Hello guys,
I am new to this forum; I read many threads on how Symantec is a resource hog. That explains why my sister’s laptop runs slow. It also had spyware and I have another thread in this forum on that issue. I wanted to keep this discussion separate.

Looks like AVG is the way to go. I will install AVG tonight. However, can I still keep Symantec and disable it such that it doesn’t start up or actively scan when windows starts up?

I will use AVG as primary anti-virus, but considering the fact that not all anti-virus tools are able to detect 100% of virus that’s out there, I just want something as secondary tool that I can use occasionally to scan the computer. Is that a good idea? If yes, will disabling Symantec without un-installing still hog system resources?

Also, the computer currently has McAfee 7.0 firewall. We originally had McAfee 7.0 anti-virus as well, but was uninstalled by her school’s tech support. They installed Symantec anti-virus, without any firewall. Long story, I will spare you guys the details . When I found that there was no firewall, I immediately installed McAfee firewall.

Is it ok if I have AVG anti-virus (primary) with McAfee firewall and disabled Symantec anti-virus (as secondary anti-virus to occasionally scan the computer)? Or would you guys suggest something else?

Thanks

It is OK and a pretty good idea to do that.

Good luck disabling all the Symantec crap though - there will be many services, drivers and startup programs to seek out and neutralise. And you have to do this so that the next time you run Norton, it doesn't re-enable everything.

Also, remember to update the Norton virus definitions before each manual scan.

Thanks. Is there a manual way to turn off Symantec services? I am thinking of writing a batch file and add it to system start up.

I recommend you ditch Symantec/Norton crapware altogether and use AVG and either Zonealarm or Kerio as your firewall. They can all be found in this thread [URL="http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic58138.html"]HERE[/URL]. If you have any problems uninstalling Norton, see this thread [URL="http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic57112.html"]HERE[/URL].

You can always run an online virus scan, if you want to check with a different antivirus scanner. A good online virus scanner can be found [URL="http://uk.trendmicro-europe.com/consumer/housecall/housecall_launch.php"]HERE[/URL].

Regards Howard

Thanks buddy.