Norton writing a lot to my SSD

[Macks]

I've only had my computer running for 1-2 hrs and Norton has written more than 4.5 gigs to my SSD. Is this normal? And are there other antimalware programs (Malwarebytes, Kasperkey, etc.) that don't write so much to your hard drive?

[STRMfrmXMN]

Step 1. Get rid of Norton

Step 2. Profit

[Macks]

Just now, STRMfrmXMN said:

Step 1. Get rid of Norton

Step 2. Profit

I'm only using Norton because it's free with my Comcast subscription. I'm looking to change it soon. What's so bad about it anyways?

[tarfeef101]

3 minutes ago, Macks said:

I'm only using Norton because it's free with my Comcast subscription. I'm looking to change it soon. What's so bad about it anyways?

Everything. Also it costs money, gives you far too many notifications, is too CPU intensive, always trys to get you to renew/buy more, the list goes on.

 

Also unless you are a complete idiot, windows defender is more than enough. Been using just that for years, no issues. 

[STRMfrmXMN]

4 minutes ago, Macks said:

I'm only using Norton because it's free with my Comcast subscription. I'm looking to change it soon. What's so bad about it anyways?

It's a huge resource hog and the scans do jack all.

 

Use Windows Defender and do monthly scans with AdwCleaner and Malwarebytes.

[vorticalbox]

1 minute ago, Macks said:

I'm only using Norton because it's free with my Comcast subscription. I'm looking to change it soon. What's so bad about it anyways?

1. resource heavy
2. writes a lot of data to your (actually yours) ssd
3. isn't good at detecting malware
4. worse at removing it.
5. source code was stolen http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240113389/Symantec-confirms-hackers-stole-Norton-source-code

 

take your pick. That last one they say was for an old product but the fact that their core development systems where compromised doesn't bode well.

[Palden]

If you "REALLY" Need a good AV, I've used BitDefender for years and I have never had an issue. 

[SecGuy]

First of all, don't listen to these people about Norton being bad, it isn't.  I'm a security researcher and consider Symantec products to be one of the top of their game.  Sonar works well and detecting threats, Norton's huerstic engine is surperb (better than malwarebytes) the community rep works great and the firewall.   I have so many good things to say about the firewall, it's the best firewall you can possibly have for anyone who doesn't know how to configure them in my opinion.  

 

Sometimes these little errors can be fixed by reparing or reinstalling the software, while other times it can just be the software itself.  While I manage a few servers which use Symantec products on them in the background to run scans I have not seen the latest Norton Security products doing this.  While I cannot deny Norton is good software and if you trust it stick with it, I can also say there are other good antivirus suites.  I use F-Secure which my ISP provides me, but I also have a connection to Emsisoft, and have a license for them which I would be happy to provide you with a seat for free if you want to try it.  Emsisoft software uses dual engines and also uses an intelligent firewall and behaviour analysis system and the CEO is based in the same town my grandmother lives  

 

You can PM me if you want more info.  Hope this helps!  

[WigglesTheHoly]

Being in IT myself, I can say with confidence that Norton is trash in practice. When you put it in real-world scenarios with real-world users it does nothing but hog resources and complicate things. Firewall, education, and then AV is the order of operations I've followed for years with success.  AV is really becoming obsolete if we want to get down to it. The real threat is lack of education and lack of firewall. That said, most home users can't be bothered to learn to set up their own firewall box or  purchase an expensive appliance and subscription. So I usually fall to user education and a decent av paired with SUPERAntiSpyware or Malwarebytes (which has gotten much better since the change back in ownership). Lately for paid av I've run Eset and Beyond Trust in corporate and small business environments. For home personal use the Panda free antivirus and pointing users to educational materials has helped vastly. 

 

IF a user gets infected or has a thought that they might be infected I run in this order, Rkill, Tdsskiller, combo fix, Malwarebytes, Rkill, and then a full scan using whichever av they may have. Once completed I will run a clean with CCleaner, check for recently installed items via CCleaner and then run the machine through tests for an afternoon to confirm it to be clean. I've had success with this regimen for quite some time. 

 

My 2 cents from an IT guy and IT business owner.