Norton Internet Security 2005/2006

It is truly amazing how much SLOWER this program makes your start ups and shut downs. It takes so long...

Anyway to get around this?

 

Ya, uninstall it. Seriously, get rid of it. Norton is junk and will slow your system to a crawl, not to mention usually cause compatability issues later on. My recommendatin is get NOD-32 and a router. Most of the other stuff is unnecessary.

 

How will a router help my internet security? What's NOD 32

 

The reason cashmonee suggested to get a router is because most routers have an excellent built in firewall to keep out intruders, viruses and spyware, and that does not come at the cost of use of system resources.

NOD32 is a very reputable anti-virus program, a bit like Norton, but quicker, more efficient and has no junk features, so it NOD32 does not eat up system resources like Norton Anti-Virus does.

http://www.eset.com/products/index.php

 

well, I have a router but I don't know how it works for keeping other things out. It's a belkin.

 

You need to go to your router management console page. Open up your web browser, and type in the IP address of your router into the URL bar and hit enter.

For Belkin routers, the IP adress is usually 192.168.2.1, but it may vary for certain routers. To find out what your router IP address is, you can visit this site:

http://www.portforward.com/routers.htm

Scroll down the Belkin section, and click on your Router Model Number which can be located on the underside or backside of the router. A new page will come up with a list of lots of programs, click on any program and somehwere in the step by step, the IP address for your router will be mentioned somewhere.

Once you've got into the router management page, go to Wireless security and enable WPA-TKIP wireless encryption. This will stop unknown people from using your internet connection. After you have enabled the encrpytion, people will have to type in a password to use your internet connection.

Go to virtual servers or servers section and make sure all ports are closed, expect the ones you need for programs to access the internet.

 

Just to clarify, ALL routers are hardware firewalls. They don't have to specifically say they have a firewall. If there is no firewall it is a switch not a router.

 

ah..interesting.

Thanks cashmonee...

 

how much does NOD32 run for. Ive been reading about it for a while, but I have never actually used it.

 

http://www.eset.com/purchase/index.php

 

While all broadband routers (now) are hardware firewalls, not all are created equal. Some have different levels of packet inspection and/or filtering. Most consumer routers in the last six or seven years have capabilities similar to your software firewall counterparts. You can think of these routers as seperate computers with that software running. However, these hardware firewalls typically treat all outgoing traffic as safe. If a threat gets through any one of the automatically open ports, you won't know, and it can get out just as easy.

The problem with this "only need a router and anti-virus" theory, is that when you are away from your home router...then what? You won't be protected in the same way as you would be with a software firewall. Software firewalls allow you to choose which programs are allowed to access the internet. You can allow or deny your computer's processes from communicating through your connection. This is particularly useful if you strangely receive an instant message from someone you've never heard of because your router's firewall is automatically configured to allow IM traffic through certain ports. Several ports are automatically configured on these routers and if you don't monitor them or have a program to monitor these ports for you, you are still vulnerable. This is a main reason Microsoft added a firewall to the Windows OS.

I want to also say that I don't use a software firewall any longer. For my purposes (and most others) Windows firewall will suffice. If you are very mobile and using many public networks, I would look into a better solution. But if you just keep the computer at home, that router and Windows firewall should do the trick.

Norton may get a bum rep because their software is pretty bloated, but their Internet Security is pretty top notch. This is especially true for the firewall and virus scan. I have heard from Symantec that the 07 versions will be very streamlined and should impress. However, I'll believe it when I see it.

 

The other issue not addressed here is Spyware as no hardware router that I know of addersses this and this is something that Symantec does provide in their suite.

Anyway I was going to post a question about Zone Alarm when I came across this forum. My new laptop came with Norton Internet Secuity and I am not to thrill with it. What I can't seem to decide upon is to buy The Zone Alarm suite which includes firewall, anti-virus and spyware or just use freeware like Zone Alarm, AVG Anti-Virus and Spybot. If Zone Alarm is good at all three and does not impede performance, I have no problem buying it.

 

Very true about public netwroks. However, the Windows Firewall would be sufficient. It blocks incoming traffic as all firewalls do. The only thing a software firewall does different is that most will monitor outgoing traffic. However, it has been shown that they rarely report malware's outgoing traffic because the malware is smart enough to go around it. Software firewalls are of dubious benefit. Also, for public networls your bigger concern is encryption. Use a VPN.

And yes, Zone Alarm Suite will slow your computer a lot. Your best bet is to get NOD32, MS Defender, and a router. If you still feel you need a firewall get something like Kerrio. But don't ever let any of these programs lull you into feeling safe. Nothing replaces good internet behavior.

 

Yes i Totally agree there cashmon...

 

I prefer TrendMicro's security suite - it loads faster, uses less system resources and generally has a much better feel and usability than Norton which I was user for nearly 9 yrs, until last year. My e 1705 runs on McAfee which came with the laptop but I run Trendmicro on my mBp on the windoze side.

 

I would advise against McAfee as it also suffers the same problems. I run it for the mere reason that i paid for it and so i would feel i have wasted money if i get rid of it. It does its job pretty well, but startup is a pain in the bellend