Could Norton Anti-virus, be the Anti-Christ?!?

Squirrel

Squirrel

100+ Posts
... as far as my computer is concerned?!?

I just purchased a new computer, last summer. As a preventative measure (after a few weeks) to keep it from getting (slow) like my other computer I installed NAV to prevent infiltration of harmful stuff finding its way onto my system.

I fear, however that it may be doing more harm than good.

I frequently run Adaware, Spybot and Ultimate Trouble Shooter, yet still exhibit the following symptoms:

- When clicking on my email (minimized) when I get home from work, it takes up to 10-15 seconds for it to maximize and become active

- When clicking on media files (video, mp3, etc) it takes up to the same amount before they run (once running everything is smooth)

- Periodically, my connection will go dead - over time I noticed that shortly after experiencing 'dead time' (only lasts about a minute each episode, but several episodes a day), my cable light would go out, blink rapidly, slowly, then come back on and everything would be fine.

- When launching (MS?) applications (Word, Excel, etc..) I get the folling errors when/before they will open for editing:
Installer-Error.jpg
Norton-Error.jpg


This system should SCREAM! I should not be having all of these issues.

Any ideas?
 
please see my other thread about symatec products and customer service. norton hogs memory, always puts on multiple files everywhere and is basically a clusterfuck...

i have a mac now but when i had a pc i used panda platinum antivirus and it rocked, picked up things that norton had missed...
The Link
 
Norton peridically becomes corrupt and you have to uninstall and reinstall it to get it to work right. Dont get me started on how Norton will completeluy hose your DNS and you will get oddities like getting email but no web pages. Or, the SMTP will be come corrupt and you wont be able to send an email till you disable Norton or uninstall it. Horrible POS software....especially if you consider how much they charge for that ****.

Why anyone would buy any Norton product for a newer Mac is beyond me. You dont need it.
 
Ditch Norton and pickup a freeware program like Avast. I bet most of your problems will be fixed.

The connection thing sounds like it could be a problem with your modem or your service, though.
 
Oh? I get it! It's a "profit" deal. Step right up. I'll guess your weight and you win some crap.

I'm a little jaded at this point, but I believe that fucks like Norton and Symantec are responsible for most of the viruses and spyware out there. I keel them all.
 
Really. I just bought a new computer and the very first thing I did was complete uninstall all of the Norton crap. I also would second using Avast (free version) - it works great and all it does is what it's supposed to do, eliminate viruses.

Don't need no stinkin Norton or McAfee
 
So... what's the best way to uninstall?

Through the Norton Uninstall (if it's there) or through the Programs menu?
 
Both uninstall links should do the same thing for you, but Norton leaves stuff behind in the registry now, preventing you from uninstalling/reinstalling to reset your subscription date. I've used Norton forever and that is basically why I stick with it. It has never given me problems and I am comfortable with using it. It does use tons of resources, but my computer can handle it so I don't mind as much. On older computers I set up, I always go with the free virus protection. The thing that gets people's computers is basically spyware that gets through antivirus programs. There are always going to be people that find ways to get things on their computer though no matter what they have protecting it. Spyware is a ***** because people normally allow for certain packages to be installed that do crazy things. I have family members that are a perfect example of how people can screw things up. I can run a computer for two years without ever having to worry about anything on it. It will run great, not have anything bad happen. They have it for 1 week and the thing is basically useless until I reload everything from scratch.
Anyway, yes, Norton can be the anti-christ for some and a good product for others. For the money, it probably isn't worth having. But regardless of what you use, there are still ways to get stuff on your computer that will mess things up.
 
you will get alot of great advice from follks here but let me offer this....

I work in the Config Management, Security and Compliance Mng space...and...

I get no virusues, worms, malware, etc..

do I eat my own dogfood? nope.

I run a combo of IE with limited Active X controls and no Browser Helper object, Google pop up blocker, Norton, and panic-ware pop up stopper. I run spy bot and ad-aware every now and again. I also dump my cache, cookie, and temp files along w/ never giving out any of my email, sans making a purchase....

in doing this I have no issues, be is spam, malware, performance, pop ups, etc..

the worst thing I have is FF doesn't always show images.

I have idea where y'all have all your issues from.

now if you work for a larger enterprise, I mean minimun 500 servers and a boat load of "workstations"..well PM me and I will make your life better.
 
IE is complete ****. I run Firefox on my PC and Safari on my Mac.

As far as getting rid of the Norton, uninstall from either one, I ususally use the Windows uninstaller, and then use a registry cleaner to get out all the **** it leaves behind. I think Tweak Now registry cleaner does this, but you'll want to look around.
 
There are a lot of free registry cleanup programs out there. Honestly, if you're using a firewall, not clicking on suspicious ****, and using adaware, etc., then Norton is a little overkill for a home system. I do all that, use Avast, Adaware, Search and Destroy, and that's it. I never have any **** on my system. Using a hardware firewall is one of the best things you can do.
 
Thanks, I'll check out those programs.

Also, couple weeks I defragged my HDD with Speed Disk and when it finished, it said fragmentation was still over 20%. Didn't wanna bother with it anymore at the time, but today I defragged with XP's built-in tool just for the hell of it and it got it all the way down to 0%. WTF Norton?
 
I refuse to buy an new yearly subscription to Norton's service, and it puts up a window every 24 hours telling me my subscription has expired. Getting pretty tired of it. I guess I'll look into that Avast thing.
 
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