# Avast or latest Norton??



## bangra (Feb 12, 2006)

Hi Guys,:wave:

Been reading quite a few reviews saying that Avast, even though it is free is better to have on your PC than Norton...do you know if this is the case???many thanksray:


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## johnwill (Sep 26, 2002)

Well, I have Avast on a system here, and I don't use Norton for anything! :grin:


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## NeilF (Jun 6, 2008)

Agree with John, I find Norton very intrusiv


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## sobeit (Nov 11, 2007)

there is nothing wrong with using nortons if you prefer it. I have used it for years without any problems. 

Avast is free and theres nothing wrong with it either. I used it for several months just to check it out. 

both will work and will provide good protection.


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## bangra (Feb 12, 2006)

mmmm thanks guys...if i download Avast free home edition does it also have a firewall incorporated or does this have to be downloaded separately...sorry if this is a totally dumb question but am not techie...just a wannabe techie...


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## crofty (Aug 31, 2004)

Hi bangra

Avast does not have a firewall.

They are in the process of developing one, but as yet no idea when this will be available.:4-dontkno

Cheers:wave:


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## bangra (Feb 12, 2006)

thankyou for you help and info..I am learning all the time!:heartlove


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## Roy6978 (Aug 18, 2008)

If your going to use a separate firewall id recommend using commodo, its been fantastic for me.


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## bangra (Feb 12, 2006)

thanks for that Roy I've just been googling for them an getting confused...


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## boony (May 26, 2008)

I use Avast and really like it. Runs light, quick updates, almost no false positives. Having said that, Norton is greatly improved over previous year. It runs lighter then it used to, is less intrusive, and offers solid protection.
Avira is another good, free AV. it's detection rate is a little higher than Avast (according to AV-Comparatives), but most people report more false positives (YMMV). They are improving on that, however.
Although I've never tried it out, a lot of folks like AVG free as well. I've heard good things regarding AVG 8.
As far as a firewall, Comodo is very secure, you'll just have to deal with quite a few pop ups in the beginning until it "settles in". These can be confusing for a less experienced user, but you can always get help on prompts you don't under stand. There have also been a number of reports of incompatibility problems with other security programs. Of course that will vary from system to system.
Another great free firewall is Online Armor Free. Light on resources, great protection, and great support. I've seen a few complaints that the prompts can be a bit ambiguous, but, again, you can always get help at the OA forums, and the developer is working on improving that. they have a new version coming out soon.
One more is PC Tools firewall. Some may scoff at a PC Tools firewall, but it's a solid choice based on the Look'n'Stop firewall. Just bear in mind it does not have HIPS protection like Comodo or OA. It's just a firewall. Then again, that will also mean less pop ups.
My advice would be back up your system with an imaging program, and download a few AV's and firewalls to try them out. The same program can run very differently on different systems.
Also, if it's not blasphemous to post this, you might want to check out Wilder's Security Forums. They live, and breathe security programs. You can find a discussion on almost every security program there.

Cheers

Edit: I just found out PCTools has been acquired by Symantec.


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## truthseeker (Jan 26, 2008)

bangra said:


> Hi Guys,:wave:
> 
> Been reading quite a few reviews saying that Avast, even though it is free is better to have on your PC than Norton...do you know if this is the case???many thanksray:


Neither. You don't need an AV. I have not had an AV installed on my PC for over 10 years and never had a virus or anything else infect my PC.

As long as you avoid illegal cracks, and unknown programs, you won't get infected anyway.

Only download programs from well known and reputable websites.

And once a week or every couple of weeks, use the free eset NOD32 and Kaspersky online scanner to check your system. Or use the Dr.Web Cureit.

So why would you have an annoying AV running that slows your system and takes up resources when you don't need it? Answer: Waste of time, do it my way


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## ninja swordfish (Sep 11, 2011)

Online scanners? Yikes! I wouldn't go near one again with with a barge pole (so to speak). I had a bad experience a few years ago involving panda online scanner and a Know-it-all cousin. For all i know they might be okay now but i certainly wouldn't trust one at all.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

I wouldn't touch norton or avast (especially norton).

Although I would never use an online scanner either. I use ESET smart security and it takes up very little ram or cpu usuage and its one of the best you can get.


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## Basementgeek (Feb 7, 2005)

This 3 year old post is closed.

Nothing wrong with most on line scanners, it just some are betters than others.

BG


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