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What's The Best Internet Security?

Discussion in 'Security and Privacy' started by bluenose12, 2005/12/07.

  1. 2005/12/07
    bluenose12

    bluenose12 Inactive Thread Starter

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    I have been running Norton Internet Security for a few years now but I've been hearing that it uses a lot of system resources...is this true?
    I've been swithering whether to change,I have a choice of two to change to....

    McAfee Internet Security

    or

    Zone Alarm Internet Security.

    Can anyone tell me which would be the best one to use?

    Or should I not try to fix what ain't broke and stick with Norton?
     
  2. 2005/12/07
    Welshjim

    Welshjim Inactive

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    bluenose12--Yes, NIS uses a lot of resources. But is that affecting your PC's performance?
    Cannot comment on the relative amount of resources used by other Security Systems. Though I have heard they require less.
    NIS usually gets fairly good marks in comparative tests.
    http://www.google.com/search?source...GLD:2004-31,GGLD:en&q=compare+security+suites
    For what it is worth, McAfee often can be bought for free at stores like Staples, Office Max, etc. after rebates. (You pay only tax and postage to mail in the rebate.). These are weekly specials from the Sunday newspapers. If you missed that you could look up here
    http://www.salescircular.com/
    Unfortunately, in my area, no specials on McAfee this week.
    I use Comcast as my ISP. They give away McAfee to their customers.
    And ZoneAlarm just sent me an email this AM offering their Security Suite for $20--a supposed $10 saving.
    Also you can make your own "Security Suite" for free.
    Antivirus--AVG or AntiVir
    Firewall--Zone Alarm. Sygate or Kerio
    AntiSpam--Mailwasher
    Spyware detector--AdAware. SpybotS&D, or MS AntiSpyware

    You are going to get a lot of opinions on this. Many people are mad at Norton lately because of their poor technical service and difficulties in uninstalling. But performance is pretty good.

    P.S. You may enjoy this webpage
    http://sunbeltblog.blogspot.com/2005/08/security-on-cheap.html
     
    Last edited: 2005/12/07

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  4. 2005/12/07
    Whiskeyman Lifetime Subscription

    Whiskeyman Inactive Alumni

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  5. 2005/12/07
    bluenose12

    bluenose12 Inactive Thread Starter

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  6. 2005/12/07
    James

    James Inactive

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    If you've extra money to pay for these apps that can be had for free, why not throw some my way? ;-)

    Seriously, AVG and ZA both have free versions which are excellent. MS has an excellent spyware program. No need to pay for any of these programs IMHO.
     
  7. 2005/12/08
    ghemant

    ghemant Inactive

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    Internet Security

    Hi,
    we are using 602 Lan Suit Software which can be integrated with AVg , for virus protection we are using AVG and Avast Antivirus.and we satisfied with its performance.

    :)
    Regards
     
  8. 2005/12/08
    bluenose12

    bluenose12 Inactive Thread Starter

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    Thanks for the suggestions.:)
    In true fickle fashion I'm swaying towards just sticking with Norton's.Really just a case of better the devil I know.:D
     
  9. 2005/12/08
    Welshjim

    Welshjim Inactive

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    bluenose12--
    I see nothing about a firewall on the page Whiskeyman posted, but he would know.
     
  10. 2005/12/08
    Whiskeyman Lifetime Subscription

    Whiskeyman Inactive Alumni

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    Panda Titanium has a firewall based on Sygate.
     
  11. 2005/12/08
    bluenose12

    bluenose12 Inactive Thread Starter

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    I read that Panda Titanium uses quite a bit of resources too?
     
  12. 2005/12/08
    Whiskeyman Lifetime Subscription

    Whiskeyman Inactive Alumni

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    I have had no problems with resources and Panda. I am running Win98SE with 512MB of RAM and have 90% resources free at startup. The only item running in my taskbar is Panda. I don't consider that bad seeing as the anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall features are always active upon boot. With Opera open with a few tabs and Everest running along with Panda my CPU utilization (AMD Athlon 2400+) is between 19-23%. Memory utilization is 71%, Swap 14% and VM 28%. This is after my system has been running now for 14 hours.

    Closing Opera reduced memory utilization to 59% and rebooting with everything opened again the memory was at 58%.
     
    Last edited: 2005/12/08
  13. 2005/12/09
    gghartman

    gghartman Inactive

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    am not a fan of norton or mcafee. had just norton antivirus 2005 and after it scanned my system i had to reboot to get responsiveness back. have client on dial-up where it is killing their internet connections and their isp's say its a big problem with norton. the reviews ive read on both mcafee and norton they both have slipped to the bottom of the top 10. the best rated programs on the reviews i have read are za, bitdefender and pccillian.

    have myself upgraded to za internet security and it works great, also like a lot bitdefender pro version 9 which gives antivirus, antispam, firewall the whole bit and you handy know its doing anything.

    norton is a piece of junk and i used to use it back to the beginning but since 2005 version nothing but problems. i myself had to reactivate 6 months after it was first installed clients of mine have after 3 months been told by the program that they now needed to buy the full version. problem was that this was the full version. norton tech support wouldnt do anything about it. very disappointed in norton.

    thats my 2 cents.
     
  14. 2005/12/09
    bluenose12

    bluenose12 Inactive Thread Starter

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    Thanks for that....maybe Zone Alarm Internet Security Suite is edging ahead by a nose.(Decisions,:confused: ) :)
     
  15. 2005/12/09
    Wes Lifetime Subscription

    Wes Inactive

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    Norton is hard to get rid of and so is McAfee. Just do a search and you'll see what I mean. Just removing them is not enough. They both affedt performance. I have used the other pgms mentioned too. Now that I am once again on cable (Adelphia [bought by Comcast] is only one available where I am.) I am using their free package called Freedom. I also use Mailwasher to prescreen email.... This is just one more opinion.
     
    Wes,
    #14
  16. 2005/12/09
    luckylanny

    luckylanny Inactive

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    Internet Security

    [FONT= "Times New Roman"][SIZE= "3"][/SIZE][/FONT]:cool: I may get in big trouble for this, especially if Symantec or one of its employees should be monitoring Windows BBS, but here goes, anyway. I have used Symantec's Systemworks for three years now. First off, Windows' system files and Norton were corrupted in Windows XP Home Edition earlier this year. Had to go to Microsoft for help in restoring Windows to its previous state. (Cudos to Microsoft for their free help, direct from India.) I have no knowledge as to what caused the problem, but that was the second time in a little over three years that Windows XP messed up. On the other hand, I have Windows 98se and Systemworks in a separate partition, and 98, with or without Norton, has never crashed during over seven years of use on two different computers. (Better knock on some wooden-heading IT for luck, now!) Getting back to the subject: I had a devil of a time uninstalling Systemworks after the incident, but that was the only time I ever really had a problem uninstalling it. I actually had to go to some of XP's more dangerous deletion procedures to get all the program's major elements out of my XP system. This deletion process took several days of experimenting, off and on. Having said all this, I will get to the point as swiftly as possible. If you uninstall Systemworks and remove every bit of it from you system, by running both WIndow's file and folder searches and Windows registry find and delete operations, you will be in a position to save some money. (Be sure and search with "Norton," "Symantec," "Systemworks" and anything else you can think of trying. More importantly, be sure and do a registry backup before you start deleting, just in case you are as sloppy as I sometimes am. You may also want to delete some of Systemworks' Windows system files, but be careful about deleting in C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared, as you may have files in your system from other Symantec programs.) The upshot of all this is that if you clean your system carefully and effectively, you will be able to reinstall any year's Systemworks program, utililizing your original product key, and be able to start your annual usage over at day 1. However, you will also have to download and install all the updates that have been issued since the product was originally introduced. I have used this procedure in both systems and stretched my Systemworks usage well beyond its usefulness to me. (Since I live very cheaply on my fixed income.) I will no doubt install the 2005 version next year, especially since I have managed to purchase each year's issue at very reduced rates, soon after its release. I would guess that you could buy one release and use it forever if you are cheap like me. Unless you like the improvements more than the money they cost, you should be able to use all the wonderful features free of charge after the first purchase. Now, somebody will quickly reprogram the Systemworks package due to my big mouth. What do you bet? I would bet the ranch on it and give odds of at least 3-1!

    Btw, except for one very, very minor glich in XP's Password Manager, Systemworks 2004 is working fantastically well in both systems, even as we speak.
     
    Last edited: 2005/12/09
  17. 2005/12/09
    micheal47

    micheal47 Inactive

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    Norton Internet Security

    Yes, it is true that NIS takes up allot of resources but it all depends on what is more important in your "online life ". NIS has saved my butt many of times. I also have Norton System Works and Norton Password Manager. As for me...Norton gets 5 thumbs up. Yes, it takes up allot of space but my security is most important for me. I've tried several different alternatives in the past but I have settled down with my protection. Also, I have always recieved VERY GOOD Technical support when it was required. NOTHING is TOO INVOLVED for them to look into. By the way, I also have Norton GoBack which is a VERY WONDERFUL tool to have on hand.:) Use whatever you feel the most safest with. Have a great "CHRISTMAS "!
     
  18. 2005/12/09
    Welshjim

    Welshjim Inactive

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    As luckylanny has probably found out, one of the key files to uninstall to be able to get full value from your installation of a Norton product is the MyProfile.UserProfile file.
     
  19. 2005/12/10
    Johanna

    Johanna Inactive Alumni

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    I am a long time Norton user. It works, as long as you install it on a clean system (preferably right after a fresh OS install) let it do just about everything it wants by default, and never mess with it. If you decide you must uninstall it, do your back ups and a clean install. Norton will bog down an older system, but the newer computers hardly notice the "bloat ". I don't claim to know what makes Norton work, but I know it spiders deep into MS and can boss any program, even an MS one, about its internet access. Norton is good for new and experienced users, if the hardware is fairly current. I have had NIS 05 since April, and just like 03 and 04, no problems at all. I am beta testing NIS 06 on my laptop, and again, no problems. Live Update checks with Symantec every 4 hours for updates, and more come in , as needed. I know people will throw rocks at me, but I like and depend on Norton, and it has never let me down.

    Johanna
     
  20. 2005/12/10
    MerleOne

    MerleOne Inactive

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  21. 2005/12/10
    James

    James Inactive

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    I wouldn't put Norton/Symantec on my computer if it was given to me free of charge. Sorry... but there are too many colleagues and friends of mine who have had nothing but trouble with these programs from Symantec. In my wife's case, it literally brought her computer down to a crawl. After removing it (and brother... was that a fun job) and installing AVG and free ZA, her computer responded as though it had been reformatted... like a new box.
     

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