Bring me the head of Peter Norton!!

[Mescalito 19]

I just "upgraded", if you can call it that, to Norton 360 v2. To summarize:

 

It took more than 2 freakin' hours for it to download and install, and even after all that I still wasn't sure if it was done; it just sort of stopped doing stuff.

 

I started running the scans this evening after I got home from work, and for each section it takes at least five minutes of saying "Starting" before it actually starts to do something.

 

I tried to pause or cancel it several times and it wouldn't. In fact, it disabled Task Manager so I couldn't shut it down that way, and locked up the other apps I had running so I couldn't close them down either. In fact, the only thing I could do was unplug my laptop from the outlet as well as pull out the battery

 

Let's see if at least the uninstall utility works.

[joekicker 53]

Peter Norton has had nothing to do with any of that stuff since the last century. No one except an IT Deparment should install anything with the name Norton or Symantec. Why an IT Department WOULD do it is beyond my limited reasoning power, but at least they get paid for it.

 

It is not good software. It is very badly behaved software. It does not protect you very well. It does not work very well.

 

On the other hand, it is almost all bloatware and slow as service in an embassy visa section.

[Samsonite 181]

The first thing I do when a friend asks for help with their computer is to check to see if they have anything from Norton/Symantec installed. Their last good piece of software was the old Norton's Commander.

 

There are much better products available that can do the same job.

Edited April 22, 2008 by Scalawag

[MC_Ldop 40]

I used to write about all this crap. Norton hasn't made a good product in a decade and it ruined Ghost.

 

Personally, I don't use any anti-virus, run free anti-spyware, do a monthly image backup, and keep a copy of essential documents online.

[joekicker 53]

There are much better products available that can do the same job.

 

comma, and the best of that is free.

 

I still have NC.EXE, heh. 65,840 bytes, 15 May 1986.

[Jantrevor 31]

Norton 360 is OK if you have a newish computer with LOTS of memory.

However, I do not use the back-up to their web.

You also have to rune the full scan on a regular basis, the quick scan seems to miss a lot.

But I too miss the old Commander.

Jan

[xen 0]

[comma, and the best of that is free.

quote]

 

 

 

Joe, sorry i don't understand ...... Is comma a anti virus programme like AVG ? Haven't heard of it , Tell me more .

Edited April 26, 2008 by xen

[joekicker 53]

Norton 360 is OK if you have a newish computer with LOTS of memory.

 

Well, in the sense that it is OK to eat a whole loaf of bread and butter before the appetizer in the nice restaurant if you have a 48-inch belly and your normal dinner is a 32-ounce pork chop. Sure, it is "OK" to take the scaggy FL with the pussy scabs on her legs if you have a newish pack of Viagra and a 24-pack of condoms.

 

But there are still a hell of a lot better, more appetising things you could do even if you were so drunk you thought she looked good and you believed the Norton ads.

 

Frankly speaking, I don't think it is OK to run Norton. I understand how people get hoodwinked into doing it, but friends do not let friends run Norton or Symantec "security" products, and try to get them to quit.

[Samsonite 181]

...but friends do not let friends run Norton or Symantec "security" products, and try to get them to quit.

Now that I can agree with.

 

BTW, over the years there have been many "clones" of Norton's Commander.

For Linux users there is "Midnight Commander" which can be ran from a prompt in a console. If you prefer a GUI, e.g., the KDE Desktop, there is "Krusader" which has every file management bell and whistle ever imagined.

Edited April 26, 2008 by Scalawag

[Dave16 1]

I used to run Norton Anti-Virus as it was the best known name in the business so I figured it must be good. It was crap! As it is so widely used most virus creators can find a way around it and do so with alarming regularity even if the definitions are kept up to date. I now use a free programme AVG and haven't had a problem in two years. I also use PC Tools free firewall and that has been fine too.

[joekicker 53]

Dave, yes! Also really excellent are Avira for anti-virus and Comodo Pro for a firewall. There are other really good ones, too, and equally costly, i.e. free.

 

And there is one large, steaming pile of dung, identified many times above, which you have to pay to smell.

[MC_Ldop 40]

Avast! is another fine and free program for anti-virus and anti-spyware.

[Mescalito 19]

Life has now returned to normal. I removed Norton, then downloaded and installed CyberDefender. It downloaded and installed in a matter of minutes, runs quickly and efficiently and most important to me, my laptop is no longer running like a 286 on Valium!

[joekicker 53]

Good for you in removing Norton. Boy, I have heard horror stories how that didn't work.

[mykl 72]

No Symantic product will ever see the inside of my computer. They suck, big time, out loud and in public. A pox on them and their children unto the tenth generation.

[Dave16 1]

No Symantic product will ever see the inside of my computer. They suck, big time, out loud and in public. A pox on them and their children unto the tenth generation.

 

Uh! Can we assume from this that you don't like them very much?

[Jantrevor 31]

The problem with Norton 360 is running the automatic system checks and virus scans.

You can solve your problems by turning off the automatic scans by going into tasks and settings, advanced settings and change from the automatic mode, setting up when to run the scans etc.

 

It takes 4 houts to do a full run on my system so I do it over supper and into the evening.

 

Jan

[joekicker 53]

The problem with Norton 360

 

There is more than one. Way, way more.

[The-Shadow 0]

comma, and the best of that is free.

 

I still have NC.EXE, heh. 65,840 bytes, 15 May 1986.

I'm a little more up to date than you.

NCE.COM 38,609 Bytes 17-Jun-1994 - Norton's Editor

[mykl 72]

Uh! Can we assume from this that you don't like them very much?

 

You may.

[eltilza 0]

run Norton on any pc with xp and less than 512mb ram and your looking for trouble

 

better to uninstall this bloated memory and processor hungry app and install

 

AVG or avast

 

spybot

 

zonealarm basic

 

all free excellent products well proven and use little system resources

[mykl 72]

run Norton on any pc with xp and less than 512mb ram and your looking for trouble

 

better to uninstall this bloated memory and processor hungry app and install

 

AVG or avast

 

spybot

 

zonealarm basic

 

all free excellent products well proven and use little system resources

 

Zone Alarm free and Vista sp1 do not play well together as of this writing. (15 May) I could not find anything on the ZA website about a fix, so beware.

[joekicker 53]

I don't like Zonealarm any more. It's bloated and the free version is more nagware than freeware. I don't often recommend, but although I realise that no piece of software suits all people all of the time, I do actually recommend Comodo Pro firewall at

http://www.comodo.com/

 

They have other security software which has got good reviews. I like Avira and AVG, I like Ad-Aware and Spybot.

 

All of them are free, as in beer. All of them are equal or better than anything you'd pay for.

 

As far as Norton and Symantec, I'd rather have hackers invading my machine than use them. I have never, ever seen a virus as bad as those alleged so-called "security" programs and I have researched really bad viruses including those that delete personal data and one that actually totally hosed my hard drive. None was as bad as Norton Anti-Virus.

 

If there was NO alternative to those programs, I'd use nothing. I'm serious. They are that bad, that intrusive, that arrogant and that expensive.

[valentinoxxx 4]

Zone Alarm free and Vista sp1 do not play well together as of this writing. (15 May) I could not find anything on the ZA website about a fix, so beware.

 

Were you running ZoneAlarm for XP i.e Version 7.0**** or ZoneAlarm for Vista i.e. Version 7.1******?

[jacko 8,822]

I don't recommend taking any hasty action based on what the above know alls are saying. It might be a case of better the devil you know.

 

 

I foolishly listened and downloaded AVG 8.0.100... took nearly an hour.

 

But it won't install unless you uninstall Norton... then it still won't install and maybe you have to shut down your computer. Then you will have to wait another age and download AVG again because it isn't something you can save and try to install again (that I can figure out) you have to start from scratch and download the 45MB ,again, and this time connected without virus protection. By now my internet connection here in Pattaya is getting slow and the download has failed 3 times.

 

 

 

I now have a no virus protection. Have wasted many hours and am beating my head on my keyboard.

Edited May 26, 2008 by jacko