Norton Internet Security Suite

[RUdiapers]

I recently updated from mcaffee to norton internet security suite (the free download with comcast service) and my computer now runs slower than it ever has. I've checked out the norton support boards and despite some of the fixes suggested by their own employees, this thing is still running slow. The internet is almost unusable (opening browser or switching/loading pages) but games and other programs run fine after a delayed startup.

I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem with their comcast version or if someone could recommend a better alternative program with comparable protection (and maybe even a safe bittorrent location to get it free).

The technical info:

When opening anything, a process that goes by the name sccault.exe is taking up a large chunk of available memory and at least half of the processor time.

Any opinions are greatly appreciated and if you have any questions to ask me which might help elucidate a solution, I will get back to you 10 minutes later than I should have because the damn thing runs so slow.

[mattyboy]

your a fool to be using norton. its the most power hungry program ever invented.

you practically need a supercomputer just to run it smoothly.

yes, its a very powerful anti virus suite, but that's half the problem, its so powerful that it takes up all your systems resources.

and that much power is just unnecessary.

I've been using avast free anti virus and just the windows firewall and so far i haven't got any viruses or anything so I'd suggest that.

[Yvhuce]

Yes. Amongst the various forums I visit, Avast is the most recommended. The person who built this computer was kind enough to put Avast on it, as well. I put it on my grandparents' computer and they haven't had any more problems with viruses since. It may get a bit slow when you first connect (if have dial-up, like me) and the program updates, but it updates the definitions at least once a day, so you're not very likely to contract viruses.

[Repaid1]

Okay here's the deal. You need to download Avast Anti Virus. Do not install it right away. BTW make sure you down load the free for home use version.

http://www.avast.com...are-home-office

Then you need to uninstall all the other anti virus stuff through windows control panel. Next you need to download a program called Glary Utilities

http://www.glaryutilities.com/gu.html

Run the "One Click Maintenance" part of the program...Ohhh how fast your system will be now. Reboot your system. Install Avast, allow it to run a boot scan. And your done. It will take care of everything else and you'll like the way it works! Trust me!.

I will not confirm or deny you might be able to get the pro version (pre version 5) at most "reputable" torrent sites. Although the Home version is all you really need.

[AutieAB]

^ What they said. Ditch Norton, install Avast. There is virtually no reason for home users to pay for anti-virus software. The free versions from various companies are entirely sufficient. Precisely which AV software is the best to use changes over time but Norton these days is consistently a steaming pile of bloated, over-active, resource-hogging, alarmist crap.

I get the 'will you fix my computer, it's really slow' thing all the time from friends and family (I really need one of these). The first thing I always do is dump Norton for something else. Save them $40 a year (or however much it is these days) and suddenly their computer is faster again...

It's funny, one of the biggest growth areas in the virus industry these days is so-called 'scareware' - software that exists only to alarm you about non-existent or very minor threats and persuade you that you need to part with cash for software to 'fix' the 'problem' that is in fact, of little value. Something Norton has been excelling at for years

[Guest diapered axel]

Avast or aviera. Also whats your comp specs?

[rickibrat2]

junk it and go with a real system kaspersky or F secure

[RUdiapers]

Avast or aviera. Also whats your comp specs?

In a nutshell the specs are as follows - OLD

It is a machine I got while I was still in school but it has served me well. It is a 2.2 GHz system with 256M memory (I know that's so low but I was trying to save $$), an 80Gig drive and 128M video card.

[Darkfinn]

This is why I don't run any kind of "active" security suite that scans everything as you open it on my computers. The stupid things just sit in the background and chew RAM. Virus scan your computer with something good and current every other week or so and you'll be fine. Just watch what you click and don't go surfing around to all kinds of free porn sites, that's where most of the trouble comes from. Personally... there's probably 20 websites that I visit on a daily basis, and maybe another 20 that I use from time to time. All are safe, relatively secure, and well known.

In case something really bad does happen I have a small running application that keeps my registry locked so spyware programs can't edit it... I also use Firefox with popups, flash, and anything that comes from "*.ru" blocked. Russian hosted sites are the WORST for malware... I really wish Google would stop displaying them in searches. Firefox is much less prone to hijacks than IE.

[babykeiff]

As everyone has already said - DITCH NORTON. Unfortunately, to totally get rid of Norton is not that easy, and needs several attempts, (uninstall, reboot.. uninstall) and you might be lucky enough to get rid of it all. There are utilities available to clean a Norton from an OS, and it needs persistence to find and use them.

Personally, I use BitDefender, but Avast in a domestic use, is just as good.

An decent firewall, and a bit of common sense will protect a PC better than any AV program.

Norton is a 4bit/8bit DOS app, and has yet to correctly handle 16/32/64 bit processors or OSs. As a result, it is extremely processor intensive and memory dependent on anything greater than DOS. Also, its core engine (used to track/diagnose and identify virii) is Symantics Inference Engine, which was built to intercept virii and rouge code on network hubs, switches and routers. This same engine has to query every instruction before it allows it to continue, effectively cutting a processor speed and memory available by 75-80%.

[belinda_sue_fox]

Lol thats one hell of an upgrade, moving from second worst to worst.

Good luck on finding Norton remove tool. They don't exactly make it easy to find on their website.

Norton uninstall pretty much amounts to "oooo trying to uninstall me...i know i'll go away till they reboot then pop up again"

oh yea and just noticed

Norton is a 4bit/8bit DOS app, and has yet to correctly handle 16/32/64 bit processors or OSs. As a result, it is extremely processor intensive and memory dependent on anything greater than DOS. Also, its core engine (used to track/diagnose and identify virii) is Symantics Inference Engine, which was built to intercept virii and rouge code on network hubs, switches and routers. This same engine has to query every instruction before it allows it to continue, effectively cutting a processor speed and memory available by 75-80%.

Just LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL

[Loveable_guy]

While I agree Norton can be a memory hog, Norton 360 version 2.5 thru 4.0 have worked well for me on several desktop’s.

As for the free stuff I just installed a copy of Avast on a customers desktop so we’ll see how well it works.

[babykeiff]

Lol thats one hell of an upgrade, moving from second worst to worst.

Good luck on finding Norton remove tool. They don't exactly make it easy to find on their website.

Norton uninstall pretty much amounts to "oooo trying to uninstall me...i know i'll go away till they reboot then pop up again"

oh yea and just noticed

Norton is a 4bit/8bit DOS app, and has yet to correctly handle 16/32/64 bit processors or OSs. As a result, it is extremely processor intensive and memory dependent on anything greater than DOS. Also, its core engine (used to track/diagnose and identify virii) is Symantics Inference Engine, which was built to intercept virii and rouge code on network hubs, switches and routers. This same engine has to query every instruction before it allows it to continue, effectively cutting a processor speed and memory available by 75-80%.

Just LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL

?

and what is so funny? The last stable app that came from Norton was a front end to DOS called Norton Commander. Norton, or more correctly Symantec can't correctly handle 32 bit platforms. Are you going to lie and say that they do?

[BabyDavey]

?

and what is so funny? The last stable app that came from Norton was a front end to DOS called Norton Commander. Norton, or more correctly Symantec can't correctly handle 32 bit platforms. Are you going to lie and say that they do?

I've got to say, this is quite an interesting statement. I run a 64 bit OS, and just the other day I attempted to install a 3rd party app for blackberry software updates. This was a DOS/Script based application. I received a warning message informing me that I could not run it, as it was a 16bit application. I was able to load it in a 32 bit OS, as it has kept the backward compatibility for _most_ 16 bit software. I am also able to install _most_ 32bit software on my 64bit OS. Simply put, modern operating systems don't retain the ability to run 4/8 bit instructions directly. Most computers still retain the ability to run these instructions, but you would have to load DOS (from a memory stick or boot disk or something) or some other alternative OS rather than windows xp, vista or 7.

Now, you would be able to run a 4/8bit program in a virtual machine, which could explain the resource and memory hogging experiences people might have with this software. I suspect, though, that the program is actually native 32 bit code, and does not require the use of a VM. Here are my thoughts on Norton, and it's slow and resource hogging experience in the form of an analogy:

It's 1988 and a company opens, they sell widgets. The staff and management is very efficient and effective. Over the years, these widgets catch on and become more popular. The company can't handle the amount of business they have without expanding, so they do. They build a larger facility and hire more staff and management. These new people aren't as invested in the company, but they're good employees. They're not as effective or efficient, but they still work well. Meanwhile, other companies spring up and offer the same kind of widget, but with other features. The original company struggles to adapt - adding new features to their widget, and in the process they expand their business again. They're not quite the well oiled machine they once were, but they're still moving ahead. This continues for another decade or so - expanding and adding to stay ahead of the competition, each time becoming less effective and efficient. More departments, more managers, more overhead, more real estate, more everything. Today that company is sluggish, full of bureaucracy. Just.Plain.Slow.

Norton, like that company, has added may different features, services, monitors, all sorts of little things. I suspect that as these programs grew, they became a patchwork. The programs likely no longer contain any of the original code, but they still contain the processes, procedures and all that other fun stuff put in place in the beginning. This makes things sluggish, inefficient, resource hogging.

If I write a piece of software to replace another, I can pick and choose the features that are included in said program. I can write it for the latest and greatest operating system, and I can make it as efficient as the OS will let me. I'm not limited to keeping features included in previous revisions of the software, as there were none.

This happens in software, this happens in business, this happens in government, this happens everywhere. As a particular entity grows it becomes less efficient and requires more resources (money, food, fuel, whatever). Perhaps it's nature, I guess.

So. Long story short: Norton is not 4/8 bit. It can properly handle 32 (and most likely 64) bit platforms. It's just too big and inefficient.

There are many alternatives to Norton. Avast, as other members have suggested, is a good place to start. I'm no MS fanboy, but I've found MSE (Microsoft Security Essentials) to work well for me. It's easy and seems light weight, which is a good thing. We use Vipre at work, also quite light weight and seems to work well. I've used kapersky (sp?) and wasn't totally thrilled, but that was just me - it could do what you want.

[RUdiapers]

Thanks to all of you for your help. Norton is gone and it is back up to speed.

[Yvhuce]

Congrats.

[curiositykilledthecat]

Delete Norton. ever since 360 it has been awful. i had to uninstall 360 because it broke my pc.