Expert: Brian Benosky - 10/24/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
I have a Windows Vista laptop and I was wondering if I really need Norton Anti Virus. I have seen Windows Defender working, and it seems legit, but I am still not sure. Many of my friends say that I should get Norton, but others oppose that. What should I do.

Thanks

ANSWER: Hi Shom

You definitely need a third-party anti-virus to complement Windows Defender, but I do not recommend using Norton products for this task.  Defender is a basic anti-spyware tool, but does not detect or remove trojans, viruses, and other malware particularly well.  Norton is very resource-heavy, meaning it will slow down your computer.  Read the User Reviews on the major download sites such as here:
http://download.cnet.com/Norton-AntiVirus-2009/3000-2239_4-10592477.html
The biggest drawback of Norton products is simply that they do not work.  I have been cleaning viruses from computers for many years, and I can honestly say that 75% of infected machines have Norton installed.  The program is easily disabled by the people that write virus code, opening up a flood of malware into the computers.  It is also among the most expensive programs to purchase and maintain.  
All that being said, no security software is perfect.  But you can create your own 'suite' of security programs that will help you to prevent infections.  Use a top-notch free anti-virus such as Anti-vir or Avast:
http://www.free-av.com/
http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html
Combine that with the protection of Spybot Search & Destroy:
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/home/index.html
Browse the net securely with Firefox and add-ons:
http://en-us.www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/personal.html
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/browse/type:1/cat:12
Finally, if you are concerned that the computer may be infected, download the free Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware:
http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php
If you have any further questions, just let me know.  Cheers!

Brian


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Now I'm updating my laptop to a Windows 7. Are there any more things I should know?

Thanks Again
Shom Tiwari

Answer
Hi Shom

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.  PCWorld.com has an excellent article on things you should know about Windows 7 security:
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/174677/five_things_you_should_know
I have upgraded my own main computer to 7, and all my programs and settings survived the update.  Overall, it's a faster, more secure operating system, but you should still use third-party software to keep everything safe.  Hope that helped.

Brian