Awesome, free anti-virus program

"Roger Halstead" wrote in message
...
Once things get screwed up Norton can be a real pain to fix as it
leaves tracks all over the computer.

I've used Norton for ten years without a problem on my personal and company
machines. I've repaired a number of manchines that had Norton removal
issues - almost all could be fixed by a reinstall/uninstall.

I would almost rather go naked than run McAfee on a machine. It can be
horrible to remove all traces of this application and can be buggy as hell.

In a previous post, somebody commented that x AV found a virus that y AV
missed. In many cases, this appears to be the case, but something else is
going on.

In some cases, an AV program can alert on a file that has been fixed by
another AV program, as AV programs have different definition profiles and
different schemes for removing a virus.

In other cases, an AV program can alert to the def files or log files of
another AV program.

On Mon, 01 Sep 2003 18:39:15 GMT, "C.D. Damron"
wrote:


"Roger Halstead" wrote in message
.. .
Once things get screwed up Norton can be a real pain to fix as it
leaves tracks all over the computer.

I've used Norton for ten years without a problem on my personal and company
machines. I've repaired a number of manchines that had Norton removal
issues - almost all could be fixed by a reinstall/uninstall.

I would almost rather go naked than run McAfee on a machine. It can be
horrible to remove all traces of this application and can be buggy as hell.

I'm a computer tech and have used Norton since about 15 years ago -
when Peter Norton was in charge and it was the only game in town. I do
not use it today.
I have also used McAfee for years - and I have NEVER had a problem
removing it from my system. It works quite well. In the last 3 years I
have not had any "buggy" issues with it. I use the Online
subscription.

In a previous post, somebody commented that x AV found a virus that y AV
missed. In many cases, this appears to be the case, but something else is
going on.

In some cases, an AV program can alert on a file that has been fixed by
another AV program, as AV programs have different definition profiles and
different schemes for removing a virus.

In other cases, an AV program can alert to the def files or log files of
another AV program.

clare @ snyder.on .ca wrote in message
...
On Mon, 01 Sep 2003 18:39:15 GMT, "C.D. Damron"
wrote:

I'm a computer tech and have used Norton since about 15 years ago -
when Peter Norton was in charge and it was the only game in town. I do
not use it today.
I have also used McAfee for years - and I have NEVER had a problem
removing it from my system. It works quite well. In the last 3 years I
have not had any "buggy" issues with it. I use the Online
subscription.


It is clear that our experiences differ.

You mention that you have never had a problem removing it from your system,
without mentioning your experiences with your customer's systems. I
haven't had problems removing either Norton or McAfee from MY machines.
However, my experience with customer machines has been dramatically
different.

Users tend to stick with whatever AV they have been using, so removals have
been relatively rare for me until recently. As credible free AV programs
have become available, more and more of my customers are asking me to remove
Norton and McAfee AV programs from their machines. Some of my customers
that have been running both Norton and McAfee are giving up McAfee after
witnessing their slower reaction time to new threats, recently.

Just this weekend, I attempted to remove a McAfee AV and firewall. While
the removal didn't cause any problems, the uninstall didn't remove all
components.

I have had problems removing it from a dozen systems. The web is full of
helpful removal tips for those cursed with the ghost of McAfee. NAV, from
NAV 2001 to Symantec Corporate Edition, have presented no removal problems
for me.

On some of the computer boards, my suggestion of a reinstall/uninstall has
cured every case of a stubborn NAV removal.

My experiences might be geographically biased, given the University of
Kentucky's wide usage of McAfee. I have probably seen a disproportionate
amount of McAfee problems, in my town. However, a little Google research
will reveal the McAfee is ahead of the pack, with regards to removal issues.

Not that I don't have my gripes with NAV, a number of viruses require manual
removal after detection. Not a big deal for a professional, but I'm not
sure that everybody should be messing around with the Windows registry.

Let me know if you run into any problems removing McAfee in the future. I'd
be glad to help.

In article , clare @ snyder.on .ca
writes:


I'm a computer tech and have used Norton since about 15 years ago -
when Peter Norton was in charge and it was the only game in town. I do
not use it today.
I have also used McAfee for years - and I have NEVER had a problem
removing it from my system. It works quite well. In the last 3 years I
have not had any "buggy" issues with it. I use the Online
subscription.



I used McAfee for some time until I finally traced a problem with my machine
freezing up several times per day to McAfee. I removed it and never experience
a problem after that. I will not go back again. I got real tired of having to
power down everthing and then waiting for the disk checks to run.


Bob Reed
www.kisbuild.r-a-reed-assoc.com (KIS Builders Site)
KIS Cruiser in progress...Slow but steady progress....

"Ladies and Gentlemen, take my advice,
pull down your pants and Slide on the Ice!"
(M.A.S.H. Sidney Freedman)