Paid for Norton Security

[johntywino]

I was told I had a "Trojan" in my syster a few months ago,so paid to install Norton Security....Tis a very good system(I think) as if I ever get somewhere dodgy an alarm message comes up and it deals with it..Unfortunately I think the "Trojan" is still there,as sometimes the computer goes pathetically slow, or freezes altogether and I have to hold in the on/off button for about 7 seconds to close the thing down,then start all over again...Other times it chunters away for literally MINUTES...Question is,is there anything (free) that can definately clear this problem without damaging Norton???? Thanks in advance...JTWO

[johntywino]

I had AVG for a couple of years and gave up on them in the end. I had all this trouble with them and ran a check (can't remember who with, but it was someone reccommended on answerbank) It told me I had "Trojans", so I did a full scan with AVG....The result was AVG said (can't remember the exact words) There was not enough capacity to deal with the problem...JTWO

[Mobius1]

Try Malwarebytes: http://www.malwarebytes.org/

This is a free to use, standalone program that can augment your existing antivirus solution. The free version doesn't run in the background like Norton does, it only runs when you run it. Download it, update it and then run a complete/full scan with it and see what it brings back. It is a very popular product at the moment.

You could also try HitmanPro from http://www.surfright.nl/en/hitmanpro

HitmanPro uses scanning engines from multiple antivirus vendors to quickly scan your PC. It is free to scan, if it finds anything, you can immediately activate a 30-day free trial from within the program to clear the problem. You can then uninstall the program afterwards. It does not take any payment information or details from you. It's had some very positive reviews and seems exceptionally fast.

Personally, my advice would be to ditch Norton. There are free alternatives that are good. Avira is excellent, and the new Microsoft Security Essentials (also completely free) is getting some amazingly positive press. The latter is extremely easy to use and very non-intrusive. It's also made by Microsoft, so compatibility is practically guaranteed.

[johntywino]

Thanks mobius1...Just ran Hitman Pro and it came up CLEAR,so should I assume it IS clear and blame Norton? Would it be wise to cut my losses and cancel Norton, or would it run alongside Microsoft Security Essentials?

[Mobius1]

If Hitman says it's clear and Norton says it's clear when you scan with it, then in all likelyhood, it's clear.

I can't say for sure whether it's Norton that's causing this freezing problem, only that Norton is notorious for creating as many issues as it fixes.

Microsoft Security Essentials http://www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials/ is an antivirus / antimalware package like Norton. It runs constantly in the background, so you'll have to choose between it and Norton if you consider changing. It has a much more basic interface compared to Norton, and uses very little system memory when it's running - both aspects that it has been praised for.

There is nothing stopping you from uninstalling Norton now, trying MSE and, if you don't like it or still have problems, going back to Norton. Just make sure that you write down your Norton subscription code so you can reactivate it if you decide you want it back. Also, to properly uninstall Norton, you need the Norton Removal tool which you can search for and download from their website. Otherwise it won't uninstall correctly and could cause further issues.

It's only my opinion, but I do think that MSE is a fantastic piece of software considering that it's free. I have installed it on both of the PCs I've got running at home and haven't had any problems with it at all. A real turnaround for a company like Microsoft.

[johntywino]

Thanks very Much, I'll give it a try and let you know....Cheers, John

[Mobius1]

Good luck! :)

[Mobius1]

You're welcome D_P.

As it happens, my first experience of MSE was after uninstalling AVG9 from my partner's laptop. I hadn't noticed it being slower than previous version, but it wasn't integrating with the Windows Security Centre in Vista correctly. Notices about virus protection being turned off or uninstalled kept popping up from time to time and I get fed up of dealing with it. I was impressed by the the no-nonsense straight to the point approach of MSE. It does what it says on the tin and makes no bones about it. Definite thumbs up.