Norton 360 about to expire

[x213a]

Got Norton 360 bundled in with a new laptop a year ago. I installed it on my desktop. The reminders are gaining in frequency and it's due renewal this week. I cant say I've had any problems with it but I'm not too keen on renewing when AVG can do a similar job.
I have read nightmare stories about computers suddenly "dying" or slowing down dramatically once Norton is allowed to expire and is not renewed. Anybody have any experience of this or is it folklore?

Should I standby to use a Norton removal tool?

[Jofm5]

2 days agao I let my renewel go through

I am a professional programmer and my love of computing funds my love of flying.

I let it go through because I need to be covered - do the free things such as avg work just as well then I would say yes probably.

As an IT pro I would say if your running a business then pay for it as if you ever are misfortunate in being hacked you have taken appropriate precautions, if not then use the free stuff.

I wont say one is better than the other as in the arena of anti-virus they are all really good and take it serious.

It is worth paying for antivirus software if you professionally using it, if not then use the free stuff,

Cheers

jof

[Sprogget]

Having not used Norton for a few years now, I'm quite happy with the free stuff. I use Avast, prior to that AVG free & I forget which prior to that.

My own experience of Norton was that it was quite intrusive, hogged the system a fair bit & gave me my fair share of false positives. However, as I say, not been near it for a while, so perhaps it's better these days?

One thing I can say, Norton removal tool does chop off the tendrils the thing leaves knocking around the system, certainly worked well for me.

[Forkandles]

Had Norton on a PC I bought a good few years back and as Sprogget says, you always knew it was there, with warnings flashing up, system slowing down, etc. Got rid and used Avast ever since with no problems.

The IT fella at work has just put Norton on my new PC at work and to be honest, you wouldn't even know it was there. Seems as though they might have cracked it at last...

[Bushfiva]

I'm currently using Microsoft Security Essentials and Windows Firewall. They work fine.

[Background Noise]

Kaspersky seems good with no effect on speed and consistently good reviews. If you shop around it's pretty cheap (and often cheaper to buy new at renewal time too).

KASPERSKY ANTI-VIRUS 2010 1 YEAR: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo (http://www.amazon.co.uk/KASPERSKY-ANTI-VIRUS-2010-1-YEAR/dp/B002T49O4S) (Never quite understand Amazon - they also list the same item for £79.99) If you have multiple PCs it is available as a 3-user option for £23.

[Tarq57]

I've had one or two interesting experiences helping peeps who have Norton 360 installed, but to tell the truth they seem to have been one-off events, and you can get the odd misbehavior from almost any program.

I'm somewhat anti-Norton, simply because I like to be more involved in my computer security, and Norton can be a bit of a resource hog, but what I'd say is: If it has been working well for you, keeping things secure, you are happy with it, and don't mind paying the renewal fee, keep it.

If you feel like a change of view, there are quite a few very good alternatives. (Including the one I use, Avast, which, simply, just works.)

Whatever you choose, try before you buy. All decent programs should offer a full fledged trial period of 15 - 60 days; irrelevant for the free versions.

Whatever you choose, download the full installer file for it, and any removal tools you might need before disconnecting from the net and uninstalling Norton (or any other AV.) Here's a link to the Norton Removal Tool (http://majorgeeks.com/Norton_Removal_Tool_SymNRT_d4749.html) (which is updated as required by MajorGeeks), Here (http://uninstallers.*************/) is a site with links to most other uninstallers one might ever require.

The normal procedure is to remove a program via the control panel, reboot, run the uninstaller, reboot, install the new program, then reboot (usually.)

Don't forget if removing Norton360 and installing one of the lesser featured AV's, to make sure the Windows firewall (or an alternative) is turned on before reconnecting.

[Mike-Bracknell]

2 days agao I let my renewel go through

I am a professional programmer and my love of computing funds my love of flying.

I let it go through because I need to be covered - do the free things such as avg work just as well then I would say yes probably.

As an IT pro I would say if your running a business then pay for it as if you ever are misfortunate in being hacked you have taken appropriate precautions, if not then use the free stuff.

I wont say one is better than the other as in the arena of anti-virus they are all really good and take it serious.

It is worth paying for antivirus software if you professionally using it, if not then use the free stuff,

Cheers

jof

As an IT Pro you would know that the EULA for AVG, Avast, etc means you have to pay for it in a business context anyway :)

(it's just that Norton 360 is a 360 degree POS)