Question about antivirus

[october]

I have a copy of Norton Systemworks 2001 running on my computer. It's great, and it had virus definition updates that I periodically downloaded. Several months ago those downloads stopped; there is nothing new to download, and I did pay for the subscription.

Does this mean I probably need to get Norton 2003 or Norton 2004? Norton 2004 is to be released in October but Norton 2003 should serve me fine for another year or so right?

I want to protect my computer against the latest threats.

Do you think there are no updates, or did they cut off my subscription?

Also, can I run simultaneously a copy of Norton Systemworks 2001 with a copy of Norton Antivurus 2003?

 

[zulu9812]

sod Norton, get AVG instead - http://www.grisoft.com

 

[HuckFinn]

I tend to be extremely sceptical of antivirus products... they hog your machine's resources, can often mess things up pretty badly in its setup, and don't even really work all that well, not least because the newest threats often spread faster than AV companies can distribute definition files.

If you insist on running Windows, the best strategy is to keep up with patches from Microsoft. Even the newest RPC problems were well documented and fixed before the virii came about to exploit the hole. The problem was that people hadn't installed the patches.

The second important thing is to turn off all sorts of auto-executing features in your e-mail client and web browser.

Third, be smart with attachments...

Fourth, you might consider getting a firewall.

 

[Turner]

Originally posted by zulu9812
sod Norton, get AVG instead - http://www.grisoft.com

Yeah, it's great. I use it too. The only pain is that I have to close down OE when it runs. But other than that, I like it.

 

[Hurricane]

I use Norton Internet Security 2003, and have found it excellent. It automatically downloades new virus definitions every week, blocks pop-ups, blocks ads, and is a good firewall. And I haven't noticed any decrease in performance.

 

[damunzy]

Some real answers.

I have a copy of Norton Systemworks 2001 running on my computer. It's great, and it had virus definition updates that I periodically downloaded. Several months ago those downloads stopped; there is nothing new to download, and I did pay for the subscription.
Contact Norton tech support. There might be something wrong with your setup.
Does this mean I probably need to get Norton 2003 or Norton 2004? Norton 2004 is to be released in October but Norton 2003 should serve me fine for another year or so right?
You probably don't need either of them.
I want to protect my computer against the latest threats.
Good idea, especially if you use programs like Kazaa.
Do you think there are no updates, or did they cut off my subscription?
Once again, contact Norton tech support.
Also, can I run simultaneously a copy of Norton Systemworks 2001 with a copy of Norton Antivurus 2003?
You should be able to - to make sure contact Norton tech support and/or check their forums, if they have one.

 

[Nixnutz]

couple more tips and thoughts for the virus thing...

AVG is a good product. The free version has lots of features and may fit the bill, but there is no technical support. Read the fine print

Network Associates (McAfee) also has good products and a free download called Stinger which is a virus removal tool. Last version was updated 8/28 and will search for and remove 30 bugs from your PC. http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/

 

[Titi]

Other free antivirus programs can be downloadedhere or there .

A firewall also helps not being infected by worms.