It's a scam.

But hey, it's your money.

I've been using nothing but the inbuilt Windows Security in Windows 10 and now 11 for years and I've never had a problem so far.

I also use NoScript and uBlock Origin (Adblocker) in Firefox but a large part of being secure when being online is making sure you don't go to 'dodgy' websites and/or download every 'freebie' you see... which I never do, of course.

Whatever the issue, I have recommenced using Norton. The computer was getting scanned by some out of date antivirus software. The computer was not working well. Now that the antivirus is up to date, my computer is running well.

Setanta wrote on Jun 13^th, 2024 at 7:44pm:


I purchased a Norton Security software some years ago after buying this computer. I installed the software. The antivirus software had an expiry of two or three years. Having used a credit card that had an expiry date that ended last year, my Norton Security had gone through its expiry date by the end of last year. For the last 6 months, my computer has had to rely on other free computer software like Advanced System Care. But, even with that program in use, my computer had been having a lot of freezing moments and did not run efficiently. I updated a new credit card. My computer now works very well.

Does that help explain things?

Norton does not update software for a user, if they have not paid their existing bill. I could have gone and found another internet security software for my computer. But, I decided to renew my subscription with Norton. My question was to ask if I had made a mistake renewing the subscription, if there was another/better internet security software elsewhere.

When using a PC, I found Norton good in the early years, then as technology and indeed virus and malware advanced, it started to slow my machine down.   I switched to AVG Free and have had no issues for years!    On the Mac, I also use AVG Free

What I am trialling at the moment is a program called “Little Snitch” that stops your PC “reporting back to mother” - unless you let them.   I have stopped all outgoing connections with the exception of Apple and Microsoft - unless I permit them and my spam email has dropped a fair bit.

I had problems with my computer freezing and needing to wait for the computer to work again for about 30 seconds or more. I would also have problems with the pages just not loading for long periods. Renewing my Norton subscription seems to have fixed that problem. I also uninstalled a few computer games (many Gigabytes worth) from the computer. The computer is working well, now.

Vic wrote on Jun 14^th, 2024 at 11:04am:


Your favorite song is Sound of Silence?

What do you all recommend for a reasonably powerful laptop (slowing down should not be an issue)? Paying for something? Getting the free version of norton or similar? Or going with whatever is built in to windows?

Windows also comes with a free 1 month trial of McAffee, but I think you have to pay after that.

freediver wrote on Jun 14^th, 2024 at 6:56pm:


Ad and script blocker for your browser and Defender(what is built into Windows). If you are suspicious about a particular file, upload it and have it scanned by just about every virus scanner to an online scanner.

freediver wrote on Jun 14^th, 2024 at 6:56pm:


IMO Norton and the others just slow the system down. If you worry about performance it is using lots of resources for no benefit.

What I heard from within the industry, Microsoft started to take security seriously when Nadella took over to focus on the security of Windows. A huge investment in fixing Windows OS and is why Windows really got slower with each release for many years. Each release is not getting slower now because that restructure has been done internally. MS defender is as good as any and is good enough. I have not had a single virus on my machine since i went for just defender and dropped the other crap. All PC in the family just rely on MS Defender and we all keep the OS uptodate (which is also key)

However, I also have learned how to browse safely and not make the mistakes of the past. I make sure I really trust the source before downloading any software.

Addressing your questions:

What do you all recommend for a reasonably powerful laptop (slowing down should not be an issue)?
Don't clutter it up with bloatware or freeware that promises to make your machine faster. Keep OS uptodate and us MS Defender and Firewall.

Paying for something? Nah, waste of money.

Getting the free version of norton or similar? No free version of anything will be better than defender.

Or going with whatever is built in to windows? Works for Millions of people.

Captain Nemo wrote on Jun 15^th, 2024 at 5:36pm:



You should remove cookies that you don't want yourself - every few days.

In Firefox and Edge - it's easy.
Just keep the ones for the sites you are a member of like here.

Laugh till you cry wrote on Jun 14^th, 2024 at 2:43pm:



Only this version:

freediver wrote on Jun 17^th, 2024 at 10:02am:


Many years ago.

I have been using Norton for several years, however lately I seem to be getting more and risk notifications along with offers of upgrades. I am suspecting this more to do with pushing the product than real risks....

Baronvonrort wrote on Jun 19^th, 2024 at 11:40pm:




https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ceqq7663wd2o



8 hours ago

By Graeme Baker, BBC News, Washington

The US has announced plans to ban the sale of antivirus software made by Russian firm Kaspersky due to its alleged links to the Kremlin.

Moscow's influence over the company was found to pose a significant risk to US infrastructure and services, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on Thursday.

She said that the US was compelled to take action due to Russia's "capacity and... intent to collect and weaponise the personal information of Americans".

"Kaspersky will generally no longer be able to, among other activities, sell its software within the United States or provide updates to software already in use," the Commerce Department said.

Bobby. wrote on Jun 21^st, 2024 at 5:30pm:


Or, you could avoid all those problems and use Chrome OS instead of Windows.

No bloat, no viruses, and twice as fast.

greggerypeccary wrote on Jun 21^st, 2024 at 6:14pm:


Great idea so long as you don't want to do anything.

Bobby. wrote on Jun 21^st, 2024 at 5:30pm:


Yeah, i hear many gay porn sites are full of viruses.

Quote:


Dunno Greggy - you're the one with Chrome -
if you're happy - stick with it.

freediver wrote on Jun 21^st, 2024 at 9:18pm:


White flag accepted.

The question I put is -
why aren't operating system files protected from viruses?

How can a virus alter an operating system file?
You'd think Windows would have a way of locking system files up so they couldn't be modified
unless it was a Windows update.
Microsoft is worth $3.34 trillion - you'd think they'd have the resources to stop viruses.

Bobby. wrote on Jun 22^nd, 2024 at 11:48am:


You really think they want to stop them?

greggerypeccary wrote on Jun 22^nd, 2024 at 12:11pm:



Nonsense - see my Reply #34.   

greggerypeccary wrote on Jun 22^nd, 2024 at 12:13pm:



No one knows what Microsoft is doing.
I have Win10.

Their new Win11 looks like little more than spyware.
I don't want it.
They should have made Windows immune to viruses 20 years ago.
Much of the source code is secret which means Microsoft should be able to put all sorts
of blocks in there to viruses and malware.

Bobby. wrote on Jun 22^nd, 2024 at 6:23pm:


A hardware upgrade is your answer Bobby.

The one below will not be infected by  software viruses.

greggerypeccary wrote on Jun 22^nd, 2024 at 12:13pm:


It's probably one of the biggest motivators for people to switch to linux or other alternatives. It's not that they don't want to. I doubt they can. At least, not with the user experience they are selling.

freediver wrote on Jun 22^nd, 2024 at 10:40pm:



Does anyone know the answer to my question?

UnSubRocky wrote on Jun 24^th, 2024 at 3:59pm:



Thou hath not understood what I said.

The system files must get altered by viruses but they
should be protected from alteration by anything but a proper recognised Microsoft program.

If you get a very bad virus the system files are so badly wrecked that you
have to format the hard disk and reload windows -
no repair is possible.

UnSubRocky wrote on Jun 24^th, 2024 at 7:40pm:



There are many different types of files on your computer.
The simplest are data files such as photos and videos.
You can alter those but the computer will still run.

Operating system files are different -
if they are altered it can stop you computer from working.
Some of those are able to be used by programs but others
should be locked away and unalterable except by a Windows update but they are not.

greggerypeccary wrote on Jun 24^th, 2024 at 7:51pm:



They don't own Norton.

greggerypeccary wrote on Jun 24^th, 2024 at 8:02pm:



You tell me and we'll both know.   

The ones working to make these antivirus program updates are usually the ones writing the viruses in the first place. One big scam.

Chat GPT says:

There’s nothing inherently wrong with using Windows 10, but there are a few reasons why you might want to consider upgrading to a newer version:

End of Support: The current version of Windows 10 will be the last, and Microsoft will continue to release monthly security updates for all Windows 10 editions until it reaches end of support on Oct. 14, 20251. After that date, without security updates, your PC could become more vulnerable to various security risks.

New Features: Windows 11, the tech giant’s latest operating system, was rolled out in October 2021, and deployed to all eligible devices in May 20221. It introduced new design elements and added a handful of new features and productivity tools.

Common Issues: Windows 10 users have reported issues with design inconsistencies, buggy updates, and telemetry/data collection2. There are also common problems with booting, upgrading, privacy protection, storage management, and fixing a stuck Windows 10 update.

Failed Initiatives: Some features and applications like Cortana, Windows 10 S, and Edge didn’t meet their intended uses and are being reimagined and remade.

Remember, it’s always important to keep your operating system up-to-date for the best performance and security. If you’re experiencing specific issues with Windows 10, there are resources available to help you troubleshoot and fix them.

UnSubRocky wrote on Jun 25^th, 2024 at 1:49am:


Exactly.

UnSubRocky wrote on Jun 25^th, 2024 at 1:49am:


I'm not one to readily believe in conspiracies but to be honest I've often thought about that being true.

Wouldn't surprise me one bit.

One only has to look at the endless and mostly pointless updates to Windows and especially web browsers these days.

Here's a perfect example.

Have a look at the 3 'sticky' threads for Chrome, Edge and Firefox.

It seems like there's a nonstop 'competition' between Google with Chrome and Microsoft with Edge to see who can cram the most useless crap into a web browser (Edge seems to be leading so far, followed by Chrome... with Firefox in a distant third place).

And, I'm sure this also has a lot to do with 'job security'. If employees weren't keeping themselves busy with all of this mostly useless rubbish they would be out of a job.

greggerypeccary wrote on Jun 25^th, 2024 at 9:39am:


Cool story bro, why not indulge a conspiracy? Oh so fun.

Setanta wrote on Jun 25^th, 2024 at 6:30pm:


I think the people that write the antivirus solutions are more than capable of writing viruses. However I do not believe they write them for distribution or to help sell their solutions.

Bobby. wrote on Jun 22^nd, 2024 at 11:48am:


This a many decades long saga. Look up how Micro Kernels were supposed to work. Original NT was based on the Mach Micro Kernel idea. Rings of access, the the OS kernel being ring 0, thing's like device drivers being ring 1, user stuff at ring 2. It does work but it's slower than device drivers, especially video in ring 0. Over time MS moved more and more to ring 0 for speed and it's degraded the purpose of Micro Kernels making things less secure but much faster. Blame the Gamers!

Let me give some kind of example, you want to play a game, it's in userspace, ring 2, it needs a video device so it has to talk yo ring 1 and the video has to then ask the kernel, ring 0, to do each action, and the result must be passed back down the rings before it is drawn on the screen. Slow but much more secure. Blame people that prefer speed over security.

edit: You could always run Hurd/Debian if you want to play with a micro kernel OS.

Setanta wrote on Jun 25^th, 2024 at 6:46pm:


I hope the whitehats find them first.

Not any competent programmer can do this. You really need to get into the low levels and reverse engineer what is going on to leverage the exploit. These are probably some of the very best mind in computing I expect. They are way more proficient than even a very good programmer as they tend to live within the bounds of what is offered by the OS ...etc.

freediver wrote on Jul 3^rd, 2024 at 8:21am:



Have you tried any uninstall programs?

https://www.lifewire.com/iobit-uninstaller-review-2626191

freediver wrote on Jul 3^rd, 2024 at 9:16am:



That's why you should carefully read all the reviews you can find first:

type into Google:

IObit Uninstaller v13 Review

UnSubRocky wrote on Jul 5^th, 2024 at 3:16am:


Sophos? It wouldn't let me do that.

In any case I have figured it out now.

I just checked my windows defender and windows security settings.

In security, I did not have "App and browser" control on. Just turned it on. So now everything is green.