My Norton is driving me nuts

April 14, 2005 | pbrown

[Salgak]

And for those not in the know, AVG Free Edition is available at http://www.grisoft.com

[OKIEDOC]

I am in the same boat as you. I turn on the computer and if it works fine. If it doesn't work then I'm lost.

My computer constantly restarts on me. My Norton constantly wants to update a new virus protection about the time I want to FReep.

I like the Internet but boy does some of this crap really bug me.

[Wooly]

Uninstall any and all Norton products you have on your computer. Once Norton was the tops, but then Symantec bought it and it is now on the same level as McAfee.
Symantec is a software company that buys other people software and then does very little to improve it, and most of the they do such a lousy job that it will screw up your computer.
The product you have, Norton Internet Security is actually the very old @Guard Firewall and it has not been improved to any degree since Symantec bought it.
As to the suggestion to get McAfee, don't do it. For those of us who know quite a bit about computers, we classify McAfee products as more of a problem than have a virus on your computer. Like Norton, McAfee is a very large program that really slows both the start-up and performance of your computer. It is also prone to screwing up operating system files rendering your system unstartable.
Right now the best Anti-Virus is probably AVG Pro which is $33.00 for the program with a two year update subscription, however the Free version of AVG is also a great program. For a firewall program I like SygatePE which is also free. It is a little geeky, but this gives you quite a bit of control over it so that you don't get a bunch of false alarms.
If you are on a broadband connection you should also consider buying a cheap router as this will prevent your system from being seen by scanners as the router does not look like a computer on the internet.

[ElkGroveDan]

ROTFLMAO...thanks

[UB355]

I downloaded AVG on the advice of a friend. I'm new to this PC stuff Previous MAC user. I ran the scan and it found 4 viruses that McAfee missed. McAfee was a trial version, it is now gone.

[nikos1121]

my norton was running perfectly also, then it hiccups and i no longer have the auto run.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

It's the Lucas Electrical system. Get a Harley.

[biblewonk]

My Norton is driving me nuts

So you call it Norton. Well, to each his own.

[processing please hold]

Dump Norton.

It already has one foot in the grave and the other is slipping. It isn't worth the hassle or the grey hair.

[kallisti]

Thanks for the link. I didn't realize they were still around.

[Goodgirlinred]

I love Norton. I downloaded the Service Pack 2 myself, big mistake because I am technologically challenged. I also downloaded Norton 2004, same thing. I know nothing about computers. Well, I was having problems. I called my tech. He said the service pack 2 was giving everyone problems. He told me what to do. I did it. However, it only worked for a short time, so I had to take it to my tech. He did that defraging thing, some other stuff because I had messed it up, he found a virus in there in the new AIM I had downloaded (when the real problem had started), and now everything is running like a top. I love Norton. It has kept my computers safe, and that is saying something because someone stole the addresses on a big listserv for cancer patients and caregivers I was on and started sending viruses and worms to all of us.

[processing please hold]

Oh, sorry. Thought you had a commando.

I do have a commando, he's just working on the water well. Besides, he doesn't know where the on/off switch is to this thing. He's even less knowledgeable than I am...if you can imagine that.

He just got me this thing so he could reclaim the tv remote.

[Salvation]

That's why I switched to AVG

Had the same problems and phone calls to them (Norton)didn't help reslove it at all.

[OKIEDOC]

My brother had the same problem with his Compaq.

Compaq could not fix it and finally had to send him a new computer.

Compaq representative told him they were having lots of this kind of problems with certain models of their computers.

[Betis70]

I think they just started back up. In Oregon too of all places.

[wouldilie]

I hoped he was talking about a featherbed single, myself.

[JustAnAmerican]

Well .. my son is a computer professional and he says MacAfee is JUNK.

(shrug), as I said before we all have our preferences. But just as an FYI,

[processing please hold]

If you downloaded & installed Windows XP SP 2, there are some known conflicts with Norton

Problems with windows XP came up the third time I reinstalled Norton. Seems like the more I try to fix it...the worse it gets.

[ChildOfThe60s]

The only good Norton was the bike.

[JoeV1]

Avast has a free anti virus program that I have been using for 2 years. It updates automatically and I have had no problems with it at all.

If interested here is the site.

http://www.avast.com/index.html