is norton antivirus bad for OS X?

[huhwtfisthis?]

I lately installed Norton on my MacBook because my college requires me to have it on my computer or they won't let me use it at the school. then i started having a minor problem with my monitor and posted some threads on apple's support page and some other sites. so far almost everyone has replied saying that norton does some really bad stuff to macs!!! how bad is it to have Norton running on a mac? and why would my college have me download it on my mac if it causes so many problems?

 

[Sky Blue]

How would they know if you didn't have it?

 

[t0mat0]

I lately installed Norton on my MacBook because my college requires me to have it on my computer or they won't let me use it at the school. then i started having a minor problem with my monitor and posted some threads on apple's support page and some other sites. so far almost everyone has replied saying that norton does some really bad stuff to macs!!! how bad is it to have Norton running on a mac? and why would my college have me download it on my mac if it causes so many problems?

What kind of policy is that? Norton is bad enough on a Windows computer... I'd recommend having a word with the IT department.

 

[clevin]

it might not do much good if not for the demand from your IT dept.

but it shouldn't be "bad" for you. Im not sure how it can affect your monitor.

Now, NAV for windows is a totally different story.

 

[t0mat0]

Maybe a definition of "having it on your mac" is loose enough for you to just put it on as a dmg, but not install it - how would they know? might take up some space, but will stop the hassle from them.

 

[nuclearwinter]

Simple:

How would they know if you didn't have it?

NAC or Network Access Control. Checks to see if you meet certain requirements (firewall, AV, etc.) before allowing access to networks. Common on networks that have multiple points of vulnerability (read: college/university networks )

 

[Neil321]

Hell yes it'll turn your Mac into an expensive slug

 

[huhwtfisthis?]

Hell yes it'll turn your Mac into an expensive slug

lol. arent' u the one who told me to start this thread?
no offense but it seems that most people don't think it is bad either, so far u are the only one who has said that it is bad for macs. so im thinking maybe u just had a bad experience with it, but it doesn't seem to have messed up my macbook and ive had it for about 3 weeks.

 

[JNB]

I'll second Neil321's assessment. NAV Mac is a resource hog, and turned my machine into a sluggish, fussy PITA. Actually, most AV software for Mac that I've tired falls into that realm, but Norton seemed to be the worst offender, lathered as it were with all the goop that Norton seems to think "enhances" the user experience. Most institutional installations of Norton involve fair amounts of cussing. At the corporate level, you see other products used more often, in my experience.

 

[drossad]

What is a dmg and how would you put it on and not install it. My school requires it as well, but i haven't put it on my MBP yet because of threads like these.

 

[Sun Baked]

If you have to have it to use a certain network, install it, it is an evil you have to live with if you don't want the threat of getting bounced.

However, you can always limit it to a single user account and simply not use it for the others.

If they want to make sure you don't download and send out infected files, just limit the NAV actions to the downloads and mail folders.

 

[Zortrium]

I'm curious as to how they're monitoring Mac AV activity - most of those types of programs I've encountered are Windows only. In my case, my school makes everyone install some AV program, so I did upon arrival, but the network access monitoring software is Windows only, so I immediately cleansed all of the junk AV scanning stuff and haven't touched it in 3 years.

 

[JNB]

What is a dmg and how would you put it on and not install it. My school requires it as well, but i haven't put it on my MBP yet because of threads like these.

A dmg is a Disk Image, a file that can be mounted like a disk. Mounting it doesn't require installing anything.

 

[Neil321]

so far almost everyone has replied saying that norton does some really bad stuff to macs!!!

no offense but it seems that most people don't think it is bad either,

This is a contradiction

so far u are the only one who has said that it is bad for macs. so im thinking maybe u just had a bad experience with it

Just to save you some time doing a search i did a quick one for you,heres a few to back up my claim, you could also possibly re-read this thread

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/460927/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/376854/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/434470/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/457369/


Like i said ditch it before it turns your Mac into a slug, i didn't post what i said for fun but of course it's up to you ??????