Avast WEBforum
Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: bdaleypsu on February 11, 2010, 03:05:16 AM
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I've been a user of Avast Free for many years now. But as a Comcast customer, I can now download Norton Internet Security Suite for Free. As it is a complete suite, which includes anti-malware, firewall, and system utilities, and I can get it for free, I'm wondering if it would be worth my while to do so.
I know Norton had a reputation for being a system hog in the past, but supposedly that has all been fixed.
I'm just wondering what your opinions are on NIS versus Avast 5 Free?
Thanks.
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Sounds like a pretty good deal. Not because NIS is better than Avast! 5 or even that being free makes it a better bargain than AIS, but the hassle of dealing with Comcast over problems when you are using a non-standard configuration is not to be underestimated. If you are a reasonably savvy computer user as well as having some understanding of cable networks, shouldn't make any difference. Unless some of the Comcast people have a 'tude, of course, because of their partnership. ;) Although explaining Avast! 5 to the Comcast support people in Mumbai may be a bit of a challenge anyway.
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Personally I wouldn't have NIS at any price (free or if they paid me), but I rather doubt you will get the response you might be hoping for (being the avast support forums).
The problem being you can't run two resident AVs on one system and I can't really see someone uninstalling avast to test this out.
What is wrong with your existing system (I'm not a great fan of suites, see below) surely you have a good AV, a good firewall and avast includes anti-spyware, anti-rootkit, and a whole slew of shields, etc. Personally I don't go looking for things if what I have suits my needs and is working.
I have always felt suits were the jack of all trades master of none, so I prefer to pick out applications that are some of the best in their class and importantly meet my needs; with a suite often it is the suppliers needs that are catered for and you have to just get used to that.
Check what I have in my signature.
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Personally I wouldn't have NIS at any price (free or if they paid me), but I rather doubt you will get the response you might be hoping for (being the avast support forums).
The problem being you can't run two resident AVs on one system and I can't really see someone uninstalling avast to test this out.
What is wrong with your existing system (I'm not a great fan of suites, see below) surely you have a good AV, a good firewall and avast includes anti-spyware, anti-rootkit, and a whole slew of shields, etc. Personally I don't go looking for things if what I have suits my needs and is working.
I have always felt suits were the jack of all trades master of none, so I prefer to pick out applications that are some of the best in their class and importantly meet my needs; with a suite often it is the suppliers needs that are catered for and you have to just get used to that.
Check what I have in my signature.
I wasn't looking for any particular response, I was asking for opinions, as I said.
Why cant anyone ever just give a straight answer here?
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Sounds like a pretty good deal. Not because NIS is better than Avast! 5 or even that being free makes it a better bargain than AIS, but the hassle of dealing with Comcast over problems when you are using a non-standard configuration is not to be underestimated. If you are a reasonably savvy computer user as well as having some understanding of cable networks, shouldn't make any difference. Unless some of the Comcast people have a 'tude, of course, because of their partnership. ;)
Thanks.
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You could ask 10 people this question and get 11 different answers.
NIS 2010 is a good security suite. That being said, I still don't think their firewall is "tough as nails." The configuration I am using right now is avast! 5 free and online armor 4 free (by Tallemu), like many programs, it is available from download(dot)com. Another very good firewall is Outpost firewall free (by Agnitum), also available from download(dot)com. Some people like Zonealarm free firewall for reasons I do not quite fully understand (doesnt even attempt to pass leak tests and slows down your system significantly).
I think you could make a lot of reasonable choices with any of the above mentioned options. I would have mentioned avast! internet security as well, but did not since it appears that you are looking for free security software solutions as compared to paid solutions.
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<snip>
I wasn't looking for any particular response, I was asking for opinions, as I said.
Why cant anyone ever just give a straight answer here?
I though that was pretty straight forward, you have options and if it isn't broken why fix it.
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You could ask 10 people this question and get 11 different answers.
NIS 2010 is a good security suite. That being said, I still don't think their firewall is "tough as nails." The configuration I am using right now is avast! 5 free and online armor 4 free (by Tallemu), like many programs, it is available from download(dot)com. Another very good firewall is Outpost firewall free (by Agnitum), also available from download(dot)com. Some people like Zonealarm free firewall for reasons I do not quite fully understand (doesnt even attempt to pass leak tests and slows down your system significantly).
I think you could make a lot of reasonable choices with any of the above mentioned options. I would have mentioned avast! internet security as well, but did not since it appears that you are looking for free security software solutions as compared to paid solutions.
I've been using Avast Free along with the Windows 7 firewall (along with Windows 7 Firewall Control.) Money is a little tight right now so I am trying to avoid spending any if I don't have too.
I agree with you about ZoneAlarm free. It's better than nothing, but it's definitely not that great from what I've seen. I've tried Comodo's free firewall and that seemed pretty good, although it can be a little "chatty" at the beginning.
Thanks.
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<snip>
I wasn't looking for any particular response, I was asking for opinions, as I said.
Why cant anyone ever just give a straight answer here?
I though that was pretty straight forward, you have options and if it isn't broken why fix it.
Sorry, I just didn't like the comment that I was looking for a particular answer. Or the comment that no one would uninstall Avast to test NIS. Why not?
Thanks.
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i actually left nis2010 to use avast is5. in the normal mode the norton firewall sucks. period. and set to advanced it will drive you crazy. the only way its tough as nails is set to advanced and then it can be a very good firewall if you are willing to set it up right.
both av's are pretty nice. one thing i didnt like about norton is with brand new threats it did not have sig's for it always then went to the do you want to allow this to run... i mean with sonar and quorum this should not happen as much as it does with it. i have not really had avast yet in a real world attack setting. love the virus chest with avast. norton is a pain in the neck when it removes things i didnt want removed and knew they were false positives sometimes trying to restore them back was hopeless. then id have to go re download the file or whatever again turn norton off for a minute and run the file it saw as a false positive. then turn it back on again. it did not always ask me to run it instead simply wiping it out. i also sometimes had the issue of saying not to scan this item when the box popped up and gee... norton would pop back up in the bottom corner and say threat removed again even after telling it not to do that.
overall nis2010 is a very decent program. i also got it for free (well its one of the ones we carry in my shop so i always had access to it) and i now pay for avast instead if that tells you how i feel.
i like avast gui way better, i actually like avast firewall better than the nis one, and for av's id say they are very close also remember norton doe not do a boot time scan like avast which could be a saviour at times. norton simply has early load but after watching it work i still saw lots of things load before it.
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i actually left nis2010 to use avast is5. in the normal mode the norton firewall sucks. period. and set to advanced it will drive you crazy. the only way its tough as nails is set to advanced and then it can be a very good firewall if you are willing to set it up right.
both av's are pretty nice. one thing i didnt like about norton is with brand new threats it did not have sig's for it always then went to the do you want to allow this to run... i mean with sonar and quorum this should not happen as much as it does with it. i have not really had avast yet in a real world attack setting. love the virus chest with avast. norton is a pain in the neck when it removes things i didnt want removed and knew they were false positives sometimes trying to restore them back was hopeless. then id have to go re download the file or whatever again turn norton off for a minute and run the file it saw as a false positive. then turn it back on again. it did not always ask me to run it instead simply wiping it out. i also sometimes had the issue of saying not to scan this item when the box popped up and gee... norton would pop back up in the bottom corner and say threat removed again even after telling it not to do that.
overall nis2010 is a very decent program. i also got it for free (well its one of the ones we carry in my shop so i always had access to it) and i now pay for avast instead if that tells you how i feel.
i like avast gui way better, i actually like avast firewall better than the nis one, and for av's id say they are very close also remember norton doe not do a boot time scan like avast which could be a saviour at times. norton simply has early load but after watching it work i still saw lots of things load before it.
That's the type of info I was hoping to get.
Out of curiosity, why do you think NIS' firewall sucks in normal mode?
Thanks.
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I've seen issues with Norton IS in the past with broken network stacks and overall network application issues I rather not recommend it to anyone.
I've used Avast for the past 6 years. Since I've used a few firewalls like zonealarm (disliked) and comodo (better IMO). Currently I use a Yoggie hardware usb firewall. In a sense it uses a low level packet driver like Avast IS currently does but it does so over USB. I have a Small Office/Home Office version as well that has ethernet that protects more than one PC.
Like others I have customized my protection with Malwarebytes and previously Spybot S&D. I tend not to use more than what is needed. I have little need for spam filtering since it is done for me via web based mail providers and I manage our mail system for my company which is filtered fairly well.
I personally never used other products like WinPatrol but if others with a lot experience on these forums and with Avast, I'd go with their recommendations to try a few.
I don't care for Suites, all or nothing protection packages other than convenience of one license. Avast seems pretty good so far as I can tell for their IS product. But it's your system.... Just keep to one type of product (AV and Anti-Malware) for resident protection and mainly others for on demand.
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I've seen issues with Norton IS in the past with broken network stacks and overall network application issues I rather not recommend it to anyone.
I've used Avast for the past 6 years. Since I've used a few firewalls like zonealarm (disliked) and comodo (better IMO). Currently I use a Yoggie hardware usb firewall. In a sense it uses a low level packet driver like Avast IS currently does but it does so over USB. I have a Small Office/Home Office version as well that has ethernet that protects more than one PC.
Like others I have customized my protection with Malwarebytes and previously Spybot S&D. I tend not to use more than what is needed. I have little need for spam filtering since it is done for me via web based mail providers and I manage our mail system for my company which is filtered fairly well.
I personally never used other products like WinPatrol but if others with a lot experience on these forums and with Avast, I'd go with their recommendations to try a few.
I don't care for Suites, all or nothing protection packages other than convenience of one license. Avast seems pretty good so far as I can tell for their IS product. But it's your system.... Just keep to one type of product (AV and Anti-Malware) for resident protection and mainly others for on demand.
I had issues with Norton many years ago and avoided it like the plague ever since, but from what I've been reading it seems like they're resolved their issues.
Do you have any experience with it recently?
Thanks.
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i actually left nis2010 to use avast is5. in the normal mode the norton firewall sucks. period. and set to advanced it will drive you crazy. the only way its tough as nails is set to advanced and then it can be a very good firewall if you are willing to set it up right.
both av's are pretty nice. one thing i didnt like about norton is with brand new threats it did not have sig's for it always then went to the do you want to allow this to run... i mean with sonar and quorum this should not happen as much as it does with it. i have not really had avast yet in a real world attack setting. love the virus chest with avast. norton is a pain in the neck when it removes things i didnt want removed and knew they were false positives sometimes trying to restore them back was hopeless. then id have to go re download the file or whatever again turn norton off for a minute and run the file it saw as a false positive. then turn it back on again. it did not always ask me to run it instead simply wiping it out. i also sometimes had the issue of saying not to scan this item when the box popped up and gee... norton would pop back up in the bottom corner and say threat removed again even after telling it not to do that.
overall nis2010 is a very decent program. i also got it for free (well its one of the ones we carry in my shop so i always had access to it) and i now pay for avast instead if that tells you how i feel.
i like avast gui way better, i actually like avast firewall better than the nis one, and for av's id say they are very close also remember norton doe not do a boot time scan like avast which could be a saviour at times. norton simply has early load but after watching it work i still saw lots of things load before it.
That's the type of info I was hoping to get.
Out of curiosity, why do you think NIS' firewall sucks in normal mode?
Thanks.
because in normal mode i have yet to ever see it actually block any apps. everything you install simply gets allowed. you then have to manually change it if you want to. also to get packet filtering it has to be in advanced mode as well.
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i actually left nis2010 to use avast is5. in the normal mode the norton firewall sucks. period. and set to advanced it will drive you crazy. the only way its tough as nails is set to advanced and then it can be a very good firewall if you are willing to set it up right.
both av's are pretty nice. one thing i didnt like about norton is with brand new threats it did not have sig's for it always then went to the do you want to allow this to run... i mean with sonar and quorum this should not happen as much as it does with it. i have not really had avast yet in a real world attack setting. love the virus chest with avast. norton is a pain in the neck when it removes things i didnt want removed and knew they were false positives sometimes trying to restore them back was hopeless. then id have to go re download the file or whatever again turn norton off for a minute and run the file it saw as a false positive. then turn it back on again. it did not always ask me to run it instead simply wiping it out. i also sometimes had the issue of saying not to scan this item when the box popped up and gee... norton would pop back up in the bottom corner and say threat removed again even after telling it not to do that.
overall nis2010 is a very decent program. i also got it for free (well its one of the ones we carry in my shop so i always had access to it) and i now pay for avast instead if that tells you how i feel.
i like avast gui way better, i actually like avast firewall better than the nis one, and for av's id say they are very close also remember norton doe not do a boot time scan like avast which could be a saviour at times. norton simply has early load but after watching it work i still saw lots of things load before it.
That's the type of info I was hoping to get.
Out of curiosity, why do you think NIS' firewall sucks in normal mode?
Thanks.
because in normal mode i have yet to ever see it actually block any apps. everything you install simply gets allowed. you then have to manually change it if you want to. also to get packet filtering it has to be in advanced mode as well.
Whoah, you don't have to give new apps permission to access the web? Maybe it's programmed to allow access to "known" apps? Have you tried it with any little-known apps to see how it behaves?
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it has a whitelist and blacklist but on 6 pc's i was never once asked about any program and i did try many ones that were not well known it also fails the grc leaktest unless inn advanced mode lol it actually makes a rule for it to allow it... :o
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it has a whitelist and blacklist but on 6 pc's i was never once asked about any program and i did try many ones that were not well known it also fails the grc leaktest unless inn advanced mode lol it actually makes a rule for it to allow it... :o
That's not good. And that was the latest version?
???
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I agree with you about ZoneAlarm free. It's better than nothing, but it's definitely not that great from what I've seen. I've tried Comodo's free firewall and that seemed pretty good, although it can be a little "chatty" at the beginning.
Thanks.
I've used Comodo FP since version 3.0, including before it became Comodo IS, and 3.5. The last time I used it, I think the installation was v 3.8. While secure, I found Comodo to be too chatty and more likely than any other firewall I have used to "break" other installations (it broke Acronis, among other things). I have been much happier with Agnitum Outpost Pro (or free) and now I've used Online Armor for the last 6 months, and I've been very pleased with it. I am more likely to change my antivirus than Online Armor. It's whitelist is more extensive than Comodo's, and by default, unknown/untrusted processes can't run without obtaining your permission first. If you are cautious, keep your system updated (use secunia's free vulnerability inspector), remain intelligent about P2P downloads/programs, I think it's unlikely anything will slip past NIS 2010, and very unlikely anything will get past avast! + a good, free firewall (Comodo, Online Armor, Outpost, probably PC Tools as well).
Windows 7 firewall is not unreasonable, either. Another option (including 64 bit installations now), if you want a more nimble system, could involve avast! 5 free, windows 7 firewall and sandboxie. If something gets past avast! and didn't come from a drive-by-download (infected USB thumb drive, for example), I wouldn't expect windows 7 firewall to offer very much in the way of protection.
If I was in your position, since NIS 2010 is complimentary with your broadband service, I would probably run a "custom" installation of NIS 2010, install the antivirus but not firewall components [or deactivate the firewall components], (to see what you would need to uncheck or deactivate, compare the NAV 2010 to NIS 2010 here: http://www.symantec.com/norton/internet-security), and then install a 3rd party free firewall (Outpost or Online Armor, based on my preference) and sandboxie.
If you are looking for the fastest, reasonably secure, free configuration based on the options available to you, then you may choose to do
a) custom install of NIS 2010 (install the AV only), windows 7 firewall, and sandboxie OR
b) avast 5! free, windows 7 firewall, sandboxie (just add sandboxie to your current configuration).
I think all of those options are good, its hard to go wrong.
An example of what not to do might be:
**ZoneAlarm free firewall, CA (computer associates) antivirus, threatfire free (PC Tools), and ZoneAlarm Forcefield.
That would cover firewall (ZA free), antivirus (CA), HIPS (threatfire), and browser virtualization (Forcefield); would assuredly bring your system to its knees and result in innumerable conflicts. This configuration relies on a combination of cumbersome security programs, but would probably give you pretty good protection as well.
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I agree with you about ZoneAlarm free. It's better than nothing, but it's definitely not that great from what I've seen. I've tried Comodo's free firewall and that seemed pretty good, although it can be a little "chatty" at the beginning.
Thanks.
I've used Comodo FP since version 3.0, including before it became Comodo IS, and 3.5. The last time I used it, I think the installation was v 3.8. While secure, I found Comodo to be too chatty and more likely than any other firewall I have used to "break" other installations (it broke Acronis, among other things). I have been much happier with Agnitum Outpost Pro (or free) and now I've used Online Armor for the last 6 months, and I've been very pleased with it. I am more likely to change my antivirus than Online Armor. It's whitelist is more extensive than Comodo's, and by default, unknown/untrusted processes can't run without obtaining your permission first. If you are cautious, keep your system updated (use secunia's free vulnerability inspector), remain intelligent about P2P downloads/programs, I think it's unlikely anything will slip past NIS 2010, and very unlikely anything will get past avast! + a good, free firewall (Comodo, Online Armor, Outpost, probably PC Tools as well).
Windows 7 firewall is not unreasonable, either. Another option (including 64 bit installations now), if you want a more nimble system, could involve avast! 5 free, windows 7 firewall and sandboxie. If something gets past avast! and didn't come from a drive-by-download (infected USB thumb drive, for example), I wouldn't expect windows 7 firewall to offer very much in the way of protection.
If I was in your position, since NIS 2010 is complimentary with your broadband service, I would probably run a "custom" installation of NIS 2010, install the antivirus but not firewall components [or deactivate the firewall components], (to see what you would need to uncheck or deactivate, compare the NAV 2010 to NIS 2010 here: http://www.symantec.com/norton/internet-security), and then install a 3rd party free firewall (Outpost or Online Armor, based on my preference) and sandboxie.
If you are looking for the fastest, reasonably secure, free configuration based on the options available to you, then you may choose to do
a) custom install of NIS 2010 (install the AV only), windows 7 firewall, and sandboxie OR
b) avast 5! free, windows 7 firewall, sandboxie (just add sandboxie to your current configuration).
I think all of those options are good, its hard to go wrong.
An example of what not to do might be:
**ZoneAlarm free firewall, CA (computer associates) antivirus, threatfire free (PC Tools), and ZoneAlarm Forcefield.
That would cover firewall (ZA free), antivirus (CA), HIPS (threatfire), and browser virtualization (Forcefield); would assuredly bring your system to its knees and result in innumerable conflicts. This configuration relies on a combination of cumbersome security programs, but would probably give you pretty good protection as well.
That's for the info!
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I've seen issues with Norton IS in the past with broken network stacks and overall network application issues I rather not recommend it to anyone.
I've used Avast for the past 6 years. Since I've used a few firewalls like zonealarm (disliked) and comodo (better IMO). Currently I use a Yoggie hardware usb firewall. In a sense it uses a low level packet driver like Avast IS currently does but it does so over USB. I have a Small Office/Home Office version as well that has ethernet that protects more than one PC.
Like others I have customized my protection with Malwarebytes and previously Spybot S&D. I tend not to use more than what is needed. I have little need for spam filtering since it is done for me via web based mail providers and I manage our mail system for my company which is filtered fairly well.
I personally never used other products like WinPatrol but if others with a lot experience on these forums and with Avast, I'd go with their recommendations to try a few.
I don't care for Suites, all or nothing protection packages other than convenience of one license. Avast seems pretty good so far as I can tell for their IS product. But it's your system.... Just keep to one type of product (AV and Anti-Malware) for resident protection and mainly others for on demand.
I had issues with Norton many years ago and avoided it like the plague ever since, but from what I've been reading it seems like they're resolved their issues.
Do you have any experience with it recently?
Thanks.
To be honest I have not. A lot of the clients I deal with now are businesses using Symantec Corporate or Endpoint Protection.
I don't always get back into the office to work on home user computers. The last version I recall using having network stack issues was 2008 NIS. Last version with application issues across a small office network was 2009 NIS.
The application issues were simple file and printer sharing trust level issues combined with a Thinkpad with the ThinkVantage network management kept turning key protocols off like file and print sharing.
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I've seen issues with Norton IS in the past with broken network stacks and overall network application issues I rather not recommend it to anyone.
I've used Avast for the past 6 years. Since I've used a few firewalls like zonealarm (disliked) and comodo (better IMO). Currently I use a Yoggie hardware usb firewall. In a sense it uses a low level packet driver like Avast IS currently does but it does so over USB. I have a Small Office/Home Office version as well that has ethernet that protects more than one PC.
Like others I have customized my protection with Malwarebytes and previously Spybot S&D. I tend not to use more than what is needed. I have little need for spam filtering since it is done for me via web based mail providers and I manage our mail system for my company which is filtered fairly well.
I personally never used other products like WinPatrol but if others with a lot experience on these forums and with Avast, I'd go with their recommendations to try a few.
I don't care for Suites, all or nothing protection packages other than convenience of one license. Avast seems pretty good so far as I can tell for their IS product. But it's your system.... Just keep to one type of product (AV and Anti-Malware) for resident protection and mainly others for on demand.
I had issues with Norton many years ago and avoided it like the plague ever since, but from what I've been reading it seems like they're resolved their issues.
Do you have any experience with it recently?
Thanks.
To be honest I have not. A lot of the clients I deal with now are businesses using Symantec Corporate or Endpoint Protection.
I don't always get back into the office to work on home user computers. The last version I recall using having network stack issues was 2008 NIS. Last version with application issues across a small office network was 2009 NIS.
The application issues were simple file and printer sharing trust level issues combined with a Thinkpad with the ThinkVantage network management kept turning key protocols off like file and print sharing.
OK, thanks.
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Did I just hear norton ;D?
Thanks but no...I don't like norton even it is free I would prefer avast :)
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I used NIS2009, avast 4.8 free and avast 5 free, in this order. was really impressed by NIS2009, not the resource hog Norton used to sell. the firewall is very strong, but user-friendly. no hassle from it, but you can be sure it blocks the bad things. avast is also very good, but NIS is better. this is not something you would hear on avast forum.
bottom line, if money is no issue, I would use NIS. no doubt about that.
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I used NIS2009, avast 4.8 free and avast 5 free, in this order. was really impressed by NIS2009, not the resource hog Norton used to sell. the firewall is very strong, but user-friendly. no hassle from it, but you can be sure it blocks the bad things. avast is also very good, but NIS is better. this is not something you would hear on avast forum.
bottom line, if money is no issue, I would use NIS. no doubt about that.
Thank you.
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It is due to the NIS being free through Comcast. I briefly uninstalled the free avast and tried the NIS. The NIS has more features. It is free to Comcast customers. But I had problems with the NIS I did not with the avast. I had manufacturers' programs disabled. It was with the NIS installed. Those programs were enabled and started jumping up. I had technical problems with the NIS. I have not with the avast. I go on a site. I click a photo on. A site pops up instead that has threats to my PC. The avast stops it all the time. The NIS does not. It is based on my experience. I recommend the free avast over the NIS. I hope this helps. I suggest testing both. See which works best for you.
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Of course it has more features it is a suite as opposed to a stand alone anti-virus that you require a firewall, etc. to compose a suite. A comparative avast product would be Avast Internet Security, but that is a paid product.
So avast free plus a combination of free firewall, etc. is more than up to the task without the associated hassles that you experienced.
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It is due to the NIS being free through Comcast. I briefly uninstalled the free avast and tried the NIS. The NIS has more features. It is free to Comcast customers. But I had problems with the NIS I did not with the avast. I had manufacturers' programs disabled. It was with the NIS installed. Those programs were enabled and started jumping up. I had technical problems with the NIS. I have not with the avast. I go on a site. I click a photo on. A site pops up instead that has threats to my PC. The avast stops it all the time. The NIS does not. It is based on my experience. I recommend the free avast over the NIS. I hope this helps. I suggest testing both. See which works best for you.
I've actually been using NIS since about the time I started this thread and I've seen zero problems. I personally have it installed on 4 machines, plus I installed it on my Mom's PC and let my friend install it on his Laptop - each Comcast customer gets 7 installs.
It's very lightweight and unobtrusive, you don't even know it's there unless it detects something.
Getting it for free, I'm very happy with it. But I'd be using Avast if NIS wasn't free for me. ;D
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I had found Sygate Personal Firewall to be one of the best in the old times. In the normal mode it simply blocked everything, unless you decided to allow it. It was a pity that Symantec took them over and killed it. That and other hassles with Norton in the past is why I would not really go back to Norton.
That being said, competition is always good and if they have improved, hopefully others including avast will too.