Should I leave on Symantec on my new T60?

Currently the system runs well with the 60 day trial of Norton antivirus and it's client firewall (I had it factory preconfigured with XP too, and its 2 gig memory and a 2ghz processor core 2 duo). Seems fast enough, but I know it's known to be a memory hog and I keep hearing how people hate Norton.

Question is, would you keep it on the system since things seem configured already to run in tandem with the Thinkvantage software, etc.? Or would you use the antivirus removal tool from the norton web page to bag this sucker and put something else on (i.e. Kapersky?) If so what would you put on instead?

Lastly, if I do keep the Norton and when the trial ends I pay to extend it, will it just extend the live updates or does it make me download a newer version of Norton and then that makes it a different (possibly bloated) animal?

Just wondering how much tinkering I should do with it. The last thing I want to do is to have to mess with the system registry or mess up what may be working fine. Just wanted your opinions.

Thanks,
S

 

I routinely remove any anti-virus on new machine. The only thing I use is Window defender as it is pretty passive.

 

i also got rid of the norton stuffs soon after i got the machine. use any other anti-virus software.

 

If you decide to remove Norton, also remove Symantec or remnants of the program will remain on your machine.

Kaspersky and Nod are excellent AV programs, but AVG and Avast are also pretty good . . . and free. Actually, I've read several reviews of the latest version of Norton recently which claim it's been pared down, runs more efficiently and is a much improved program. FWIW: my own preference is Kaspersky.

 

I use AVG. It's pretty good.

 

I also use AVG and like it. I usually restrain it to on-demand scanning online.

 

correct
ANYTHING is better than norton
namely Kaspersky or NOD32

 

There are numerous free solutions out there as well besides the well-known ones like Avast AVG or AntiVir

You could try Kaspersky 7.0 beta - it's free. Sure it's beta, but it works just fine.
There's always AOL Active Virus shield if you're still using XP - it's basically Kaspersky 6.0.

 

Seems people hate Symantec with a passion, looks like I should take this thing off while it's still easy enough. Can I assume the symantec removal tool is enough to remove all remanants of their software? Will it leave anything on still? If so can I leave it at that or do I have to do something to the registry to completely delete it?

lastly, if anyone knows a good firewall then too instead of symantec corporate firewall I'd love to know your thoughts on that.

Many thanks,
S

 

I have the same T60 that I bought last month. I just removed the trial Symantec. When I first tried to run Norton Removal Tool, it advised me to first use XP's add/remove programs to get rid of "Symantec Client Security." That worked fine and then I ran Norton Removal Tool to get rid of stray registry entries etc...

Guess what I replaced it with? My company offers all employees a free version of just the Symantec anti-virus (minus the firewall and other assorted security add-ons) It works great in my desktop with the Windows firewall enabled. So far, no problem in my T60.