Carroll County Times Articles
Anti-Virus Software
by Jeannine Morber– September 9, 2007
If you own a computer that is connected to the internet, chances are you also have an anti-virus program installed and running. For the past few years I've been using the same program from Symantec, Norton Internet Security, without any problems. Well, without any virus problems that is.
Although it works well, Norton is notorious for slowing down your computer, especially slowing start-up to a crawl. In fact, I now start my computer, and then make coffee, throw in a load of laundry and take a shower before I even bother sitting down to work.
This month, my annual subscription to Norton expires. Rather than renewing it for another year, I decided to research and compare other available anti-virus programs first. It's not that I minded Norton slowing my computer to a snail's pace so much, but I certainly minded paying fifty bucks for it.
The first programs I looked into, of course were two free ones; Grisoft's AVG Anti-Virus and avast! 4 Home Edition. Surprisingly, both of these programs had good reviews from various popular online sources such as CNet.com and Scot Finnie of SFNL. I found both of these programs easy to install, update and run, and both offer real-time virus protection. Unlike AVG, the program from avast! offers a boot-time virus scanner which scans your computer before Windows even loads. Both of these programs can be downloaded for free on a freeware download site such as Download.com.
When I researched anti-virus software that wasn't free, I was a bit disappointed to find that Norton scored near the top of most reviewers' lists. I was hoping to find something new that would protect my computer 100% from viruses and spyware while humming along unnoticeably in the background, not interfering with my computer's speed. At least though, Symantec recognized that its software was a memory hog and supposedly trimmed down its 2007 version. Despite this, many users still complain that their computers slow to a crawl after installing the software.
Another anti-virus program that gets a lot of attention is McAfee VirusScan Plus 2007 which is an anti-virus, anti-spyware and a firewall all for about $40 a year. The consensus from reviewers and users alike is that its interface is confusing and like Norton, it's a memory hog.
Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security 2007 is another high scorer for effective and efficient virus protection for about $50 a year. But according to CNet reviewers, PC-cillin has several processes that use 25MB of memory… each.
Other popular anti-virus programs include Kaspersky Antivirus 6.0, NOD32 2.7 and Zone Alarm Internet Security Suite and all are priced around $45 a year. Reviews for these and other programs can be found on the CNet.com website. Most of these can also be purchased and downloaded on the site as well.
So which program did I choose?
Norton. But not because I think it is the best program for the money but because of that old saying about the devil that you know and the one that you don't.
About the Author
Jeannine Morber is the Director of the Carroll Technology Council. Questions are welcome and may be addressed in future articles. Email mail@carrolltechcouncil.org or go to www.carrolltechcouncil.org to learn more.
