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Author Topic: Virus Protection Question
KarlEd
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Hi guys.
I've been having awful trouble with my home PC lately. Suddenly everything has slowed to an absolute crawl. If I switch between programs I'll have a 20-30 second (or more) wait before I can do anything. I'm beginning to suspect the problem is with Norton Antivirus (or firewall or its anti-spam functionality, I'm not sure.) When I disabled both the Internet Security and the Anti-virus, and rebooted the slowness was gone. I had shut down both Norton apps for 4 hours and everything was working better. Suddenly all the slowness returned, and I noticed that Norton was active again (the time off had expired).

SO, my question is two-fold: 1. Any ideas what I can do to fix this? I've already paid for Norton and have had it long enough that a rebate or refund is probably not going to happen. 2. Any better product out there? Anything free?

Anyone else have problems like this with Norton?

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Kwea
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I had problems with Norton, so I ditched it for AGV AntiVir, which I got from majorgeeks.com, one of my favorite sites for freeware programs.


I also used majorgeeks.com to find a free firewall.... the Sygate firewall.

I love them both. I use spybot and spywareblaster for spyware and malware detection, and rarely find much at all. [Big Grin]

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Boris
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Yes. Constantly. Half the computers I've seen that had Norton on them slowed to a trickle very quickly. Some didn't start at all. Ditch norton, and pick up AVG. It's low on resources and has, IMO, a much better virus database.
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KarlEd
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Thanks guys. I'll try that now.
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Tante Shvester
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Virus Protection
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Flaming Toad on a Stick
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quote:
Originally posted by Tante Shvester:
Virus Protection

[ROFL]
Tante, of all your 7700 posts, how many have been of this kind?

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Tante Shvester
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Uh, some?
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Boris
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Reminds me of the old geek gag gift I saw several years ago. Small version of a Norton Antivirus box with a condom in it. Of course, the modern version would probably have a ripped one in there.
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Kwea
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Some?


Riiiiight. [Wink]

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Dan_raven
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So what you are saying is that the only 100% protection from computer viruses (virusi?) is 100% internet abstinence.

Remember, when your computer hooks up with another computer, you are also hooking up with all the computers that one has hooked up with, and all the computers they have ever hooked up with, etc, etc.

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Boris
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quote:
Originally posted by Dan_raven:
So what you are saying is that the only 100% protection from computer viruses (virusi?) is 100% internet abstinence.

Remember, when your computer hooks up with another computer, you are also hooking up with all the computers that one has hooked up with, and all the computers they have ever hooked up with, etc, etc.

The sad thing is, this isn't that far off from reality.
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Morbo
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quote:
Originally posted by Dan_raven:
Remember, when your computer hooks up with another computer, you are also hooking up with all the computers that one has hooked up with, and all the computers they have ever hooked up with, etc, etc.

So if you have a slutty computer, prepare for the worst. Try lecturing it, then repeated groundings.
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TheTick
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Dude, the correct term for a PC is 'promiscuous'.
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Morbo
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The PC PC term?
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Jay
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Norton is of the devil!
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Sterling
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quote:
So if you have a slutty computer, prepare for the worst. Try lecturing it, then repeated groundings.
In related news, my computer recently gave birth to a 6 oz. IPod. I don't know who the father is, but I have my suspicions about that bad seed Macintosh next door.

More seriously, ZoneLabs' Zone Alarm, which I use, has an excellent reputation and is free for private use. My only quibble with it is that it seems to think it needs an important security update every time I turn around.

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Dan_raven
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I firmly believe that all this talk about coddling our PC's is dangerous and un-American. Education that emphasises "Safe Protocols" are just leading our innocent pc's to ruin. The pracitce of giving away free and ineffective "firewalls" just encourages internet promiscuity amongs new-ie virgin-computers.

I believe that the only sensible, and the only governmentally allowable, choice should be the teaching of safe, pure, internet abstinence.

Who is with me?

Sure, networking can be a special stirring event, when its between two consenting systems. Even then the strictist of network monogamy needs to be preserved for the safety of both.

Further, this permisiveness has already tainted the purity of our American computer community. Such viruses have resulted in the growth of... and please pardon this language in this family forum... Mac Users.

Some even blame demented Mac users for spreading these viruses in our PC world, just to seduce our young away from the pureness that is the PC. Now, with the new spread of Bi-Computationality, these supposed PC/Mac combinations (oh the horror) I...I...I just can't go on. Is there no shame?

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BannaOj
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*ROTFL*!!!!!
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Kwea
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Well, Dan, it was nice knowing you.

Too bad Hatrack is on the internet, huh?


Enjoy knitting.

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Boris
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Man. Dan, you're a genius! [Hail]
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Boothby171
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Dan, I just read something somewhere about a "marriage" between the MAC and Windows operating systems. Personally, I don't think that it's right or proper for the term "marriage" to be applied to such an unholy union.

I believe that the New testament states that for a Mac to run PC-based apps is "an abomination."

I'll let you know the moment I come across any references to what it's called when a PC runs Mac-based apps. Something about it being a "sign of the coming of the end-of-days."

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Tatiana
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My brother is sysadmin for his company, and he calls Internet Explorer and Outlook Express the twin sluts who welcome any and all into your computer to infect you. (Yes, he is given to using colorful metaphors.)
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