Need opinions on new AV for in-laws.

Need some opinons please! My wife and I bought a computer as a gift for my in-laws a few years back and it came with Norton, which, in my opinion, wasn't always the resource hog it has turned into. We got rid of it a few years ago and switched to NOD32, and we're very happy with it. My in-laws are in their 80's and don't do much more than look at the news, check email, look up something here and there. They don't open any email they don't trust etc.etc. We've been telling them for a while now that we want to get Norton off the computer because it holds it hostage for so long after booting up..........even they notice it! Anyway, enough about Norton, it's coming off the computer, period. My question is what AV would you say is sufficient in this situation? They would probably be fine without one, but my mother in law likes the idea of having one. Looks to me like Avira free version, or even the paid one, or Avast would be more than what they need. What I'm curious about is if either of these are resource hogs to any degree, and are they both simple to deal with. If it was me, I wouldn't ask, but we like to keep it fairly simple for my in-laws. Any feedback on any of this greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

There is a performance test at av-comparatives.org you can check out.
https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=225825

 

I personally installed AntiVir Premium antivirus on my Dad's computers and it runs fairly well in my opinion.

Some say the latest Norton 2009 products run better and less intrusive compared to previous versions.

I would say pick a trial version and see how it goes.

 

if they do not have a lot of money, you might want to consider a free AV solution for them. I would recommend Avast or Avira Classic.

if they dont mind bucking up, then NOD32, Avira Premium, or Norton 2009 AV are all good choices. I'm sure there are many others but I have experience with those three the most. I found that KAV and any 2005-2008 Norton products (excluding Symantec Corp AV) caused slowdowns of either my machine or my connection.

as they are older, a security suite might be a good choice as everything is managed in one interface. i have heard good things about NIS 2009 and the Avira suite. personally i do not use one and have only done minimal testing on a few of them.

 

I will agree with you in this case> since they are old they might not need more then Norton IS which is really light on resources and easy for them to use.. That will be all they need. But try it to see how it will work on their computer.

 

Current Norton 2009 is really light and no-nonsense. It does its job without slowdown or popups. Its the best choice.

Incase, you can't install on it on their old pc for any reason. I would recommend Eset Nod32, its also light and gives informative popups. Plus they support every Windows version produced.

 

I'd say that Antivir Premium will probably take care of everything, and is extremely light.
In fact, instead of paying an annual fee for Antivir you could just use DefenseWall. It's easy to use for anyone and extremely powerful. If you still want an av with Defensewall, I think you could go well with Avast! Home.

 

Er... install Nod32 for them?

 

They are inlaws placeboAV is most appropriate!

 

I would, but it's $60, and they wouldn't want to spend that on a virus program when they can renew their virus definitions with Norton for $39.99.....even though it slows the computer down an unbelieveable amount. They're on a fixed income, so they would probably let it be. I know how much faster the computer will boot up and operate with Norton gone, because I had the same experience. I think it's NAV 2006. It's a joke, but anyway, it sounds like Avira would be the way to go so far.

 

Yep, those are the two I'm considering.Even the Avira premium is very reasonable. Quick question.....does the free Avira get virus definition updates as long as you have it, or is that a feature of only the paid version?

 

If it is just the money that matters.....choose a free program, but if you bought a machine for them, you should also be willing to donate another amount for the security. No computer is complete without solid security. I don't understand your problem here. If they can't afford it.......man oh man, get them Avira Antivir Premium for just over $ 20,= a year. You won't be sorry and they'll be very happy, as they won't know it's there. Getting infected and bringing it to a shop will cost them a lot more. No further discussion needed here, believe me!

 

Well, we bought the machine a few years ago, when money wasn't nearly as tight as it is now but I agree.....the Avira premium is very cheap compared to other AV programs and sure sounds solid. I just don't want to spend $60 right now on NOD32, when I can spend less and get them something that is plenty sufficient. I'm even thinking of giving that one a try when my NOD32 runs out in 2010

 

Believe me.....Avira is plenty sufficient. Good luck!

 

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stick with norton, 2009 is extremely light and extremely user-friendly with very very minimal pop ups.

 

Great advice, but I thought they are worried about the cost of Norton.....or am I mistaken? And you can't beat Avira on several levels. Effectiveness, ease of use and price and what more do you want or need?

 

we will have to disagree,

also, just buy it from ebay or amazon for much cheaper. (reputable seller of course)

or... couldnt he just buy a norton 2003 licence or whatever and install the light-version of 2009?

that would set him back about $6-$10 or so, surely.

 

Avast or Antivir for free.

Nod32 or Kaspersky any day for paid.

 

On what part do you disagree, as you are using Dr.Web yourself? I fully agree about Norton, it has come a long way and runs very good (2009 version), but I still find it a very thick package and I don't believe you can beat the $ 20,= price of Avira, but I don't shop at ebay or amazon.

 

Antivir free may cause update problems too often and was my main reason to switch to the Premium version.

 

drweb is cheaper than that,

and like i said, old Norton 2003 licences will work on the new and improved light version of 2009.

these can be picked up much cheaper than $20

i see no reason for them to change from Norton, with the new version being light (and as i can see, that was there argument against it for the older versions)

it offers them the least amount of FP worries for the OAP's, and the least amount of notification pop ups aswell.

i fail to see your argument, other than trying to convert people to 'your software'

 

Can't do that.......have a very bad taste in my mouth from Norton
Maybe at some later date, but right now it's gotta go!

 

Yeah, and just read that the free version doesn't check email either.....that wouldn't fly with my mother in law.

 

That is one thing I always did when I used Norton.........bought it off Ebay from trusted sellers for much less. Never had a problem. I was a fan of Norton for quite a long time until it started holding my computer hostage lol!

 

No update problems with Antivir 8 free version here