StupidSoft

[MidKnight]

There are certain organizations that reap the majority of their profits from the average person's lack of knowledge regarding computers.

These organizations can be placed into 3 categories: crapware makers (Crawler, Smiley Central, MyWebSearch), anti-crapware makers (Norton, McAfee, Kaspersky), and AOL.

Today I installed Norton 360 on a computer-illiterate friend's netbook. I am now full of frustration and raeg.

The Norton Experience (TM)

I unpacked the Norton 360 box and was surprised to find that the box was over 2/3rds filled with assorted manuals and information cards. At this point, I thought, "good for them, lots of docs for people who don't know how to do this. But if it's so easy, why am I installing it on my friend's PC?"

First order of business was finding a way top get it onto the CD drive-lacking netbook. One of the information cards helpfully said, "If you downloaded your copy of Norton 360, double click the file that you downloaded." I am at a loss of how one would receive a paper information card with an online download. I continued to Norton's site. Saying that I had bought a copy simply forwarded me to their online purchase page, so I said I was installing my 3-user license of Norton 360 on a second PC. Downloads appeared!

I downloaded a downloader, which downloaded Norton 360 for me (odd, ). The install went fairly smoothly, and I think some other software makers should try and learn from that. The activation also went by without a hassle.

It was after the install that things got interesting.

Norton asks me to give them my name/email. Fine. I uncheck to 'send me product info/security alerts/affiliated advertisements boxes and start filling in my info. As I fill in the last field, the boxes stealthily re-check themselves. I fail to notice this until I click the submit button. The registration goes on to the next step. WTF, it just signed me up for email ads! I try and go back, here is no back button. I finish the registration and hit 'my account' in the app. Every imaginable setting except for my email settings stare at me.

I click 'support,' so as to yell at their famed '24x7 support' (that's right, not a /, an x) about this. I've been randomly selected for a survey, yay! There is no opt-out option. Apparently I am, by buying Norton 360, obligated to participate in random surveys. I shut down Norton 360 and restart it, and click the 'support' link. It says my virus definitions are old and I should update them. Strange, I installed this application not 15 minutes ago! I say 'I have a different problem,' and indicate that the problem had to do with my subscription. It led me to some article about renewing my subscription. So much for 'live, 24x7 tech support!'

[bartvbl]

norton =def= stupid
An older version once managed to fuck up a pc of one of my friends..
But yeah, go for avast or mcAfee. They are all FAR better than norton

[Forboding Angel]

./facepalm

Norton IS a virus (It certainly installs itself like one and is a bitch to remove). Stay the hell away from mcafee or ANYTHING YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR!

If you really really really just HAVE to pay for something, then get NOD32. Otherwise use Avast as it scored the highest in many categories in it's field. Plus, it runs very well on netbooks without bogging them down (you can set it to only scan on write which will further improve performance).

Stay away from "Security Suites". Security Suite is synonymous "Noobtrap" and "Bullshit".

[Jazcash]

I recommend ZoneAlarm and BitDefender.

[PicassoCT]

sub-ported you are, happens to each and everyone, makes you dream of a return shit to sender-button, a fuckyou-key to hit, that makes you charge your money back for every stolen, angry second of your live. You don┬┤t get good service unless you threaten them with violence and lawsuits!

[smoth]

Stay the hell away from mcafee or ANYTHING YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR!

Many times I have caught viri using the omg just as good as pay for virus scanner....

this is not sound advice.

[PicassoCT]

or just stop postin and lurkin on 4chan.. reduces virusrisk by 99%

[MidKnight]

I actually use Avast on all of my own computers. However, as Picasso implied, computer use habits are 99% of virus risk, and so I don't really trust someone who will unhesitatingly click 'FREE SMILEYZ NOW!' links with anything short of some massive, name-brand security suite.

I may have to re-think this strategy in light of my recent experience.

Also: IMO software should try and educate uers about computers, instead of dumbing it down for them, but users tend to be too unwilling to learn, as I've noticed when people sit down in front of my Linux installation.

[Forboding Angel]

I actually use Avast on all of my own computers. However, as Picasso implied, computer use habits are 99% of virus risk, and so I don't really trust someone who will unhesitatingly click 'FREE SMILEYZ NOW!' links with anything short of some massive, name-brand security suite.

Avast blocks unsafe connections. Even if you tell it to ignore it, it still severs the connection.

Fine, you want a massive security suite that won't blow asschunks? http://www.avast.com/eng/buy-avast-anti ... ition.html Problem solved.

The fact is, the thing you are worried about will happen anyway, regardless of a massive security suite or not.

Get smart. If you have someone who uses unsafe browsing habits, download spybot search and destroy and install teatimer. It will keep changes to the registry from being made and the end user won't be smart enough to understand what they are being asked and just clicky the little X which will solve the problem before it arises. Additionally, immunizations via spybot is pretty awesome, considering that it adds unsafe IPs to the hosts file and redirects to localhost.

Or better yet, convince them that XP is the pile of ass that it is and get them on win7 and save yourself some trouble.

[BaNa]

Most peoples reaction to a pop up warning that comes fairly often and sometimes in innocent situations (a la spybot) is to click the option that makes the box go away for a longer period of time, e.g. "allow"

people are stupid like that.

My advice on priming computers for stupid people is : archive important files often and have a clean install of the system copied somewhere so you can overwrite everything when (not if) the shit hits the fan.

[Argh]

Or, just be a meanie, and lock stuff down. Seriously. Installing Grandma's OS? She doesn't need to install software without you around, just give her non-admin rights, lock down admin, call it a day. Yeah, I know, to people like most of the people here, that would be like cutting off our legs. To a lot of end-users... they won't notice, so long as you didn't prevent them from playing Flash games or remove the games that come with Windows (it's amazing how many folks actually play those).

Seems like the vast majority of times I get called to fix somebody's stuff up, it's a teenager going wild with whatever downloader client is hot atm, or who's really into stupid chat 'sites full of attack Flash, etc. Solution? Don't prevent them from trying to look at pr0n, parents- just prevent them from screwing up the install. They want to install something? Need permission from you. Sounds like a good way to avoid hassle and know what's on the family machine, tbh.

[BaNa]

meh i had to babysit hyperactive kids computers a while back and that doesnt cut it cause they install every piece of crap they can get their grubby little cursors on. They also try to circumvent all measures you put in place to protect the computers, so it's best to go straight to damage control mode and be ready to redo the whole system every now and then. And keep them the hell away from any pc used for important purposes

[MidKnight]

Hmm...

Here's an idea. Next time a relative or friend with children yells at me to set up their PC or w/e, I add a shortcut in their all programs -> games menu to 'Microsoft Spring.'

[Forboding Angel]

lol, good call Get em playing BA and they'll forget all about flash games ;p

Oh also, on a serious note, when setting up a computer. Install firefox with the adblock plus plugin. Remove all shortcuts to internet explorer, and label the firefox icon "Internet". That will save you from 99% of your grief. In addition to that, remove all references to windows live mail, or outlook express and replace with thunderbird and name it "Email". This way, they are safer and don't even know it.

[AF]

Arghs right, only you should do it on your own PC with a win7 machine.

When my standard user account needs to do something that requires admin access, it pops up a window with my admin account name and a password prompt, I just type my password and press enter and things continue as normal, and I'm happy knowing that most malware will probably crash or get stuck sitting in userland because it cant meddle in places, after all the malware that makes the effort to elevate privileges probably has the means to circumvent antivirus anyway, so best using my brains instead.

[bartvbl]

+1 to the adblock plus add-on.
that thing has certainly made surfing the web twice as good as it used to be :)

[1v0ry_k1ng]

marewarebytes + spybot SD gg

[rattle]

Norton makes fine leather jackets

[Muzic]

I can't recommend ZoneAlarm either, i used to use it and it basically reset it's settings every like week or so. Then id constantly have to add programs and tell it to remember them and it was just a fucking a hassle............

Just use avast.

[==Troy==]

Do not forget to change the firefox icon into IE icon and put up an IE skin onto the firefox, since some people seem to get confused.

As of norton, having the same experience with it, I have to say that its easier to install linux on the PC, than try to get norton to do anything other than hoggin 50% of your performance.


win7 UAC is useless too, only blocks the rare piece of crapware, which is written by a scriptkiddie.

Zonealarm is actually pretty good, but requires TOO much knowledge from the user.