I have a basic Norton package. I receive pop ups from Norton on my computer all the time. This one states:
“396 broken setting found, impact to performance : slowdown likely, impact on storage: heightened, risks to system starts: heightened.” [pop ups are always something like this]
Then when I click on it, it states “the device security is protected, software updates requiring attention: 5, dark web monitoring: 1 alert, secure vpn, secure cloud back up.”
So a few things, when I click on the updates and dark web monitoring it wants me to purchase something. Are the “warnings” just a scare tactic to try to get you to buy stuff you don’t need?
Also, what is probably slowing down my device is damn Norton, everything activating on start up and constant notifications? Is this possible? If so, where and how do I get this to stop.
Is Norton even necessary?
And-
If I purchase a windows PC, what exactly am I supposed to do or install to protect my device? Is protection pre installed? Also, what is the safest browser?
Thank you so much and sorry for so many questions!
Delete that Norton shit. It does nothing but hog your system resources. Windows has it’s own antivirus that update regularly. No need for others and browsers like Chrome also have additional protection built into them.
In IT for 30 years. Been to the far reaches of the web. Never got a single virus yet but I don’t click or fall for stupid shit.
Yep, I concur with the other comments, Norton was good back in the day, but not any more, just unnecessary bloatware that more often than not will negatively impact the performance of a PC
Yes, this is just a marketing strategy. Norton hasn’t been a good AV in years.
Windows defender will honestly cover you in 90% of situations. You can really avoid viruses entirely by running an adblocker and avoiding sketchy sites (most malware infections come from malvertising). ublock origin is honestly the best adblocker that is around right now, and personally I would install it with firefox, as chrome and chrome based browsers are going to be limiting its functionality next year. All of the major browsers are generally going to be safe if you’re running ublock origin.
I used to have Norton, personally they weren’t worth it for me. Not to mention that their customer service is terrible.
Regarding a secure browser, you have a couple of different options based on how much convenience you want to lose:
Beginner - Brave Browser, they have good defaults out of the box but make sure that telemetry is disabled. Also have a look through the settings and disable anything you don’t want. They do have some crypto stuff, but it’s so minor you can forget about it if you disable unnecessary stuff (that’s why I said to look through the settings)
Intermediate - Firefox or LibreWolf with the “uBlock Origin” extension (make sure it’s the “Origin” kind) which is free. LibreWolf is a modified version of Firefox with better security/privacy settings out of the box (at the expense of some convenience, personally I didn’t mind). The default settings of uBlock Origin are alright for this level.
Advanced - Firefox hardened with Arkenfox, using uBlock Origin with JavaScript disabled by default and clears all cache when the browser closes. I won’t go into too much detail here unless you want to do this. Personally I do this but it’s a major convenience compromise so it’s not for everyone.
Yes - delete Norton as Defender is all you need. MalwareBytes is decent too and seems to remove the odd virus better but I have not had a virus in probably years.
Viruses, like the kind that used to infect the PC’s of yesteryear, are not really a big concern nowadays. Most often, what personal computers get infected with, is Malware or some variation of it; Spyware, Scareware, Ransomware etc. in order to try and keep themselves relevant, Anti-Virus companies have expanded their repertoire to include things like a; driver updater, software updater, VPN, secure browser etc. etc. This has made the vast majority of AV companies pointless. And the so-called Anti -Virus program has become nothing more than a glorified launcher (think steam) used to gain access to the multitude of software they try and insist you need.
The average home user doesn’t NEED all this garbage.
The average home user forgets to cancel the auto-renewal.
The average home user is getting fleeced every year for £89.99+ under the pretense of security.
And Norton is one of, if not THE biggest bunch of crooks in the AV scene. They use scare tactics to flog you more and more unnecessary junk in the hopes of squeezing every last penny from you. And the worst part is, apart from actually being infected, they are one of the biggest drains on your system resources going. So people end up paying big £££’s to actually slow down their computers. It’s disgusting, predatory behaviour!
Most 3rd party security software, particularly the ones who’ve paid your system supplier to bundle a trial copy on your shiny new pc, are of little or no benefit to the user.
IMV, Norton’s been a poor choice since Symantec bought the name from Peter Norton, way back when.
Windows Defender is good enough for most people.
If you want something that delivers security without compromising performance or hogging resources, there’s a couple of options but in all cases, uninstall Norton first, use Eset’s cleaner to fully remove it, see how you get on with Defender then look for alternatives in three months IF you really need to.
Windows defender is the built-in antivirus in windows, provides a baseline level of protection. If you are satisfied with it and practice safe computing habits ,then additional 3rd party antivirus may not be required
You don’t need a thirdparty AV in 2023, however a couple such as kaspersky and malwarebytes are better than WD. The dark web monitoring could be legitimate and be referring to leaked passwords on the deep web, so have a look at what norton says. If you still want to use a third party AV, I would recommend kaspersky free version. Some people think that kaspersky is Russian malware (which is objectively wrong) but if you are concerned then malwarebytes free version will be almost as good.
From someone working in tech built in windows defender, malware bytes and a pop up blocker like Adblock are more than enough. And I do be in the back arse of the internet.
Okay thank you so much, I had a feeling it might be a bit useless and slowing things down. If you don’t mind me asking, where would I find the program file to delete it? And do you just click delete or uninstall? Thank you again!
Delete that Norton shit. It does nothing but hog your system resources. Windows has it’s own antivirus that update regularly. No need for others and browsers like Chrome also have additional protection built into them.
In IT for 30 years. Been to the far reaches of the web. Never got a single virus yet but I don’t click or fall for stupid shit.
