ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE SLOWS COMPUTER???

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thinkpadneophyte · #1 Post by **thinkpadneophyte** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 7:19 am

I bought my x60s in March and installed Computer Associate's Etrust software some weeks later. (I bought Etrust from Lenovo when I got the x60s. It came with a rebate so ended up being free).

Over time I've felt everything was taking too long to open and use - and not just internet sites, but Word, Excel, Quicken, etc. Last night I unistalled Etrust on the chance that maybe that would help, and my x60s is now AMAZINGLY FAST!!

1. Does this make sense?

2. Are there others of you who bought Etrust too and installed it differently so it didn't have this negative impact on performance? Should I reinstall it, but configure it differently somehow?

3. Is there other software I should get instead that won't slow the comuter?

4. Is there enough built-in protection in Windows or Internet Explorer that I can do without any anti-virus software? The Etrust was anti-virus, anti spam, personal firewall, anti-pest

I'm really happy to have my computer operating so well again. Last month I had Lenovo replace the ultrabase my x60s came with and now have an ultrabase which connects without a problem all the time. so everything is finally working great, but I don't want to put my computer at risk for a virus, so I don't know what to do.

Please, please give me some advise. THANK YOU

trentblase · #2 Post by **trentblase** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 7:37 am

It's generaly accepted that anti-virus programs will slow your computer down. With that said, your program sounds a little like bloatware. Windows firewall is good enough for my purposes, and there are many good free anti-spyware programs out there (see the grisoft link below).

I use a free program called AVG (http://free.grisoft.com/doc/avg-anti-vi ... /us/tpl/v5) which runs really fast on my x60s. Many people claim that it's as good or better than some pricey alternatives (such as Norton). You should consider it.

You may also want to consider continuing to use the software you purchased and start systematically disabling features (firewall, spyware, etc) to see if any single feature is the cause of this slow-down.

foodle · #3 Post by **foodle** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 11:05 am

Apparently antivirus software also makes your shift key stick

Saml01 · #4 Post by **Saml01** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:20 pm

Only one antivirus truly is transparent and doesnt degrade performance. Thats Symantec Anti Virus.

FredFromNYC · #5 Post by **FredFromNYC** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:20 pm

I second the recommendation by trentblase to use AVG Anti-Virus. I have used the free version for several years and it doesn't tax the system at all, in contrast to programs like Norton Antivirus, for example. The free version of AVG Anti-Virus is available at free.grisoft.com. Avast! Home Edition is another popular alternative (www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html).

#6 Post by **jdhurst** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 5:01 pm

Saml01 wrote:Only one antivirus truly is transparent and doesnt degrade performance. Thats Symantec Anti Virus.

Assuming by the name you mean the Corporate version, I agree. My computers are not slow, and I have the Corporate version running. ... JD Hurst

Thinkpaddict · #7 Post by **Thinkpaddict** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 4:08 am

How Norton Antivirus Corporate is not a hog is beyond me. I believe you, but it seems hard to believe that it would be so much more optimized than the regular version. Unless they are completely different products made by different project teams. What I know is that Norton Internet Security does take a big bite off any computer I have installed it on.

I don't use Windows much anymore (it's Linux time for me), so I haven't needed to use any antivirus for a while. That is a good feeling.
That being said, I am sure there are suitable options for antivirus programs in Windows, including the Corporate edition of Norton Antivirus.

#8 Post by **jdhurst** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 5:44 am

Thinkpaddict wrote:How Norton Antivirus Corporate is not a hog is beyond me. I believe you, but it seems hard to believe that it would be so much more optimized than the regular version. Unless they are completely different products made by different project teams. What I know is that Norton Internet Security does take a big bite off any computer I have installed it on. <snip>

I don't know how Symantec works internally with project teams, but the Corporate AntiVirus product is a completely different product from the Retail version. I have used both.

The Firewall product is different, but not radically.
... JD Hurst

ambientscape · #9 Post by **ambientscape** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 5:54 am

Another user of AVG antivirus (Free Edition)......Its the best FREE stuff you can find on the internet to protect your Thinkpad from viruses. I highly recommend AVG.....in fact, I installed AVG for my home desktop, friends laptop.......and even my BOSS laptop is running AVG now. Faster start up than other retail anti virus software.......

christopher_wolf · #10 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 3:26 pm

ambientscape wrote:Another user of AVG antivirus (Free Edition)......Its the best FREE stuff you can find on the internet to protect your Thinkpad from viruses. I highly recommend AVG.....in fact, I installed AVG for my home desktop, friends laptop.......and even my BOSS laptop is running AVG now. Faster start up than other retail anti virus software.......

Yeah, AVG is pretty good in that regard.

Symantec Corporate is, as far as I am concerned, a whole different species as opposed to the retail edition which...has issues with hogging resources.

kai · #11 Post by **kai** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 2:48 am

I can't comment on the Symantec Corporate, but I am currently using Eset NOD32 and have been for years. The CPU usage is not noticeable and I'm on a 1.1GHz X40.

One of the worst for CPU resources I've tried (apart from Norton) was Kaspersky.. scanning using that was excruciatingly slow (even in the background!)

ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE SLOWS COMPUTER???

ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE SLOWS COMPUTER???

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