Re: Nortons Or McAfee Or ??????



"Bruce Chambers" <bchambers@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:OEShWvDjIHA.3512@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
EmGee wrote:
Sorry if this is posted into the wrong group.

In the past I've seen posted many complaints regarding McAfee Internet Security and Nortons System Works.

I need to purchase a similar program but I'm worried about the complaints I see from people more experianced than I and also the cost of purchasing these programs.

Is there a better, more system friendly and less resource hungry alternative?

You go to the sites and you only get the hype.

I'd put more trust in the replies to this post.

TIA

M.

Ps. If this is the wrong group, where should I be posting it?





You'll get nearly as many differing opinions as you will responses.

I'll start by saying that I don't think any security "suite" is a good choice. It'd be better to use smaller, less-resource-draining stand-alone products. And, having had personal experience with Verizon's business practices, I certainly wouldn't trust anything they offer. Even if the product/service itself is fine, there'll be hidden costs and "unadvertised" conditions and limitations associated with it.

I used, and recommended, Norton Antivirus and then Norton Internet Security, for many years, on Win98, WinNT, Win2K, and WinXP, all without any significant problems. I had used McAfee prior to that. But it's been several years since I've been tempted to try McAfee products. Their quality seemed to take a steep nose-dive after they were acquired by Network Associates.

However, when my subscription to Symantec's updates for Norton Internet Security 2002 came up for renewal (at a cost substantially higher than the preceding year's subscription), I decided to try less expensive solutions. I downloaded and installed the free version of GriSoft's AVG (http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php ). It proved to be easily installed, easy to use, and quite effective. Additionally, I was pleasantly surprised to see a small but very noticeable improvement in my PC's performance, once I'd replaced the Symantec product. Another free (for personal use) anti-virus product is AVAST! 4 Home Edition (http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html), which is what I'm currently using without problems on Vista Business.

For a recent comparison of anti-virus products:

Retrospective / ProActive Test
http://www.av-comparatives.org/

--

Bruce Chambers

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