Anti-virus software that doesn't turn your PC into a sloth?

la toilette

la toilette

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Sorry for another PC thread but....;

I recently changed my anti virus software after my previous (Norton) subscription expired, and decided to plump for Zonealarm Security Suite to sort of pay them back for supplying me with free firewall protection for the last 4 years.

Seems like I made a bit of an error - my PC is noticeably much slower to start up, and the email checking part of the application pretty much paralyses my PC for the duration of it's checking. I'm sure it's as effective as any other AV software, but it's just sooooo slow.

Any suggestions on this and also on good sites for tips and suggestions on speeding up XP a tad?
 
I use Grisoft AVG Free. Certainly better than norton... However, all AVs will slow things up while they're checking as it's a pretty intensive process. At least with AVG you can choose to run it in passive mode (on-demand checking only).

I had some problems with zonealarm, and switched to Sygate Personal Firewall. However, Sygate has just been bought out by Symantec (makers of Norton)...
 
I use a combination of AVG Free 7.0 for antivirus and Sygate Personal Firewall (still available if you google for it - but has recently been acquired by Symantec). AVG updates itself daily and Sygate just works. I've not used ZoneAlarm for about 3 or 4 years now, since I wasn't too impressed when it trashed my installation of Windows 2000.

*Great minds think alike, Isaac - looks like we both run the same combination. Goodness knows what Symantec will manage to do to Sygate - I shudder at the thought, having not been overly impressed with their stuff in recent years.
 
i use avast and zonealarm. nothings gotten through and destroyed any data or ripped me off yet. i've had a few tracking cookies slip past but i'm pretty paranoid about allowing any sort of access to the outside world if i'm not sure what is asking for it so i'm not too worried.
 
nsherin - I hit reply, and by the time the page loaded yours was there too, so was pretty simultaneous
 
I have used AVG for years, and no problems. Norton is a massivly bloated waste of money, it does nothing that AVG can't do really, and AVG is free.
 
I tried a few free ones including AVG but eneded up going back to Norton. One of the freebies (PCcillin iirc ) actually stopped me accessing my windows control panel which was a right pig to try and put right.

I do have a bit of a downer on Norton ATM though. I bought my daughter a new laptop in september and it came with Norton Internet security installed/bundled software . Brilliant apart from the fact that it was programmed to stop working after only 3 months unless you paid and subscribed for a further year.
I got my own back by deleting it and installing a cheapo £5 cracked copy i got of e-bay for peanuts - free upgrades forever.....greedy buggers, i don't mind payng a reasonable amount for a quality product but when they take the mick then so do I.

I find that just using the basic Norton AV software is OK, my machines only slow down when i've let Norton do other stuff too...

I use BT-Yahoo as my ISP. They use Norton software to scan everything before it even gets to me. Basically I have a quick look at my e-mails via web mail first, dump all of the obvious sh!te into my trash/Bulk folder first and then open up Outlook express. It then only downloads messages that i have pre selected and wish to save on my HDD.
 
I actually find Norton pretty good but also run AVG Free on the laptop so hopeful with them being networked together I should catch most things before they go further than one PC.

Firewall in the router too.
 
Thanks for all the replies. Maybe I'll try to tweak Zonealarm to trim down its workload. The free firewall version always seemed fine, it's the virus checker/internet security/email protection that seems to slow everything down. If I can't speed it up I may try the free AVG.

Norton had let me down last year by allowing a virus to sneak through that it should have picked up (according to the virus definition/update no.) so this is why I decided to change. Can't remember the virus name (one of those that exploited the Outlook preview pane I think) but it randomly crippled some display/vga system file so that I got nothing on the monitor after the post screen - so even though the PC started up fine I couldn't see anything, even in safe mode - very frustrating, had to reinstall the OS. Luckily I'd partitioned my drive and kept all my user files away from the C: drive so it was more irritating that disastrous!
 
It is funny when you get customers phoning up saying their PC is slow, the problem usualy turns out to be varius anti virus and spyware packages using up 300MB of memory on a system which has 128MB RAM.
 
Linux is not practicle on a day to day basis due to the limited amount of commerical software for it.

Most people prefer to use their PCs without having to rebuild the Kernal eveytime they forget to shut down :p:

Having said that Linux is a great operating system and it has its place but it will take a long time before its any threat to Windows on the desktop.
 
I don't have a spyware problem, I regularly sweep my system for that kind of crap and am cautious with my internet use - that is I don't visit hacker/warez sites or download all manner of sh!te from here there and everywhere. Zonealarm slows me down, that's all.

I've had a couple of friends PC's to sort out that have suffered from spyware to such an extent that every click of the mouse results in a 30 sec wait for a reaction from the PC. Backup user files - format - reinstall, it's the only practical way. I tried once to clean up a crippled PC by deleting/uninstalling spyware, but you have also to sieve all the system directories for dodgy executables and scour the registry for hidden entries that consistently recreate batch files you've deleted every time the PC restarts, and study the active processes list again and again and look on the web to work out which ones shouldn't be there etc etc. Never again.

Having obtained copies of Ubuntu I'll carry on trying it out, but I have too many applications that I like on Windows to pull the plug on it just yet!
 
At one time I made use of Zonealarm, AVG and SpybotS&D and to be honest things ticked along just like clockwork until over a period of a month or so both Zonealarm and AVG started playing up - nothing too serious just minor agg. So out with ZA & AVG and in with the free NOD32, Microsoft Antispyware and the Firefox Noscript extension. Are these any better / faster than the last lot? They get the job done and I do like the way SpybotS&D along with MS Antivirus informs you when something running is about to change a setting that could cause problems much like the way the Noscript extension seeks permission before actioning any javascript or flash commands. I reckon the best advice is "Do not click on things you are unsure of" as if you do something nasty might well happen.
 
Actually, Linux is fine and stable IME. I use OSX through choice, and run a W2K/AS box in London and an XP box for web dev so I'm well aware of the limitations of Windows, and a modern decent Linux distro is FAR FAR more stable than XP. However, your point about commercial software is valid though most Windows owners I know just pirate theirs anyway.
 
I certainly don't - I have a lot of legal Adobe elements products on my PC. In fact the only software suite I use which you can use on Linux is Open Office and Firefox.

For server use I am sure Linux is a lot more stable, but for my uses XP is perfect. I have never ever known XP to crash apart from on over heating Marketing Inside P4s.
 

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