I have Norton (AV) right now, and I also have Spybot (Spyware). I'm ok with the Spybot, but for Norton, I'm starting to hear that there are better alternatives. Sorry to open up this can of worms, but I would like to hear from some to get an idea if I would like to switch out.
I have been using Norton since 1991 and haven't had any major problems. I remember some false alarms, like when pkzip 2.04 came out in 1993 it detected it as a virus because some of the zip code was similar to a virus signature. Thats not bad, 1 annoying problem in the last 11 years of using it. I think they all are about the same. When one package gets a feature or detects a new virus it isnt long before the other AV packages do too. What matters is the ease of use, ease of access to updates to stay current, and the amount of system resources used. I am happy with NAV in all those respects, the Live Update with reminders is a lot easier to keep current than having to remember to download a new signature file periodically. It seems to use less system resources than some of the competitors. I know one place I worked used McAfee and it was a noticeable difference in system responsiveness when it was running.
Ive tried both and in my opinion id have to say i prefer McAfee. Tho now i dont have any AV programme installed, just a very good firewall. I browse and dl a fair bit and if i wanna do i virus check i use Trend Micro (online). Maybe ive just been lucky but i never get viruses, apart from the odd cold!!
I've used nortan 2004 ever since it came out and it's been good ever since... Had no problem with it. I don't see what's so bad about it. It's simple to use....
A firewall won't protect against most viruses except the ones that spread through RPC exploits or other OS holes like Blaster or the like. Most viruses are spread through email or downloads and the firewall will allow those through even if they have a virus in them. Basically most firewalls permit and deny based on IP addresses and TCP/UDP ports, not on content. The firewall scans the header of the TCP packet which contains the ip and port info when it decides to permit a packet. The header is only the first 64 bytes, not the entire packet so there could still be a virus payload. A virus scanner scans the entire packet for known virus signatures.
Norton Antivirus is probably the most used and most known AV software. I fully recommend it because of it's ease of use and user-friendly interface. And of course, it IS Norton Antivirus =D
AVG here aswell. PS Makes me feel more secure now, knowing that Nephilim uses it. I fully expect DRchips to enter the fold at any moment and spread some solid gold tips on the subject.
