Norton and Avast are merging into an $8 billion antivirus empire

[Greatis]

I haven’t used an AV in years since switching to Mac and even before that on windows.

[NOKIA 3650]

I think Norton will do the job it's expected to do.

My experience with Norton back then was that it didn't report any malware (although it was there) and for those reported, it just never effectively removed them. The moment, I switched to any of the FREE antiviral tools, the issues were resolved with a single scan.

That in my opinion is a betrayal of trust in a product that had so many expectations.

[khat17]

My experience with Norton back then was that it didn't report any malware (although it was there) and for those reported, it just never effectively removed them. The moment, I switched to any of the FREE antiviral tools, the issues were resolved with a single scan.

That in my opinion is a betrayal of trust in a product that had so many expectations.

Good POV on your opinion. Will take into consideration.

As with everything, your personal experience and preference will influence your decision. You need to also bear in mind that all of these products are evolving - and have to evolve with the various threats. Personally - I review on https://www.av-test.org/en/ before deciding on any product.

[Chris]

My experience with Norton back then was that it didn't report any malware (although it was there) and for those reported, it just never effectively removed them. The moment, I switched to any of the FREE antiviral tools, the issues were resolved with a single scan.

That in my opinion is a betrayal of trust in a product that had so many expectations.

Could very well be, I didn't give NAV any real run because it was bloatware IMO so just assumed it was an ok AV. I think in the very early days it was one of the top FAVs along with McAfee but then it went sideways. I recall it being included on many new PCs back then, Dell in particular. I would often remove it then install AVG or another good free AV.

[khat17]

Could very well be, I didn't give NAV any real run because it was bloatware IMO so just assumed it was an ok AV. I think in the very early days it was one of the top FAVs along with McAfee but then it went sideways. I recall it being included on many new PCs back then, Dell in particular. I would often remove it then install AVG or another good free AV.

Most of the paid-only ones were sidelined when free alternatives came out. As things progressed and they started acquiring other companies, each one got better and better. BitDefender is not bad, but persons have had issues with it slowing down their systems. Norton has gotten better and better - but still remains as a paid solution.

This move makes Avast and AVG better choices. Bearing in mind that those two companies are already one.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVG_Te...20the%20market.

This will push Norton even further into a top spot. Once they leave the free options out there, and provided they merge the technologies behind the scenes, they will become a top contender once more.

[Falcon1986]

I used Avast (free) for a long time until they started bundling other programs within the installer. Now I just pay for MBAM and use Windows Defender.

[psilos]

I don't personally need any but then I am not the target user. General users need some form of protection. Windows Defender does an average job no issues at all with it after its free and comes with the OS so that should give you an idea that they plan to cover the basics. This ransomware issue on the other hand is out of this world and if you are a Corporate user you need some thing much stronger.

With regard to the free ones, AVG and Avast etc, they used to work very well back in the day and I installed it on a number of machines. What we do need to remember is they are still businesses and they have to make money somehow hence they bundle other installers that they were paid for the placement.

Haven't used Norton in over a decade but I have heard about their family controls and they are top notch. To the point where the parent gets alerts to approve additional screen time and the installation of apps, sites browsed etc.

In terms of slowing down machines, those days are done not just because applications are more optimized but hardware has solved that problem. If you are still using hard drives for anything but large storage needs you need to be taken around the back and scolded. I am yet to find an application that can saturate a NVMe drive and you really have to throw a lot at a SATA SSD to kill it too.

Things have gotten so easy that the days of troubleshooting machines has diminished significantly, can you look at this? You have a HDD, get an SSD (link provided) and then come back for it be installed. Our younger selves which we had SSDs when we kept installing more and more RAM and defragging out the wazoo.

This post has gotten too long but I will say it again. Ransomware is no joke please protect yourselves and have backups as its the only way back.

[khat17]

Ransomware can be handled in various ways. I did a recovery for someone recently, and they were mostly fine in terms of the important files. The issue is - the people within my own organization don't listen to me. When you identify an infection - don't keep the machine on. Shut it down immediately and use either a WinPE or Linux bootable to get in and copy what's not infected. Use recovery options to try and get things back before it gets overwritten to the point that recovery isn't possible. That's just my two cents.

From what I've seen, Windows Defender works pretty decent when it's ONLINE. The offline protection sucks. Cloud scanning is decent. And the problem is - most people don't have a genuine Windows. So that becomes an issue. Then there's the OTHER issue of Windows Updates just being....anyways.

The way that things are now - everyone should invest in some form of cloud storage. This will provide a "safe" space for your important files, and remote access with sharing - depending on the provider.

As far as an AV goes - it's up to you and personal preference. If you're not going to suspect sites - no need. If you're SURE the site you're going on isn't compromised - I mean, it does happen - then you're fine.

If you go into undesirable areas of the net - you need some form of protection. A bootable throw-away CD/DVD/USB that you can redo, an AV that you trust, a good sandbox environment, a VM or something else. But yeah. Do whatever is needed to keep safe.

That's what I've got on the matter.

I don't personally need any but then I am not the target user. General users need some form of protection. Windows Defender does an average job no issues at all with it after its free and comes with the OS so that should give you an idea that they plan to cover the basics. This ransomware issue on the other hand is out of this world and if you are a Corporate user you need some thing much stronger.

With regard to the free ones, AVG and Avast etc, they used to work very well back in the day and I installed it on a number of machines. What we do need to remember is they are still businesses and they have to make money somehow hence they bundle other installers that they were paid for the placement.

Haven't used Norton in over a decade but I have heard about their family controls and they are top notch. To the point where the parent gets alerts to approve additional screen time and the installation of apps, sites browsed etc.

In terms of slowing down machines, those days are done not just because applications are more optimized but hardware has solved that problem. If you are still using hard drives for anything but large storage needs you need to be taken around the back and scolded. I am yet to find an application that can saturate a NVMe drive and you really have to throw a lot at a SATA SSD to kill it too.

Things have gotten so easy that the days of troubleshooting machines has diminished significantly, can you look at this? You have a HDD, get an SSD (link provided) and then come back for it be installed. Our younger selves which we had SSDs when we kept installing more and more RAM and defragging out the wazoo.

This post has gotten too long but I will say it again. Ransomware is no joke please protect yourselves and have backups as its the only way back.