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Antivirus Help (trouble with Norton)

italianranmaitalianranma Registered User regular
Years ago, just prior to building a gaming rig I shopped for professional antivirus software to install, and based off of my research (from a Tom's Hardware article I think?) I decided on Norton and I've been using them since. I'm currently unhappy with it for a few reasons. First, I've been suckered into buying multiple plans: for a few months I actually paid for two concurrent subscriptions on the same computer. Second, I'm currently unable to install my Norton Security Premium on my laptop. When I go to install it I always receive an error that another Norton product is currently being installed. I uninstalled all Norton products and tried to download it again and received the same error. Despite not having any Norton product installed, I do receive a Norton pop up that prompts me to install new software: following that prompt tries to install a different version of Norton that I do not have a subscription for. Additionally, I suspect that Norton slows down certain games I play online (like Guild Wars II). I was about to call Norton and have them walk me through the process of correctly installing whatever the current software is, but I don't like how cryptic their software and website can be with managing my software.

My question for the masses is should I continue to use Norton, or should I look elsewhere? I just resubbed (I think 15 December is my annual renewal), so it'd be a shame to waste that (if I can't get that money back that is). If not Norton than what should I use? I'm incredibly lazy and ignorant when it comes to checking for updated software and monitoring my computer/online identity, so I'm willing to pay for software or someone else to do that for me. If all paid subscription services are like this than I'll probably just stick with Norton. New Year, New Me however, so I could probably be persuaded to learn a little more about computer self-defense.

飛べねぇ豚はただの豚だ。

Posts

  • DaimarDaimar A Million Feet Tall of Awesome Registered User regular
    There's nothing wrong with Windows Defender which is free with Windows 7, 8 & 10.

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  • zepherinzepherin Russian warship, go fuck yourself Registered User regular
    Norton is garbage. It eats system resources to do anything, and it's just not great at protecting.

    Mcafee is only marginally better.

    I would say Windows Defender and Malware Bytes together are going to serve you well, and they are free.

  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    Norton giving occasional pop-ups means that something is installed on there. That the software is kinda there and trying to install something means that you've got a broken install that needs to go before anything else goes in. Norton has an official removal tool you can run and get rid of all of the file and registry traces that broken install left behind.

    I used to be a big fan of Malwarebytes but I'm not sure I am anymore. The software is still good but in their effort to modernize they've made it look and act an awful lot like some of the scam software like DriverSupport. It still does the job, but the trajectory it's taking makes me not trust them as much these days.

  • italianranmaitalianranma Registered User regular
    Thanks for the suggestions. I'm going to call Norton and see if I can get a refund on that annual subscription.

    飛べねぇ豚はただの豚だ。
  • Inquisitor77Inquisitor77 2 x Penny Arcade Fight Club Champion A fixed point in space and timeRegistered User regular
    If you really want endpoint protection then Bitdefender is a good choice.

  • Anon the FelonAnon the Felon In bat country.Registered User regular
    Eset is also a highly reputable AV.

  • ApogeeApogee Lancks In Every Game Ever Registered User regular
    Just stick with Windows Defender unless you're regularly browsing shady sites without browser protection or downloading iffy files.

    In which case, stop doing those things.

  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    Apogee wrote: »
    Just stick with Windows Defender unless you're regularly browsing shady sites without browser protection or downloading iffy files.

    In which case, stop doing those things.

    Wait for the next Windows update that includes sandboxes. :rotate:

  • italianranmaitalianranma Registered User regular
    What are sandboxes? Also, what is a good form of browser protection?

    飛べねぇ豚はただの豚だ。
  • Jebus314Jebus314 Registered User regular
    Sandboxes are a way of programming that tries to completely isolate a program from the rest of the operating system. So for example if you sandboxed your browser, then even if you clicked on a link that downloaded a virus, nothing would happen because your browser does not have access to any other folders or permission to run anything. Then, when you are done browsing, everything gets deleted, just in case.

    Of course this means when you actually want to download something, you have to jump through a bunch of hoops. And if you are trying to download something that is infected, you can unwittingly defeat the sandbox by allowing the download (which is infected) access outside the sandbox.

    There are programs (like sandboxie) that you can download right now that implement this kind of protection. I like it, but some people find it annoying, and tend to give access outside the sandbox whenever it asks without thinking, which kind of defeats its purpose.

    Otherwise you want some kind of ad-blocker for your browser, as often times the ads on normal sites is where the virus/malware will be hidden. If you’re really paranoid you also want to disable javascripts on most sites, either through built in settings on the browser, or with a script blocking addon. This will disable functionality in some sites, but javascripts are notorious for being hi-jacked to run malicious code.

    "The world is a mess, and I just need to rule it" - Dr Horrible
  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    uBlock Origin is pretty much the gold standard for ad blockers these days since it blocks all sorts of scripts as well. As a bonus, it's the only one that blocks ads on Hulu.

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