The latest versions of Norton (a.k.a. Symantec) and McAfee are literally killing older computers...

It's true. Your Norton or McAfee subscription runs out, so you either go to the local Staples or Best Buy to buy the latest version, and the salesperson is more than happy to earn their commission on it at your time of purchase.

The big problem is, the latest versions of Norton and McAfee anti-virus and security products are considered “bloatware”. In tech terms, bloatware is any piece of software that's so huge that when you run it on your computer, it slows your system down to a snail's pace, even on brand new computers. This is exactly what the latest Norton and McAfee products do when you install them.

First of all, the latest products from both of these companies can take a half an hour or more to install on your computer. They take even longer when you remove them from your computer! Also, if you do remove them, they don't always uninstall everything when you take them out. For example, Norton products normally leave a lot of things behind after they've been supposedly removed from your system. One of the main things that gets left, and continues to run in the background, is Norton's Live Update. McAfee is also known to leave fragments of itself in your system after it's been removed.

Second of all, both Norton and McAfee products put a great amount of overhead onto your system's operations when you do use them. I've noted that, on some of my customers' brand new computers, products from both companies will at times use 25% to 75% of your processing power! They will also occupy sometimes 200MB or more of system RAM during their operation, which definitely slows down system performance.

Why the largest retailers and the biggest tech magazines continue to claim that Norton and McAfee products are the best on the market still eludes me. There's only one reason why these products are rated so highly, it's because of profits. Retailers and magazines make a HUGE profit from selling Norton and McAfee products, so they continue to say that they are the best that you can buy.

Where older computers are concerned, let's say 4 to 5 years old or more, the latest 2008 versions of Norton and McAfee are literally killing computers. This year I've made several house calls where people had installed these 2008 products, and literally trashed their computers. In some cases, Windows was taking over 30 minutes just to boot up! In others, the computers could not even load Windows anymore after these products were installed! This is because both Norton and McAfee require plenty of  system resources to even run properly. If you're not running a brand new computer, with a fast processor and plenty of RAM, you will likely have tons of problems with Norton and McAfee, which you cannot get your money back for if you have to remove them from your system!

Alternatives...

So, you're probably wondering what your alternatives are to Norton and McAfee at this point. Well, there are plenty out there, and some are even free. You do have to be careful when searching for alternatives, because some of them, such as “WinAntiVirusPro” claim to be good, free, anti-virus products, but are actually spyware themselves. So, I can offer you my suggestions from my own hands-on experience.

AVG Anti-Virus is one of the best anti-virus programs available, and it's free for home use! The only catch is that you have to download their latest free version about once a year if you continue to use it. It's recommended by many broadband internet companies, and consultants like myself have been using it for years to clean up viruses that Norton and McAfee simply cannot remove. You can buy AVG from my store.

Avast is another anti-virus that is free for home use. Its catch is that it has to be renewed about once a year via email, where they send you a new validation code to keep using it for free. It is also excellent at removing viruses and keeping your system protected, like AVG. You can get Avast through my store.

Of course, if you use and like either of these free programs, you do get prompted from time to time to upgrade to the paid versions, which provide you with further protection features. If you truly like these products and you want to support their cause, I recommend upgrading to the paid versions.
There are paid anti-virus alternatives that are excellent as well. I've encountered these on my customers' computers, their performance and protection is excellent...

Windows Live OneCare is always on, running quietly in the background. It helps give you round-the-clock protection and maintenance—virus scanning, firewalls, tune ups, file backups, the whole nine yards. Delivered to you in a smooth, hassle-free package. It also has a 90 day free trial. You can buy OneCare from my store.

Kaspersky Lab is a great. Their Triple Threat Protection offers a unique set of technologies that protect against identity theft, confidential data leakage and all Internet threats. They have 30 day trials available as well. You can buy Kaspersky from my store.

Trend Micro offers essential security you need to automatically guard your data against malicious viruses, worms, Trojan horse programs, and spyware. They have 30 day trials. You can buy Trend Micro from my store.

Choosing The Right Anti-Virus

You do need to be careful when choosing anti-virus software. Anti-virus comes in many flavors. Some flavors may have too many additional features than you need, and may even cause problems if they are not set up properly for your unique computer setup. There are two basic forms of these “flavors” that most anti-virus makers create.

One form is called Internet Security. This form is better suited for a single computer. If you only own one computer, then I definitely suggest the Internet Security version. This type of product not only protects from viruses, but also acts as a software firewall, offering the best kind of security for a single computer. Most anti-virus software with “Internet Security” in its name fit this flavor, or category, and they offer many additional features to protect from identity theft, etc.

The downfall of an “Internet Security” anti-virus is that it should not be used on networks. A network is a home or office where a number of computers share a single internet connection, often with a wired or wireless router, and these computers share files and printers between each other in a Windows workgroup. “Internet Security” software should NOT be used in network setups, because if it is not configured correctly, it can block you from sharing files and printers with other machines on the network. So if you do have a home or office network with a router, you should not use any anti-virus software with “Internet Security” in its name. Instead, you should use their basic “AntiVirus” titled software instead, which eliminates the software firewalls and other add-ons that can interrupt file and printer sharing.

All in all, if you have any problems, questions, or concerns with what type of anti-virus software you should be using in your own unique computer setup, you should definitely hire me to come and help you out. I've been helping people for over a decade with these and many other computer issues.

About Spyware...

Spyware is a form of Malware that is often associated with Browser Hijacking, Keyloggers, and software that records and sends web browsing habits to a 3rd party. Spyware is one of the most common forms of malware, and often slows the performance of your computer. Most of the above anti-virus programs I noted have built-in spyware protection and removal utilities. But, even if you're running one of these better anti-virus programs, I would also consider using a free spyware utility to further protect your system.

Spybot Search and Destroy is an excellent spyware removal utility! It is free, but if you like it you are expected to help the programmers and make a donation, to support their costs and efforts. Spybot scans for spyware, adware, hijackers and other malicious software, and it's very effective at removing them.

In Summary...

Don't fall into the trap that retailers and magazines set for you. In almost every case, if you buy and install a Norton or McAfee product on your computer, you're probably asking for trouble, and you could cause critical damage to your computer in the process. If you're unsure of what you should do, hire me, and I'll be glad to help you.