I have Norton anti virus 2007 already installed as an offer on my laptop when I bought it. Now the subscription has expired and I dont want to have a paid renewal for that, instead thinking to go for free 90 trials of McAfee or some other ones. Now my question is can I install McAfee or any other anti virus software without removing existing Norton anti virus. If its not a problem, will there be any problem having two anti virus softwares on computers.
Also please let me know which trail versions are best if the McAfee that I chose is not okay for you.
Thanks in advance
[question posted by sunilkonda]
responses and comments:
i find norton antivirus very heavy for the sistem, for my pc i use mostly 3 freeware programs that works great : AVG Antivirus 8.0 SuperAntiSpyware CCleaner take a look at these three when you have a bit of time... [snipero]
heavy for system means it's a bit resource-hungry. makes your machine slow sometimes. norton is very much infamous for that. :-p [marquisdesade]
It is possible, but not recommended.. They might interfere with eachother and erase important files if one tries to acces it :D So I wouldn't do it :D Have a nice day ^^ [NrgDfenZ]
try nod32. that should be your best choice regarding anti-virus. now we are not supposed to promote piracy here, but you can get pretty much anything on the web for free. hell with the ethics. if you want this, you acquire this by this or that. that's merely a suggestion. have your own go at this. I won't recommend using two anti-virii( I thought I'll use the plural of viruses in here. ;-) ) on a single pc as they might interfere in each other's tasks. Just think of caging Stephen Hawking and Roger Penrose in together and you can imagine what happens there is pretty much the case here. :-p Never mind. [marquisdesade]
yes you can install different softwares to protect your computer but this situation maybe shup off other anti-virus for the powerful antivurs will protect you so i suggest if you are going to have anti-virus find something or one anti-virus that worth to download. [skywolfcel]
Yes you can use not only two can use lot of anti virus software if it supports. I'm using Norton, AVG, Spy bot, C Cleaner, Spam blocker and more softwares to protect from virus and spyware and I'm also using adware remover too. [remorex007]
You will need to Remove Norton before installing McAfee, reason for this is that the two programs will work against each other and make your system real slow. [mirage108]
hi there! my friend worked for for Norton before & I myself is familiar with some anti virus protection for the pc since I also troubleshoot internet connection along with AV. each new computer has an antivirus installed to it & it's not necessary for you to sue it especially if the subscription has ended & it's asking for some money to renew. It's always your choice of what AV is good for you. My friend who worked for Norton did assure that NAV (Norton Anti-Virus) has heavy components whereas it could take more memory of your laptop. you CANNOT install Norton & McAffee at the same time or any 2 different anti-virus. one way or another one would not function because no 2 software with the same feature can work in one computer. also, even if you try to install McAfee, you will get a prompt window informing you that you cannot proceed. Mcafee is better than Norton, but one thing i've noticed about McAfee is that it has strong firewall that conflicts the internet connection. Norton on the other hand has strong settings that blocks the entire internet connection. There are a lot of Antivirus out there, in fact you could download them for free. try kaspersky, i heard from co-technician that he is using it & it works fine foe his computer. on the other hand, i'm using the latest AVG in my laptop. hope this helps.. and besides, you need to unistall one AV to free up your disk space for the AV you want or prefer. [mapi26]
i think one factor why Norton slows down the computer is that it has heavy files/components where it takes much of the memory. try to check Anti Virus that you could download for free. this is very convenient since you don't need to worry about subscriptions. and you could use the money for other important things. :) [mapi26]
You can Install two different anti virus on your Computer . But Only One will be Active at a time . Some time Other Antivirus demands to Uninstall 1st . So its better to Install one Antivirus at a time. ist of all you make sure confirm which antivirus is suitesd to you . [amitsh8888]
No you can not install two antivirus at the same time, when u do that PC will ask you to remove one of them [fady83]
As far as I am concerned we must always use one safe and protective anti virus in our system, we must never use two antivirus, because instead of protecting the system, each antivirus will not work assuming that the other must work. Hence, if you want antivirus and your system to be protected, go only for one which ever you think is better. Having two anti virus in your system is like maintaining two guards before your house for safety, and both not working thinking the other will work. Hence, think wisely and use the one which you think is the best in giving protection. and at the same time you can use other softwares instead like spyware doctor or firewall etc, but not other different virus. [gayathrigs]
Rocky is perfectly apt in her expression! I don't know how ppl jus enter into tech blogs and write whatever they fee like.Absolutely it's a sheer crap! If somebody is novice, fresher...etc its better to keep one's mouth shut. One need to authenticate the information before posting into public portal where many ppl rely on what you write! Watchover!! While keeping this in mind, one also need to keep all the emotional funda of hurting business in their pockets. Its a professional tech blog, no space for hurtings...blah ...blah! [Saats4u]
Yes you can. It depends if you install compatible antiviruses. Ive tride NOD32 with Avira and works great. Even if both of them were updated, there are viruses that are detected with NOD32 which cant be detected by avira, and vice versa. [cleric4]
hi frnd,how to install one more antivirus in same computer? [suhailpvp]
You can install two different anti-virus software but only one will be used and detected in your Operating System. It doesn't matter whether it be two or more, as your the security section of the Operating System only recognize anti-virus software to use. As with the new anti-virus to install, from my experience, I don't really have much impression with McAfee, it is easily by-pass by worms. I recommend you uninstall the previous version of your anti-virus software and install a new one. If your current anti-virus is Norton and you like to install another anti-virus software, your system will still recognize Norton as the system's anti-virus program it will ignore the new one. [iceblizzard]
yes,,why not now iam using two antivirus at the sametime .i have no problem. [chinna533]
i refer you to install AvG instead of Norton. i cant feel satisfaction on Nortons Ehhhh... just install your best Anti V. [jm0911]
You should have only one anti-virus running at any time. What you need to do is download the one that you would like to use and save it into your document file and think deactivate norton if that's the one you want to uninstall and once that is uninstalled then run your other antivirus software. There are some pretty good ones for free such as AVG freeware, Avasti, Comodo, and Anti-vira. [Residual]
nope you can't. you can only install one anti-virus software per pc. once you installed one, the second one will not be allowed to be installed. and regarding your norton. once your subscription is over, good luck, it's actually very difficult to remove the norton totally from your system. you should know how to delete it from your registry to fully remove it. i had once experienced expiration of my norton and i ended up reformatting my system because i can't remove it using the add/remove program from the control panel. have a good day:) [neilchua]
you can install as many as you like as long as it is compatible with each other, norton i think will not allow you to install avast without uninstalling it first. I personally use avast + avg + comodo firewall (all freewares). with some other softwares off course spybot s&d. it is all upto you how you can make your computer virus/malware free. [cloud69]
you should uninstall your Norton first as generally anti virus software's have compatibility issues with other anti virus software, also you can use free softwares like avast for home which is perfect for a home computer and combine it with a firewall , i also use adaware personel, spywareblaster, cheers. . [Shunyo]
I used AVG,Clam anti virus. but i don't know about mcafee [Greeneagle24]
Actually Nortan anti Virus slows the computer down alot. When ever i install notan in my Laptop it really slows everything down. I think if you install both Mcafee and Nortan, your computer will not work properly or you may have to wait for a long time for everything. So its better to remove nortan, and i think whenever you will restore your operating system to default factory setting, the trial version will work again. This thing happens with my laptop.So i think you should uninstall Nortan in order to install Mcafee to make your comouter work properly. [rizzu87]
Yes you can install two anti-virus but problem is your Machine will run very slow like a tortoise [vimalmeh]
You can intall 2 virus guards. They can run at the same time. When you are installing you might have to stop the service running in the existing one. However, this is not recommended. There can be many conflicts and the machine will get slowed down. The best thing is to remove the existing one and install a new one or to renew the existing guard. [shamikabsb]
Hi friend,We can never install 2 different antivirus softwares on the same computer.It is said that we have to remove the older one to install a new anti virus software.thanks for sharing.happy mylotting. [sumiirajj]
I heard some people say it's better not to install two anti virus softwares for the same computer because they may be a conflict. However, I do install two anti virus softwares. One of them is small and the other is a big one. I don't find anything wrong with it. My computer keeps virus free until now. I love China [youless]
try nod 32 , it can be used along with norton or kaspersky [shripaltogani]
in my idea, it wont work. just use SMART ESET NOD 32 anti is very good anti-vi. [z1mzAm82]
I have not tried installing more than one anti-virus program on any of my computers. I believe some software will conflict with each other, because usually such software does active scanning of any files downloaded into the system. I can't imagine how two or more anti-virus programs will be concurrently at work scanning files for virus as they come into the system. Once a friend of mine asked me to help her install Norton Anti-virus onto her PC. I didn't know what else she had previously installed, but as I was proceeding with the Norton installation, a message came out saying that there was another anti-virus program installed, and that I will have to delete that program in order to successfully install Norton. So my guess is having more than one anti-virus program active on your PC is probably not allowed. [lexus54]
We can install two antivirus on the same computer.but the problem is it would use lot of space and memory.one antivirus will say the other antivirus definitions are viruses.I am using a free version of antivirushappyhappy [vicky30]
you will end up with conflict from the two systems if you try to have both at the same time. I have found both MCaffee and Norton resource hogs. they use a lot of your memory (resources) so your system ends up running very sluggish. Why don't you just go with one of the free ones out there? such as AVG, Avast, Kasper, and the list goes on, I personally prefer avast but each to their own. [searcher625]
Good day... Usually you can't install two antivirus at the same time. The program itself requires independent from another anti virus softwares. I don't know yet of a way to circumvent such innate programming. [blackmantra_x]
Unless you have alot of time to figure out the conflicting messages you will get, I wouldnt run more than one AntiVirus program. If you decide to not go with Norton, make sure you use the complete removal too available at their support site. At their Symantec site, go to the support section and do a search for "Norton Removal Tool" As for advice, most users are happy with AVG or Avast, and they are free. I myself use BitDefender. Hope this helps. [douchrti]
Thanks very much for this info. I was wondering how to remove Norton from my system as I couldnt find the uninstall option in my program list.Someone suggested to format the system for which I was scared, now relieved.Will check the norton support section. [sunilkonda]
Sometimes, having two different anti-virus programs on your computer can create a problem. One may not be incompatible with the other. If you don't want to pay for another anti-virus or renew your current anti-virus, then my advice is to go with one of the free versions like AVG. I currently use AVG 8.0 and have used it for quite a while now. I'm very pleased with this product and it gives me excellent service. If you are interested in checking this out search for AVG in your google search engine and the home page will be on top of the list. Goodluck. Andrew [AndrewFreyne]
yes that's very possible but the very big but is that one of the two should be turned off... you can use the two anti-virus to scan a file or object that you think is malware, virus, or any bad object to the system. just install nod32 or avira because it's cheaper same as secured and efficient as mcafee or norton. [jamesnogra]
i think there is no any problem in installing more than one antivirus as i remember my husband had did that for our laptop but one thing i would like to tell you is that when we had did that and if both antivirus are running there are many popups which comes again and again interupting your work, sometime the processing speed becomes slower and also there are few antivirus which obstructs some softwares and dont support them and hence if you have two antivirus you might fave this. so i feel having one good antivirus works a lot and is enough, but you can make your system more secure by having the administer password or standard password. and i dont know about mcafee but even i look for a free antivirus and i have bullguard in my system and is really running very well and its a trial version of 60days i think first it use to be 90days but now its reduced most probably. and i had also tried kaspersky which really runs very well and its trial version is available over internet. we had also tried bitdefender which we didnt find it good and we need to change it as i made the processsing very slow. so i hope my discussion can help you out in deciding a good antivirus. [icegermany]
It's generally a bad practice to have multiple anti virus running in the same system. The biggest problem is that AV software monitor all your file operation(open, copy etc.) in order to provide real time monitoring. However, this very action of monitoring would trigger another AV's monitoring action, which in turn triggers the other AV's action...and finally form some sort of a infinite loop. [Rainarrow]
Remove Norton. Unless you have a powerful computer, it hogs enough system resources that it slows things down quite a bit. On top of that, multiple AV programs fight with each other. Use a full free anti-virus solution, like Avast Home (http://www.avast.com/), or AVG Free (go to http://www.download.com/). I like Avast better, but more people seem to use AVG. And McAfee is just embarrassing to the industry; I had to remove it from a whole network recently. You should also make sure you have firewall software (other than Windows Firewall; that doesn't count) if you are not using your own router of some kind; or you ever take your computer from home (Starbuck's, McDonald's, ANYWHERE not home), if you do have a router. Comodo and ZoneAlarm free are good. Again, go to download.com. There is no reason why a home user should have to pay for security software, or keep re-installing trials. These programs are completely free (though you have to register Avast, but that is still free). [darth_eletius]
My son-in-law is a computer expert and he says you should remove all of the Norton before installing a new anti virus program He also said it is very difficult to remove all the folders with Norton and some may be left on the PC forever I have AVG and i have paid for a 2 year subscription and its worth it It has been fantastic not having a virus in years Thats my take on things One other thing that bugs me about Norton if you paid for it and need technical support they want to be paid Good Luck Have a Great day [vmksvmks]
All of these anti-virus programs on the windows machines eat up cycle time and will cause your machine to run slower. Personally, I prefer Norton Antivirus over McAfee any day of the week. My sister had McAfee at the same time I was running NAV, I had a slower older computer but the performance on my computer was better, after we pulled McAfee and went to NAV, her computer was way faster then mine. Personally, I have a Mac and don't run Anti-virus software. So far us Apple owners are pretty lucky. [Debs_place]
Norton takes up too much hard-drive, try the free AVG (http://avg.com) Scroll down the website to where it says "try AVG for free" and download the free trial. When the free trial runs out don't upgrade and just keep the free version. Remove Nortons first. It's a bad idea to have more than one anti-virus program at once as they conflict. [jackgym]
yes you can run 2 antivirus programs together, the same as you can run multiple popup swyware and malware tools, and as far as norton goes i would remove it completely from the computer and place a smaller more efficient 1 or 2 in, i use avg and avast in my 5 computer network and also in my laptop. norton is a very heavy resource user also i use spyware doctor and adaware 2007, and for popups i use yahoo popup blocker and googles popup stopper all of this is running on my computer which is a core 2 duo,with 500 gig hardrive and 2 gig ddr2 ram, plus my families computers that are running xp pro are also security setup the same way, with no complaints from any of them. now i will tell you that i do get a lot of arguement from my fellow I.T. techs lol we all have our own oppinions on this subject so dont just take my advice, ok lol, i am just telling you what i myself have experienced in my ten years of building repairing and upgradeing computers, [rocky1011]
I use two different anti virus. I have Nod 32 and AVG anti virus installed at the same time. I used to have three anti virus. I also used to have Spyware terminator but my PC is could not manage three anti virus. [king4aday]
Honestly, I would be surprised if your computer hasn't hanged even once with 2 (or 3) anti-virus programs installed. [lordwarwizard]
Hi suni, Definitely no. Contrary to what some people think, having two anti-virus programs does not make your computer "double" secure. Instead, you risk disrupting the stability of your system. I have tried it myself as proof - when I installed 2 different programs together, my computer hanged and funny things happened. So I would strongly urge that you choose just ONE anti-virus program to install. Cheers! lol [lordwarwizard]
Sometimes you can, it is not always a wise idea, however. [DaddyOfTheRose]
I have been using AVG free for years. I work at Dell and as a Software Support Tech we install AVG on customers computers as a safe, free antivirus on a daily basis. We never recommend that a customer had more than one antivirus on their computer at a time because of conflicts. I have often had to remove two antivirus softwares with customers and then went back and helped them install only one. My suggestion is and always has been AVG FREE. I also use CCleaner, Superantispyware, and ATF cleaner. These are all free!! As a tech I also use Process Explorer and Auto Runs from Microsoft but CAUTION these last two are for the tech savvy. This is not the average user ( please do not take offense; this is just added advice). If you want more GREAT FREE software go to www.gur.in it has everything you could imagine to help you with your computer. It has screen shots, software and much more!!! (this is starting to sound like an AD but it isn't you will see) [SketcherD]
hi sunil.. It is not recommended to use 2 antivirus in a system....so better U uninstall Norton and install either Avira antivir or Kaspersky....in these two i opt for Kaspersky because than Avira, it protects much better in case of spyware and malware.... [MURIYA]
They can conflict with each other especially if they are running at the same time and trying to scan the same part of your computer; also, they will use up a lot of your system resources so your computer might seem a little slow. Trend Micro Officescan is a business product usually seen in enterprise client/server machines. AVG Antivirus has a good reputation as an antivirus scanner - if you need added protection, use an antispyware scanner such as Spybot or Superantispyware [tintusam]
it better not to install two different anti-virus in a same operating system,coz every antivirus has its own virus extension name to detect,it may conflict, may be they might found one another as a virus,by conflicting each other,they may delete system files. [Tanvir_5971]
Using two different anti virus programme my cause some some errors in OS. or it may get corrupted because of conflict. If you want i can tell you how to get norton with live updates for next 10 Years. I know its not legal but it works. [rohit1161]
As I think it's better to Install one one Antivirus in a system because the Anti virus Programs are very strong & hey are compatible with other antivirus Programs. Better to Uninstall the Norto in ur Lap & Install new Mcafee or anyother. [rajuknl]
I am using McAfee for my virus protection needs. It detects almost all viruses, and with heuristics technology, it also detects virus-like activities, making your computer virtually virus-free. It is also light on resources, you won't even notice that it is running in the background protecting your computer all the way through. I also tried Norton, but sad to say it didn't pass my taste. It is a resource hog, and it slowed my computer like a turtle. But it is also good in detecting viruses! If Norton wasn't a resource hog, then it will be on my recommended list regarding anti-viruses for the Windows platform. Beside that, Avg free edition is quiet enough for us if we have already a firewall and anti spyware... U also could upgrade your avg into pro edition.. And actually, there isn't the best anti virus, every anti virus have weakness.. Happy mylotting all.... God bless you..^^....... [joserinfans]