Internet Security?

Question

I have Norton Internet Security 2006 and I need to update. I was advised to use AVG (which I believe is free), but I am not sure if I have to uninstall all the Norton software first. Plus will AVG offer the best protection of my PC?

Answer 1

Download and run the Norton Removal Tool to uninstall Norton. http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039
I use Norton Internet Security and it's one of the best there is.

Here are some free programs.

Antivirus Protection.
BitDefender Anti-Virus Free. http://www.bitdefender.com/PRODUCT-14-en--BitDefender-8-Free-Edition.html
I woud use BitDefendere as antivirus and ZoneAlarm as firewall.
Avast Anti-Virus Free. http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html
AVG Anti-Virus Free. http://free.grisoft.com/doc/2/lng/us/tpl/v5
Avast Virus Cleaner - free virus removal tool. http://www.avast.com/eng/avast-virus-cleaner.html

Firewall Protection.
ZoneAlarm Firewall Free. http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/catalog/products/sku_list_za.jsp?dc=34std&ctry=&lang=nb&lid=trial_zaFamily
Easy-to-use firewall blocks hackers and other unknown threats.
* Systematically identifies hackers and blocks access attempts.
Automatically makes your computer invisible to anyone on the Internet.
Use ZoneAlarm if you normaly use Windows Firewall.
Disable Windows Firewall after downloading ZoneAlarm if it's not done automatically.

Ad-Aware 2007 Free. http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad_aware_free.php
Ad-Aware 2007 Free remains the most popular anti-spyware product for computer users around the world, with nearly one million downloads every week. Our free anti-spyware version provides you with advanced protection against spyware that secretly attaches and takes control of your computer, resulting in aggressive advertising pop-ups, sluggish computer activity, even identity theft through stolen bank details, passwords, and credit card account numbers. If you want real-time scanning capabilities, consider upgrading to Ad-Aware 2007 Plus for real-time protection against spyware, all the time.

AVG Anti-spyware Free. http://free.grisoft.com/doc/20/lng/us/tpl/v5

Spybot-S&D Free. http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mirrors/index.html
Spybot - Search & Destroy detects and removes spyware, a relatively new kind of threat not yet covered by common anti-virus applications. spyware silently tracks your surfing behaviour to create a marketing profile for you that is transmitted without your knowledge to the compilers and sold to advertising companies. If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you haven't intentionally installed, if your browser crashes inexplicably, or if your home page has been "hijacked" (or changed without your knowledge), your computer is most probably infected with spyware. Even if you don't see the symptoms, your computer may be infected, because more and more spyware is emerging. Spybot-S&D is free, so there's no harm giving it a try to see if something has invaded your computer.

AVG Anti-Rootkit Free. http://free.grisoft.com/doc/39798/lng/us/tpl/v5
AVG Anti-Rootkit is a powerful tool with state-of-the-art technology for detection and removal of rootkits. rootkits are used to hide the presence of a malicious object like Trojans or keyloggers on your computer. If a threat uses rootkit technology to hide itself it is very hard to find the malware on your PC. AVG Anti-Rootkit gives you the power to find and delete the rootkit and to uncover the threat the rootkit is hiding.

CCleaner free.
CCleaner is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. But the best part is that it's fast and contains NO spyware or adware. http://www.ccleaner.com/

*NOTE: Only have one antivirus program and one firewall installed on your computer.
Anti-adware/malware/spyware are ok to have more of.
Also scan with online scanners sometimes.

Hope it helps you.
Good luck.

JTB
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The peoples that says that Norton suck don't know anything about computer security.

Answer 2

I use AVG and it works great for me. I just got tire of paying every year. A funny thing was that the day after it expire I got a virus. I mean like the next day. I though that was highly supicious. I installed AVG and also microsoft defender for spyware. I also use firefox instead of internet explorer. I haven't had a single problem since.

To answer your question AVG is damn good. Also, avg is a bit lighter weight so it won't bog down your pc as norton does. Norton is known for doing that to PC. What I would do is firts download AVG but do not install it. Then disconect from the net by either disconecting the phone or dsl cable or wireless router. This way noone can attack you while you unisntall norton. So, now uninstall norton. You may want to restart your pc. Then install AVG. Again you may have to restart your PC for the new changes to take place. Now connect to the net and update AVG then run a scan.

May I also suggest you get a firewall especially if you are using a high speed connection. I used sygate but there are other free ones. I did had to doi some configurations though.

Answer 3

2

Answer 4

Whatever you do, don't attempt to have 2 antivirus products running at the same time. They will almost lock your machine up.
Best sequence: (1) Download the new product onto your PC (2) Disconnect internet connection to PC (3) Delete Nortons, suggest you run ccleaner after deletion (4) Install new product (5) Reconnect internet.
Antivirus is only part of the internet security picture. Of equal importance is the firewall. For that reason I'd suggest you take a look at ZoneAlarm.

Answer 5

Yes you have to uninstall norton first. AVG is a free program and norton has become junk with the amount of resources it consumes I would recommend AVG over Norton any day.

Answer 6

well first off you should never have 2 antivirus programs on your computer in the first place but after uninstalling your current one i would suggest either avg or better yet avast home edition if you understand the more complex interface of avast. Avast has more security features but avg or avast, better than nothing right. oh and umm norton isn't the best of security programs. i myself would suggest Mcafee if you want to pay for a good program. it's my favorite one.

Answer 7

What do you mean by update? Do mean you have to renew your subscription but you want a free alternative?

The Norton subscription is usually for its anti-virus definitions.

AVG is usually cited as a good free anti-virus program.

Bear in mind that many people report that their PC's are infected with viruses and they still have good protection from Norton and AVG.

I don't recommend any particular anti-virus program as they all seem to be limited in how they protect your PC.

Answer 8

if you have valid subscription Norton Internet Security 2006 then no need avg, avg is free but not enough or better then norton. but I installed McAfee virus scan with windowsXP firewall for myself and help all my friends same.

Answer 9

You must un-install Norton compleatly before install any new anti-virus program.

Norton can be a real pain to un-install compleatly. You may need to download and run the Norton Removal Tool from the Norton / Symantic website.
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039
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AVG Free is crap!

Mostly noobs, the naive, the computer illiterate, and children use AVG Free. These types love AVG because they say it is easy to use and almost never bothers them with any pop-ups or warnings. Of course AVG Free never bothers them, it hardly ever finds any virus to warn them about!

In test,
http://www.virus.gr/english/fullxml/default.asp?id=82&mnu=82
after test,
http://www.av-comparatives.org/
after test,
http://antivirus.about.com/od/antivirussoftwarereviews/gr/avgfree.htm
after test ,
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showpost.php?p=891307&postcount=1,
after test,
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,130869-page,1/article.html,
after test,
http://techsupportalert.com/issues/al_current.htm#Section_0
etc. etc. etc, ad nauseam, AVG free fares poorly.

AVG has proven itself to be a miserable performer at best. Missing almost 20%, while trying to detect known malware, in some tests. Not to mention almost non-existent heuristic detection and infrequent "once-a day" updates.

AVG. = Average, at best!

There are much better free alternatives such as Avria Anti-Vir:
http://www.free-av.com/
and Active Virus Shield:
http://www.activevirusshield.com/antivirus/freeav/index.adp

Answer 10

They both have pros and cons--but I hear a lot of good things about AVG. You should only use one anti-virus program at a time. More than that slows down your pc.