Also click on these two weblinks for information about what a disaster Norton is...
CNET warns computer users about Norton | Norton Bugs Detailed Here
25 years ago, Peter Norton developed the first "professional" set of utilities that were missing from Windows. His software has since been cloned by Microsoft and others. Peter sold his company to Symantec Corporation and it has been all downhill from there.
Anybody who has some computer expertise knows that Norton is buggy, doesn't do what it is supposed to, doesn't update as it should, requires a yearly $ub$cription fee, takes HALF your cpu's resources for it's own use, doesn't delete many of the things it finds, and pollutes your registry with HUNDREDS of entries that are extremely difficult to remove. Symantec's software has been obsolete for many years and has not improved at all in that time. The only thing they really update is their library of virus definitions and spyware definitions. Guess who is writing those viruses and spyware, etc? Norton fascinates me in that they have the patches to fix those viruses on the very day that the viruses are first launched on the internet. Hmmmm.... Of course, new viruses equal new sales of antivirus software.
Why is Norton still so popular? Because they give it away FREE to companies such as DELL to install on their preconfigured personal computers. Thanks for nothing Dell! They forget to mention that this FREE software used to sell the Dell's is not actually free. The user must pay a yearly subscription fee to continue getting the updates.
The ONLY way to cleanly uninstall Norton is by going to your CONTROL PANEL and deleting anything to do with NORTON and SYMANTEC. You may have to do this a few times if some features are blocked from deletion.
People are often reluctant to uninstall Norton, however, every person I have ever persuaded to uninstall Norton THANKS me afterwards. You will notice a significant increase in the speed of your computer.
Norton can be uninstalled by going to the CONTROL PANEL and Add/Remove programs... Remove everything to do with Symantec and Norton. You may have to reboot to complete all the removals. Norton also floods your system registry with THOUSANDS of entries scattered all over the place. This procedure will clean them up. Symantec's products cause more problems on more computers than any other software. If you ask someone their opinion of Norton and they like it, you know they do not know much about computers. If all else fails, use this link to uninstall Norton:
CLICK HERE TO REMOVE NORTON

Performance Tip #2 Don't EVER install AVG antivirus

AVG is malicious software that is distributed FREE under the guise of being "protection" for your computer.
It deletes files without getting your confirmation - which is incredibly dangerous. I have seen it delete e-mail databases containg 15 years worth of e-mail. I have also seen it delete databases of business records. One of it's nastiest actions is that it deletes files (without telling you) that are required by other wares - including the $3500.00 Autodesk Autocad program.
People should realize that they don't give away their software FREE for nothing. It's pseudo-protection is bad enough.. but it also collects your web surfing cookies, installs ad generating engines, and results in your computer being flooded with spam e-mail, popups, and ads.

Performance Tip #3 Don't use the AOL version of McAfee

McAfee has been around for decades. Their software is far from the best, but is VERY widely distributed - much like the way Norton is. Unlike Norton, McAfee isn't dangerous and doesn't slow your computer down.
AOL has licensed a "Lite" version of McAfee which it provides "free" to it's subscribers. Do NOT install this free version. It lacks some critical features of their retail version. If you must run McAfee, get the RETAIL version.

Performance Tip #4 What should I run for protection?

There are only THREE major system security programs which do what they are supposed to, and do it quite well. One of them is SystemSuite - which includes many extra features that almost nobody needs. Another is Avast! but Avast is not very user friendly and isn't cheap. The third is SpySweeper which is extremely fast and user friendly, and doesn't include extra garbage that you will never use. It is also pretty cheap. It sells for just $29.95 and discounts are available.
Call 727-369-0716 for SpySweeper inquiries.

Performance Tip #5 How to speed up Internet Explorer a LOT!.

The Microsoft Corporation is a dinosaur heading for a slow but steady extinction - as MS stockholders are beginning to discover.
One of the biggest flaws with Windows is this ONE setting that often slows your computer to a crawl. This setting is also the reason many people give up on Internet Explorer and switch over to the even buggier Firefox or Netscape.
Don't even think of installing Firefox or Netscape until you have tried fixing your Internet Explorer with the instructions below. If you still don't like IE, then install Netscape (or Oracle). Never install Firefox. Firefox lacks many critical features that your browser needs. The best parts of Firefox are now incorporated into Netscape. I personally use IE almost exclusively, but for various reasons, I like to have Netscape as a backup - not as the default browser.

Open your INTERNET EXPLORER browser
Click on TOOLS then INTERNET OPTIONS then ADVANCED
The last visibile line is ENABLE PERSONALIZED FAVORITES MENU
Scroll down one line down and you will see ENABLE THIRD-PARTY BROWSWER EXTENSIONS
UNCHECK that option then click OK
That option says it requires a restart. It does NOT. This is yet another example of a decade year old bug in Windows that affects most computers that has never been fixed and never will be.

Performance Tip #6 Don't EVER attempt OVERCLOCKING

Some motherboards have options to overclock the CPU speed, voltages and timing.
If you set these values too high, your computer will not boot.
If set a bit lower, the computer will boot, but will actually run SLOWER than if the timings had been left alone.
Set below a 5% increase, the cpu will actually benchmark faster as you would like.. HOWEVER.. it makes your system unstable.
The bottom line is that the bottleneck to your computer's speed is not he cpu speed.. it is the hard drive and your internet connection. Therefore, the tiny increase in cpu speed really doesn't help you at all when you consider that your computer is going to freeze up more often and reboot spontaneously more often. DON'T attempt overclocking.

Performance Tip #7 How to avoid burning useless CD and DVD

There are many factors involved in how fast a CD or DVD can be burned. The burner/recorder, the computer speed and performance, the media you are burning to, etc. The software you burn with is supposed to test your system and burn at the highest possible speed to make a reliable burn. The problem is.. they attempt to burn at too high a speed. NEVER attempt to burn anything above 4x if possible because even though it will probably work at higher speeds, you will have problems due to the higher speed at some point. The lost and corrupted data is not worth the grief. Also, a DVD writer / burner is extremely sensitive. Temperature and humidity affects the writing process. I have found that many DVDs become unreliable at the end of the burn cycle. This is because the media heats up enough to cause write errors during the several minutes of spinning around too fast

Performance Tip #8 How to avoid burning useless CD and DVD

DVD burners are much less reliable unless you clean them after every 10 hours of use - which is approximately the time spent watching 6 movies. Your computer comes up with its estimateion of the fastest burn time based upon assuming your DVD player is in perfect working order - not in need of cleaning. If that DVD recorder isn't perfectly clean, you better burn at a slower speed to reduce the risk of data loss. By the way, DVD cleaner discs are only recommended to be used about 15 times. That is a good way for the company making those cleaners to make money selling more cleaner discs. As you use those disks, the tiny fibers of the cleaner brush begin to flatten or spread apart. Those fibers are nothing more than synthetic threads impregnated with copper. To "clean" and restore your cleaner discs to good working order, simply submerge them in water and the fibers will stand up all on their own. Let the disc dry overnight, then carefully wipe off any waterspots or residue on the surface of the disc. There is data on the disc that must be accessible so your dvd cleaner plays. If it doesn't play, it isn't spinning, and the brushes have no effect.