Norton vs. alternatives

[yayfulness]

Dear 24 Hour Board,

I've procrastinated the day of my repentance and still haven't thought about what to get when my free Norton antivirus subscription ends tomorrow. So, People Who Already Know Something About This, do you recommend that I just buy Norton, or do you recommend that I buy/acquire something else? Keep in mind that I have limited money, but I'd rather spend some of that limited money than suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous computer problems. Many thanks.

[Katya]

It looks like BYU can set you up with something for free: https://it.byu.edu/byu/help.do?sysparm_ ... rm_search=

[Unit of Energy]

I use the free version of AVG. I haven't had any problems with it.

[Laser Jock]

The program I've seen recommended near-unanimously by geeks is Microsoft Security Essentials. It's faster than most alternatives, it's free, it doesn't nag you, and it's among the most effective ones out there, too. Even compared to BYU's free option, I'd still personally go with Security Essentials.

(I know, it's kind of strange for Microsoft's antivirus solution to be the best...but it's actually decent.)

[Yog in Neverland]

My dad is a computer geek (meaning he does this kind of stuff for a living) and recommends installing AVG Free and SpyBot, supplemented by Microsoft Security Essentials. He swears that Norton and similar virus blockers are pure evil, and that AVG Free is the least evil of them all.

[Giovanni Schwartz]

I thought I got a virus, so I installed AVG, and but then they totally hijacked my Chrome browser-I. E. reset my home Page, and my default search bar engine. So I un installed it, stat.

[yayfulness]

I just downloaded Microsoft Security Essentials. Is that good enough by itself, or should I get something else in addition?

[Laser Jock]

It's interesting that Yog's dad suggests AVG and Microsoft Security Essentials, because the usual recommendation is that more than one virus scanner will just cause problems. (At best they make your computer slower than it needs to be, and at worst they can interact in weird ways.) My recommendation would be to stick with just one, whichever you choose.

I do agree that you're better off without Norton specifically, though. And the type of thing that Giovanni complained about is why I switched from recommending AVG Free. It's just done some really annoying things sometimes. (Also nagging pop-ups telling you to buy the pay version, etc., though they may have gotten rid of those.)

[Giovanni Schwartz]

I know when I uninstalled it (literally about 5 minutes after it completed its first scan), one of the options for why uninstalling was "Self advertising too flagrant" or something.

[Yog in Neverland]

LJ: They usually don't run at the same time; we keep Essentials mostly dormant and AVG is the main one; but both run scans occasionally...? I understand so little of the computery stuff.

[Laser Jock]

LJ: They usually don't run at the same time; we keep Essentials mostly dormant and AVG is the main one; but both run scans occasionally...? I understand so little of the computery stuff.

Ah, that makes a lot more sense. The main issue with having more than one is if they're both active at the same time; most virus scanners keep running in the background and try to intercept suspicious activity (to keep you from getting infected, hopefully, instead of just cleaning up the mess after the fact). It's having two programs doing this at the same time that can cause issues (excessive slowdowns or weird interactions). If you have more than one that do a scan and then go away, then as long as they're not scanning at the same time, there aren't any huge downsides.

[Portia]

The program I've seen recommended near-unanimously by geeks is Microsoft Security Essentials. It's faster than most alternatives, it's free, it doesn't nag you, and it's among the most effective ones out there, too. Even compared to BYU's free option, I'd still personally go with Security Essentials.

(I know, it's kind of strange for Microsoft's antivirus solution to be the best...but it's actually decent.)

Despite Laser Jock's parenthetical sarcasm, I would completely second his suggestion. First thing I thought. Made my grandma's computer (she's fairly computer-savvy, too, had the Internet a decade before my parents did, but then she's not poor) run a gazillion times faster. That and Chrome.