[JMT74]

Yeah, My Uncle's Laptop came preinstalled with a 60 day trial of Norton. I told him when that is up I will come and uninstall Norton and install AVG free. What is the best way to completely remove Norton before I install AVG free and ZoneAlarm Firewall. I don't want there to be issues after I do this. Thanks.

[hulkinator]

I uninstalled it from my laptop just from the Add/Remove Programs app in the Control Panel, but if it makes you feel more comfortable it wouldn't hurt any to use Norton's special removal tool:

Norton Removal Tool
http://service1.symantec.com/Support...05033108162039

[JMT74]

Yep that is exactly what I was gonna do. Thanks. One more thing I was thinking about putting ZoneAlarm Firewall on his laptop. However he is a novice when it comes to computers and might get frustrated when ZoneAlarm has a popup come up. Do you think I should bother to install a Firewall? As long as the Windows Vista firewall is enabled he should be good.

[hulkinator]

However if he is a novice he might be more likely to accidentally get himself in a spot where the firewall would help. Vista's firewall is better than nothing, though you will have better luck with a different one.

I should note that if your uncle uses a router in his house (either because he has multiple computers to share his Internet connection with or he likes to roam with wireless), the router probably has a built-in firewall that will protect him from most threats. In fact (I don't at all condone this; it is just an example to help make my point) I have two computers at my house with no firewall or antivirus that have never been infected, probably because of the added security of the router, plus the fact that I avoid suspicious e-mails and risky sites.

All in all I'm saying your uncle probably won't need a third-party firewall if he has a router.

[JMT74]

Yeah he has a router. I should have stated that in my last reply because I was definately thinking about that LOL. Thanks for your input. I think I will just install AVG free for him and be done with it. I have installed SuperAntiSpyware and CCleaner on his laptop before. I have had to show him 3 times how to run those programs. Hopefully he will get the hang of it lol.

[DoubleHelix]

What Norton product is installed? Norton Internet Security 2009 is a great product that provides the best protection with a very small footprint. Unfortunately, most people who have been burned by Norton products in the past won't even consider their new offerings which are actually some of the best security products available.

[Pranav]

ZoneAlarm has known compatibility issues with several antivirus softwares, and lots of its users complain of BSODs. I would recommend Comodo Firewall instead. It is free and very effective. Also, Avira offers better protection than AVG. So I would go with Avira free antivir+comodo firewall. Anyway, it's up to you.

Regards.

[blitzkreig]

If you wish to go in for free protection I would never recommend AVG. AVG is in complete doldrums, their current line up of products is not very good with the detection of a considerable amount of false positives. I used to use AVG and at times it used to never remove certain threats, I had to "force the removal" of these threats which lead to severe instabilities.
The best antiviruses you get for free are AVAST HOME EDITION and AVIRA AntiVir personal edition.
If however you change your mind and wish to pay for protection, I would recommend,
Kaspersky Internet Security 2009
ESET Nod32 antivirus or smart security suite
BitDefender security software.

[hulkinator]

I'll give another vote for Avira and COMODO, though you will want to get COMODO set up for your uncle because it seems to be made a little more for the tech-minded, or at least it was so when I last used it.

I personally had very bad luck with BitDefender. It got to the point where it made my machine unusable because the update process consumed almost all of my processor cycles and over 500MB of RAM. Hopefully they have fixed this issue.

[SIR****TMG]

Most freeware programs versus the pay version of the same program are less powerful because of how they attempt to detect malicious code. Most basic programs use signature-based detection, while more sophisticated programs add behavior-based analysis to better detect newer exploits

[JMT74]

This sounds like an advertisement for AVAST HOME EDITION and AVIRA AntiVir personal edition. I have never used those. I have knock on wood had good luck with AVG Free for years. I think some of you that don't like AVG are probably not cleaning your computer regularly and blaming AVG for your issues when in fact it is something else that you didn't do to cause your issues. Maybe I am wrong I don't know. Anyway now I am skeptical about putting either AVAST or AVIRA on my Uncle's laptop because I have never tried them. I would hate to install one of them and have him call me because something screwed up lol. Any more thoughts on if I should install AVG free after I totally uninstall Norton. Thanks.

[hulkinator]

AVG is good, and certainly better than nothing at all! However, I found it slower and less effective than Avira. Avira has never messed anything up for me.

The most important things, though:
1) Don't open suspicious emails
2) Stay away from questionable sites
3) Keep Windows updated

Following those three tips will keep you away from most malware.

[blitzkreig]

no antivirus protection can ever surpass safe browsing habits and the use of common sense.
As hulkinator says, I too have used AVG which includes the latest version, it was quite ineffective when it came towards dealing with certain threats. Today I use Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 and it provides exceptional protection. It updates itself every hour and I run a complete scan twice a week

If you wish to continue installing AVG go ahead but install two other products along with it. They are
Malwarebytes' antimalware and Super Antispyware. These two are well know in dealing with nasty threats. Both have free editions as well as the paid editions.

[JMT74]

Yeah I had already installed SuperAntiSpyare along with CCleaner on their laptop previously. I just went and uninstalled Norton and installed AVG and ZoneAlarm. They have a router with a built in firewall so along with ZoneAlarm it should be hidden pretty well. As long as they run the spyware program , ccleaner and an AVG scan atleast once a week then they should be good to go. We will see. I run all those programs atleast once a week most of the time 2 times a week. In 5 years with AVG knock on wood I have never had a major problem. Then again I am anal when it comes to keeping my computer clean.