Norton must die

[Final_metroid]

Ok, so i got a new computer and Norton was on it already. I know from testimonials here that norton isnt good but I thought "it must be exaggeration". It isn't. "ccApp.exe" freezes up my computer alot of times and Norton is just plain annoying to deal with all the unneeded bells and whistles.

If i am going to uninstall Norton, should I replace with good ol' AVIRA? Or is there some hip new free AV software out? Also, if I want a firewall (zonealaram for instance) has anyone had any experiences with them going haywire or messing up their comp, not working correctly, conflicting software etc. I've never used it before and I want to be careful

Also, if norton is to be uninstalled, is it one of those programs that leaves an annoying part of itself behind in the registry or any other hidden place? If so, should i take the steps to expunge it?

[Fritz the Cat]

AVG is nice: http://free.grisoft.com/

Norton is a paranoid bitch.

[Liontamer]

Not sure if uninstalling Norton leaves behind stuff, but it shouldn't really matter once you do. Definitely ice it, it's a total piece of shit. A shame too, Norton himself hasn't been involved the company for years. Definitely explore AVG and other CNET recommended virus-protection programs. As for other related security programs, ZoneAlarm is cool and AdAware is good as well.

[Bigfoot]

Please use this when un-installing Norton stuff.

http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039?Open&src=&docid=2001092114452606&nsf=nav.nsf&view=pfdocs&dtype=∏=&ver=&osv=&osv_lvl=

[HalcyonSpirit]

I use BitDefender for anti-virus/spyware and Comodo Firewall for, obviously, the firewall. They both work for me quite well. Worst problem I had was with Comodo, and that was just it using a lot of CPU every few seconds because my computer was being bombarded with blocked connections. Fixing that was as easy as telling it not to log anything from the Network Monitor and clearing the existing log.

(Of course, I probably wouldn't even need a firewall if I was anywhere besides a college campus, but that's another matter entirely.)

Just so you know, ZoneAlarm used to be good, but lately it's been going down in quality and has quite a few conflicts with other programs. I used it for a while before that happened, and I had to switch because of it. I'd avoid ZA for now.

[Bigfoot]

AVG is nice: http://free.grisoft.com/

Norton is a paranoid bitch.

Yeah, that's probably the best free one. If you're going to buy one, definitely go for NOD32 http://www.eset.com/

[Final_metroid]

according to http://www.av-comparatives.org/

AVIRA is a tad better than AVG, which should I go with?

[Pyrion]

http://free.grisoft.com

[Dafydd]

What's wrong with the built-in windows firewall? I really hate ZoneAlarm. It keeps minimizing my games, causing them to crash, and it never remembers my settings. Hate it. Really do.

[HalcyonSpirit]

What's wrong with the built-in windows firewall? I really hate ZoneAlarm. It keeps minimizing my games, causing them to crash, and it never remembers my settings. Hate it. Really do.

Like I said before, ZoneAlarm has been having issues lately with compatibility and stability, so avoid it. I use Comodo. It has essentially all the functionality of ZoneAlarm's firewall, hardly any of the problems, and is completely free.

As far as Windows Firewall goes, it has some bad holes in it. Not a huge amount of them, but enough to want a better firewall if you need a firewall at all. Thing is, I really don't think I'd ever need a firewall except for when I'm connected to a network such as a college campus... like I am now. At home, I'd be fine with just the Windows Firewall, and maybe even without that. But on a college campus, not having a good firewall is like begging for your computer to get exploited, and Windows Firewall is just a little too easy to get around.