Die-Hard Norton User No Longer by Theresa Cahill Copyright 2006 - All Rights Reserved After last night, I (a diehard Symantec Norton Antivirus user) have forever cast Norton and Symantec products into the bottom-less pit of never-to-be-retrieved online products. You would not believe the hell I went through last night! Actually, it started a few days ago. Nothing definitive, but definitely something "not quite right" as I used one program or another or surfed online. Of course the first thing I did was scan my hard drives. Nothing wrong (according to the 2006 version of Norton's Antivirus program). But still the lagging and odd this and that persisted. Running out of virtual memory at the drop of a hat, on and on, problem after problem. Scan, scan, update, scan, scan. Never one little thing did 2006 find. In reverse, I also ran my spyware sweeper from my Zone Alarm Pro (and before you think that was my problem, it's not - these two programs had been working quite harmoniously on my computer for years, the problems only started AFTER I upgraded to Norton's 2006 version!). And... each time Zone Alarm found spyware and typically things that Norton, if working correctly, SHOULD HAVE ALSO FOUND. Hmmmm... So, having spent the extra bucks and also had Symantec ship me a backup disk, I started the (now) unthinkable. I uninstalled everything - both Norton and Zone Alarm for good measure. At around 8:30 p.m. last night the fun began. By 3:00 in the MORNING, after repeatedly trying in vain to get Norton to fully install on my computer, and with only my lowly Zone Alarm Pro to protect me against the bitter outside world - in total disgust and RAGING ANGER I turned everything off and went to bed. Five hours later, I was at it again. Only this time, I was SO smart! I headed straight to ZoneLabs never giving Norton another backwards look. I called the wonderful folks at ZoneAlarm, received some OUTSTANDING support, help (and sympathy which I sorely needed by then), and upgraded to ZoneAlarm Security Suite 6.5. I did my homework. I read around. C/Net has actually moved Norton way down the list (it might even be past McAfee at this point), and clearly proclaimed ZA's Antivirus program superior. As a current customer, it's an easy upgrade to the ZA Security Suite - and a financial savings to boot. Fully installed on my computer SURE ENOUGH there was a big bad bundle of trouble that ZA caught - the first time around (!) - and fixed and eliminated. Since spyware checking also comes with this suite, along with a bunch of other things, I ran that, too. A total of six spyware sneaks eliminated. I am a paranoid individual when it comes to me and my computer. I don't want you to get the idea that I wasn't updating or wasn't scanning or using Norton's Antivirus 2006 properly. I was. The rotten part is I THOUGHT it was protecting me. It wasn't. Glitchy, nasty, stinking rotten program - and it takes a lot for me to say that... I've been using Norton for years. However, if you currently have 2004 or 2005 on your computer my advice is DO NOT upgrade it to 2006. It's like a bad beta program that should never have left the shelves without a lot more research. On the other hand, my computer is SO happy now - and my stress level has dropped to the point where I'm pretty sure I won't have a stroke today just by making the wonderful decision to switch over to ZA's Security Suite. Thank you ZoneLabs! Live long and prosper :) ==================================== ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Theresa Cahill is the owner of My Wizard Ads, Online Advertising Co-Op, a true one-stop spot for ezine ad advertising, solo ads, targeted traffic, and more! You can find more rants, raves, and helpful information on her blog on HowTo Marketing.