Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Norton slows computers

So what does slow a PC down?

The Spy PC Blog looked at what slows a Windows computer down. They tested a number of programs to see which would be the worst offender. Norton Internet Security won by a long shot.

While not being scientific, it certainly does match our experiences in the real world. Removing NAV is often the best boost a computer can get. It's usually the first thing we do.

In the real world, the situation is more complex. While Norton Internet Security may be the biggest single culprit, the cumulative effects of a spyware infection will slow a computer even more.

To complicate the picture even more, a spyware infection will mess up the Active Scripting functions, which in turn will bork Norton products, which in turn will reduce the whole computer to a quivering wreck.

I'm sure Symantec's spin doctors will be able to portray the Spy PC tests as being unrepresentative. The fact is Norton products have serious problems. They need to fix them.