Thinkpads Forum

I hate Kerio, it feels like it's actually blocking threats but it blocks everything else as well. And it was a pain to get rid of, if i rmemeber correctly.

Zonealarm feels like it doesn't actually do anything. And it also just hinders things. I just use the standard Windows XP SP2 firewall and am behind a router. So it's alright.

I use avg free when I use xp (gaming) otherwise I could care less cuz I use linux.

wayrad wrote:<snip>I'm confused. My z60m came preloaded with Symantec Client Security 3.1, which appears to consist of Symantec Client Firewall 8.6.0.134 and Symantec Antivirus 10.0.0.846. Is this a corporate or retail version? When I run LiveUpdate, one of the items listed is "Symantec Antivirus Corporate (OEM)".

It's going to be expiring in a month or so, so I've been reading these threads looking for alternatives. My employer offers an unmanaged version of Symantec Antivirus Corporate, but I'd need to manually download definitions and also find a firewall (and I'm not that fond of ZoneAlarm). Might be simpler to continue with what I have, if it's the corporate verion.

JoAnn R.

I have not seen a ThinkPad come with Symantec Corporate. The version you are running is close to the version I have, and I have it separately (and as a business) from the retail product that was preloaded.

Did your computer come preloaded from the place you work? Can anyone confirm if Symantec is putting their corporate product on user preloaded ThinkPads?
... JD Hurst

Dead1nside wrote:I hate Kerio, it feels like it's actually blocking threats but it blocks everything else as well. And it was a pain to get rid of, if i rmemeber correctly.

I don't know what you are talking about. What was it blocking that you didn't want blocked? Pop-up ads?

I can't remember now, it was awhile ago. I liked the statistics more so than Zonealarm.

jdhurst wrote:I have not seen a ThinkPad come with Symantec Corporate. The version you are running is close to the version I have, and I have it separately (and as a business) from the retail product that was preloaded.

Did your computer come preloaded from the place you work? Can anyone confirm if Symantec is putting their corporate product on user preloaded ThinkPads?
... JD Hurst

It came directly from Lenovo (as a replacement for a Z60m, also purchased directly from Lenovo, that was never the same after being "repaired"). I think the original had the same security suite as this one, but couldn't swear to it.

JoAnn R.

I have set my TrendMicro PC-cillin 2006 to DELETE when it encounters any virus or spyware. Today, as a typical daily routine, after scanning, it listed 4 cookies, that I had to delete one at a time. But I found more cookies (about 30) when I opened: C/Documents and Settings/Owner/Cookies. When I later run Ad-Aware, it found more "critters" (their word) which I had to delete from its quarantine folder.

So, I'm confused. Do other people also have to run one program after another to clear these viruses/spyware/cookies the way I do? Or is it because my PC-cillin is lacking? Some people earlier mentioned Avast and AVG which sound impressive, and I'm tempted to use them, especially when they're free!

For those of you who also use Macs, have you encountered such virus or spyware in your Macs? I use a T23 BTW.

Thanks for reading this.

I have used Ad-Aware in the past, and I did notice it's aggressive stance towards cookies. Most of these tracking cookies I believe are basically harmless. I use Webroot Window Washer to remove my excess cookies on occasion, but I really don't worry about it all that much.

I prefer Spybot for finding spyware. Removal of spyware found is not always easy. CoolWebSearch comes to mind. Since this isn't really a virus, antivirus software may not catch it.

So one really needs antivirus software for viruses, trojans and worms. Antispyware for things like CoolWebSearch. And a firewall to stop probes and things going out without your knowledge.

Hi,
I've been using Avast Home edition and have had excellent coverage. I've been thinking of buying the professional edition.
Anyone out there had any experience with these programs?
Mike.

I can vouch for Avast and NOD32. NOD32 is what I use on all of my machines and I've had great luck with it - very lightweight and catches most everything.

Avast I have also used on a lot of friends or family members computers that don't have anything and are hard to convince them to buy one.

wayrad wrote:

jdhurst wrote:I have not seen a ThinkPad come with Symantec Corporate. The version you are running is close to the version I have, and I have it separately (and as a business) from the retail product that was preloaded.

Did your computer come preloaded from the place you work? Can anyone confirm if Symantec is putting their corporate product on user preloaded ThinkPads?
... JD Hurst

It came directly from Lenovo (as a replacement for a Z60m, also purchased directly from Lenovo, that was never the same after being "repaired"). I think the original had the same security suite as this one, but couldn't swear to it.

To update a bit, my z60m is now popping up messages telling me I need to renew Symantec Client Security, but clicking the "renew" link takes me to a "preferred customer" page that only offers the home-grade products. This seems an odd oversight for a reputable company, and it would be very easy to end up purchasing a different and inferior product, if comments in this thread had not alerted me to the difference.

JoAnn

wayrad wrote:<snip>
To update a bit, my z60m is now popping up messages telling me I need to renew Symantec Client Security, but clicking the "renew" link takes me to a "preferred customer" page that only offers the home-grade products. This seems an odd oversight for a reputable company, and it would be very easy to end up purchasing a different and inferior product, if comments in this thread had not alerted me to the difference.

JoAnn

Yours is a confusing story. I have been using Symantec Client Security since version 1. Although you seem to be an exception, I have never seen it installed on a new laptop. Further, the Corporate version doesn't hassle about renewals (at least not in my experience). And then finally, I am not surprised you got sent to the home products page, because the minimum order quantity is 10 for Client Security and it usually wants to be purchased through a vendor. ... JD Hurst

jdhurst wrote:Yours is a confusing story. I have been using Symantec Client Security since version 1. Although you seem to be an exception, I have never seen it installed on a new laptop. Further, the Corporate version doesn't hassle about renewals (at least not in my experience). And then finally, I am not surprised you got sent to the home products page, because the minimum order quantity is 10 for Client Security and it usually wants to be purchased through a vendor. ... JD Hurst

Well, I'm certainly confused, but the story is a true one, in case you are dubious. I do not see a version number for Symantec Client Security anywhere [edit: It's 3.1 according to my earlier post. Not sure why I can't find it now; i expect I'm not looking in the right place], but the version numbers for the antivirus and firewall components are as I described previously. The renewal popup specifically cites Symantec Client Security. I have never installed any antivirus or firewall software on the machine, and no one else has had access to it since Lenovo shipped it to me.

I'm going to be fairly irritated if I have to research and select a new antivirus and firewall package with only 10 days left to go, all on account of what (no doubt inadvertently) somewhat resembles a bait & switch maneuver.

JoAnn

P.S. I'll have to check when I get home, but your comment makes me wonder if it's the Thinkvantage software that is giving me the reminder rather than SCS itself. Maybe it's Lenovo that has created this snafu...

Problem solved. The message I saw earlier was from Message Center. Today I got another popup, which looks more like Symantec's work, directing me to a different Symantec page offering multi-user AND single-user licenses for Symantec Client Security 3.1. It's $69.00 for the single-user version.

It is strange nobody else has reported having SCS on a new Thinkpad - I can't believe I'm the only one.

JoAnn

I should think most people would have had it. I certainly did, and so did my brother, on our T60s and on a friend's X60s. The thing is, most people would have just uninstalled it without really thinking all that much about it. Which is why you're probably not hearing other reports of Client Security on Thinkpads.

I use no background scanner, I scan manually using the McAfee Stinger. Background scanners tend to hog too many resources in my view. However, I do not (regularly) use Internet Explorer, Outlook or MS Office. I do run ZoneAlarm as a firewall.

Well, guys, my Norton AV has just expired (today indeed), so I scanned this thread which I found to be very helpful to a AV noob like me. The Nroton AV6 came pre-installed to my T43 (purchased about 2-3 months ago brand new).
Well, based on your info and opinions guys, I made up my mind for Kaspersky AV which is purchased just about 10 minutes ago
Hope it will worth all these rave reports I'm seeing here and on inet in general.
Now uninstalling Norton...

Hey guys! Is the client security as good as or better than the Norton Internet Security 2006?

Wolfie wrote:Hey guys! Is the client security as good as or better than the Norton Internet Security 2006?

It is hands-down better than Norton retail. Way better (IMO). It uses less resource, and can be configured (not obvious) to run silently to a schedule. Mine is always up-to-date, never shows up (runs silently), and never bothers me. ... JD Hurst

I have BitDefender9 on my PC, it works very well. Stopped a bunch of viruses and spyware. I have a website for my company so it attracts a lot of junk.
They allow you to install the same software on a laptop, so for $20, that's a pretty good deal for a quality antivirus/antispyware program.
The only thing, and it is a minor thing, is that it uses some resources. Not nearly as much as Norton(hate it), but more than AVG(not bad for basic protection). With the P4 2.0M, 768MB RAM it wouldn't be an issue in my T30, but with 256MB of memory, it might slow things down a bit. My PC only has 512MB RAM, if BitDefender is slowing things down, it's not by very much.
I use Adaware and ZoneAlarm, along with Firefox, virus and spyware problems are few and far between.

Hi alexzabr

Can you tell me what you think of Kaspersky AV so far my Norton is expiring in a month or two and I'm in the market for a AV replacement.

I have narrowed my choice down to PC-cillin Internet Security and Kaspersky AV

Can anyone who is using PC-cillin Internet Security give a feed back?

Sepehr

Well, so far so good. No more then 2 days of actual experience runing one on my thinkpad in the background - no problems whatsoever, the regular updates are being downloaded in mcuh smoother manner (virtually seemlessly) then in Norton. My desktop PC is still running Norton AV6 - each virus signature updates hangs the system performance for about a half minute to minute, things slow down considerably during this time.
Kasperksy does it very silently, no any noticeably system performance impact.
Have yet run full system scan, perhaps this upcoming weekend.

Thanks

I have used Norton Retail Antivirus for a couple of years. I switched to Kaspersky this spring for my T42, and I put it on my wifes T42 a couple of weeks ago. While I don't "hate" Norton, I do like Kaspersky better.

I did run into one glitch last night. We are out camping, and we were going to watch a movie on my wife's T42 (my T42 had the 2nd hard drive adapter in the Ultrabay Slim slot). She has not been connected to the internet in a couple of days, so every minute or two Kaspersky was making a sound and a balloon would pop-up for a few seconds saying the virus signatures were out-of-date. I could shut-down Kaspersky or shut-off notifications, but I needed the Kaspersky password which I did not have with me. I ended up taking the DVD drive out of her T42 and put it in mine. My virus signatures were up-to-date because I have an internet connection here in the mountains at 9,000+ feet elevation via my Sierra Wireless Aircard 860 (Cingular EDGE)!

Hi,

I just went through a few of topic on Anti-Virus (AV). I thought I might just share my experience with you. Mind that I just own my very first laptop, so what you are about to read is concerning Anti-Virus software in general regardless to the machine itself:

The AV software are generally available in two flavor. One for the enterprise and one for the general public. The former is ususally a liht version of the first one, with often less control over it and less features.

The professional version of AV usually get regular update (every few hours) for the virus definition, a close customer suppport (you would be called a client more likely ), enhanced and advanced features such as a recognition of polymorphic malware or going throught network drive and scan inside compressed file. Of course the personal edition being closely developed to the pro version, many of these features can be found in these "lighter" version. That's considering the AV software as product in the first place.

Now a little story for you to realise how reliable are these product: A few years back I was helping a company (I am not sure I can name her so I won't) in Scotland, to update their network, with new station, old station to update and making sure all the users were happily switching for MS Windows XP. The week just before I started, a critical update from the AV company was issued regarding a totally new definition of an already known virus. Nothing new here. Apart the fact that the IT person responsible for the networking found this very same virus about 10 days before the alert was issued. As a professional she went to report a possible thread on her network to the AV company. Remember I said these company are offering close support for corporate client? Well they got back to her within 4 hours. But claiming she was the thread because they was nothing to be worried about: They denied the identification of the Virus.

So she went on and cleaned the network by hand. Isolating a desktop at a time. And keeping all the possibly infected pc offline.
She denied manually the access to ressource for this version of the virus. Finally the AV company realised they were wrong in the first place and issued a critical update of the Virus definition. So much for the protection. The AV Company was F-secure, originally close to F-prot. At that time both were highly rated as AV Pro.

Conclusion: whatever AV you are to choose, you always will be a step behind any new thread. Regardless of the AV !!!.

I have been using AVG Free personal version, Panda AV, Norton, McAfee in several version, NOD32, kapersky, F-secure, over the past 10 years. And I must admit one thing: They are taking way too much resources, all of them. And when it comes down to choose between AV one and AV two, it is a matter of whether you have to power to feed a power hungry piece of software or not. I believe I do NOW. That is one of the reason that I won't use Norton any time soon.

I am using an X60 (1706 CTO) and McAfee distributed client for my university, as I follow a simple logic: if my university get busted by viruses I will as well. Meantime I am relatively safe.

Regards.

Tam

The pre-loaded Norton did not impress me much.
Yesterday I installed NOD32 and I am curious if it will do better (or worse).........
I think SPYBOT is great; it helped me out of trouble several times while Norton did not detect anything.

Also good to have I think:
Ad-aware, Crapcleaner.

I switched from BitDefender9 to NOD32 a few months ago because the BD9 was using more computer resources than I'd like. NOD32 does a great job with security and I hardly know it's running. I've used most of the AV programs at one time or another, I'd put NOD32 at, or very near, the top of the heap.
Still use ZoneAlarm and Adaware. I've got a couple websites with email links, so that makes it a little more risky than the average user.

Kaspersky all the way!

I am using Norton Internet Security 2007 with Vista Business.

To my surprise NIS 2007 does not become a resource hog at all. It works inobtrusively in the background. I am not experiencing any slowdowns or lock ups. This is a security suite all-in in one package : antivirus, firewall, anti spyware, anti phishing, etc.

If you want to use Norton, use their 2007 release. I have used their 2005 and 2006 release with XP and it was a nightmare. Some engineers must have been fired there.

AVG Free Edition

It is free, it updates almost every day, and it doesn't scan on demand. Also i don't notice that it is slowing down my T40