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(More customer reviews)I have used antivirus products since the DOS and Windows 3.1 days when antivirus protection was still an "option". Today you not only need AV protection for your PC but you also should have good antispyware and a software firewall. In the old days McAfee AV used to be free and Norton AV used to be a premium AV program that worked well at a reasonable price. These things are no longer true today and the software security industry has become a multi-billion dollar Godzilla type of monster that mostly cares about their own profits before customer interests. Unfortunately Symantec's Norton Antivirus 2004, 2005 and 2006 are evidence of one of these Godzilla monsters out of control and on the loose.
What happened to this once great antivirus program ? The answer is a combination of "bloatware syndrome" and "product activation". Norton AV 2003 and previous versions did require a faster computer with allot of system resources but they were recognized as some of the best antivirus security programs in the world. This reputation as being number one and the popularity of the internet made Norton Antivirus a prime target for the software thieves to copy, distribute, and profit from one of Symantec's best product. Unfortunately Symantec's solution, namely product activation combined with poor programming, has created a cure for Symantec that is worse than the illness. I have personally never seen, read about, or heard of a software program released on a large scale by a major software company that has corrupted and damaged more working computers than Norton Antivirus 2004, 2005 and 2006 products have. When I say "damage" I don't mean that the computer hardware is effected but what I mean is that at least ninety percent of the time when the Norton Antivirus installation does not go well then a complete restoration or reinstallation of the operating system is required. Since the Norton AV 2004 release I have heard and seen this happen over and over to people of all skill levels from regular users to advanced computer technicians. If you think you are immune to this happening to you if you upgrade or install the latest Norton AV 2006 then I wish you the best. Maybe this could be your lucky day.
I am not here to bash Symantec or the Norton brand of products. Remember that I have used and been a fan of Norton Antivirus up until Norton Antivirus version 2003 of which I have an updated subscription and I still use on my computer today. I really hope that Symantec gets its act together and improves Norton AV for future versions before it loses most of its Antivirus customers for good.
Here are some possible solutions. If you still want to use a Symantec AV product then look into purchasing the latest "corporate version" of Norton Antivirus. I have read that the corporate version is still and excellent program without all the bloatware and bugs of the retail versions. You could also simply use Norton Antivirus 2003 or SystemWorks 2003 which can still be purchased inexpensively online as an OEM version. But if you have had it with Norton for now and want to jump ship before it completely sinks then I recommend you try McAfee VirusScan 2006 or TrendMicro's PC-Cillin 2006. There are some other antivirus choices that are also supposed to be good including Kaspersky, Panda, and Computer Associate's E-Trust and EZ-Antivirus. Don't forget to install a good antispyware program such as Microsoft Antispyware or Webroot's Spy Sweeper and use a good software firewall or at the very least make sure that the standard Windows XP SP2 firewall is enabled.
Before you install any antivirus alternatives to Norton AV remember to completely, totally, and properly uninstall any and all versions of Norton Antivirus from your computer. You can find some helpful information regarding the proper un-installation of Norton Antivirus products on Symantec's web site. The sad truth is that there are so many hidden and discrete files that the retail version of Norton AV installs on your computer that some people have reported it to be harder to completely uninstall Norton AV than it is to get rid of a bad computer virus.
PROS: Program interface is attractive, the latest version has many new security features including spyware detection, the Norton Antivirus brand has traditionally had a very good reputation for computer virus detection and system security.
CONS: Serious installation problems have been reported by many users relating to product activation and authentication. It often disables or damages previous versions of Norton's security products. It ties up system resources and often causes a dramatic system slowdown. It is difficult and seemingly impossible to completely remove it from your computer once it has been fully installed. Product support is expensive and time consuming.
CONCLUSION: Norton has had three years to correct the flaws in their antivirus software and it seems like every year it has only gotten worse. I wrote most of this review for version 2005 and here we are in 2006 and it is the same story. Therefore I have only needed to change the product years from 2005 to 2006 from last year's review. To make things worse I actually would recommend the Norton Antivirus 2005 product over the 2006 version. Last year I actually saw the 2005 pre-installed product working on several new computers but everything I have seen so far from this 2006 version tells me that it is more resource hogging and more buggy than ever. Most other computer technicians that I know no longer recommend Norton Antivirus at all. If you have an older version of Norton that is working ok and you can still update the subscription for the latest definition files then maybe consider doing that until you decide to switch over to another antivirus program in the near future. This problematic Norton Antivirus software is not worth any more of our time or effort. Therefore I must conclude that at of the time I write this review the retail version of Norton Antivirus 2006 is NOT RECOMMENDED for most computer users.
The bottom line...One Star.
MY FINAL SUGGESTIONS: If you are looking for a good antivirus program take a look at McAfee VirusScan 2006 v10, Kaspersky Personal 5, CA EZ Antivirus 2006 release 7, or PC-Cillin 2006. Advanced PC users, serious online gamers and network administrators should take a good look at the amazingly efficient but more complex NOD32 antivirus software by ESET. Don't forget to use a good antispyware program such as Spy Sweeper 4.5, Microsoft Antispyware beta, or McAfee Antispyware 2006 v2. For a software firewall simply use the Windows XP SP2 firewall enabled or McAfee Personal Firewall 2006 for more protection. Advanced power internet users should take a look at Zone Alarm Pro 6 (version 6.1.744 is the latest version as I write this review). If you have any Norton product on your computer and want to change make sure you completely uninstall it as much as you can or you will run into serious problems trying to install any new security software. Read the Symantec support site for the detailed uninstall instructions beyond just using Windows XP add/remove programs method.
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Norton AntiVirus 2006 wards off a host of Internet threats. Whether its surfing or chatting, emailing or file swapping, Norton AntiVirus is constantly at work in the background, automatically detecting and removing viruses, Trojan horses, and worms. It also rids your computer of unwanted spyware, adware, and other monitoring software. And with powerful file-by-file scanning capabilities, Norton AntiVirus facilitates worry-free file sharing. Whether you shuttle files over email or via IM and whether you send them compressed or one at a time—you can be confident any file you open has been scanned for threats. Even if your computer is already infected, Norton AntiVirus is the ideal solution. It's designed to identify and remove any existing viruses during installation. Once installed, Norton AntiVirus continues to update itself automatically. That way, when a new threat arises, your software will be equipped to handle it. There's no other virus protection like Norton AntiVirus. And if you want to use the Internet with confidence—and without dangerous spyware watching you—you need the most trusted solution available.
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