I ran Norton but it took forever to screen and then wanted me to buy a new version to get rid of the viruses. I tried AVG but Parite got on all my exe and other files and had 1500 + infections! AVG could not handle it because the virus vault was full and I had to manually delete each one and it would not. it was a mess.
I was getting concerned and remembered Avast. I downloaded Avast and it said to reboot and ran all the screens in boot mode. It go rid of all the infections and my machine is back to normal. ;-) Great program.
It’s great. I had McAfee, which came installed on my eMachine. Horrible. Trashed everything. Norton had come installed on my previous machine, a Dell. When I called Dell to tell them the audio was chattering (and I bought the computer to do audio) the help desk told me to trash the Norton. This was when I was on dialup, and it was also before the big outbreak of viruses and worms in 2001.
Avast! is free, and it runs in the background, and it’s just great.
Avast and AVG are just OK as AV software goes. But excellent as FREE AV software goes.
ESET’s NOD32 is easily the best on the planet.
I’m a computer consultant and have installed it on literally thousands of machines.
It is not free but we have very few virus callbacks when combining NOD32 with Malware Bytes.
My two cents.
I tried Avast but seemed it really slowed my computer down. So, I went back to AVG...somewhat slow, but not as bad.
Using Firefox helps too, I think.
Never get comfortable with Norton AV. Ever.
Havent had any trouble since.
That’s what we suggest our customers use. It is about the least “heavy” when it comes to slowing down the machine, and one of the most effective at preventing infections.
Norton and McCaffee are horrible. Especially about slowing down older computers.
When I visited my daugher in college her computer was a mess. “But I didn’t do anything!!” she said. Mmmhmmm. Tried a number of things, but it was running Avast from the boot sector that healed her machine. I’m a believer.
I agree with you about Avast. I detest McAfee and Norton.
Right now I’m running Linux off a CD. As this particular machine does not have the ability to write to a CD I’m totally immune.
BFL
Maybe I spoke too soon. I tried Norton first but my licensed expired. AVG which I normally love wa overwhelmed. The virus is Win32.Parite which is a SOB. AVG would fix infected files and the 1500 + copies overwhelmed it. I rarely used this machine or surfed.
Hit it with Avast. It seemed to work. My desktop icons returned. Just to be sure I had bought PC Tools Spyware Doctor & Antivirus. 3 PC license and bought it cause it supported Win 2000.
I ran PC Tools and it found 259 copies of Win32.Parite and a couple others that Avast must have missed. I had done nothing on the machine after Avast. The question is if Win32.Parite is really gone. it seems to regenerate or hide????? If PC Tools failed then I may break down and spend a fortune on kaperinsky.
I lost my Internet - I plug into the switch and nothing. Befoire I could plug into any connect hotel DSL, office small hubs and got the net. Ii will check the wireless. It is a Dell. Cannot figure out why internet is not working.
Maybe the AVG and Avast have firewalls. I will uninstall both. Tried to uninstall Norton crap and it would not remove itself. I hate Symantec especailly after the CEO came out for Obama.
I’ve been trying Avast, vetting it to replace AVG Free which in version 8 has taken a turn for the crapware, and I haven’t been too unhappy with it. However I elected not to register it when I downloaded and now it’s decided it will expire soon, so I should buy the paid version or at least register it. It pops up a little box from the tray which can’t be closed, and if you click on it, opens a window with no close/minimize/restore buttons with links to purchase or register. So if you want to close it, you can’t because there’s no button to do so in the window, no buttons on the title bar, and you can’t right click on the toolbar button and close it. So I try to open Task Manager to close it like that, but nothing happens. I try to run taskmgr (the Task Manager exe) from the run box, and it can’t find it!!!!! This sucky “program” has actually renamed a standard Windows program so that I can’t shut it down if I choose to do so! They call this an “anti” virus? Sounds more like the behavior of a virus to me. I don’t care if it’s the best anti-virus program on the face of the earth, I’ll not have software that intentionally tries to thwart me.
I love Avast free edition. It keeps our computers free from everything that’s come along in the last 3 years.
Norton Symantec crashed me every few months.
Although, I did have a Windows Vista Update that messed me up one time.
Avast is great!! It also doesn’t hog up all your memory...like the aforementioned.