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Old 06-07-2007, 07:15 PM
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Default Re: Is Norton Anti-Virus Supposed to Slow You Down?

Is it "supposed to?" No. Does it? Yes. That's an unavoidable consequence of its size, complexity & privileged interaction with the OS.

A more relevant question is that of whether or not it provides a benefit whose value is commensurate with the cost of the performance penalty & the risk of system corruption. In my experiences, it does not.

Not only are there suitable alternatives with smaller footprints & lesser performance penalties, but with substantially less risk of corruption of the OS and/or browser as well.

I've witnessed 4 cases in which NAV severely crippled machines when the subscriptions were being renewed and/or had expired. 2 were partially rehabilitated by substituting FireFox as the default browser; 1 required the installation of a new primary HD, with the old one becoming a slave so as to retain & allow access to existing data files. The 4th machine was replaced.

IMHO, use NAV at your own risk.