Looking to replace Symantec

With something less bloated.
Also, cash is an issue these days; can someone suggest a free or relatively inexpensive Anti-Virus software?

Whats the best of the non-bloated programs?

 

Go here: Don't pay for things like that, when you can get awesome *freeware*

The best free antivirus/firewall/anti spyware programs
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=190538

Avira AV is awesome!
http://www.free-av.com/

As is SAS (Superantispyware): http://www.superantispyware.com/

System Cleaners:
Cccleaner:
http://www.ccleaner.com/
Revouinstaller:
http://www.revouninstaller.com/


Cin

 

Incredibly helpful-thanks.
Which do you recommend?

 

No problem!
Well, I have Avira AV, SAS, both ccleaner and RevoU & Windows Defender.

I think it comes down to personal choice...What I tell you I like, others will surely follow with their opinions to.

Avira..is a easy program and works well on my lappy and netbook.
SAS does what it needs to do, as does Ccleaner & RevoU..and WinDef.
All these were recommended from others on the forum.

I like app's that are easy to use..and all these are.

Take the time to peruse the freeware thread linked above..some good stuff in there, that could help you with your choices!

Cin

 

Just on the "costly side"...

I like Kaspersky Internet Security - but I think if money is an issue, go with the free "stuff" first.

 

Kaspersky Internet Security.

 

Do any of these free programs match up to the pay ones?

 

I think, overal, difficult to say.

Yes and no.

With a lot of searching you can possibly quite easily get the same level of protection from free software - but its easier with paid software.

I buy Kaspersky Internet Security and my worries are solved - I don't have to compare different software - in once test KIS may be 2nd, another 3rd, another 1st - it'll vary depending on the test...

Some free software will beat it, then loose...

If you want to stay "on top of it" - the free stuff will be able to offer the same level of protection. (Also dependable on user habbits)
Paid software is easier...

 

NIS 2009, if you want a pay for security. Norton 2009 products are the best in terms of resource usage.

 

What version of Norton are you currently using? If not NIS 2009, I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the current version.

 

To be honest-im not sure.
All I see is "Symantec Endpoint Protection"-how can I find out what version I have?

 

I use nothing. Just Vista with UAC.

 

This just doesn't protect you from Malware. Now a days a malware can bypass UAC easily.

 

I never ever met malware. Dunno, must be a behaviour that i don't have that others do have..

 

I would boycott Norton and any other software that requires product activation. I don't think I should explain to the company why I change my hardware in order to be able to reuse their software. It's none of their business!

 

Do you have to give them an explanation even if you have a product key?

 

I've used numerous Symantec products including SAV Corp Ed, End Point Protection and NIS2009 and I have to say NIS2009 is great "if" it works for you.

For me I had a major issue with NIS2009 causing an Outlook 2007 error (0x80042108) which a few users have also reported on Symantec's own tech support forum (See my last post in this thread).

In the mean time I tried out ESET Smart Security 4 (which has very similar features to NIS2009) and it's been flawless and the resource footprint is very good (in my estimation on my system it's the same if not better than NIS2009, and much much better than End Point Protection).

 

What about Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7?

 

Got Vista? stay with its firewall, defenders.

I personally add Avast and SpywareBlaster: free, light footprint, no headache.

cheers ...

 

If you want a free solution for home users, try AVG free. It is good enough for the price.

This is coming from a Symantec Corp/McAfee Enterprise user.

 

Yes you have to. The product key only allow you to install the software. To activate the software, you have to type in another serial number which can only be obtained over the phone. Unless you keep your hardware the same, then you can activate automatically online but you never know what they would do if you activate too many times. They may deny you to activate online and you have to call them.

Product activation sucks! It only hurts legitimate users. Illegitimate users will just use the cracked version that will bypass product activation.

 

That I have no choice. But AntiVirus I have many choices.

 

Do you want to replace Norton AV or Norton suite?
If it's only about AV, like already mentioned; Avira or Avast.
When you add ThreatFire and SpywareBlaster, you'll have a very decent package.
Depending on your need/wishes for granular control, you could add a firewall like Comodo or OnlineArmor (then ThreatFire isn't needed anymore).
The FW's do require a bit of learning though.
Cheers.

 

It's nothing like you said. There is just one product key you need to enter and it will automatically activate before installation. You can install multiple times (depending upon license) by re-entering the product key.

 

I'm a Kaspersky fan.

The other day I picked up NIS2009 because it was on sale and I have heard good things about the latest edition. I decided to try it on one of my desktops I recently rebuilt and overclocked. I have to admit the new Norton is pretty darn good. It's been about three years since I've used Norton and it would seem they've finally got one right. FWIW, Maximum PC gave NIS2009 a 9/10 in their AV roundup review.

 

From Norton AV2009 own help menu
If you are connected to the Internet, product activation takes place automatically when you start the product for the first time after installation.

In order to activate you have to go online and that is the problem. I don't like it at all when a company keep a log of how many times I install their software and in which machine. They may deny you future activation if you change your hardware too frequently or change your computer too many times. Afterall the license is just for one machine so they can technically deny you activation because you install it in a different machine. Eventhough you no longer use the old machine.

 

Kaspersky (at least on 7) allowed you to download the key as a file so you needen't go online.

 

Here's my opinion on 3 different AV programs.

Norton A/V 2009: I abandoned Norton years ago when their software became buggy, bloated, and a resource hog. After reading several glowing reviews of the new 2009 version, and a real good sale, I purchased it. I have to to say, I'm very surprised and pleased. It installed in less than a minute. It's uses a fraction of the resources of earlier versions. And all around performs great. I use it on my Vista laptop, and don't have a single negative thing to say about it.

Kaspersky: Kaspersky was my main AV program of choice for the last few years until recently. One day I turned on my computer, and the program was disabled stating my key was "blacklisted". When I contacted Kaspersky, they sent me a "canned" response about why keys get blacklisted such as piracy and sharing, etc. When I replied that neither was the case, they never answered back. I had purchased my KAV on eBay, but it was a sealed retail box, from a US seller. I have no reason to believe it wasn't legit, and it worked fine for 2 months. Due to Kaspersky's lack of support, I will not support their product, but will state I think their product it very good.

AVAST. I've been using free AVAST on my older systems for 2 years now, and it has always worked well, and never let me down. I'm even using it on my Windows 7 beta partition right now. I think it's a great choice for for those looking for free AV protection.

 

I've always used Symantec Antivirus (NOT Norton) Corporate Edition and it works just fine. Not bloated at all.

The only problem you may have is that on default, it was a start-up scan that scans all modified files when you boot up your computer and it may slow down your boot time but you can usually disable this scan and still have real-time protection.

 

I completely agree about the ESET.

 

What about the new ask.com toolbar the latest update to NIS2009 installs?

This is a dealbreaker for me.

 

I hadn't noticed it when I installed NIS on Saturday. I noticed the 'Norton Sells Out' thread discussing this.

Will have a look for the offending toolbar tonight when I get home.

 

you will only get it when you get updated to 16.5 if you have 16.2 or older you will not see it yet

 

if you are looking for a imo great alternative try vipre. i am testing it now and i must say its as fast as norton and very light and it has been great so far. its made by sunbelt who is also a very well known company in the industry

 

I'd be interested to hear how Vipre does.

 

You may want to look into ESET Smart Security 4.0

 

so far its working very well for me. i really like it its very fast light and detection seems great from my stuff i have thrown at it.

 

Yep, ESET's ESS 4 is as close to being a perfect security solution as can be I think. It's the only solution that I've tested so far that I haven’t been able find any major problems with, well except that it’s more expensive than most.

 

Agreed, it's the best one out there at the moment.

 

Good to know. I have NOD32 and am coming up on my one year renewal so very intereste to see how ESS 4 is working.

 

umm lol no... see the threads at wilders people are having all kinds of issues with ver4.. most people cant even access the internet the ids is blocking them even with all rules disabled etc they have a lot to work on before this even becomes close to perfect..

 

I don't know what to say about that. We put ESET ESS 4 on five machines and one personal machine at home and all of them were flawless and still are (running on 4 days now). And we're not that lucky, we've had so many issues with a lot of other packages. But we'll see, we're keeping a close eye on the machines in question.

 

also please read the threads over at wilders.

 

Will do...Why couldn't they leave well enough alone?

 

built are you looking for just a av or a full suite. im telling you vipre rocks but right now there is no firewall built in. they will be releasing a suite very soon though that will have sunbelt firewall added in. the av is a great program as light as nortons or eset and i have not had any issues at all with it. i also know sunbelt firewall is very nice so once they integrate it that combo will be hard to beat. and for those that buy the av now the suite upgrade will according to the vp of the company be "-cheap" so they will have a discount for those wanting to upgrade

 

Hey Z...I was definitely looking for a suite because I have the ESET suite currently. I prefer to have the firewall integrated.

I will definitely be looking at the Vipre, and the fact that the firewall will be integrated soon is good news. My ESET doesn't come due for a few months...July, I think...so that will give Sunbelt time to come out with the Suite. If they don't yet have the Suite, I can get the AV and use MS Vista Firewall in the interim.

I need to go to their website to check thing out.

...I really was starting to look at NIS2009, until the infamous ask.com and pfift.exe debacle. Then I thought that the new ESET suite v4 would be the way to go. They just can't seem to leave a good product alone.

 

nope they sure cant it stinks

 

Interesting, I've never heard of Vipre - I'll have to give it a shot too.

Eset v4 has already mentioned, so I'll leave it alone for now...I agree with everything zfactor says about the latest version though.

That said, if you're only looking for AV, you might try eset's nod32 (without the rest of the suite). Most of the problems have to do with the firewall (but not all)...so it might still be a good investment.

Avira 9 should be out this month - take a look at that.

Kaspersky has been getting a lot of bad press lately, so I don't know about them. But prior to that, it was quite a good AV. Around the same bloat as Norton 2009 I'd say, but not terrible.

 

dr web is another great av but there is no suite only the av but it does do adware and spyware as well. also one of the best at removal around

 

To the OP, if you have Symantec Endpoint Protection 11 (SEP 11), then make sure you are running the lastest maintenance release and maintenance patch (MR4 MP1A). The memory usage, cpu usage, etc. has dropped considerably from MR3. The managed client of SEP is also a bit smaller than before.

Make sure you update to the newest version of SEP.