Switching from Norton to AVG

[sweeticus]

My Norton is going to expire in May and I don't want to renew it. I'm interested in trying AVG but I've never used it before. I'm also concerned about the process of uninstalling Norton because I've heard nightmares about it not uninstalling completely and messing things up.

Those who have used both products, would you answer some questions for me?

1) Did you have difficulty uninstalling Norton? How hard is it for someone fairly technically minded (but not a professional) to accomplish if the normal remove program function fails?

2) Will I need to change my habits dramatically with AVG over Norton? I have Norton set up to do daily definition updates - can AVG do this automatically as well, or will I need to do it manually?

3) Norton does a full system scan once a week, but I think that's overkill if I'm keeping my definitions updated. Will I need to do regular scans with AVG? I've heard some people say AVG won't catch all viruses as they download, but will typically catch them on a scan, is this true?

4) I'm a pretty safe user already, I use Firefox, I run Ad-Aware regularly, I have ZoneAlarm, I don't click on most links in most emails (certainly not unless I'm fairly sure they are safe), no one else uses my computer. Will I be safe with AVG Free or is it worth investing in Pro?

Thanks.

 

[pgp_protector]

1) Norton shouldn't give you too much trouble uninstalling, (and there's always the format / reinstall Joking)
2) AVG can also do Daily Updates
3) You can control how often AVG will do a full scan / if at all.
4) AVG Free should fit your habits fine.

 

[sweeticus]

Thanks for the response! Have you found that AVG (the company) updates their definitions as often as Norton does for new viruses?

I think I'm going to try it. I've used Norton for more than 10 years, so it's giving me a little anxiety about removing it. I really hate what a resource-hog it is though.

 

[pgp_protector]

I've been using AVG for years without issue.
Still clean

 

[sweeticus]

Great, thanks so much. I'm going to bite the bullet

 

[Sketcher]

My only real complaint about AVG is that it was slow as a dog. I like Avast much better. The free version of Avast doesn't do scheduled scans, though.

 

[pgp_protector]

...

 

[Sketcher]

it doesn't ??

I was talking about Avast not doing scheduled scans, not AVG.

 

[pgp_protector]

I was talking about Avast not doing scheduled scans, not AVG.

Ahh my misunderstanding then, I read it as though you liked Avast better as AVG doesn't do scheduled scans, not that you like Avast better, but Avast doesn't do scheduled scans

 

[Sketcher]

Ahh my misunderstanding then, I read it as though you liked Avast better as AVG doesn't do scheduled scans, not that you like Avast better, but Avast doesn't do scheduled scans

My first post has been duly edited.

 

[sweeticus]

LOL. Thanks guys.

Twistedsketch, when you say AVG is slow, are you talking about when it's just sitting in the background using up resources? Or do you mean while it's scanning a file, or doing a system scan?

 

[Sketcher]

It's especially slow when doing its scans. However, I found that even during the times when it wasn't actively scanning, my computer was a little slower than it is now. Avast is fast, what can I say.

 

[sweeticus]

It's especially slow when doing its scans. However, I found that even during the times when it wasn't actively scanning, my computer was a little slower than it is now. Avast is fast, what can I say.

Thanks. I can't imagine anything being slower than Norton when it's scanning. Hopefully AVG is faster than Norton.

 

[MrJim]

Thanks for the response! Have you found that AVG (the company) updates their definitions as often as Norton does for new viruses?

I think I'm going to try it. I've used Norton for more than 10 years, so it's giving me a little anxiety about removing it. I really hate what a resource-hog it is though.

When folks like PGP_Protector & twistedsketch edorse critical security stuff like AVG & Avast you can rest assured they work or they wouldn't use them.

 

[icarusforde]

When folks like PGP_Protector & twistedsketch edorse critical security stuff like AVG & Avast you can rest assured they work or they wouldn't use them.

Definatly. Im a bit of a geek, and i use avast - never, ever had any problems with it. It works great, hardly any system drain either

 

[sweeticus]

When folks like PGP_Protector & twistedsketch edorse critical security stuff like AVG & Avast you can rest assured they work or they wouldn't use them.

Definatly. Im a bit of a geek, and i use avast - never, ever had any problems with it. It works great, hardly any system drain either

Great to know!

 

[loribee59]

I do have one gripe about Avast, though~ when I first log on, it'd slow down the computer a bit, and when I got notification pop up to tell me their updated definitions, it'd sit for more than 20 seconds. is there a way to tweak it so it's not interfering with the initial logon?

eta: in the debate of Avast vs AVG... I used to have AVG but switched to Avast....
the question still remains: which is better, memory-wise and protection-wise?
apparently PGP and Terrasin seem to advocate AVG over Avast. I'd like to hear their explanation

 

[Monk098]

if the uninstall of Norton and I'm probably posting this for users who look at this after then fact there is a program out there called Win perfect uninstaller, what it does is removes programs by finding the associated program folders and deleting them through the old Del command in CMD and then deletes the registry entries used by that program that aren't used by others obviously I've never had any trouble using it. also it is good practice to remove Norton from the start up process just before installation I've had problems in the past because I didn't do this.

And in my experience I have never had a problem with AVG Free and even though I know better I'm often not given a choice about being cautious about where I visit on the web due to work factors. you know how it is people want this and that freeware program but don't know how to download it themselves.