They're going to be incomplete. They only scan for a comparatively small subset of viruses and they'll only find those AFTER your machine's been infected. You really should pop the few bucks and buy an active virus scanner (one that will scan all inbound email and periodically scan your system for the complete database of viruses). It's the difference between wearing a condom and not getting a STD in the first place vs. going to a free clinic and finding out you've already contracted one. Makes saving the small cost of the condom seem pretty insignificant
Suggest your follow ArchAngel's advice and get protected. I've had computers for years and only recently had my first virus and trojan horse attacks. Norton picked them both up and perhaps saved my system... It's only a matter of time before something tries to attack your system, too. This last weekend, CompUSA advertised Norton Systemworks + Personal Firewall combo for $69 with $50 rebate. That's a good deal. Comes with 1 year of updates included.
K. Thx for th help. Random puter rebooting problem here. Going thru the steps trying to figure out if its hardware software virus or whatever. A daunting task. mktman
lol archangel, interesting analogy .. works... agree, having norton a/v is ok, also good to have pestpatrol.com and adaware for anti-trojans, and zone alarm for firewall. re compusa, I seem to not get many of the rebates they're supposed to send.. anyone else? ken
I've received 100% of the rebates due from CompUSA so far. Often SLOOOOW, however. (Somebody's probably counting on "give-ups" to add to bottom line.) The Service Desk told me that if I were ever hosed out of a rebate and showed them documents which indicated I'd complied with rebate requirements, they'd go into their pocket to honor it. Never had to do that, but if you feel left out, suggest you give it a try.
Re: Norton Systemworks - I use Norton AntiVirus, but personally would NOT use Systemworks. It's a huge resource sucker. A friend recently installed Systemworks and things came to a crawl because of all the crap Norton loads up with that thing. Had to deinstall it and just load NAV. Personal suggestion is to just get Antivirus (either Norton or McAfee) - configure it to scan your emails but only scan your system on some interval (I have it set to scan on Friday night - if you block virus entry via email you shouldn't need to use the constant virus scan setting). You only need the software firewall if you're not already using a router with NAT or an integral firewall (which I personally prefer over the software firewall because it also lets me run more than one computer off the single Inet connection).
Maybe you're way harsh on Norton SW. I've been using it for 5 years, have v2003 on my Win2000 trader now, and have never seen the "resource sucker". 1. I don't believe their is a "constant virus scan" option. Just a feature which checks incoming sources which can be turned off (in addition to email). 2. Did virus scan on installation, haven't since. 3. Norton Personal Firewall on single machine (non network) set-up is one viable option. Don't find it obtrusive at all. In fact, I can't imagine running my setup without it. Perhaps your friend had a problem with this machine??
gnome - nope, it was Systemworks. There were Norton processes running almost constantly in the background. Could have been how he let the installer configure it, but frankly there's not much in Systemworks except NAV I personally find worth installing - especially with Norton's renowned code bloat. It was easier to deinstall the whole mess and just install NAV. But as I said, that's my personal opinion - too each their own. There is an option in NAV to have it do more continual scanning. Was warning against selecting that option. Re: personal firewall - absolutely, if all you've got is a single machine directly connected to the Inet, got to use a software firewall. Was just noting in case some others hadn't considered the option that there's greater flexibility (without much additional cost) in using a NAT or firewalled router. Then no need for a software firewall.