Question about computers.....

[crazymomof4]

We have a dial-up connection (I know, I know, the dinosaur of internet connnections!) so I am used to webpages loading slowly but................

last week I renewed my Norton Internet Security subscription and since then the pages are loading much much more slowly! It's so slow that I don't even want to go on the net!
Can I tweek my preferences in Norton or do something else in my computer that will allow me the protection of the subscription yet get me back to the speed that I had before I renewed?

 

[jfulcer]

I did a quick search on this problem and there are numerous references to Norton Internet Security slowing down computers to a crawl. I don't think it's a 'browser' issue where you are having more go through your dialup - I think it's extra processes that NIS uses to 'protect' you.

I'm also sorry to say all the reviews (both individual and magazine reviews) I saw that complained about it ended with "...and it was so bad I had to uninstall and used XXXXX product instead - much better!"

Sorry!

 

[bicker]

Unfortunately, I've found McAfee not much better. I'm hoping Microsoft comes out with good virus protection soon.

 

[MICKEY88]

Unfortunately, I've found McAfee not much better. I'm hoping Microsoft comes out with good virus protection soon.

are you serious..... NOrton or Mcafee are necessary to protect from all the security holes in windows....

I think the problem lies in the increase in virus and trojans on the net so when scanning there is so much more to scan for,,the only real solution is faster and faster computers..

 

[WIcruizer]

If you're using dial-up I would turn virus protection off, and just do a manual scan once a week or so. "Always on" connections like cable, DSL etc provide a much greater threat. Just don't open any email from people you don't know (delete it without opening), and that should eliminate 99% of the virus threat using dial-up.

 

[bicker]

are you serious

Yes. My hoping for Microsoft to release virus protection software is based on having seen the preview of what Microsoft has to offer. It seems to work great -- fast and effective. I'm not sure they'll ever offer it to the public, but I sure hope they do.

I would turn virus protection off

Only on a computer you don't have any personal data on, and a computer you don't mind having to reinstall the operating system every few months on.

 

[MICKEY88]

Yes. My hoping for Microsoft to release virus protection software is based on having seen the preview of what Microsoft has to offer. It seems to work great -- fast and effective. I'm not sure they'll ever offer it to the public, but I sure hope they do.

Only on a computer you don't have any personal data on, and a computer you don't mind having to reinstall the operating system every few months on.

their stuff always seems to work great until after it's been released and everyone finds the flaws....I'd rather put my faith in someone elses virus software..

I've run Norton for 5 years with no problems whatsoever..

 

[bicker]

AFAIK, there are a lot of flaws in everyone's software products (especially McAfee!!!), but Microsoft benefits from having so many people keeping such a close eye on their software that any problems are identified very readily. Other companies can benefit from their comparative ability to stay under the radar to avoid the public pressure that would drive them to fix things quickly.

 

[WIcruizer]

I'll repeat, virus protection is almost a non-issue if you use dial-up. Don't open unknown email, and manually scan once a week. When you dial-up you get a dynamic IP address-meaning it always changes. Hackers have access to millions of static IP addresses from cable,DSL,etc. users.

I know plenty of people who still dial-up and never heard of anti-virus software and don't have any problems. Much ado about nothing.

 

[Laz]

I use to have dial up with Norton and XP with the new service pack. Check to see if XP has its own Firewall turned on. Both Firewalls on at the same time can cause problems. Turn XPs firewall off and you will be fine.

 

[jfulcer]

I'll repeat, virus protection is almost a non-issue if you use dial-up. Don't open unknown email, and manually scan once a week. When you dial-up you get a dynamic IP address-meaning it always changes. Hackers have access to millions of static IP addresses from cable,DSL,etc. users.

I know plenty of people who still dial-up and never heard of anti-virus software and don't have any problems. Much ado about nothing.

I honestly have to say that's the most ill-advised poor advice I've seen in a quite a long time. As I've said in another thread somewhere, I clean infected machines as a side job. And guess what? I'd say 25% of the machines I clean have been dialup. To note:

1) You don't HAVE to open an email to get a virus from it. That pesky preview window does you in.

2) Just having a dynamic IP address doesn't solve your issue. A virus that installs a backdoor that reports back to the mother ship doesn't have to have a static IP - in some cases it's better for the hacker.

3) Just viewing a site can cause Internet explorer to download trojans and viruses so it's not just something someone sends you...

My suggestion to the OP, without seeing their machine specifically, is to see if you can add more memory to your computer. Most off-the-shelf computers come with only 256 meg of memory. Adding another 256 for $60 or so will give your machine MUCH more memory to work with and may allow it to work faster. I wouldn't just uninstall the virus protection.

 

[WebmasterAlex]

I use Norton Corporate which is a 100 times better than the Norton you buy at the store. The reason is because it does not have all the "extra's". No firewall, no "internet security" it does one job and it does it well, kill virus's!
If you want cheap lightweight virus scanning I like F-prot and a lot of people also like AVG
Either will put far less overhead on your machine compared to retail Norton or McAfee

And I'll go with Jeff... I have fixed MANY dial up machines with virus's

 

[bicker]

Does anyone use e-Trust?
http://store.digitalriver.com/servl...e&SiteID=caconsum&productID=36454100&Env=BASE

 

[2BigKIdz]

We use AVG and it's doing well.

 

[crazymomof4]

Wow this thread got long!

I went to the Symantec (Norton) Troubleshooting site.
They have some steps recommended to increase speed.
First on the list is to run a full system virus scan.
Did that and my speed has gone back to what is was prior to
renewing the subscription.

On this subject- I've heard that Internet Explorer is very suceptable to viruses.
We use Mozilla as our browser for this reason.

Thanks for all of the suggestions.......I've learned a lot. Will talk to DH about installing more memory. I remember he did that to our old PC.