NOD32 and KAV trial versions

[jon_fl]

I wanted to try NOD32 and KAV trial versions (one at a time) and currently have Norton AV Professional 2004 installed. Can I try these by disabling Auto-Protect or do I have to uninstall NAV completely?

[ronjor]

From all I've read on this forum, you should remove NAV completely. That is no easy task.

http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?p=250426

NOD and Nav do not get along.

If anyone knows differently, speak your piece!

[Eldar]

Hi jon_fl & welcome to the forums,

I wanted to try NOD32 and KAV trial versions (one at a time) and currently have Norton AV Professional 2004 installed. Can I try these by disabling Auto-Protect or do I have to uninstall NAV completely?

Disabling Auto-Protect with Norton AV Pro isn't enough. In order to try the above you've to completely uninstall your AV. Of course you'll also lose your firewall. Norton is one of the most horrible AVs to uninstall.
Take a look here on how to do it.

Good luck.

[jon_fl]

Thanks for the help and welcome. I'm not unhappy with NAV but if something is head and shoulders above it, I would like to get it. Is it worth all the trouble in deleting NAV and getting either NOD32 or KAV? Is either one that much better than NAV? I'm really only comparing either of the two against NAV and not with each other. I know that can get heated. Any help would be much appreciated.

[Blackspear]

I think it is worth trying Nod32, small updates, fast scanner, great hueristics, and now the new HTTP scanner that scans whats coming into your system off the internet as well as email, all in all, one great product...

Hope this helps...

Cheers

[Eldar]

I'm not an expert in AVs, but I had the same AV you had.
Since I uninstalled it and use KAV I feel more protected. NOD32 is also a really good AV from what I've read here.
Choose the one you like and doesn't conflict with your system.

[Mele20]

My questions to you would be are you having problems with NAV? Are you unhappy with NAV? If the answer to both is "no", then I think you should probably stay with NAV. It is a very good AV. If your answer is yes to either though, then you should probably take the time and effort to remove NAV fully from your computer and try both NOD32 and KAV.

You should also ask yourself how much of an AV do you need? That depends on your internet habits and such things as whether you practice safe hex. Your answer to that question should give you a good idea of which AV would be best for you. Of course, if you do really want to switch AV then you need to test each of the ones you are interested in to see how they work on YOUR computer.

[Blackspear]

Good post Mele...

Cheers

[jon_fl]

Thank You Mele. That is a good way to look at it. I would be happier with NAV if it had an AT working with it. I was thinking that the latest version of NOD32 did and I heard that KAV did. I'm not sure about NAV 2005 if an AT will be included. Your thoughts?

[BlueZannetti]

I've moved this thread to the Other Anti-virus software forum since the discussion is not purely a NOD32 support question and it seems the thread is moving towards more general discussion points involving NAV/KAV/possibly other AV's.

Blue

[Mele20]

I don't know what NAV 2005 will have in improvement in trojan detection. I haven't used NAV in a couple of years. As for KAV and NOD32, NOD32 has been (note that I say HAS) known as a pure virus detector. That was true but has been changing rapidly and NOD32 is adding more and more trojans to detection every day. Many NOD32 users though still recommend using a dedicated trojan detector along with NOD32. There are several that work great with NOD32.

Currently KAV would be the best choice if you want more trojan detection than what NAV or NOD32 can give you and you don't want to add a trojan detector. KAV can detect a great deal more trojans, spyware, etc than NAV or NOD32. The drawback though to this is that KAV can easily overwhelm a not so powerful system and even with a new box with lots of RAM KAV can slow you down although I didn't see that when I tried 4.5. I did see a slow down that was noticable with 5.0. Your experience might be different ...some find 5.0 to be less of slowdown than 4.5.

A lot of NAV users add a trojan detector and there is something to be said for doing it that way...it is another layer in your defense instead putting all your eggs in the av basket alone. Again, it comes down to your habits on the computer. If you practice safe hex and don't do P2P and don't frequent porn sites then KAV is probably overkill for your computer with the possible sacrifice of speed. Are you in the habit of opening every attachment that you see in email? Do teenagers use your computer? Ask yourself these sorts of questions. NAV and NOD32 are just fine for anyone who doesn't engage in the really risky behaviors. KAV is good for those who live on dangerous side or who worry constantly about getting viruses, trojans, etc. and will benefit from the peace of mind of having KAV which does have the most extensive engine of all av and who won't be upset if they see a significant performance hit when using KAV. Not everyone sees a big hit but most see some slowdown.

You should be able to disable the driver ( via Device Manager) and services for Norton, at least temporarilly, if you just want to test-drive another av. I don't know if it will still update or work as an on-demand scanner though. Some AVs, like AVG, require the driver to be started in order to update or on-demand scan.