Re: Purchasing Security Software after the Fact

Never said that free programs don't work. However, support is, in my mind, a
concern. With the state of virus and spy/malware today, how effective can
providers of free software be? I would propose Ad Aware and SpyBot Search
and Destroy as prime examples. Both programs have gone through dramatic
swings in effectiveness. Ad Aware several years ago stopped supporting
updates for a long time until they released a new version. SpyBot has a
history of releasing new versions with no indication on the old version that
it is no longer supported or being updated.

I just consider the risk involved in having an AV or Spyware program not
functioning properly too high to justify not spending $50 or less.....

--
Regards,
Hank Arnold

"Nicholas Andrade" <sdnick484@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:uDXRf.60124$dW3.38534@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hank Arnold wrote:
First of all, if you bought the trial version, you should have been given
an opportunity to renew the license directly from the vendor.

Before you do that, take a look at the on line stores (I like BUY.COM)
for pricing for the retail versions. Often you can get a great deal after
rebates....

I use Symantec (Norton) and like it. Also, when I get Turbo Tax each
year, I end up getting SAV for free after rebates. I've heard good things
about Trend, though. A lot of people recommend it. I'd stay away from
McAfee.....

Many will recommend "free" AV software. I consider that to be penny wise
and pound foolish. Less than $50 each year to avoid losing critical data
or having to format a new re-build a system seems like money well
spent.....

Most "free" anti-virus programs are only "free" (as in beer) for home use.
They're offered free so that people involved in decision making for
businesses can see how they perform and (hopefully) buy them for their
business. Furthermore, with a handful of exceptions, the vast majority of
the viruses and worms out there are designed to turn your computer into a
zombie, the amount that actually damage files is no where near what it was
in the past. The last time I got a virus that damaged files was in the
Netscape Navigator 2 era (and ironically I was running Norton, but got the
virus, from mIRC I think, before they offered an update).

To not consider something just because it's free is a mistake; there is a
ton of Free Software (as in beer & speech) out there that often surpasses
many commercial alternatives (Mozilla & Apache are two examples off the
top of my head).


.

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