Ask A Geek

Q: I have Norton and McAfee on my computer. Which one should I get rid of?

Q: I just downloaded Registry Patrol and I want to know if Norton Anti Virus comes with it? In reading the information about Registry Patrol it appears to be included. Is this true and if so how to I activate it?

Q: For the last few weeks I’ve had problems with the google virus. It is opening new tabs on links and redirecting me to other sites namely fasttools and using search2.google.

It maybe unrelated but I since I used an SVHS cable to connect my computer to a TV my has been stuck on what appears to be something like 800 x 600. The problem is when I go into the display settings I get an error saying something about C:windows\system32\rundll32.exe.

I have norton antivirus running and it has quarantined a couple of trojans and I thought that would sort it out but no luck. I am still having the issues.

So my two issues are that my display is stuck at 800×600 and google seems to have hijacked my browser. I’m using firefox with noscript and adblock on a computer running Windows Vista. What can I do to solve these problems?

Q: I’m running Windows XP on my Eee PC 1000he that I’ve had for about three months. I’ve had AVG the entire time and I’ve just installed Norton recently when I learned that it was free on my computer.

My computer is running is very slow and is acting up on multiple occasions. I run firefox rather than internet explorer. Other than the occasional torrent that I always scan before downloading, I don’t download anything. But, obviously somewhere along the line something slipped through. Read the rest of this entry »

Q: I have both Webroot AntiVirus and Norton installed on my computer. Norton expired and I tried to renew, but it told me that I would have to uninstall Webroot. Webroot is also about to expire. Which antivirus program should I keep? In other word, is one better than the other?

Q: I had Norton antivirus installed on my computer when I bought it. I recently just bought Webroot Spy Sweeper because Norton’s subscription expired. Can I delete Norton now then?

Q: I have just bought a notebook and want to load norton anti virus onto it. I have the disc but the notebook has no drive so can I load via my home PC and if so how do I do it?

Q: I installed Norton 360 on an HP notebook and already had Spy Sweeper. Now my computer will not boot-up. Do Spy Sweeper and Norton conflict with one another? How do I fix this?

A: The most likely explanation for your computer’s malfunction is indeed that Norton and Spy Sweeper are conflicting with one another. Security programs tend to conflict with one another whenever they duplicate each other’s functionality. In your case, your computer’s security programs are both trying to protect against spyware. Fortunately, your should be able to repair your computer via the following procedure:

• Immediately after using the power button to start your computer, repeatedly press the F8 key. This will provide you with a list of ways to boot-up Windows. Choose the Safe Mode option. Safe Mode tells Windows to ignore security programs, some devices & drivers, etc.
• Log into your Windows user account. Read the rest of this entry »

Q: I have an HP PC and am using Norton AntiVirus. When I had some work done they installed Webroot Spy Sweeper, so now I have both. Don’t they do the same thing? If I only need one which one should I get rid of?

A: Norton AntiVirus (2006 and newer) has built-in antispyware tools. But according to my research, Spy Sweeper does not include antivirus tools by default. Also, it seems like Spy Sweeper was installed on your computer without your permission. So I recommend that you uninstall Spy Sweeper from your computer while keeping Norton AntiVirus.

TIP: You may wish to replace Norton AntiVirus with a program like Kaspersky Internet Security 2009, which combines antivirus, antispyware, firewall, and other advanced capabilities into a single program.