I'm getting ready to purchase a new antivirus package or renew the one I already have. I have been running Trend Micro PC-Cillin for the past two years. I switched to it from Norton Antivirus after I kept getting hit by a virus that Norton wasn't catching. Trend Micro took care of the problem.

I've been fairly happy with Trend Micro, but I am wondering what else is out ther and if there is something better. As long as the program is under $100 (the spending limit my husband gave me) I'm willing to spend more if that's the way to go.

Also, do you think it is better to get a "security suite" so that I have antivirus and a firewall together, or is it better to get them separate? I run both Zone Alarm Free and Armor 2 Net firewalls, as well as the firewall with Trend Micro right now.

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"A new baby is like the beginning of all things--wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities." (Eda J. Le Shan)

We have that McAfee (sp?) program that comes with Comcast internet and it's awesome.

Personally, I'd have to say that its 6 of one, half-dozen of another. I think the biggest thing that everyone needs to be aware of is that an AV program *WILL NOT* do everything. I highly recommend that you get one of the integrated security packages, which nearly everyone offers. Norton's Suite, MacAfee, etc. Just because you have AV does not necessarily mean that it will catch nasty spyware, and having a good firewall (or just using the built-in one that comes with XP) is essential unless you really understand the risks and how computers work.

Understand, the biggest issue that I have is the fact that the AV companies now sell updates as subscriptions, by and large. If you buy Norton, you only get 3 months. Once you have it installed for 90 days, pay up or else. I tend to use MacAfee because they give a one year subscription. Also, MacAfee has had a running rebate and I just got a three user license for free after rebate. I believe they also had a rebate on the Security package that made it 9.99 or 19.99.

However, if you get something else, pay up. If you don't, you may as well save the hard drive space and the memory and just uninstall it.

I would highly recommend getting off IE as well and switching to either Firefox (1st choice), Mozilla (2nd choice) or Opera (distant third, but well ahead of Microsoft). Just doing that will 1) speed up your browsing and 2) protect you from a ton of nastiness that the poorly written IE opens you up to.

Feel free to ask any questions.

Bill

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I work for a very large global corporation and their Antivirus of choise is Norton Antivirus. Macafee is just as good though. I would stick with one of those two since they are considered "creme de la creme"

Thanks, Bill. Actually, we switch between Firefox and Opera. We have IE on our computer, but I can't remember the last time I opened it. I personally prefer Opera because it gets very few popups. My husband likes Firefox.

I've been thinking about getting the Kaspersky Security Suite, because it automatically updates multiple times a day, and because you get one or two years of updates with purchase ($49.99 for one year/$69.99 for two). I've also seriously considered McAfee, but my husband has an attitude towards it from back when it wasn't as well put-together as Norton. But I'm also wondering if I should just stick with Trend Micro (which also updates for a year at a time) because it has been effective for us. I'm wary of Norton because it didn't catch viruses in the past.

I know it's practically impossible to be 100% safe from everything, but I'm fairly paranoid with my internet protection. We have 3 firewalls (as mentioned before) and also run Spyware Doctor and Lavasoft Adaware every day. It's amazing how much junk we catch, even using the "less popular" browsers!

Do you have any experience with Kaspersky? Do you think it's better to just stick with what I have (I know that Trend Micro isn't a major computer resource hog like some programs)? Or do you have any suggestions on how to convince my husband that McAfee isn't as bad as he remembers from the late 80s/early 90s?

Thanks for your help.

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"A new baby is like the beginning of all things--wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities." (Eda J. Le Shan)

Well, I'm pretty happy with MacAfee. As a long time IT person, I used to hate it as well, but they really have gotten their act together and other than a very few minor annoyances (which might just well be the fact that I haven't bothered to look at the configuration) I love it.

I distinctly hate Norton ever since they picked that product over Symantec, which was far superior, and since they decided that after you pay $50 for the program you should start shelling out huge money to get the code to make it work 3 months later.

I've heard good things about Trend, actually, and haven't heard anything bad about it. I do know (from recently dealing with a friends computer that was badly infected with spyware) that it isn't as good as dealing with spyware-delivered virii and such as MacAfee has been for me. But it is solid and has caused no problems on her computer that I can see.

I've heard good things about Kaspersky as well, but I don't know anyone offhand who uses it, so I can't attest personally.

Like I said, I think they mostly do the same things. Except for memory bugs and machine specific issues, I haven't been able to tell the difference between most of them in the real world. They all update for emergencies in about the same time (due in large part to the fact that their corporate customers demand it, and lawsuits suck), and they essentially do the same things.

Now, *3* firewalls? And that doesn't slow your internet down horribly? That's a little overboard, not to mention memory and process consuming. Actually, that's downright paranoid. I'd just pick one good one (Zone Alarm Pro, actually) and disable the rest and be done with it. Quite frankly, there is far less difference between *ANY* firewall in the world than just about any other product. Except for speed issues based on how the company optimizes, they all do the same thing and 3 is just overkill.

Bill

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Thanks for all the input!

If they're similar, I guess I'll let my husband decide. He's leaning towards Kaspersky, but I'm not sure if that's his final decision. I'll tell him what you said about McAfee though.

I haven't noticed my internet running slow, but I'll try cutting down to one firewall. I know I've been paranoid, but I have so much stuff on this computer that even though I have stuff backed up on zip drives and CDs, I'd hate to have to even reinstall on another one if something made me crash.

I really appreciate your input.

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"A new baby is like the beginning of all things--wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities." (Eda J. Le Shan)

Cheryl,

If you haven't made your decision yet, I just saw this:

http://shop4.outpost.com/product/4620828

Its Norton Internet Security. Funny thing, Norton just changed their policy on updates and now offer 12 months instead of three. This is a rebate deal, but for $19.99 you really can't go wrong if you like Norton.

Bill

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