Ask A Geek

Q: I had both Norton and Webroot Spy sweeper but then they both expired. When I renewed Norton I got the more expensive 360 version and now I am wondering if I still need Webroot.

A: You do not need Webroot if you are running Norton 360. Running Webroot while running Norton 360 will actually slow your computer down because both Norton 360 and Webroot will be checking every single file you touch to see if it is a virus or spyware. This means your computer is doing twice as much work protecting you as it needs to and that takes resources away from other taks you might be asking it to work on like browsing the Internet or checking email. Read the rest of this entry »

Q: I have a 2008 HP and I had both Norton and Webroot Spy sweeper. They both expired and I renewed the spy sweeper last night. I then renewed Norton but this time I got the expensive one, the 360 ,and it looks like it has everything, so I am wondering if I still need the webroot or can I return it?

Q: What’s my best option for internet security: Norton, Webroot, or a different product altogether?

Q: Webroot says I can install it on three different computers but can I install it on those three computers as many times as I need?

Q: I have Webroot Antivirus and Antispyware but it expires next month and I can’t really afford to pay $40 to renew it. So what I’m wondering is, out of these free antivirus programs which should I use to replace it? Avira Anti-vir? Avast? Panda Cloud? Microsoft Security Essentials? Threatfire?

Q: I had webroot and Trend Micro Antivirus & Spyware installed on my computer. A power outage while upgrading webroot caused me to have to uninstall webroot and now I notice that my computer runs faster than ever without Webroot. Do I need to have Webroot and Trend Micro Antivirus & Spyware installed or can I just get away with Trend Micro Antivirus & Spyware?

A: You do not need webroot if you are using Trend Micro Antivirus & Spyware package. The reason for this is that webroot is a spyware package so if you have both webroot and Trend Micro Antivirus & Spyware then you will have two pieces of software running to protect you from spyware and this means more programs taking up the resources you have on your computer. Read the rest of this entry »

Q: I have webroot spysweeper 6.1.0.128 and my subscription to Norton Internet security is about to expire. Do I need both? I am getting all these “world is coming to an end” messages from Norton. Also there are 2 products: NIS 2009 and Norton Antivirus 2009 – what is the difference and do I need either one?

Q: I have Webroot Antivirus and Norton installed on my computer. Norton expired and I tried to renew it but as I was doing that Norton told me that I would have to uninstall Webroot. Webroot is also about to expire so I am wondering which antivirus program I should keep. Which antivirus program is the best right now?

A: Since antivirus programs stay running all the time to check files as you use them you only want to have one installed and running at a time. When you have more than one running at a time they could seriously degrade the performance of your computer. 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?