Antivirus ? for the millionth time

[Cancer Man]

Like many others, my Norton subscription ran out and after hearing stories of it being a memory hog, I want something cheap (read free) and stream-lined.

This question -- and topic -- have been asked ad nauseum in the past few months but damned if I can't find the threads.

What should I get? Avast? Also, when I go to get rid of Norton Internet Security, if I just uninstall it by using the Add/Remove programs command on Windows XP, will that wipe me clean of Norton?

 

[TheSheriffIsNEAR]

Removing Norton: After the uninstall, you'll want to do a file search for the words Norton and Symantec, and remove those files/folders. Then use a registry cleaner to search for the same keywords. Helps to know what you're doing when modifying the registry, so at least do a backup of the registry before you run a cleaner. And since you're on XP, make sure your System Restore is active.

My vote is for Avast. Very unobtrusive, easy to setup, and effective. I run several online scanners just as a sanity check once a month, but never find anything Avast has missed.

 

[TexasOwnzYou]

I use NOD32

The Link

for firewall, i got sygate personal. im a former norton internet security/av user and i like these 2 better.

 

[TheSheriffIsNEAR]

Nod32 cost $.

I use Sygate also.

 

[schnarkle]

another good and free one

 

[Hornoholic]

i second that. been using antivir for months and have had zero problems.

 

[wherzwaldo]

Do Avast/NOD32/whatever scan incoming e-mails? If so, do they pop up a notification when a virus is found? And if so, can that notification be disabled? That is the one thing about Norton that I can't stand, especially when a new virus starts making the rounds and I have to click off 50 virus notifications.

What are some good freeware registry cleaners?

 

[goofybevo]

Avast! It has the warnings, and you can turn them off.

 

[jmatt]

You can also turn them off in Norton.

 

[TheSheriffIsNEAR]

Waldo,

Get RegSeeker from here: The Link

 

[OhYouSuck]

I use Norton 2005 and i like it. With the Norton subscription, all you have to do is re-install it and it gets you another however long subscription your original one was. Norton 2005 scans for spyware/adware as well as virus', which is handy even though I still have adaware & spybot. My Norton doesn't pop up with anything cept when it does it's scheduled scans at 3 in the morning. And my system doesn't seem to be running slow at all. I dunno what you guys' beef is with it, but I've never had any problems with Norton 05. And I didn't even have to pay for it!

 

[HornsInTheHouse]

I too use Avast! and it's very easy to use. And free.

 

[Cancer Man]

In reply to:

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[TheSheriffIsNEAR]

Think of the registry as the nerve network of the PC, being the means for the operating system to control all other aspects of the PC (programs, hardware, etc.)

Over time you will accumulate registry entries that are no longer used, broken or otherwise invalid. Too many of these can slow down your PC or even disrupt programs. A cleaner will analyze the registry for these entries and remove them.

There may be times when a cleaner will remove an entry that is still valid, and this can cause any number of problems. By preforming a backup of the registry before running a cleaner, you can restore the registry to the previous configuration.

 

[MisterBevo]

-or- get the Norton Hack that will up your subscription to the year 2115.

pm me