ManiacJoe
(10,136 posts)Running a different scanner every now and then can be a good thing. However, having multiple anti-virus systems installed is a very bad thing.
Of course, if you have malware on your box, then a remover does come in handy.
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)Mnpaul
(3,655 posts)You can set it up so that it doesn't load at startup and only runs a scan when requested .
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)Go Vols
(5,902 posts)Malwarebytes 24/7 for last 3+ years,its pretty good protection along with Norton.
I've been using Norton forever, but last week got hit with something that turned browsing into a nightmare.
Every screen would be filled with unwanted ads in unusual parts of the screen.
These would take control and not let me leave the screen without killing the browser and starting over -- after which I still couldn't get where I was going without the same impasse.
The ads would insist that I needed to upgrade this or that (usually Flash) and they would starting shaking and make emoji faces at me if I didn't accept right away.
I don't know what the purpose was -- if a virus destroys its host it can't go on. Similarly, no one on earth would continue to use their computers with these problems.
NOW: NORTON SAID EVERYTHING WAS FINE. MULTIPLE UPDATES OF VIRUS LIST, MULTIPLE SCANS ... "Hey no problem. You're good to go," it said!
Downloaded Malwarebytes and got the problem fixed in about 15 minutes total.
I'm beginning to wonder if Norton isn't just a scam.
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)And I consider Norton about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)hobbit709
(41,694 posts)It's free, has a small system footprint and works fairly well. It's one of the few things MS has done that isn't bloated. About 3/4 of the infected computers I see have either Norton or MacAfee on them.
Very few times do I see an infected computer with MSE on it-and it usually turns out that the person clicked on something even with a warning.
I have the paid for Malwarebytes running on my computers. It was on sale for $9.95 at the time and even though they've now gone to a yearly subscription model, I'm grandfathered in with my product keys for lifetime. Malwarebytes gives immediate warnings and blocks any suspicious site immediately.
I hit all sorts of dangerous sites and have never gotten a virus. It's more a matter of not clicking on anything suspicious looking than counting on your protection software to catch it.