This past Spring I installed Panda Antivirus to replace Norton, with which my machine came originally, and which allowed a horrendous virus to infect Bernie's computer and which offered "solutions" that did not work in the teensiest least.
I liked Panda. I liked what I saw of its track record, and that it cleaned up my machine very nicely.
However, over the course of the last few months, I noticed that my computer wasn't keeping up with me in Photoshop -- hence the purchase of the new Big Graphics Machine -- and was getting slow on the Web. But I wasn't worried, until last week, when I was chatting with Filthy Pikers on AIM and found that I could no longer access the internet. No sites, no favorites, no links -- but I was still chatting away on AIM. Funny thing that, especially when the AOL links to news worked.
For the next three days, I fussed with my computer, trying to figure out what the hell was going on, unable to access the internet at all. The new computer worked fine. I tried using a network card for a backup wireless connection, I tried turning off the wireless router and cleaning it, I tried uninstalling and reinstalling and uninstalling and updating browsers ... nada. I was ready to take my laptop in to the computer store and have them pull it apart and look at the wireless hardware.
Okay, it wasn't Firefox after all, because after a short time, IE started doing the same thing. And then Trillian. And then AIM. But not at the same time ... they only failed when I started to use them to get internet connection. What on my computer was running all the time that could affect all those programs as I began to use them?
Why, Panda Antivirus.
I googled "Panda Antivirus Problem Internet" and promptly was directed to a gamers' site where some gamers had had exactly the same problem. There was even a solution there, with step-by-step instructions on how to customize Panda to allow access to the net.
Seems like in July, Panda's automatic updates included a feature that denies contact with the internet unless you specifically know how to go into its innards and change settings ... for every freakin' program that needs to communicate outside your office. Oh, and they didn't bother to tell their customers that.
After three tries, I was back on line, and my Firefox was reinstalled (God, I hate Internet Explorer, 7 or not) and I began to check into other antivirus products.
Now, did I say I charge $50/hr or $30? Either way, the amount of time I spent trying to track down the problem and fix it cost four times (minimum) what I paid for Panda.
Now that Panda is gone, my laptop is once again lightning-fast -- I didn't need to buy a faster computer after all.
Fine. Now I have two fast computers. And an antivirus that doesn't slow them up.
Let me make one last comment in computerese:
PANDA ANTIVIRUS SUX.
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