of my machine and was not even able to access emails through my broadband account. Once I turned Norton's off the problem was solved.
A friend was using Vet and advised me to try that and I have not looked back since. Another friend was using Norton's and when the XP Blaster worm was around she could not get rid of it, I advised she try Vet and it worked, she now uses Vet also.
The friend who got me onto Vet now runs a computer repair business and has found that 9 times out of 10 clients who ask him to solve software problems on their machines are also running Norton's and removing it eliminates their problems.

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Nortons Vs Vet
Feb 13, 2005 8:52AM PST

When you say Symantec or nortons is invasive i find the only time it is invasive is when it is downloading the latest updates, now if you have adsl or cable this takes about 30 to 40 seconds, thru a dial up about a minute and a half. I use nortons 2002 and symantec antivirus 8 for my networks at home and for the networks i troubleshoot they use Symantec 8. The blaster virus (which had nothing to do with Nortons),your friend changing over to vet would not have fixed the problem, the balaster removal tool available from symantec did fix the problem.

If you are going to use nortons use it as antivirus not anything else, i have found that when companies have used vet and vet states there are no viruses i would do an online check if i were you because in the last week two jobs have been infected when vet states they were clean.

I am also in the repair business and i find the problem with Antivirus is a user problem.

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Norton vs Advast
Nov 24, 2005 9:35PM PST

I also was running Norton Av on a PC with Win Xp and
had problems accessing email etc. I ran Norton several times and it showed nothing. After talking to my local Pc shop Tech. he advised me to download Advast Home and try it before taking my Pc to him. I did that and found I had a worm that Norton did not detect. Advast
found and removed the worm and I'm using it ever since.

Also several friends using Norton had the same Problem
and the Local Tech advises hus customers to stay clear of Norton Av as it is targeted by most Virus inventors.

SteveC75

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Viable alternative to the status quo
Jan 18, 2005 10:05AM PST

I, too, was ready for a change from Norton, so after spending a couple of days researching my alternatives, I switched to Avast! Professional, Alwil's anti-virus program. Avast! offers a 60-day free trial, which I considered more than generous; the purchase price of the program is only $39.95. Although not a small program, it is thorough. In addition, it updates TWICE weekly (notifying the client with an audible announcement "virus database has been updated"). I'm sufficiently impressed to recommend this software to anyone.

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Which antivirus utility protects your computer?
Jan 18, 2005 10:12AM PST

grisoft.com AVG7.0
as its rated by a Testing panel against all others as
Numero one which is because it can detect inside
Compressed Zipped files which others cannot
why PC Cillin/Symantec Norton/ Avast and all others
cannot detect Zipped Viruses & worms/Trojans
is beyond believe, as all latest have ben zipped
Spanish one that deleted Windows files was ZIPPED
Its so unbelievable that Best Number one in Antivirus
is also FREE,no wonder www.grisoft.com is very busy now
remove all others & run AVG7.0 & see for youre selves
bye retired techie Keith

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Kaspersky AV
Jan 18, 2005 10:37AM PST

Kaspersky AV does all that you would desire and from my research and reading the CNET forums it is the best. It is not free, generally you do not get a free lunch. Most Americans have not heard of Kaspersky and being Russian that could be a problem. This product is well proven over many years.
Give it a try with the free demo version. www.kaspersky.com

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Kaspersky AV
Jan 18, 2005 11:20PM PST

This program would not even install on my computer. I downloaded it several times to no avail. Said it was not a windows 32 application.

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RE: Kaspersky AV
Feb 22, 2005 11:44AM PST

You may want to investigate why your system is responding with such a message. My system (I'm running WinXP Pro on a garden-variety P3) also gave me that response. It wasn't the first app to do this however, so I was more than a little suspicious. I ultimately configured the suspect drive as slave, with another drive running XP as master. With Kaspersky installed on the primary drive I found 9 instances of viral infection on the original drive - one being a recent variant of the nasty CIH virus (Ugh!!!). Mcafee, Norton, AVG, Panda, NOD32, Avast, and PC-Cillin had each installed on the infected drive without hesitation... and every single one of these failed to detect even one of these virii.

The one area where Kaspersky really shines is in it's frequent update releases. Kaspersky releases new virus definitions on an average of once every three hours. Their average time to release an update in response to a confirmed new virus is about 6 hours. McAfee & Norton, on the other hand, take in excess of 24 hours to respond to a new virus. Kaspersky isn't perfect, but until something better comes along, I'll continue to use it.

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Kaspersky AV
Jan 19, 2005 7:44AM PST

I used Norton av for years but it sucked up resourses. I started using avg about a year ago. It worked great until the new version came out. It totally hoovered. It stopped working and allowed 48 virus's to destroy my system. I discovered Kaspersky AV by accident on Cnet. It has been a month and I have nothi g but prais. Easy to use, simple interface, but most of all, it gets the job done. 3 thumbs up for Kaspersky AV.

rkruszka

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Kaspersky Anti-Virus all the way
May 4, 2005 7:47AM PDT

Kaspersky's core was created in effort to prevent infections in KGB and government systems back in the days when Russia was still the USSR. It is capable of examining all of the software on your computer and looking for paters in files that may be used to infiltrate the system. This same core technology is what Kaspersky now uses and has expanded upon to allow thier proffesional and Business anti virus products to dettect mallicious software that isn't already know as a virri/ variant in it's database. This is why Kaspersky will find things no other anti virus software will ie spyware trojans custom built to avoid most other Anti-Virus software and more. If you feel that your personal or proffesional security is of any concern to you then you will settel for nothing less than something that works then Kaspersky or one of the products based on the KAV(Kaspersky's core) engine like G-Data's AntiVirusKit will do. So, if you feel like having your identiy stolen or loosing you valuable business related data because you've been trojaned use Norton or Macafee or AVG any one of those other fine products mentioned in this forum.

I am a Systems and Network Administraotr and am in no way affiliated with Kaspersky labs or any of it's partners. I have merely been a satisfied customer of thiers for over 10 years and they have never let me down.


Sincerely Networak Archetype Admin

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AVG The Best & Cheapest
Jan 18, 2005 10:14AM PST

I had Norton for three years. It slowed my machine down. And always had problems with it. I use AVG now and its fast and have no problems.

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F-PROT antivirus
Jan 18, 2005 10:17AM PST

I continue to be amazed that for years the "experts" who test antivirus products never mention F-PROT. I've used it for many years, from the DOS days forward, and always relied on it. The DOS version was FREE (imagine the concept!!!), and it was always ranked very high by those who tested anti-virus programs. Now, the "experts" only mention the big names in their tests, even though F-PROT has had a Windows version out for years. I wonder if there's a reason for this -- could it have something to do with money?

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Re: F-prot
Nov 25, 2005 5:46AM PST

I myself have used f-prot for dos for many years... as it is free and preforms rather well itself. I actually have a copy of 3.06 or is it 3.16 kicking around here somewhere for some lost and despared PC that needs its attention...

Peace,

Harpo_the_whale(at)yahoo.com

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I use F-prot for DOS (Win95/98/ME) also Linux version.
Nov 25, 2005 11:07AM PST

Hullo Jerrybee,

F-Prot does get a mention where it counts which is from the testing sites such as the VB100 site (Virus Bullitin).It is always rated high.

This a decent firewall and AdAware in Windows partition
and this machine is clean.

Best Wishes Chris.

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Using Kaspersky AV
Jan 18, 2005 10:30AM PST

I started using Kaspersky many years ago after visiting Europe and reading the very complimentary reviews at that time. Since then I have helped a lot of people move to Kaspersky from Norton AV because Norton simply did not protect where Kaspersky did.
Kaspersky Version 5 is the best yet. I now support a small group of 20 very unskilled users, they do not have virus problems. Just read the comments in the CNET virus forums, Kaspersky is highly recommended.
Recently I did some research and have documented how Kaspersky compares with Norton and AVG. The document includes links to test and evaluation sites.
The CNET instant survey indicates low Kaspersky usage. The American population in general would not know of it. Certainly the CNET comparison of AV programs does not include it. Biggest is not necessarily the best!!!!

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Another vote for Kaspersky
Jul 2, 2006 7:26AM PDT

I'm using Kaspersky also, and I love it!
I've used McAffee and Norton in the past and they always seemed to try to protect my PC only when I didn't want it. Kaspersky listens when I tell it to ignore any warnings, and provides great protection when I don't.
Give it a try, you won't regret it.

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I Like AVG
Jan 18, 2005 10:53AM PST

I find that the Free version of AVG works for me, it does what it says it will do - which is to protect my pc from virus- its easy on the resources and it doesn't cause my computer to crash every 20 mins. I'm aware there's no tech support with the free version but thats ok, i'm in the fortunate position of knowing enough about computers that i can format and re-install if necessary and if it's something that i can't handle then i have a few friends who i can call on for help.
I also use ZoneAlarm as a backup just to be on the safe side.
I personally wouldn't use Norton mainly due to bad experiences in the past, not just on my own computer.

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Panda on W2k vs. W98
Jan 18, 2005 11:01AM PST

Panda 2005 works great on both of my home systems but seems to cause my old W98 system to run VERY slow. Would more main memory help? Or is there something else I should do?

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McAfee
Jan 18, 2005 11:07AM PST

For the moment, it'll be McAfee VirusScan. I had problems with getting Norton System Works 2004 and Antivirus 2004 to run on this computer after being faithful to using the 2001 and 2003 apps, but 2004 wouldn't work. Would install and not ever load. How can you trust a program that fails to load any longer? Not wanting to try that again with the 2005 after geting what I felt was lousy tech support, I went on to try McAfee VirusScan 2004 and noticed it was catching viruses the Norton Antivirus 2003 wasn't catching, and they were older viruses the 2003 version should have noticed. I will note that I was not the only one running into the 2004 Norton problem, as some of my friends mentioned the same thing.

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Norton AntiVirus
Jan 18, 2005 11:11AM PST

I have been using Norton products for 18 years, and I have, on the whole, found them to be more helpful and reliable than any other software product that I use--from operating software to wordprocessing and database management. While it does seem that, from time to time, they get behind the curve with respect to over-all efficiency, as the hardware and software environment mutates onward, as a "mid-level" user, I have learned to trust their products to do what they are supposed to. And that counts for a lot because I use my home computer five to seven days a week for professional purposes.

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Antivirus
Jan 18, 2005 11:13AM PST

I'm using Panda Platinum and it works great. Norton has too many conflicts with other software. Who wants an antivirus that they have to fix just so it can get along with everything else.

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AVG user
Jan 18, 2005 11:14AM PST

Used Norton for three years. Computer crashed 7 times due to virus, etc. Renewed and after 2 months notified me that I had to renew again. Tried to contact them, was told it would cost me $39.00 to get the problem straightened out. No way.

Norton conflicts with other virus programs. Can't have both running at the same time.

Never had a problem with free version of AVG or paid version of PC-cillin.

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Antivirus
Jan 18, 2005 11:38AM PST

I use Zonealarm Antivirus. It works great!