Was charged $110 for Norton Internet Security. Is there something else free?

[Groovin Old Hippie]

I searched the forums and didn't find anything about internet protection so sorry if this has been covered.  I was just charged a $110 renewal fee for Norton 360 Internet Security.  This is something I totally forgot about when getting all of our expenses together because it auto-renews every year.  (It's got me thinking that some other things may have been missed!)  Is there something free that works just as well or even better?  I have 60 days to cancel Norton for a full refund.   I use Windows 7 with Firefox.

[dandarc]

I use avast.  May or may not be good enough for what you want.

[Quinn]

There's another thread on this. http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/antivirus-protection-29018/

fwiw, I use avast too.

[Groovin Old Hippie]

acorn - thanks for link to the other thread, lots of info there!  I need to learn how to do better searches!!

[dandarc]

Funny story - my mother in law derped her computer up so badly that her son reset it to some minimal factory settings.  BIL forgot to put any antivirus back on it, so I got to spend hours over christmas figuring out how to remove all of the virus and such she had gotten in a week or two without protection.  Actually removed everything I could see except for one particularly persistent virus.  Luckily she had basically nothing on the computer, so resetting it again didn't lose much of anything.

Still trying to figure out how he reset it - when I did a factory reset I got a much different set of software than he did.

[kpd905]

I've used AVG on my parent's computer and mine for probably 7 years now.  I have never paid a penny for an anti-virus program.

[minority_finance_mo]

I use avast.  May or may not be good enough for what you want.

+1

[TreeTired]

I also use Avast,   but Microsoft supplies a free antivirus program called Microsoft Security Essentials (which you can download for free),  and with new computers includes Windows Defender with the operating system.    Here is the part I don't understand.   My new computer has a free trial of Mcafee,  and while that is in force I can't activate Windows Defender which is already on the computer!   It's a whole process (which I haven't figured out yet) to deactivate Mcafee and start up Windows Defender.   Incredibly annoying.   Meanwhile, I said screw it and have downloaded Avast free version. 

Avast will try to get you to upgrade to a more advanced paid version, but as far as I know the free version is more than adequate.   Throw Malwarebytes and/or Superantispyware on top and you are all set.

[m8547]

I don't use anything. They all slow down the computer too much. For any risky sites I use my old mac.