Why people hate Big Names???

In this forum and in some other places i have came across many people who show a certain hatred towards big names like norton and mcafee....
i reaaly want to know why??
I have used norton and mcafee..and both worked perfect for me...never missed any virus or trojan...
so why some people try to prove that these big names sre nothing??

 

No-one here sets out to actively run down the 'big names' many people do have problems when running the two products you mentioned, I myself had huge problems with Mcafee, but Norton geve me no problems at all but I know lots of people have had resource issues using it.

I personally wanted an antivirus that was small, light on resources and had good detection rates, whilst Norton and Mcafee do have pretty good detection rates neither qualify as small or light. I personally have no axe to grind with either company, although I found the tech support of Symantec company pretty poor and support is a big selling point for me, hence my main choice for antivirus.


Kev

 

Used Norton within our Company for close to 10 years and it has been superb, however, with the last couple of versions it has become much slower and bloated.

Example, NAV2003, have you seen how many different processes it needs to start on your PC each time you boot up.... and did I tell Norton that I wanted my Recycle Bin protected with the "Norton protected bin"?

Very slow and bloated these days I'm afraid, wanted something that only does what I expect it to and with a better detection rate, my choice being Kaspersky

Fed.

 

I have never had anyone tell me that they hate a product because it is a big name, it is popular, or any other frivolous reason like that.
Originally I used McAfee. Norton came along and it seemed better so I switched to it. Then I switched to AVP when it became obvious that it was a superior product.
Also, I keep hearing people say, I use xyz program and it has never missed a virus. How do you know? I know people that believed that, and when I ran AVP or NOD on their machine, I found plenty.
The last time I tried to look at McAfee a couple of years ago, after I installed it, my machine would not run. Norton products also invades your system like a conquering army.
I do not like the bloat that comes with Norton and McAfee and I don't like the bloat that comes with Windows.
Last. What Norton did to AtGuard and what McAfee did to Signal 9 firewalls was criminal. Both those companies took two of the finest firewalls ever, and destroyed them, plain and simple.

 

I don't like Norton or Mcafee much either. But I have never had problems installing nd running them and neither has anyone I know.

If people are having problems they either have a crap PC or they installed and configured Windows poorly.

 

I agree.

I just bought a new Gateway 600X Laptop. All my problems I had, including Lock ups and system freezes, are all gone. BUT.. NAV 2003 and NIS2003 work great on this computer! A total scan takes 17 minutes..on my older computer NAV used to scan in 45 minutes... I also own NOD32 and I installed it on an older computer I will probably wind up throwing away.. But, I see no reason to get rid of NAV 2003. ALthough I was let down in the past, I am willing to give NAV one more try, this time I will manually update every day. (Honestly, I may not have known then how to update av def's then) I am also sick of making the usage of AV Software a full time job, wondering what is compatible and what isn't. A huge amount of posts on WIlders alone, for example, are from "This AV scanner is causing this AT To not work...blah blah blah".."And the Firewall is still in beta but the company won't update the software because they are working on new version now for the past 4 1/2 years (LOL) because the developer's parents INSIST he go to bed by 9m!" More "Blah Blah Blah"... "XYZ AV is great at identifying unpackers! It just takes 3 1/2 hours half to scan your computer, ruins your email, and won't work with Windows!" More blah blah! PUH-LEEZE! I've had it!

I am an AVERAGE user who has more than an average knowledge of security software. It has gotten to the point with me where I've learned everything up to a point I need to know, now, all I want to do is use my computer. I've learned what mistakes I made, and what I need to do, and keep learning, to survive in a computer malware world. It's time to use the computer now and enjoy life. Sure, I was glad I investigatated other software instead of Symantec, but you know, using other stuff in a way openned up a whole new world of headaches, too...

Nothing's perfect..but I think I'll just use NAV for now and do the IU every day.. see what happens..

 

Hi,

I have just bought McAfee VirusScan 7 for my secondary pc (I opened a seperate thread) but one of the reasons why people might be put off is that these big companies don't work very well in conjunction with other products. Norton and McAfee hate each other for example and tend to start a software wrestling match if they detect the opposition on your machine

Seriously it's a pain and I didn't have that problem with either sophos or KAV.

 

Straight Shooter.
You are so right.
Changing you av programs every second day , will end up very tiresome.
And to be honest, NAV is not THAT bad, as many says.
At least its my opinion
Regards
Ole

 

Well, I've been using NAV now for a week. Runs fast on this computer. Hardly noticable..
However, if I had a slower, older computer it would probably be a different story...

It's a relief not having to worry about resources, and the script blocking feature is very nice. It may not be the best at all categories, but at least now I can use the computer without a conflict, lockup, or whatever...

I am using NIS 2003, TH, and Spybot S&D. I've tried everything. For this computer, this is the best setup..

Some times TOO Much is TOO MUCH!!!

 

when i say that both norton and mcafee never missed any virus or trojan..i can be sure of that because i never had any problem that a virus could create...i mean if they would have left some virus in my pc..do you believe it would just lie in some corner doing nothng
the only way i am sure that they cleaned everything is that i never felt anything wrong happening...no problems in startup or shutdown,all programs functioning right... etc etc..

 

Hi adiel,

In this thread you suggested that AVG was the best.

https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=7443;start=30

I tend to find those who think there is a best..also think there must be a worst and then some fall in between.



I think they are all good.

Hate never entered into the picture. Everything but that..like price..support..availabilty..understanding of what the product can do..what your buddies use..ease of operation...and most important to me..the need..and that falls under the category that everyone should ask themselves starting with the question..


"What is the PRIMARY use of your PC or System ?".

Then the actual choice of the product is easier...and you do not have to hate any of them.

Be Well,
John

 

I still say that AVG is one of the best AV's....i really like it and i am using it...
but i do check other antiviruses too...AVP and AVG are the main components of my pc security...
I use TDS-3 too.
Other AV's and trojan hunters are just for temporary use..i like to have a big security setup.
Its just that when i used Norton and Mcafee..they worked perfect for me...but as they are not the main components for me...i am not using them now..although Mcafee detected all those that AVP detected...

so i was just wondering why people don't like norton or mcafee.

 

Adiel.

I think hate is too strong for my personal feelings about Norton or McAfee.

I base my opinions on my personal use and experiences good and bad with a program.

I have no personal opinion on Norton.I never used it.

McAfee came pre-installed on my pc.It was Virus Scan online.The only thing that I didn't like was that it was hard to track down and uninstall for a newbie.
That's my only complaint.

Are McAfee and Norton any good?
I think that's a personal judgement a pc user has to make for themselves.
If a program works effectively and protects well,it really doesn't matter if it's Mcaffee,Norton,NOD etc..
Hey! We all have our favorites.

 

Probably because a lot of people feel they have been let down by them... Many complaints seem to focus on "NAV didn't detect this, or McAfee didn't find that..."

Another reason probably is that it costs money to update the program... Other AV's don't charge as much, and some give you FREE program upgrades for the cost of the annual subscription.. Case in point.. NOD32 charges $27.50 for the annual update which includes the program update. However, many people who whine about NAV will pay LESS for a year of definitions.. Now, if you upgrade NAv from 2002 to 2003, say, then that will cost anywhere $30 to $0! (If you find a special at either Staples, Best Buy, or another similar store).. Also, with NOD32, a good firewall is another consideration.. (Also with NAv). Let's say you buy ZAPRO. The annual subscription for renewal is $19. NIS is slightly less...

TH doesn't charge for annual renewals... I don't know about TDS..

It all goes back to what you trust and like. NOD32 is a faster scanner, and having a dedicated forum is a major plus.. NAV's tech support is surprisingly good now.. I asked them 3 questions, all were answered well within 12 hours or asking; one question within 2 hours.. besides, here at Wilders, or through DSL Reports you can find someone who may be able to help..

Yes, NAV or NIS 2003 is a monster, but my system can take it. I hardly know NIS 2003 is here.. I really like the NPF Firewall., it's rules based like Kerio, with updates UNLIKE Kerio, and this year they really did a good job with it. It passes all the tests I've thrown at it, and it not "fidgety" like ZAPRO, and I hate to say this, but I am convienced it's MUCH better than Outpost...

Yes, on older systems NAV or NIS2003 is not the way to go. When I used NAV on an older system a year ago, it almost tore my system apart! However, I am convienced now that the system was also to blame, because as I said, when I sold that computer and got this new one, all my problems went away...

I haven't been able to find the PERFECT av yet.. Everyone of them has at least 1 quirk.. I used to abhor NAV, until last week. AVG, however, I trialed, and I just didn't like the way it ran... Maybe it's good at detection, I just didn't like it...

 

There are many possibilities...

I guess what I would say is, why count out the "Small Name" AVs (a lil reverse psychology) ?

I dont think the main objective of people here (or any other place) is to put down big named AVs. But instead I think it is to enlighten others about quality AV products that you might not normally hear about. Nod32 and DrWeb for example deserve much more credit than they are given.

There are probably other contributing factors to the bad rap that Big named AVS probably get though...

Things like unreliable reviews, making Norton and other popular AVs clear winners, for no relevant reason, and with no real testing conducted against it, might turn off some people for example.

Some might be intimidated in asking for support from such big named companys. Some might rather prefer knowing for sure that there questions are being answered by the developer of the software or someone of that level, rather than someone who you really arent sure of the qualifications.

Some might just like the uniqueness in trying something totally different.

There were a few others that I was thinking about, but I will just leave it at that. Just my opinion.

 

This is an interesting discussion!

I think you will always find a contingent who looks "down their nose" at "big names" somewhat. (see: Windows OS)

My experiences with NAV have been nothing but positive. I have never had problems with it, and it kills the bugs. We use it on our network, and run it on computers from p166's with 32 mgs to p4's w/512.

Is it bloaty? No question. Are there AV's better? In my opinion--not many. Symantec's virus info on their website sets the standard as far as I'm concerned, and I've lost count of how many times it's slammed the door shut on a virus. Never had to use their tech support either, but maybe I read the manual too much.

That being said, there are many small AV companies making fine products too, and with what I consider REALLY great features like incremental updates w/minimal reboots--see NOD32, and Avast!--and great detection rates. And then you have companies like TrendMicro doing innovative things like including a firewall, etc...lots of great companies doing neat things..!

 

My brother uses Norton.

He's going to upgrade.

The Norton System Works pro deluxe package is loaded!
They have Roxio Go Back,Clean Sweep,etc..

That's an impressive package if you are a Norton user.
Norton isn't my av program,but like Jim said,there are some companies doing some interesting things with packaging.