Norton Systemworks 2009 Premier Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)I upgraded thinking that my "old" 2005 version just HAD to be running out of gas. Most of the features are similar to the old. Defrag runs at about the same speed and looks to be the same. Antivirus is MUCH better and checks the Symantec web site about every 15 minutes for updates. It doesn't scan the whole file system any faster than it used to, however. What threw me was that they hid Ghost. When I go to the Symantec toolbar on the installed programs menu, it says "empty". Well it is still there but it is called Backup and Restore. But don't turn loose the whole Backup and Restore with its schedule unless you are prepared to wait a LONG time every few days. Backup and Restore take its piece of the machine from the top and everything else running appears as slow as Molasses!! And the "compare" it makes with the previous backup is glacial. After half an hour and 3% completed, I cancelled it. It would have taken all night at that speed!. So I used the hidden Ghost to still do backups but I do it just like I used to. I manually do it every two weeks, and I save the previous one as well as the new on my external hard drive so that I always have two to fall back on. From what I can tell (haven't tested it) the Recovery CD that comes with SystemWorks will still boot from the CD drive for real disasters and it should "unwrap" my Ghost backup to a new hard drive if that ever became necessary. This time I installed Checkit and it seems great. I had forgotten to in 2005. All in all a solid product once you tell it who is boss!!

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Norton SystemWorksPremier provides fast, continuous protection against malicious threats, backs up everything on your PC, and boosts your computer's performance. Working quickly and quietly in the background, the included full version of Norton AntiVirus 2009 software has been completely re-engineered and sets a new standard for speed in its defense against viruses, spyware worms, bots, and other malicious threats. Rapid pulse updates and new Norton Insight utilize extensive online intelligence to target only those processes at risk, resulting in faster, fewer, and shorter scans. The new Norton Protection System employs a multilayered set of security technologies that work in concert to detect, identify, and block threats. The included full version of Norton Save & Restore 2.0 uses powerful disk imaging technology from Norton Ghost to create full system and file backups. If disaster strikes, you can quickly restore from system failures and recover lost or damaged files. Incremental and differential backups reduce system slowdown by backing up only files that have changed. And advanced compression and encryption minimize storage space and help keep sensitive documents safe. Norton SystemWorks utilities boost your PC's performance and keep it running at an optimized level. The utilities tools diagnose and fix Windows errors; defragment, clean, and repair hard drives; and remove unwanted Internet clutter such as cookies and web files. System Optimizer allows you to customize Windows settings according to the way you use your PC, and Process Viewer shows applications that are running to help you identify programs that are affecting performance.

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Powerquest Drive Image 7 Review

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(More customer reviews)This is about the 4th version of Drive Image that I've run over the last few years and it is easily the most impressive.
I upgraded from Drive Image 5 to DI 7 a few weeks ago and have been steadily wowed by the new version.
Backups I've made with this software have now saved me twice -- once when I got a little too zealous with some file cleanup efforts, and once when an major software update failed in the middle. In both cases, I simply restored my previously saved backup image and within minutes everything was fine again.
The single most important new feature is the ability to backup and restore while XP is active so you have easy access to network drives, USB drives, SCSI drives, full DMA support, etc -- all items that used to be problematic when backing up under DOS in previous versions.
The DMA support (under Windows) and the new version boosted my backup speeds from one hard drive to another from 140MB/min to about 750MB/min. It's astonishing -- a 4 gigabyte backup takes 3 minutes on my 1.7ghz P4 machine with 2 IDE hard drives!
DI7 now has the ultimate backup feature that I've been lusting after for many years -- unattended scheduling of backups. Previous versions allowed for backups to be scheduled but they had to be done when Windows wasn't active, or they couldn't include the system drive. Both restrictions are gone with this version -- simply set up a backup schedule and the Drive Image service will "wake up" and perform your backup with the OS active, whether you are logged in or not. All you have to do is clear off some hard drive space on another drive, sit back, and your drive will just automatically back itself up! Fabulous!
Some of the other posters have touched on the downsides to the software -- DI is sensitive to the type of drives you are using -- it has limits with size and type (no Serial ATA yet, according to another poster). Previous versions were limited to 120GB drives, this one is limited to 160GB drives (I believe). Plenty big enough for me but it's something to be aware of.
I was a little surprised initially when I went to restore my backed up system drive because I had to restart the system and boot off the DI 7 CD -- but this makes sense as you wouldn't want to wipe out the disk image of your currently running system drive. That would be a bit like sawing off the tree limb that you're standing on -- it's hard to fault PowerQuest for this.
I also encountered a minor bug when backing up a drive to a CD after turning on the "maximum compression" setting -- it got to the final stages of burning the CD and then reported that an "unknown exception" had occurred. The problem vanished when I repeated this at the "default compression" setting.
I highly recommend this software. This has been the most exciting software upgrade for me for the last year -- way to go PowerQuest!

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Norton Internet Security 2010 1 User-3 PC Review

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(More customer reviews)I was a little frustrated when the upgrade online via my current (well expired) Norton's was going to cost me more than it did last year (almost 60 bucks and it was only $49.99 last year) so I came here to see if I could save a little money and I did! I was a little afraid to download it at first because I saw that it might only work until Dec 2010, but I took the chance anyway because my subscription expired today. Well, after the successful download, I copied down the Product Key, I did the upgrade via the "renew now" tab on my current (expired) Norton's, and it gave me 366 days! Yes! And it was less than 40 bucks so I'm happy about that. I only did this review in case someone else is in the same situation I was in tonight - afraid to download it! :) It's all good.

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NOD 32 Antivirus System 2.7 Review

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(More customer reviews)I agree with the review below; NOD32 has been absolutely flawless on 5 machines, including a Dell desktop, a ThinkPad T60, 2 Lenovo 3000 laptops, and a MacBook Pro. No crashes and no freezes, and the performance hit is only 5% (compared to 10% for almost every major AV software).
I've heard the next version will have an upgraded interface which I'm looking forward to, but after the initial setup, there really is no reason to ever touch the software again so the interface complaint is a non-issue in my opinion.
I tried Kaspersky which has a great reputation but it was slow, froze my internet several times, and required too much user intervention.

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ESET NOD32 AntivirusNOD32 isn't just antivirus: it's a unified Anti-Threat system which protects against viruses, spyware, adware, trojans, worms and phishing attacks. The proactive ThreatSenseTM technology stops 93% of zero-day threats before they're even released. The optimized engine delivers the best detection, fastest scanning, and smallest performance impact of any antivirus or antispyware solution. NOD32 is flexible and configurable with centralized management and reporting functionality. The broad product platform protects Windows, Linux, Novell and MS DOS machines. For comprehensive list of products, consult the products section.About ESETFounded in 1992, ESET is a global provider of security software for enterprises and consumers. ESET's award-winning, antivirus software system, NOD32, provides real-time protection from known and unknown viruses, spyware, rootkits and other malware. NOD32 offers the smallest, fastest and most advanced protection available, with more Virus Bulletin 100 Awards than any other antivirus product. ESET was named to Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 five years running, and has an extensive partner network, including corporations like Canon, Dell and Microsoft. ESET has offices in Bratislava, SK; Bristol, U.K.; Buenos Aires, AR; Prague, CZ; San Diego, USA; and is represented worldwide in more than 100 countries. For more information, visit http://www.eset.com/ or call (619) 876-5400.

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BitDefender Antivirus 2008 - 2 Year/3 Pc's Review

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(More customer reviews)I compared several major name and lesser know virus protectors prior to choosing to purchase this one. Those I settled purchasing were Kaspersky Anti-Virus and BidDefender Anti-virus. Both products performed better then anything I tested or evaluated from the big name companies and having worked in tech support; I am very careful about checking to be sure that my protection software does not prevent me from working. Historically, Norton and McAfee were system resource hogs.
In general, Kapspersky is a more elegant and somewhat superior product to BitDefender and they are known for pretty good tech support (considering the company is in in Russia). Kapspersky will run in the background so that you can use your computer and do a virus check at the same time and it is very aggressive - (If you purchase it or use the free trial I strongly recommend that you leave the install settings at the general user level - otherwise it will prompt you every time you do something - I accidently set mine to block MS Windows auto-update which resulted in a pop-up warning war on my machine). I chose to not purchase Kapspersky because it was highly expensive - even on Amazon compared to the other products.
Bit defender on the other hand was a quite good product (if a little bit more technical and slightly less aggressive - it will use more resources then Kapspersky and I can hear my drive clicking while I am writing this). They are not known for good or timely technical support - I think they are a reasonably small company out of Hungary and may have few English speakers on staff. It will slow your computer down during normal operation, but is a faster install and first-run full (deep) system scan then most of the competitors. The best part is the price (if you have more then one computer - you can get two years on three computers for 29.95 - list price 39.95(Kapspersky is $34.25 at Amazon - list price 59.95 for one computer for one year).
Do not expect technical support from Bitdefender, your experience will not be pleasant; this product is, after all, a virus protector - I personally do not want to be calling tech support, I want to be protected. Also, when you do the install, just do the standard or average person install; the directions for expert and advanced features are confusing and may even be misleading.
One major issue I noticed is that the software often tells you it is unlicensed even when it is. This appears to have no effect on the running or performance of the product, the auto updates, or the protection of your system - everything runs just fine and the product is licensed and operating - this was likely to have resulted from a minor programming error at the company that somehow got into the production version of the software. If you just ignore the bitdefender icon showing that the software is not working, it will run and protect you just fine.
Do NOT install any virus checker on a computer until you have made sure every other virus checker has been removed and uninstalled; for windows Vista users this may include disabling Windows Defender - they "fight" with each other and eat your system's resources.
Lastly: I am not recommending this product for Windows Vista Users, there seems to be an issue with Windows Defender and some virus protection suites.

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BitDefender Antivirus 2008 provides state-of-the-art proactive protection against viruses spyware phishing attacks and rootkits for up to 3 PCs AND 2 years. Superior ease of use automatic hourly updates and toll free phone support make Antivirus 2008 the best value for protecting yourself against viruses and identity theft. SMALL BOX.

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SUPERAntiSpyware Professional Edition 4.50 2-user License Lifetime Subscription Review

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(More customer reviews)SUPERAntispyware often plays second fiddle to Malwarebytes Antimalware in the malware removal community. In my personal experience working on computers, I find that SUPERAntispyware is aggressive enough to stand on it's own two feet in the realm of removing some of the nastiest stuff out there. The lifetime license is really just the icing on the cake. I personally would opt to turn off the real time protection as it's not as effective detecting malware before it installs but rather removing it once installed. Keeping on the automatic updates and scheduled scanning should be enough to keep your computer clean from some of the serious nasties out there. Make sure to couple this with your existing Anti virus software for optimal protection.

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SUPERAntiSpyware is a powerful anti-spyware solution designed to be the first line of defense and/or to compliment your existing security solution. SUPERAntiSpyware will detect and remove the toughest of spyware infections including rootkits and keyloggers as well as "rogue" spyware infections and well over 1,500,000 other harmful application components.SUPERAntiSpyware detects and removes Adware, Spyware, Malware, Trojans, Parasites, Dialers, Rootkits, Worms, Browser HiJackers and Keyloggers. SUPERAntiSpyware features many unique technologies such as our First Chance Prevention system that detects and removes threats before your system starts in order to block infections from infecting and re-infecting your system during the startup and shut down sequences.SUPERAntiSpyware currently protects over 35 million users worldwide from harmful spyware infections.NOTE: If you wish to purchase SUPERAntiSpyware via digital download, visit www.superantispyware.com

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Norton 360 Version 4.0 1 User-3 PC Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been using Norton for 7 years and after having tried many other Anti-Virus solutions it is easy to say Norton is always the most reliable and hassle free.
A few of the product comments here make this down-loadable version of Norton 360 sound hard to use, and that is just not the case.
Getting this download version saved me $15 over having the boxed version shipped, not to mention it was instant.
I had protection going 5 minutes after my order.
Now I did already have a trial version of Norton 360 installed that I had downloaded directly from the Norton site. I just choose to purchase from Amazon after my trial version expired for 2 reasons.
#1 I love Amazon.
#2 The price at Amazon was way better than buying direct from the software vendors own website.
I just purchased 360 here and used the license key Amazon gave me to activate my expired 30 day trial version.
Even if I had not had the trial version already installed, purchasing and downloading this software from Amazon is not complicated at all, as some of the other reviewers would make you believe.
Yes you do have to install the Amazon down-loader software. So what, it was super simple, and you can always uninstall it later if you wish.
Once you install the down-loader which takes all of 30 seconds, you then download the Norton 360 software.
You can then choose to install Norton 360 right from the downloader, however a backup copy of Norton 360 is added into a folder on your PC. On my windows 7 machine this location was at:
C:\Users\Public\Documents\Amazon Games & Software
It is named N360-ESD-17-6-0-32-EN.exe so if you can not find the folder just search for that on your PC. You can then easily burn that to a CD so you can install the software on 3 separate computers.
Optionally you could also just transfer the .exe file over your network to your other 2 machines if you have a network setup in your home or office.
I added screen shots of the down-loader and the path within amazon to access your license key after your purchase in the images at the top of this products page.
After your order simply go to your Amazon account to get your product key. Just use the "Your Account" link and then under "Digital Content" select the link titled "Your Games and Software Library". Look for the orange "Your product key" button to access your license key.
Super easy, and super fast! This is a great deal compared to having the product shipped in a Box on CD that you will just end up throwing away after your install anyway!
Go Green and purchase this downloaded version of Norton 360!

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Norton Internet Security Suite 2007 - 3 User Review

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(More customer reviews)I received this product on Oct. 26,2006 and have been using it for only three days, so my observations are a little limited.
I successfully installed the program and created an account with Symantec -- no problems there. It ran a full system scan and found and removed some problem files. However, as another rater posted, it slowed down Windows to an agonizing crawl (it took over a minute just to launch an application). Every click of the mouse key meant at least 20 seconds for Windows to respond.
Disappointed and wondering if I was going to have to invoke Symantec's warranty of a 60-day refund if not satisfied, I uninstalled the program. With Norton gone, Windows ran FASTER than before I had installed Norton! It must have cleaned up something.
So, I went to Symantec's site and found their "FAQs" (had to use their search engine to find them) and looked for a problem similar. There was one, and it said that my system might not have enough memory. I checked the system requirements on the box, and it said 256M required, and I have 2G. I re-installed Norton (no problems), let it run a full system scan, and began experimenting by disabling all except the basic feature. Windows ran normally. I then added features back (by checking the appropriate box) one at a time and discovered the most resource-consuming routine is the Automatic Updates. I'm not sure, but it seems that the speed of your internet connection would affect this also (I have a high-speed connection).
With the automatic update disabled, I ran a full system scan again, and it found one virus. Windows now runs normally, and I'm satisfied. Will just have to remember to run the updates periodically.
Update: No need to remember to run updates periodically. It has a feature that reminds you when Symantec has an update ready.
Update #2: Some virus must have gotten by this program because only about four months into the subscription, I got the "blue screen of death." The computer would not load Windows, but it would let me run it in Safe Mode. I could not solve this problem and called in an expert. He was not able to solve it either. I ended up builting a new computer, but this time I installed AVG (free) anti-virus, the one the expert recommended. It seems to work better than Norton.

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Stay protected from the latest online threats when connecting to the Web.Norton Internet Security 2007 is always running in the background to detect and block viruses, spyware, fraudulent phishing sites and hackers before they can cause harm. Now you can browse online, download software, or exchange emails knowing you're protected from viruses and spyware. Norton Internet Security also provides advanced phishing protection, two-way firewall protection, and optimized network security so you can safely log on at home, at a café, or on the road. In addition to protection updates, Norton Internet Security provides new product features as available throughout your subscription period.

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Kaspersky Internet Security 7.0 3-user Review

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(More customer reviews)Intro: Over the years, I've had several computer security programs... going way back, I started with Mcafee because it was pre-loaded on a computer I bought, but I found it to be too intrusive and too "buggy".... then I went to Norton which I had for several years. Again, bugs abounded and the software really slowed my computer down. After that, I moved to Trend Micro's Internet Security software because I had heard it used less system resources and therefore the computer would run faster. I didn't find this to be true. Trend Micro was OK, but I kept reading stellar reviews of Kaspersky and decided to give it a try when my subscription lapsed.
This is a good suite of software, not perfect, but very good. It installed pretty easily, though during installation the computer rebooted unexpectedly, but no harm seemed to be done. After it completed its initial scans (which did take quite a while), it doesn't seem as intrusive scanning as other programs. It only scans new or changed files, so my computer doesn't seem to be scanning all the time. It also found a couple of Trojan horses that Trend had not discovered.
It comes with "parental control" turned on, which I didn't realize, and it was blocking access to fairly innocuous pages (such as "Excite", which has a provocative name but is anything but Exciting). I turned off the parental control and I again have access.
This software seems to have the smallest footprint of any security software I've used... it doesn't hog system resources, and unlike my old software, I can actually USE the computer while it is scanning.
Kaspersky isn't perfect, but it's the best I've had so far...I'd recommend it.
Pro's:
* Does not drain system resources or significantly decrease response time
* Easy to use
* Very thorough - finds viruses etc that other packages do not
* Good price, especially after the rebates frequently offered!
Con's:
* No telephone support - all support is via "live chat" that never responds. Email support is a 48-72 hour turnaround. Not ideal. But not many of these software firms have telephone support these days; Trend Micro is an exception I believe.
That's the only con I could come up with! And I was trying for at least 2-3.... overall I'm very happy with Kaspersky.
UPDATE ON 9/12: I may have posted the above prematurely. In the past day or two, I have had significant issues with Kaspersky blocking my local network. I cannot print on my local network, nor can the computers "see" each other. Scanning the online help forums, it seems that the firewall function is a bit "buggy" on this new 7.0 release. There are many topics regarding it and several "help" files in the Kaspersky Knowledge Base. I'll update this once I get more info - but for now if you're on a home network, you might want to wait for a few updates to the firewall part of this software.
Update 9/20: I've gotten all of my problems fixed (well, those related to Kaspersky at least...) I think most of the issues were caused by uninstalling Trend Micro instead of installing Kaspersky. The people on the Kaspersky user forum were very helpful and I'm up and running. I'll continue to recommend this security suite!

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Kaspersky Internet Security 7.0 gives you the best protection available today.Triple Threat Protection unique combination of three technologies effectively protects against existing new and unknown malicious programs programs designed to steal your financial and confidential data or damage your computer. Privacy and parental controls an integrated firewall a new and improved interface and much much more!Protect your computers and laptops from all Internet threats. Kaspersky Internet Security keeps you safe while you and your children work play write emails surf the Internet bank or shop online.Features Protection from viruses Trojans and worms Protection from spyware and adware Protection from keyloggers and rootkits Protection from phishing and spam Personal firewall Privacy control Parental control Rescue diskSystem RequirementsMicrosoft Windows 2000 Pro (Service Pack 4 or higher)Microsoft Windows XP Home/Pro (Service Pack 2 or higher)Microsoft Windows XP Pro x64Microsoft Windows Vista/x6450 MB free space on hard diskCD-ROMInternet connectionMicrosoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or higherMicrosoft Windows Installer 2.0Format: WIN 2000XPVISTA Genre:UTILITIES UPC:689076056274 Manufacturer No:KIS70BOXNC

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Norton Internet Security 2011 - 1 User-3 PC Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been using the Norton security products for many years, and I have been for the most part very satisfied with them. The one gripe I have is that every year when I go to renew my subscription, I find that I can purchase new copies of the software for less than the renewal price. Although it is relatively easy to buy new copies of the software every year and avoid the exorbitant renewal costs, I feel like Symantec is trying to take advantage of me. I think loyal customers should be rewarded with renewal costs that are at or below readily available costs for the new software from reliable sources like Amazon. Instead, Symantec prefers to try to gouge its customers. For this software which is currently selling for $37.99 on Amazon, Symantec charges $59.99 for renewal. Shame on you Symantec!

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Viruses, cybercriminals, and other threats can make the Internet a dangerous place. Protect yourself with Norton Internet Security 2011. The fastest, lightest security suite you can buy, Norton Internet Security 2011 safeguards your PC without slowing it down. You'll enjoy rock-solid security without sacrificing performance. Norton Internet Security 2011 helps prevent cybercriminals from stealing your identity and your hard-earned money when you search, surf, shop, socialize, and bank online. Improved Norton Safe Web warns you of unsafe websites and suspicious online merchants right in your search results. It even blocks known malicious sites to help keep you from getting scammed. Norton Identity Safe remembers and secures your user names and passwords and then automatically enters them for you when you bank, shop, or socialize online. It prevents eavesdropping cybercriminals from swiping your information and saves you time. Norton Internet Security 2011 also detects and eliminates viruses, spyware, and other threats, letting you email, chat, and download files without getting or passing on threats to family and friends. Norton Pulse Updates provide mini-updates every 5–15 minutes without interrupting you or slowing down your PC to help ensure you're protected against new threats that appear. And in case of emergency, new Norton Rescue Tools can help you get even severely infected PCs up and running fast. Norton Internet Security 2011 even identifies problems that could affect your PC's performance and proactively notifies you when an application is slowing down your PC's performance or using up system resources.

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Norton SystemWorks 2003 Review

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(More customer reviews)I have mixed feelings about Norton SystemWorks 2003. On one hand, I'm a longtime user of the SystemWorks family of products, and I feel no Windows computer is complete without vital Norton tools like SpeedDisk and WinDoctor. On the other hand, I've been terribly disappointed with this release of NSW. Here's why:
Primarily, NSW 2003 doesn't include any obvious updates to existing software. I upgraded from NSW 2001, and I really don't see any changes in the functionality of any existing tools. The color scheme and interface has been revised to match Windows XP's friendly pastels and rounded curves, but I really don't see any difference in the way the components actually work. So why upgrade?
Second, NSW 2003 does not play nice with older versions of Windows. In particular, it loads an executable into memory, whether you want to use any "active" tools (such as AntiVirus or Registry Tracker) or not. Under Windows 2000 and XP, this application runs as a service and doesn't cause any problems; but on my Windows 98SE platform, it causes noticeably slower startups and shutdowns, and occasionally causes the system to hang when shutting down. I realize that Windows 98 is now a bit long in the tooth, but Symantec really should have put more effort into making NSW 2003 compatible with Win98 if it is to be advertised as such on the box.
In summary: On one hand, Norton SystemWorks is a solid heir to a useful dynasty of tools for Windows. On the other hand, there is little if any advantage over recent editions of the software, and backwards compatibility is deficient. I suggest that if you have Win2k or XP and do not yet have Norton SystemWorks, pick it up. If you are running an older version of Windows or already have SystemWorks 2001 or later, pass this one by.

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Symantec's Norton SystemWorks 2003 is a smart way to solve computer problems, with full versions of award-winning Symantec products and valuable additional utilities. Norton AntiVirus removes viruses automatically, scans both incoming and outgoing e-mail, and keeps itself updated to defend against new threats without interrupting your work. Now it also detects viruses in instant-message attachments. Norton Utilities optimizes your PC's performance and solves computer problems easily. And Norton CleanSweep removes unwanted programs and files that waste disk space.
The One Button Checkup tool in Norton SystemWorks makes it easy to assess the health of your PC and is now more powerful and flexible than ever. You can customize it to run only the scans you want, schedule scans to run automatically, and undo any changes it makes. Web Tools helps prevent dropped dialup connections when you're online and safely cleans up the clutter left over after Internet sessions. And Roxio's GoBack 3 Personal Edition restores your PC to a healthy state after a serious problem.

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Norton Internet Security 2006 Review

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(More customer reviews)Late last year when my subscription for updating "Norton Antivirus 2005" was about to expire, I decided to update my software to the more complete "Norton Internet Security 2006" in the belief that this would be a superior overall product with the addition of a personal firewall and a spam-blocker bundled with the latest version of NAV (Norton Antivirus). For many years, I had been using ZoneAlarm (ZA) for a personal firewall, so before NIS (Norton Internet Security) could be installed, ZA had to be uninstalled. Once installed, NIS appeared to work very well for about two and half months. Then, I started to notice several problems: other applications were running more slowly and it was taking an increasing amount of time to turn my PC off. Then, not long thereafter, I started to notice more troubling issues with NIS: namely, I had scheduled it to run NAV once a week to do a complete virus scan on all of the files on my PC. When this scheduled task would begin, it would stop functioning after checking about 25% of the files on my PC. The window that would appear during the weekly-scheduled virus scan would remain open, but there was no update to the number of files being scanned and the hard-drive on my PC was not in use indicating that NAV had frozen. If I attempted to shut down the weekly scan, the window would close, but it would then become impossible to start a manual virus scan without rebooting because NAV would report that a scan was already in progress. After rebooting the PC, which was also highly problematic as several NIS files would not shut down (including one called "ccApp.exe"), I could start a manual virus scan, but it would result in exactly the same frozen result as with the automatic weekly virus scan. The PC shutdown problem always occurred whether or not a scheduled or manual virus scan had been initiated. It would take at least 5 minutes for my PC to shutdown. The first file that would not shutdown was Symantec's file "ccApp.exe". After the shutdown window was acknowledged to end the locked file, the PC would remain in a frozen, pre-shutdown state for several minutes before several other frozen files also finally shutdown.
Having previously installed the 2003 version of "Norton Systemworks" (NSW) several years ago, I attempted to use that application to repair the problems that I was observing with NIS. However, this had no affect. I then considered upgrading NSW to the 2006 version, but when I saw the number of negative reviews describing numerous problems associated with that product, I decided against it. I then also decided to see what others had written for reviews for NIS 2006 and NAV 2006. For both of these products, the reviews are predominantly negative as well.
Being a software engineer myself, it is my opinion that Symantec is no longer sufficiently testing its software products before releasing them for sale to consumers. Many people (myself included) have maintained a high opinion of Symantec's NAV application because previous years' versions have been highly stable and reliable. However, the obvious lack of sufficient testing by Symantec for the 2006 versions of NAV, NIS and NSW have changed that opinion. It is clear from my own adverse experience with the 2006 versions of NAV and NIS, as well as many other people who have had bad experiences with these products, that the 2006 versions of NAV, NIS and NSW are unstable and unreliable. Given the fact that NAV 2006 would always freeze when attempting all of PC's files, there is no actual guarantee that it was actually scanning live internet activity to ensure that no virus, worm or trojan horse could infect my PC.
Finally, after attempting to improve the situation by shutting down other automatically loaded applications upon boot-up to no avail, I decided that the only solution was to uninstall NIS, including its bundled NAV. Upon doing so, my PC no longer operates at a snails pace and it shuts down within a few seconds (as it had always done prior to installing NIS 2006). I then installed McAfee's antivirus software (not the bundled version) and reinstalled the latest free version of the ZA firewall. It is obvious that Symantec has transformed its once very reliable and stable NAV into an unstable & unreliable piece of bloatware that will greatly diminish system performance and integrity. For this reason, I have no choice but to rate "Norton Internet Security 2006" with 1 star. If you are considering purchase of this product, I would highly advise that you first investigate other vendors' similar products. I would also advise that you don't necessarily purchase a bundled application, which may have similar bloatware problems as Symantec's "Norton Internet Security 2006".

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Enjoy your connection to the world. Norton Internet Security 2006 gives you the confidence to travel the Internet like never before. A comprehensive set of award-winning tools, Norton Internet Security automatically blocks hackers, viruses, and spyware. It filters out dangerous phishing email and annoying spam, while its powerful firewall gives you full control over incoming and outgoing Internet traffic. Privacy controls protect your personal information and parental controls give you the power to block unsavory Web sites and shield your children from harm on the Internet. And should your operating system or browser have a security hole, Norton Internet Security is there to handle resulting attacks. More powerful than ever, Norton Internet Security 2006 is also faster, smarter, and easier to use. With Norton Protection Center—a one-look control panel for all your security tools—you can review your security situation and lock down your system with an optimal security configuration. You can also run a system-wide security scan at any time with the click of a button. With all these tools working for you, you're free to get connected, stay connected, and use the Internet however you want.

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Diskeeper 9.0 Professional - Single User Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is an excellent piece of software, and I recommend it for everyone. This tool is as valuable to me as Lavasoft's Ad-Aware.
I'm a computer professional and as soon as most people find out, their first response is, "Oh my god you need to look at my computer it's SO SLOW. You need to look at it." My typical regiment is:
1) Download, Install, and Run Lavasoft's Ad-Aware
2) Scan for viruses using McAfee's free online scan (Always up-to-date, despite what may be installed)
3) Run through the registry's run and startup folder to stop unnecessary programs from starting on load
4) Download, Install, Schedule, and Run Diskeeper.
People are amazed at how much faster thier computer runs. In fact, after a fresh install I also run Diskeeper just to squeeze every drop of performance out of the PC as possible.
Two important things to note:
- Why is defragmenting important?
- Why not use the built-in defragmenter?
Answers:
Let's say you're writing a document in MS Word. You save the document and close it. Then you begin to write another word document. When you save the second document to disk, windows will likely put the new file immediately after the old file. Well, what happens when you add new stuff to the first file if the second file took up the space the first file had left immediately after it? Well it saves the new changes in the space AFTER the second file, hence creating a fragmented file.
A fragmented file is a file the is not contiguous, and has segments in different physical locations on the hard disk. Picture a fragmented file as a file with other files inside of it, breaking it apart.
If you research hard disk statistics, you'll see 2 common factors in rating hard disk performance: Seek time and transfer speed. Transfer speed is the MAXIMUM speed in which your hard disk can transfer the information over a wire from the disk itself to the computer, after the data is located. Seek time is the average amount of time it takes for the hard drive to locate the file on the disk, when it's not already reading it.
Picture a record player. You place the needle on the song you want to play. As long as you leave the needle in place, the music will play. If you want to change the song, however, you need to life the needle and place it at the location of the new song. When you replace the needle, the music continues. Hard drives are very similar.
If the hard drive is reading a file, it is transferring that file over the wire as quickly as it can read it. If that file is fragmented, however, it needs to "Seek" the location where the file continues. A lot of people will know this as a "Clicking" sound the hard drive makes.
If the computer is trying to read multiple files at once (as most computers do, ESPECIALLY when booting up), and those files are fragmented, the drive is doing a LOT of seeking and less actual data transfer. This is often referred to as "Thrashing" by IT guys, or "Grinding" by others. You'll notice this if your hard drive is doing a lot of work, but your computer is acting very sluggish, making what would be a fast computer very slow. This is because your hard drive is spending more time looking for the data (Seeking) then actually reading the data (transferring), and sending it to your computer.
The hard drive is usually the performance bottleneck for most personal computers. Diskeeper greatly increases your performance by allowing your hard drive to read the files as quickly as possible, making the slowest part of your computer much faster.
Lastly, the built-in defragmenter is slow and "Clunky." It takes a great deal of time to defragment, and doesn't optimize the drive as well to prevent further defragmentation. Moreover, you have to trigger the deframenting manually, and then you can't use your computer for hours. No one ever really does that...BOTTOM LINE:
Want your computer to run like new every day?
Install Ad-Aware
Install an Anti-Virus
Install Diskeeper
Run your computer like a PRO.

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Advanced "Set It and Forget It” functionalityNo matter how powerful your PC is, fragmentation will slow it down. It's just a matter of time. In fact, the harder your system works, the faster it builds fragmentation. Manual, single-pass defragmenters simply can't keep up—in order to maintain performance, you'd likely spend more time defragmenting than you did using the computer! Why bother with a time-consuming manual process, when Diskeeper 9 Professional Edition simply makes the problems of fragmentation go away forever?Diskeeper 9 Professional Edition allows custom configuration tailored to the way you use your system. Fine-tune Diskeeper to your likings or select the default options then "Set It and Forget It”, and you'll never need to worry about fragmentation again!

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Norton SystemWorks 2002 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have been a loyal user of Symantec's Norton SystemWorks for several years now. When I upgraded to Windows XP, I bought this new version of Norton SystemWorks to go with it without any hesitation. Unfortunately, I was dissapointed by a number of things.
First off, let me tell you what I liked. Norton AntiVirus is still the best of the breed virus protection you can buy. It automatically configures itself to protect you not only from viruses hidden in files and downloads, but it will also scan both your incoming and outgoing e-mail. By scanning the outgoing e-mail, it prevents you from spreading viruses like Melissa without even knowing it. Nice touch.
Live Update is also a top notch feature. Live Update will check for updates such as virus definitions and program updates in the background and automatically apply them. No user input needed. Symantec could not have made it simpler.
Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of new features in Norton SystemWorks 2002. In fact, if you use Norton SystemWorks 2002 on a Windows NT/2000 or Windows XP machine, you will find several features missing. Two features I really miss are the Optimization Wizard in Norton Utilities and the Registry Sweep in Norton CleanSweep. Symantec does not tell you that these features do not work on Windows NT/2000/XP until after you have purchased the product.
Perhaps sensing that there was not a lot of new features to justify an upgrade, Symatec has included Roxio's GoBack which can help you revert your system to an earlier state should you run into a problem. This feature is totally uncessary for users of Windows Me or Windows XP since Microsoft includes the System Restore feature that accomplishes the same thing. In fact, many of the features in Norton SystemWorks 2002 are already included in newer versions of Windows (such as disk defragmenters and uninstallers).
Given this, there may not be a lot of reason to buy Norton SystemWorks 2002. Most people really only need the Norton AntiVirus component which can be purchased cheaper as a standalone.
Overall, Norton SystemWorks 2002 is still a quality product, but there is just not a lot of reasons to justify an upgrade.

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Norton SystemWorks 2002 is a suite of software that will protect your PC against virus threats, optimize your PC's performance, clean out Internet clutter, and provide quick and easy system recovery. And now it's easier than ever to install all these powerful features. Included in the suite are: Norton AntiVirus 2002, Utilities 2002, CleanSweep 2002, and Roxio GoBack 3 Personal Edition.
Norton AntiVirus 2002 now repairs common virus infections automatically, without interrupting your work. Symantec's exclusive Script Blocking technology defends against fast-moving threats by identifying and stopping new script-based viruses, such as the I Love You and Anna Kournikova viruses. It also scans and cleans both incoming and outgoing e-mail. Norton Utilities 2002 optimizes your PC's performance and solves computer problems easily. You can organize your hard drive files efficiently for faster access and greater stability with SpeedDisk, while Norton Disk Doctor safeguards the integrity of your drive by detecting and repairing disk problems. Norton WinDoctor helps you get optimal performance from Windows by diagnosing and solving a wide range of Windows problems, from software errors to hardware configuration conflicts.
Norton CleanSweep 2002 improves your PC's performance by removing unwanted programs and other files that waste disk space, including clutter left over from Internet sessions. New in Norton SystemWorks 2002 is GoBack 3 Personal Edition software from Roxio, which reduces downtime by letting you undo serious PC problems such as system crashes and failed software installations. The new Process Viewer in Norton SystemWorks 2002 helps you diagnose problems by displaying every program that's currently running.

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Norton AntiVirus 2007 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)After several attempts to get my upgrade from Norton AV 2006 to 2007, I called their support telephone. They walked me through the same steps I had followed (not their fault -they had to) and eventually passed along my issue to tech support, since it was a tech issue. After over 20 minutes of hold time (this was after 10 p.m. EST) I finally spoke with a rep and she walked me... through the same steps I had gone before (anyone taking notes about cases back there, to save the customer the hassle of doing the same things??)
After the tech rep took me essentially to the same spot that the "regular" customer service agent did before, she told me in order to do the technical troubleshooting required, I'd have to pay for the rest of the technical call. I complained indicating that it was unacceptable to have to pay for this, considering my install of AV 2006 was working just fine (for a whole year) until I decided to upgrade to 2007 (instead of simply renewing my subscription, which would have cost the same). I indicated that if I had to pay, then I wanted my money back for the software... to which she said OK and she gave me a refund.
In sum, with Norton Antivirus 2007 I couldn't get my previous subscription information to be recognized by them in any way and when things got too complicated for them, they argued that I had to pay for the rest of the support call. I am now officially switching to Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0, which I just learned about here in Amazon.

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Norton AntiVirus 2007 blocks viruses and spyware with advanced protection. It helps protect your entire computer by stopping viruses, worms, and spyware. Norton AntiVirus works in the background so you can surf the Internet, read the news, play games, and download software or music without disruption. It also scans and cleans all email and instant messenger attachments, preventing you from receiving threats, or spreading them to others. With set-it and forget-it functionality, Norton AntiVirus checks for updates continuously and automatically blocks new and emerging threats from getting on your system. In addition to protection updates, Norton AntiVirus provides new product features as available throughout your subscription period.

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Trend Micro AntiVirus plus antispyware 2007 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've used this product for about two years now after switching from Norton.
Pc-Cillin is a dream compared to every other product I've used. It runs flawlessly on both Windows XP and Windows Vista.
Unlike some others who have claimed that it slows down there system, I've found that is simply not the case. It sits idly in the tray icon and only awakens when needed (scanning eMails, intercepting potential viruses, performing software updates, and the like)
Installation was a breeze -- no problems at all. Updates are completely automated and never pose require intervention on my part. Everything is seamless.
It works very well as a firewall as well, in-fact I'd be quite comfortable using it as my only firewall if I wasn't already using a NetGear router. You can configure the firewall to open/block specific internet traffic, ports, and even control how much security you'd like to give individual applications.
Another bonus feature is that if you run more than one computer in the household, PC-Cillin offers the ability to administer (run virus scans) on remote machines. If you're the assigned "geek" of the household, then you can easily scan your kids/siblings/parents computers all from your own desktop.
Pc-Cillin also offers various instant messaging scanning, phishing fraud detection, and a wireless network monitor to keep you safe if you're using your computer as a wireless network access point.
Pc-Cillin has kept my system safe for two years, it hasn't slowed down my computer at all, and has caught many spyware cookies and other potential issues since I've installed it. I also use it in conjunction with SpyBot and AdAware on occasion when I feel the need to do a thorough scan.

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PC-Cillin Antivirus 2007 safeguards your PC with advanced protection from threats such as viruses, worms, and Trojans. Our award-winning antivirus engine helps detect and prevent viruses and other threats from infecting your PC in email messages, instant message attachments, Internet downloads and more. Designed with a simple interface, Trend Micro Antivirus is a quick, cost-effective way to vaccinate your PC. Keep your protection state-of-the-art so you're always safe from the latest and emerging viruses and threats. Proactive outbreak alerts provide you with early warning and the latest pattern file updates during a virus outbreak.

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Norton SystemWorks 2008 Premier Edition 11.0 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)It appears that Symantec has been resting on their laurels.
This is their flagship consumer application, and comes bundled with a modestly improved antivirus (new network and wireless intrusion-detection features). Ghost has been replaced by Save and Restore, and you get the extras, Passmark 6.1 and SmithMicro's CheckIt 7. GoBack is still there, but not installed by default.
It sports a new interface, with a DHTML menu-like slider with scrollbars in each section that took a bit to find what I was looking for. It has an option for a "classic" inteface - but it made me think of HTML 1.0 "classic".
This was a clean install on a clean install of XP SP2.
The install went much smoother than the 2006 version of the same product which I won't cover here. I'll just say it went much smoother.
The plusses: Bundled with some somewhat useful third party (Passmark, SmithMicro) tools.
I liked Save and Restore - which would save and restore to/from any drive - network, internal or external, and Save and Restore is versatile in that you can also specify folders, or the entire drive. Save and Restore could also be scheduled/configured in dozens of ways.
The antivirus (manual scan) was blazingly fast and the new ability of NAV to monitor and interact with my home/SOHO/Wireless network was a positive development.
Passmark (6.1, rebranded Symantec), is a good tool for benchmarking, and comparing my system to others (download free user-generated comparatives at the Passmark site). I learned that my X2 3800/Ati XT1600 (2 Ghz) is 38% slower than a 2.8 Extreme iMac with XP in Boot Camp, and 290% slower than a QX6800 with 7950GT (I didn't compare them all, several thousand to compare to!).
Mostly minuses: I tried to update system drivers - bluescreen city began. A reboot from a bluescreen was usually be followed by a prompt to run one or another function I had scheduled (Save and Restore, virus scan, defrag) - leading me to believe that the scheduler has some conflicts with my AMD machine (ATI/AMD) and the drivers (7.10 - 7.12). The dump error code was useless on both MS and Google to figure out.
I was unable to use System Restore (Microsoft's built-in tool) at all after installing it - it still ran and catalogued checkpoints, but would not roll them back, even after disabling NAV and SystemWorks protection.
Defrag, when it worked - usually took 2-3 passes to defrag. It frequently just froze.
Norton process viewer (with the "google this" feature that I loved) wouldn't auto-update with active processes - whatever was running when I opened the Norton process viewer was it. If I launched Acrobat, and wanted to see what modules where in use, I had to relaunch it. Bizarro!
One Button Checkup (Windoctor, registry section) decided that the BUNDLED CheckIt (third party) tool was all ganked up, and wanted to repair about 20 entries related to it.
The antivirus, even improved, still only "actively scans" inbound and outbound ports 25/110. No IMAP. No secure SMTP/POP (required by certain ISP's now). This doesn't affect send and receive other than the packet stream isn't scanned to/from. Even the free Avast! AV offers multiport/multiprotocol options. Sad.
SmithMicro's CheckIt 7 (bundled) decided that my 939 (K8) CPU was a K7 - the 2006 version got it right tho, what gives?
Regardless, I had a very unstable system, so as a last resort, I tried the Symantec "uninstall tool" - but traces were still left behind, BSOD city. I ended up doing a OEM wipe disk, and clean reinstall of the system. All is well again.
One feature I didn't try was the bult in "paid technician remote login". It just seemed kinda sick - paying Symantec to fix what Symantec seemingly broke.
I do accept the responsibility of reading the reviews (mostly negative) and plunging in anyhow, thinking back on the good old days when SystemWorks, well, worked very well!
Bottom line: This is more of a train wreck than a mashup of useful tools.
Your milage may vary - but I'd recommend steering clear of Norton "anything" until they come out of the 90s regarding the Internet and system usability/flexibility.
It needs a clean disable (or pass through for signed system and/or critical updates).
The feature it needs the most is a 100% "One-Button Checkout" (uninstall)

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Defend against spyware and viruses, enhance your computer's performance, and protect your valuable files with Norton SystemWorks Premier Edition. To block harmful threats, it automatically scans and cleans email and instant messaging attachments. To keep your computer healthy, Norton SystemWorks automatically diagnoses and fixes hard drive errors, removes unwanted Internet clutter, and allows you to optimize your Windows settings from a single screen. If disaster strikes, your computer and valuable data are safeguarded with automatic backup and recovery, allowing you to quickly restore from system failures or recover lost or damaged files.

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