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Symantec Norton Internet Security 2010
by bilbobaginz
When reviewing my 6-month old Toshiba laptop several days ago, I briefly mentioned the internet security package I had bought and installed specifically for the purchase of the computer. The anti-virus software was Norton 2010, and after some deliberation I thought I'd give in and have a go at reviewing it.
Now, when I first ... heard of Norton about two years ago I was confronted with nothing but negativity in regards to the products performance. Friends and family seemed adamant that their frustration with the software and its apparant 'never ending restrictions and irritating pop-up question windows' proved undoubtedly that the system was flawed in every way. One thing I heard repeated over and over was peoples anger over the large amount of 'CPU usage' Norton software hogged from other programs, greatly reducing overall performance and speed of your system. But surely it can't have been that bad...
So how have Symantec Norton tackled these negative comments in their 2010 edition?
Before I begin babbling on about any possible changes for the better the company might have made, it has to be recognised that this software is no longer Norton's newest edition - that would be 2011's side of the woods. But nonetheless, for people who are considering purchasing the 2010 edition for what ever reason, this is what I've found:
- Despite the fact the company claims to have lowered the CPU usage of the software, that hasn't stopped them cramming in pointless features on the main 'home' control panel (accessed via a small icon in the bottom right hand corner of your screen - when using a Microsoft Windows OS).
* For no real benefit to the user, there is a running total of the 'top cities under threat' from viruses.
* When clicking through to 'performance' the software swamps you with boring, unhelpful graphs you're not interested in.
* The pages are over-run with links to websites where you can 'manage your online backups' and 'view your
online family statistics' for no benefit at all.
- The control panels theming, colour schemes and animations are far too complex and over-designed. When you move from page to page, i.e. from 'Settings' to 'Performance', the whole window revolves for no reason. Why put that in when it only increases CPU usage and annoys people?
- One clear improvement the software seems to have made since its previous edition is to allow users to navigate the control panel relatively harmlessly in a well layed out surrounding. The headings are where you expect them to be, at the top-right, and the information and statistics in the centre.
The product as a whole does seem far more intuitive and favourable to use. One of the main ways Norton have tackled the whole irritation over CPU usage is by allowing users to lower this in the 'settings' panel. You can select whether the software is permanently scanning, or only scanning certain (changable) period of time. Similarly, you can change which areas of the computers memory unit, or internet activities are being scanned. In general the software has been made to be much more 'user friendly' and flexible in its operation.
In regards to the 'pop-up windows' which can aggrivate users, these have also been reduced. It's not that the software assumes more now, answering questions without consent, or deciding on key decisions alone, it just condenses these requests into fewer questions to the user. if there are certain things that the user is happy for the software to assume, like allowing the user onto certain websites, then these can be listed and adapted into the system for ever... now that's a good user friendly innovation!
All in all this software has made huge improvements from previous models my friends and family hated so much. But is that enough to make me go out and buy the 2011 version when this version is all dried up? No thanks, I'll stick with Avast or AVG next time!
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Symantec Norton Internet Security 2010
by Bullydc1
I`ll review the 2010 as you can still get these on the cheap on amazon, and if you install them, they will lest for a year throughout 2011, I just think some people think that you always need to get the latest year. The only difference is that im sure some minor update will not be available....big deal all the basics are there. And I now ... have 2011 and from what I can tell there arnt many differences.
This verison has a new feature from the 09 version. It shows you on google (or whatever search engine you have) which websites are clean and which are not. Represented by a green tick or a red dot.
You have the usual features, stops phishing, stops cookie tracking (once you run the system scan), stops virus`and stops spyware. This version also has parental controls, so you can control what the littles ones see.
I find that that one of the best features is the sytem scan, the quick scan searches commonly effected area`s and takes between 5 and 10 minutes. The full system scan scans every file in your company- i have something like 800`000 files and take about an hour. Its a long time to wait as whilst this is happening the performance of your PC slows down dramatically, especially if you minimise the screen, it takes longer.
The good thing is that it details all the issues it has found be it tracking cookies or something nasty like a virus. It fixs it (dont ask me how its all done in the background) and it can also quarantine it, locking it down so it cannot affect other parts of the PC.
You do feel that our pc is well protected with this piece of kit, and you have the flexibility to turn off any pat of the protection if you wish. You also get updates (a bit too often) online and have online or phone advce if you need it. Basically norton have created their own online community around this proection so peoplecan help eachother out.
The installation is exceptionally easy, its all done in the background, you just have to follow the instructions
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Symantec Norton 360
by cyberem78
For the last few years I've used free anti-virus and anti-spyware programs. I had initially, when I first started in computing, used Norton software to protect my computer. I thought the yearly renewal subscription cost was too much though, so I tried out a few free programs like AVG and found that they seemed to work just as well. Last ... month, however, I had to change my computer to a wireless connection and the free anti-virus software I was running combined with the wireless software seemed to cause a memory glitch. As a corrective measure I decided to install Microsoft's own security program, Security Essentials, as I presumed it would run in synchronicity with the other programs on my computer. It worked as I'd hoped and instead of freezing up and giving me memory error messages my computer ran smoothly. Within three weeks of installing the Microsoft Anti-virus, however, I'd picked up a virus like no other! It was the first virus I couldn't fix myself and infact it rendered my computer unusable.
When I bought a new computer this month I made sure that I bought the optional extra anti-virus which was this Norton 360 All-in-One Security (Version 3.0). This software is suitable for use with new Windows 7 computers as well as Windows XP and Vista. It cost me around £28 but prices vary according to stores.
The software has been endorsed by several leading computer expert magazines and websites including PC Answers which gave it a Gold Award in May 2009. In addition Computer Active gave the product a 'BUY IT!' recommendation in June 2009 and Pocket-lint.co.uk website gave their stamp of approval and called this a "Hot Product" in May 2009.
Norton 360 combines the features of it's anti-virus and Internet Security programs to give you an all round solution to protecting your computer. The main security protects against viruses, trojan horses, worms, bots and rootskit. It also has anti-spyware and anti-tracking cookie features. It has a integrated two-way firewall which stops threats at the point of entry.
There are advanced security measures which include internet use protection. Here the software protects against web-based attacks and any threats that attempt to seek out the vulnerability in your web browser. The software prevents others from being able to access and control your computer.
To protect your identity the software has a website checking process which detects whether the website is genuine or a duplicate. It highlights unsafe websites and add-ons as well as online sellers who might not be trustworthy. The software also has a password protection feature and will keep your personal information and passwords for all websites secure. There is also an anti-spam feature for email.
In the networking area the Norton program secures your home network of computers and also secures your computer if you connect to a public wireless network.
The software has a backup feature which allows you to store valuable files, both system and personal incase you should suffer a computer breakdown. This includes a 2GB online storage feature and is initially offered as a trial - the option to purchase is given. Back-up also restores and repairs damaged files.
The software also keeps your computer running at it's best by identifying any programs which cause your computer to run slow. It also cleans the registry of unneeded entries and files and analyses your system processes and provides help on the best way to run your computer.
The software offers a whole year of protection for up to 3 personal computers in your household. Support is offered as both free chat and phone support. It also has something called 'Autofix' technology which basically means the program will run itself and diagnose and fix any problems you may have.
My version of the software came as one disc and the software is very easy to install. Just pop the disc into your CD drive and it runs automatically. It will talk you through the installation process. You basically just have to agree to the terms and conditions and decide on where to install it on your computer. At the end you will be asked to register the product online so ideally you should have your internet connection set up but you can also register later, within ten days, and the software will keep reminding you to do so. You will be prompted to undertake several intial tasks like backing up files before the program can declare that your PC is running well.
When you open the main program you are shown four columns which relate to different areas of protection. These are: PC Security, Identity Protection, Back-Up and PC Tune-Up. The program marks each column with a green tick or a red cross according to the health or 'at risk' status. If there are any problems this is detailed in clear language terms at the bottom of the column and the option to fix this problem is clearly marked.
I find Norton 360 much less intrusive than any other software that I've tried. It quietly updates itself and doesn't have any annoying pop-ups unless they are absolutely necessary. In my web browser there is a 'Safe Search' search engine box on my toolbar. The program also has a prominant green tick display which tells me I'm safe. During my time online I can login to the Norton program in order to have it automatically fill out my username and passwords for certain websites. This is a handy feature. The program also has a Roboform kind of feature in that you can create an 'identity card'. This means you fill in your details (like address, phone number etc) and if this information is needed on any website Norton will automatically fill in the information fields for you.
You can scans your computer using a quick scan or a fully comprehensive scan. Either scan doesn't seem to affect my usage and I can still run other programs while the scans are ongoing, which is great.
So far my Norton 360 has stopped one trojan and has detected several anti-spyware files and tracking cookies. It has enabled me to secure my important files and talked me through the back-up process. It is a user-friendly software and I rarely feel challenged by anything the program asks me to do or tells me. I also feel completely at ease when I'm online as I trust this software completely. I definately think it's worth paying a little bit of money in order to have this standard of security. My days of using free anti-virus software programs are over!
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