This is not strictly business, but things disappear too quickly in the general discussion area…
What have you guys found as the best combination of antiviral and spyware programs? I used Norton last year and had no problem. This year I also bought Norton but by mistake got the antiviral only without the firewall and it wouldn’t allow me to install it unless I removed the previous firewall, which I was loath to do. I then bought McAfee only to find that it conflicted with Spysweeper and AdAware (at least one or the other, maybe both)so I didn’t install it. In the interim, I have installed the free version of AVG antivirus and antispyware. Unfortunately, I am away from home for a while and am dependent on an internet cafe for limited internet connectivity while being on battery power on my notebook. AVG insists on downloading a new definition each day and running against all files, which slows my laptop to a crawl and lops about 20 to 30 minutes from my battery runtime.
Perhaps the for pay AVG would allow more selectivity as to when it runs, but I am leaning towards going back to the Norton version with the firewall built in. Unfortunately, I can’t find my sales slip, so it means laying out another $70 or so.
Any good experiences with antivirals? (OK, any satisfactory experiences with anti-virals?)
(I did run a search and didn’t find anything relevant on Breaktime)
Replies
I run the Norton stuff - Virus, Firewall, Spyware - and so does my dad. The newest version made his system run so slow I had to add 256K RAM just to get the computer to talk to him. The software is a real pig. Works though. Insurance - one of life's necessary evils.
Whenever I check Norton appears to have the most current and comprehensive protection, so I just put up with the slow performance at times.
The one thing you need most is a firewall. The newer Windows releases contain an adequate firewall, but I prefer to have a hardware firewall (which is generally present in wireless routers and the like). Anti-viral and spyware software isn't absolutely necessary so long as you practice "safe computing", but a firewall is.
Spyware detectors are more a nuisance than a help, IMO. They often make a big deal of harmless cookies, and rarely are able to actually detect and clean up spyware infections.
Antiviral software should be installed if others less trustworthy than yourself use the system, thus creating a risk that "safe computing" will not be consistently practiced.
Double click the AVG icon, then click Test Center, then Scheduler.
Delete the Update Plan.
SamT
Praise the Corporation, for the Corporations' highest concern is the well being of the public.
Casey
I use Zone Alarm for the firewall. I use the free version on the home computer. And pay for one on the business computer. Here is a page to download. http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp
Then I use Norton AV for the rest of the AV stuff
efit: To get the link right
Edited 4/21/2007 8:39 am ET by Scrapr
Yeah, I've used Zone Alarm at work (recently switched to something else) and found it to be "reasonable", though occasionally a little overzealous.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin