Norton Anti Virus

[BJS]

Why is it much more expensive to buy it for 2 yrs than 1 . i.e. Approx £33 for a year and £99 for 2 years.

[Buenchico]

The prices you quote don't match those on the Norton website:
http://buy-static.norton.com/norton/ps/bb/ukhard/4up_nav_ns1_ns_nsbu_uk_en_notw_brnf_nort5.html

Norton might argue that if you buy a 2-year subscription you're fixing the price for the second year, whereas it might rise if you only pay for a year at a time.

However a far better question might be "Why the hell does anybody buy Norton products anyway?". They're notorious for slowing computers to a crawl and they don't provide anything that you can't get for free elsewhere anyway.

[Jackdaw33]

It's a bit like offers you see in supermarkets: £1 each or two for £3.00

[BJS]

I have always used Norton but just find those prices stupid. What do people recommend for a Anti virus.

[Jackdaw33]

All I have is Windows Defender which comes with Windows 10. I have never had any problems.

[Buenchico]

Windows Defender tends not to score well in independent tests. Further it can seriously reduce a computer's performance while its regular updates are being downloaded and installed

AVG used to be good but now, like Windows Defender, Norton and (recently) Kaspersky, seems to be getting a reputation for slowing some computers to a crawl. (That's precisely why I stopped using it).

The most popular anti-virus program among ABers currently seems to be Avast:
https://www.avast.com/en-gb/index
(It's what I use).

[Old_Geezer]

Because the price is going up 7000% at the end of the year ?

[Togo]

//Windows Defender tends not to score well in independent tests. Further it can seriously reduce a computer's performance while its regular updates are being downloaded and installed //

I have never had a Defender update yet, on two machines, that took more than a few minutes. Unlike system upgrades no re-boot is ever required. I have honestly tried all the security systems that have been touted on here including Scanguard. I would not entertain 3rd party security systems they all end up devouring your system capability and even more seriously your time. The best security you have is installed if you use it. Your common sense. "Independent tests" haha. Who's zoomin who? Get your system capabilities up to scratch ensure you have good broadband capabilities and use your head. Spend the dosh on your system. I now do everything online including banking, utility services, water, car tax, tv & fishing licences, etc. etc. saves me hours, and I trust Defender because I take some responsibility for myself.

[Buenchico]

^^^ A 7000% price increase would take £33 per annum up to £2343 per annum, O_G!

Back to school for you, I think!

;-)

[Old_Geezer]

That is why you want to buy 2 years' worth now.

[Buenchico]

>>> I have never had a Defender update yet, on two machines, that took more than a few minutes

The problem comes about, Togo, because the update element of Defender (MsMpEng.exe) completes the update successfully in a couple of minutes but then gets stuck in an endless loop, making exceptionally heavy demands upon the Windows Host Process (svchost.exe).

[EDDIE51]

If you want Kasperski, open a Barclays bank account, a basic savings account will do, just put £1 in it to keep it open.
Then register it for online banking, Barclays offer the full version of Kasperski for up to 3 devices free of charge to protect online accounts.There is no minimum amount needed in the account as long as it has £1 to keep it open. You can download Kaspersky free from your Barclays online login page.

[Buenchico]

^^^ For many years Kaspersky had the reputation of being by far the best of the 'paid for' products (well ahead of Norton and McAfee) but there have been some recent reports of it slowing some computers down considerably.

[EDDIE51]

^ I only have Windows defender and never a hint of a problem.

[jno]

I have Avast, the free version, and have had no trouble.

[BJS]

Sorry but having such a ancient brain am confused what the reference to a increase of 7000% meant.

[Old_Geezer]

It was asking if the price was going up sufficiently to warrant buying longer term. If you don't like 7000% try 2097675937990% ?

[Togo]

That Buen is exactly why I say concentrate on your pc capabilities. Things have changed since the days of XP and slow download and upload speeds. "In the days of Windows XP, when PCs had much more limited resources and operating systems weren’t quite as fine-tuned, stopping Windows from running unnecessary services was often recommended. These days, we don’t recommend disabling services anymore. Modern PCs tend to be loaded with memory and high-powered processors. Add that to the fact that the way Windows services are handled in modern versions (and what services run) has been streamlined, and eliminating services you think you don’t need really doesn’t have much of an impact any more."
Like I say, if your system is fit for purpose Defender is all you require. Of course anyone unhappy with Microsoft's systems is free to try a Russian or Chinese operating system or get a mac. It has become trendy in some weird way to knock Microsoft when the real problem lies with 3rd party peripherals not keeping up to speed after flogging products on the back of it. Don't forget that the people pushing the "security" products go out of business if no one is alarmed. The best days work I ever did was to uninstall them all and block them from my email account. Don't even get me going on McAffee.

[mikey4444]

Just had an email saying my 2 PC package will now be £59.99 !

[CrapAtCryptics]

I usually expect to pay around £69 for a 2 year update, the most recent being for 5 devices, and contrary to what Chico says, I have never in all the years I have been using Norton, experienced any slowdown. I do however have a very lively machine and connection so maybe I miss that pleasure.