Expert: Brian Benosky - 9/11/2008

Question
I have had Norton for a few years and have had no problems. My daughter said Norton is famous for using system resources and slowing start up time (true). I have Verizon Fios ISP. She suggested Nod32 as an alternative. What do you think? My subscription to Norton expires in a few days, so I either need to renew or download something else. My major question is: Should I uninstall Norton before downloading Nod32, should I decide to go with that. Thanks

Answer
Hi Catherine

Yes, you will need to uninstall Norton before running another anti-virus program.  Norton also makes things difficult to uninstall completely using normal routes.  You should download their removal tool from here:
http://service1.symantec.com/Support/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039
Do as they say and take down your Product Key in case you wish to reinstall the program.  Then run the removal tool.  After restarting, you can download and install the program of your choice.  ESET Nod32 is an excellent program, and is certainly lighter on system resources than Norton is.  As an alternative to paid programs, you may wish to check out avast! Home Edition.  I recommend this as one of the better anti-malware programs, paid or not.  Read about it here:
http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html
After 60 days, you will need to register the program with an email address at this link:
http://www.avast.com/eng/home-registration.php
If you have any further questions, feel free to ask.

Brian