My question is to those of you that do not keep your DAW/computer connected to the internet, as I do. I only allow it to be connected during download times from Cake or EW. When I used my command center to update my subscription just the other day, the Cake site threw me back into my browser (Chrome) as part of the process. I was inundated with pop-ups and suggested sights of all various sorts. I know this is no fault of anybodies, but I really was worried about being out on the internet with my DAW, without any protection. I use Norton's on all of my other computers, but always refrained from installing it on my workstation. What is the popular opinion in this matter? Everything in my DAW works absolutely perfect. It took a long time to get it that way. I really don't want to screw it up now. Thanks.

I run Avast on my daw with no issues.
(knock on wood)

I have Avast too on my main DAW PC, and Norton on my secondary DAW PC, and I don't have issues either.
I'm not a very experienced user, but I think you really should protect your computer, even if it's not often connected.
 
I see you already have Norton on other computers. If you have an activation left, use it on this computer.
I've never had any issues with Norton on my secondary PC : no performance problems, no slowdowns, no pop-ups interrupting my workflow.
 

I guess my biggest issue with Norton's, is that there is no way to get it out of the way. It does background tasks and wants to phone home all of the time, even if you tel it not to. I wouldn't use it at all except it comes with my Xfinity cable and internet. Also it's a real pain in the arse to get rid of if I decide not to keep it. 

Indeed... And I didn't think about it, but if you don't connect your DAW computer very often, Norton (or any other antivirus) could frequently interrupt you, reminding to update it's database.
 
As for the uninstallation, Norton provides a "cleaning" tool quite handy and efficient. I used it on another computer some years ago, and it worked way better than just uninstalling Norton.
 
If you need it some day :
 
 support.norton.com/sp/en/us/home/current/solutions/kb20080710133024EN_EndUserProfile_en_us
(sorry, I can't post links yet)
 

From my years working in IT my experience with Norton's is throw it away it treads all over everything and is far to intrusive.

Personally I use Avast(free) on my internet PC and Microsoft defender on my DAW.  I keep them up to date manually. 

My DAW is connected to the net, but I disable the connection when I'm recording/mixing. If I'm practicing or noodling around I don't worry about an occasional click or pop. I don't surf from my DAW, but I do go out to vendor's web sites for downloads or to you tube to listen to songs or watch instructional vids. I use MS Security Essentials and haven't had any problems.

Chris in Indy
My question is to those of you that do not keep your DAW/computer connected to the internet, as I do. I only allow it to be connected during download times from Cake or EW. When I used my command center to update my subscription just the other day, the Cake site threw me back into my browser (Chrome) as part of the process. I was inundated with pop-ups and suggested sights of all various sorts.

My opinion is not the popular one but here it is - you should be connected to the internet daily and updating your software regularly. That is the best defence against viruses and the like. With internet threats changing all the time and using a browser being an essential part of using most software these days, it doesn't make sense to try and live in a bubble when you know you'll have to emerge from time to time. Better to keep your virtual immune system topped up - which means regular updates to your operating system and browser, as soon as they become available.
 
For similar reasons there is little point installing anti-virus software these days - even assuming it is effective (which is often is not), it needs to update regularly to stand any chance of protecting your system, but any serious threats will be addressed by your browser or operating system directly via a very similar auto-update mechanism anyway. Anti-virus can theoretically provide some extra protection in the rare cases when you install software downloaded from the internet but practically the chance of you accidentally downloading something infected without having chosen to go to a disreputable site in the first place is a million-to-one.
 
Summary: be online, use a single browser daily, install all updates when they're offered to you.

Norton had a bad rep for Sonar users for a long time, but it is now a good choice. I did a trial of it and was tempted to buy it, but stuck with MSE. I think either is a good choice. Depends on your perceived need for security; online behavior etc. I do keep my music rig off line 90% of the time, updating it monthly (being careful to prevent Windows 10 from invading and taking over my computer).  I figure if you're just not online, the chances of harm are minimal. But there are other views as you have seen. Again, it comes down to what you decide is comfortable.

My DAW-system is for music only. I use Microsoft Security Essentials (or whatever it's called inside Win10): it works well with Sonar and does not interfere in real-time that I've noticed. If I have a file I want to check, I use virus total.