I Just Gave Up With Norton

antspants · Nov 15, 2023

Scannerman said:
I am with you in this, Comrade Antman. Just curious. Do you use the Kaspersky Total Care package or..

Is that an add-on subscription? Not sure what it is. I use Kaspersky Premium because I got a bargain, 5 devices at $18.99, I bought ten years worth. It includes a password manager which I do not use.. and free full VPN which is awesome.

Scannerman · Nov 15, 2023

antspants said:
Is that an add-on subscription? Not sure what it is. I use Kaspersky Premium because I got a bargain, 5 devices at $18.99, I bought ten years worth. It includes a password manager which I do not use.. and free full VPN which is awesome.

That sounds a good deal like the package I use: 5 devices, a VPN and PW manager (which I don't bother with either). I do like the "safe money" feature however, and a few of the other things. The VPN is pretty good too, I have to agree. Alas, if only I could get it for $18.99 now. I'd buy ten years worth just like you did. I've used a lot of different VS and Kaspersky continues to come to the forefront for me when compared to so many others. It's good to see that they're still maintaining their standard of excellence. The one drawback with Eugene's pride and joy is that it isn't really very user friendly. To find some of the features you need to go about 4 or 5 tiers down and navigation isn't exactly easy. I did mention this to Kaspersky but I don't know if they'll be changing it any time soon.

antspants · Nov 15, 2023

As this is a “deliver by email” purchase, I can’t see why you couldn’t get it from Australia?
I simply boughh a bunch and they are lined up pre entered into Kaspersky and will activate as the previous expires. This is where I buy it.

Buy Kaspersky and Anti-Virus 's Product - SaveOnIT.com.au

We provide wide range of products in Kaspersky and Anti-Virus 's Product at low rates. For enquires contact us at sales@saveonit.com.au. We would contact back you shortly.

www.saveonit.com.au

Scannerman · Nov 15, 2023

Yeah, I'm in Canada and I've been purchasing directly from Kaspersky as I do have a subscription with them. They also have an excellent help desk where you can talk to a genuine, authentic organic member of the Homo sapiens on the phone. Their English is impeccable.

antspants · Nov 15, 2023

Scannerman said:
Yeah, I'm in Canada and I've been purchasing directly from Kaspersky as I do have a subscription with them. They also have an excellent help desk where you can talk to a genuine, authentic organic member of the Homo sapiens on the phone. Their English is impeccable.

Yeah I get all that buying through that reseller. Just recently needed their support, very helpful, very polite

jimbo45 · Nov 16, 2023

garioch7 said:
I was just over at Wilders Security Forums. Here are the latest AV-Comparatives rankings just out.

Real-World Protection Test July-October 2023

Note that Windows Defender did not receive any awards. I think that I will stick with my current security suite for maximum protection.

Have a great day.

Regards,
Phil

Comparative results aren´t really of any proper use -- remember those are done usually several weeks before and in that time new threats or even new releases of Windows may come on stream which invalidates all those comparison tests.

Cheers
jimbo

garioch7 · Nov 16, 2023

@jimbo45

I respectfully disagree. Credible AV comparative testing is of value. It is the only metric we have to determine which products are consistently and objectively superior for AV protection.

Indeed, they are out-of-date when they are released. They are a snapshot in time of the performance of the tested AV apps. I am not aware of any way to measure that in real time.

Looking over years of credible AV comparative tests, one can ascertain which AV apps continually score the highest. The front-runners jockey with each other. More than a few times, Bitdefender has scored the highest, and more times, it has not. If, over time and a number of credible AV comparative tests, individual AV apps are consistently in the top five of the list, then you may deduce that those apps offer superior protection.

This is only my personal opinion. This is a touchy subject. There is no one consistently best AV product. We all have the right to choose how we protect our computers and data, and we all have our favourites. There is no single AV product that is best for everyone. That said, credible AV comparative tests are one factor that everyone can use when making their choice of AV product.

Have a great day.

Respectfully Submitted,
Phil

kelper · Nov 16, 2023

I like Webroot, but the AV comparison sites do not know how to test it, since it does not use definition files as a traditional AV does. I have recently trialled Norton and Bitdefender but their scans were incredibly slow compared to Webroot's. They also used too much CPU time.
I think Webroot is not as good as it was. I'm hopeful that the change of ownership does not presage its demise in the long term.

RJARRRPCGP · Nov 16, 2023

bikemanI7 said:
attempted to open said folder and see how many it would stop lol (bad idea) So badly infected shop ended up having to replace all parts to get system stable again

Did you get BIOS-malware? Back in the legacy-BIOS days, it's usually just a thorough drive wipe and a complete reinstall of the OS required.

I'm actually more worried about UEFI-BIOS of today! It seems possibly more vulnerable to malware injection, especially if not updated since at least within the past two years.

Intel is particularly vulnerable for pre-Comet-Lake motherboards. (severe CSME exploit bug) (before 10th-gen)
(rated critical, for remote-code-execution!)

AMD is vulnerable with a lot of 400 series motherboards, it looks like. Same with 300 series.

RJARRRPCGP · Nov 16, 2023

jeffbeish said:
Hum, that makes me feel old since I was 42 in 1982. My first "computer" work was analog systems in flight simulators. Several of us Air Force guys took up electronics as a hobby and digital computers began to come along, so we learned what we could about them. Years passed, finishing college and head long into the digital world as an engineer -- then along came computer/phone hookup that quickly grew into PC circuitry for the birth of Internet. Wow, 300 baud stuff. Someone should have warned us.

And, I'm considered old by so many on the internet, LOL! I'm 43 in 2023.

bikemanI7 · Nov 17, 2023

RJARRRPCGP said:
Did you get BIOS-malware? Back in the legacy-BIOS days, it's usually just a thorough drive wipe and a complete reinstall of the OS required.

I'm actually more worried about UEFI-BIOS of today! It seems possibly more vulnerable to malware injection, especially if not updated since at least within the past two years.

Intel is particularly vulnerable for pre-Comet-Lake motherboards. (severe CSME exploit bug) (before 10th-gen)
(rated critical, for remote-code-execution!)

AMD is vulnerable with a lot of 400 series motherboards, it looks like. Same with 300 series.

Yeah probably had a Bios Malware back then, Rootkits, god knows what else. Dummy Self believed the friend in the chat program at the time--gotta attempt to run them to see if Windows Live Onecare stops them, in hindsight i probably shouldn't applied to test that, as i am not a PC expert as i thought i was.

In the End went from AMD Athlon Xp 2500+ to AMD Sempron budget processor max speed was 1.6ghz at the time, Video card changed from Radeon some model, forgot what i had in XP 2500 build lol, to a Radeon 9800 Pro at the time, 4GB to 8GB of Ram, Seagate 320GB boot drive, and Maxtor 120GB slave back then lol

Probably should've stayed with Norton back then til MSE released or waited til Defender was good to use in the future

Hazel123 · Nov 17, 2023

I'm still using it. They keep tinkering with it but it works. It's now called Norton 360 again (like it used to be about a decade ago). I don't autorenew and usually get it for £20 to £30 if shopping around. A license for 5 PC's. Don't have an issue with it. Does the job well, although I don't like the new interface (but you can easily switch to the classic interface). Be sure to turn off annoying pop ups about other products in setttings.

Scannerman · Nov 17, 2023

Hazel123 said:
I'm still using it. They keep tinkering with it but it works. It's now called Norton 360 again (like it used to be about a decade ago). I don't autorenew and usually get it for £20 to £30 if shopping around. A license for 5 PC's. Don't have an issue with it. Does the job well, although I don't like the new interface (but you can easily switch to the classic interface). Be sure to turn off annoying pop ups about other products in setttings.

This is the one thing that annoys me about security apps to no end: When I pay for a product I want the performance I'm paying for. I don't want to pay to be advertised to. I fully concur with a company offering freeware (so-called) and using it as an ad platform but once I pay for that product all the adware should be gone. I shouldn't have to remove it either. Simply downloading the licensed version and installing it should be suffice. Why do they think this gives them the right to inundate me with adware?

What is wrong with these people?? Is it me or is there something fundamentally wrong with companies assuring me security and peace of mind, freedom from adware, etc. BOMBARDING me with their own adware once I have actually paid them to be free from this sort of thing?? I mean isn't it obvious? You know, I'm beginning to wonder if VS companies don't actually pay people to develop viruses to let loose. There's really not much difference when you compare these ethics or lack thereof. They'll offer an ad blocker to block out everyone else's adware but their own. They're just as bad as their competition and likely worse.

The one thing I certainly like about KASPERSKY is that they don't play those games with me. I'm not getting constant annoying popups telling me what else they have for sale. Isn't that what email is for? Isn't it enough that email can be saturated this way? But oh no, I have to have annoying pop ups trying to sell me the latest thing from the VERY PEOPLE I PAID to stop this sort of thing.

I have come to a conclusion: Pick your poison but don't criticize me for using Kaspersky. I am currently in the process of typing a form letter to send to any company I pay to keep me safe from adware and the like, NOTIFYING them that if they start sending me pop ups advertising their goodies after I pay for their product I'm cancelling my subscription. I'm done with these doggie biscuits.

Flashorn · Nov 17, 2023

Scannerman said:
What is wrong with these people??

Nothing wrong with them @Scannerman , it's the world we live in. MONEY runs them all and that's the crock of it.
I LOVE reading your rants. God, it makes my day every time I read one of yours. You've made your views known over
lots of posts and I just like to read them.

As for your choice of anything, IF it's your choice then, why bother with others views on that matter. IF, OTOH , it's a
question well, you'll have to contend that , no one has the same and who knows, maybe a good suggestion will come
of a honest discussion. I learn something new every rant so, keep them coming.

I am currently in the process of typing a form letter to send to any company I pay to keep me safe

Pls, make that letter public here so we can all make our views known to those grinches. Maybe if enough end up sending them
ultimatums , it could have a significant effect on the way they conduct their business.

Almighty1 · Nov 17, 2023

@Scannerman - love reading your rants as well. A lot has more to do with how things are just like you can pay for pay tv, you still get advertisements and then when you buy consumer products whether it's clothing or even the computer, didn't you just pay to provide free advertising for the brand in question with their logos on the product.

Scannerman · Nov 18, 2023

Almighty1 said:
@Scannerman - love reading your rants as well. A lot has more to do with how things are just like you can pay for pay tv, yo still get advertisements and then when you buy consumer products whether it's clothing or even the computer, didn't you just pay to provide free advertising for the brand in question with their logos on the product.

Thanks. I'll get right on that. lol Actually, I've already sent such a missive to IOBIT and IOLO but it wouldn't hurt to make that form letter. Meh, it's Friday night. I'm going to kick back and take it easy, enjoy time spent with the family. I will write it at some point though and I will post it here, if this thread survives. Thanks again for your encouraging words.

Scannerman · Nov 18, 2023

Almighty1 said:
@Scannerman - love reading your rants as well. A lot has more to do with how things are just like you can pay for pay tv, yo still get advertisements and then when you buy consumer products whether it's clothing or even the computer, didn't you just pay to provide free advertising for the brand in question with their logos on the product.

Thanks again. It is gratifying to know that I can provide some level of entertainment that others find pleasing. Back in the day, okay... Back in the early 70's cable vision came to the capital of Alberta, Canada. Admittedly, I was just a teen in those days but I remember this much: I remember sponsorship and so-called "free" TV. The words, "This program was brought to you by..." are permanently etched into my organic memory. If you wanted to get away from commercials you got cable vision. Originally cable TV was commercial free.

Once the status quo all got with cable they up and did it to us again. Suddenly cable wasn't only rife with ads, but these increased in number and in frequency. By the time I turned 30 my television (which still worked) was promptly removed and deposited in the garbage dumpster by yours truly. I have never looked back since.

Having one's logo on a product is one thing. Being inundated with ads is quite another. It disgusts me to see the internet treated like television was (and likely still is) but I realize advertisers need to make a living too. Surely there is a place for decency and ethics in this wonderful web world that we share. I'm not opposed to any company advertising its product but I don't think that pulling out all the stops and zero regulation is the answer either. Adware is reaching epidemic proportions and that I should have to pay just to keep my internet relatively sane and usable when I'm already paying for an ISP is preposterous enough. So if and when I pay extra for these features from these products that assure my privacy and a user friendly experience the last thing I want to see is an advertisement from the very same outfit that claims to provide it. No, this is demeaning. In fact, it is down right insolent. Brother, that stuff is too hot to be called rain.

PvtJohnTowle · Monday at 7:20 AM

JayzTwoCents says Norton is top of his list of programs not to install in your PC

ShamrockRig · Monday at 8:02 AM

PvtJohnTowle said:
JayzTwoCents says Norton is top of his list of programs not to install in your PC

Norton has been absolutely pants for over a decade in my book, I've also never had the requirement of a paid anti virus either, Heck i don't even use a free one! If i need a paid one at anypoint im going to say my computer savvyness has disappeared and i dont know what im doing!