Questions about Symantec Antivirus - help please

[toxic_97]

I'm sort of new here, and I'm not a software expert but I have a couple of questions regarding Symantec Antivirus. I'm a home user and have no network, and I have Symantec Antivirus Corporate edition 9.0. I don't know much about it as I haven't chosen to install it myself but but it's been running on my PC for couple of years now, and every now and then I run a system scan. My questions are:

1. Is it ok for a home user like me to use the corporate edition ? That is what I have now, and I don't wish to purchase another product, but I know there are a few free programs out there. Are they any good, or is this corporate edition fine for me?

2. I have version 9.0 as I mentioned, and I've heard that there's a version 10 now. But my version will still work fine, right ? Is there any good reason for someone like me to upgrade ?

3. I've been wondering about this for quite a while now. How does the auto-protection work ? The only thing I know about it is that sometimes there's this warning window which pops up while I'm working and says that it detected a threat on my PC. But it's always something that's already on my PC, and I've never got any message telling me that a certain threat from the internet was actually blocked. Yet, when I do the scans I find threats. Isn't the autoprotection supposed to prevent that kind of stuff from affecting my PC in the first place ? I know it's not bulletproof, but the thing is: I haven't had any sign until now that the program is actually doing something to protect my PC from incoming threats. I don't know much about what exactly the virus autoprotection does all the time, though I know there are such things as hacks and big viruses that can attack my PC anytime, so I'd like to know if I'm safe with SAV silently running in the background, seemingly doing nothing more than reporting threats (when there are any) that are already on the PC and that I have to manually remove.

Edited March 5, 2007 by toxic_97

[DigeratiPrime]

A couple things:

Symantech AV Corp v10 has been out for a while now, unless your using Vista I dont think there is much reason to upgrade to it.

Symantec makes a "Home" product branded as Norton; its garbage, stay away from it.

You are correct that there is free anti virus software, search this forum and you will find the ongoing debate about which is best.

To "protect your pc from incoming attacks" you need a firewall, either software or hardware, because all antivirus software does is scan files already on your pc.

You're never "safe" per say, you are just "safer"

[toxic_97]

Ok, thanks for the information.

[albator]

Why do you need an antivirus ? or How do you catch Them ? If you use IE and no firewall I would understand but, I just dont know how people catch virus.

[toxic_97]

Why do you need an antivirus ? or How do you catch Them ? If you use IE and no firewall I would understand but, I just dont know how people catch virus.

Sorry, I don't understand what you mean.

[albator]

Antivirus detec virus, Do you want do detec them or not catch them ? My opinion is hardening your system to not catch virus is better than dectecting them. It simple, it's better to use a condom than to do std testing

[noguru]

Antivirus detec virus, Do you want do detec them or not catch them ? My opinion is hardening your system to not catch virus is better than dectecting them. It simple, it's better to use a condom than to do std testing

But condoms break, especially when not used properly. Improper usage is more common with computers then with condoms I think. That's why lot's of users do need antivirus software.