Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2005 - Security Camera User Rating

Price range: $15.50 - $53.96 from 65 Seller with a available.

Average user reviews:

Description:Symantec's Norton AntiVirus 2005 removes viruses, worms, and Trojan horses automatically, without interrupting your work. New Norton Internet Worm Protection blocks certain more sophisticated worms (such as Blaster and Sasser) before they e.Reviewed by: AlexanderAkulick from AL on Dec 14, 2004
Rating:

Experience: 2 Weeks

Strengths: Included controls and features and a superior product.

Weaknesses: Customer support - but no worse than anyone else has.

Summary: (Edited December 23rd by AlexanderAkulick) Need some protection? This is the best one for home or small business. Just remember you also need a firewall of some type to go along with it.

The included program for spotting spyware may not be better than AdAware's but who cares? I don't. I use it because it is an excellent anti-virus that gives me full controls over features. Anyway, AdAware is free and easily added although I've seen Symantec and AdAware report the SAME spyware and Symantec removes it more easily.

Remember, during a Symantec scan, this antivirus is searching for spyware as well as viruses. Try timing AdAware and someone else's virus scan. It will be slower and less complete than Symantec provides.

The Symantec Express Updating process is very efficient for virus updates and the scanner provides excellent in depth file scanning. If it takes too long, in your opinion, just use the controls to run scans while you are not around or set things to ignore some large files. Personally, I prefer to know my computer has been thourally scanned.

As for customer support, I've never needed it. I buy the retail boxed version and get the included booklet. This assures me of how to do whatever I need. Of course, if you already know what to do, them the OEM version is for you - just be sure it has a year of updates.

Most people using Symantec continue using it or wish they had. There are those who have problems - but the fault is more from poor computer maintenance than any other. These are not defragmenting drives and removing old programs first, and not checking for compatability before adding software.

My only gripes?
1)Watching people use downloaded versions when they could have bought a disk copy for a few more dollars and had guarantees.
2)That Symantec even offers this for other than free download trials.

If you buy - check the Symantec site for rebates or upgrade discounts. But, buy a disk. Your savings will be in the fact you have no problems later and you will have a money back guarantee that is honored should you decide on someting else.

Do I recommend Symantec? YES!

Reviewed by:Reviewed by: lostinmd from MD on Oct 8, 2004
Rating:

Experience: 2 Months

Strengths: NA

Weaknesses: NA

Summary: Takes the Antivirus and the internet security and puts it in one icon on your desktop! Easier to work with than 2004! The program has stricter rules for programs to follow. I would recommend to any one who currently uses 2004 to upgrade.

Reviewed by:Reviewed by: elsimon on Nov 23, 2004
Rating:

Experience: 24 Days

Strengths: Updates easily.

Weaknesses: System scan seems somewhat slow.

Summary: Has caught virus-laden e-mail attachments. Updates easily. I've disabled its scan of outgoing e-mail because that was stopping some of my messages from being transmitted, but I know that all of the e-mail I send is safe.

Reviewed by:Reviewed by: SEinson from OH on Mar 31, 2005
Rating:

Experience: 10 Days

Strengths: Easy to install and works against multiple threats

Weaknesses: The manual did not tell you to uninstall previous versions if they were on your system

Summary: I upgraded from NAV 2002 to NAV 2005 to gain more anti-virus features that were missing from my old version. In 3 years use of NAV 2002 my machine never experienced an attack of any sorts.

I believe that NAV 2005 will perform equally as well.

Reviewed by:Reviewed by: mrjoe27 from AR on Apr 26, 2005
Rating:

Experience: 2 Days

Strengths: Great

Weaknesses: none

Summary: received in timely manner, work great, very satisfied. Used on Dell computers running windows 2000 professional and windows XP professional, worked first time each time it was used will buy again.

Reviewed by:Reviewed by: acapricornblond from CA on Apr 29, 2005
Rating:

Experience: 1 Years

Strengths: Reputation

Weaknesses: Not sure scan is working daily - properly.

Summary: I asked for a scan daily and in reviewing it only shows the last date when I manually full scan. I believe I am getting daily scans, but am not sure.

I will check that out with Norton.

Reviewed by:Reviewed by: toplapi from OH on Nov 30, 2004
Rating:

Experience: 30 Days

Strengths: One of the best to catch and kill viruses

Weaknesses: Its slow speed.

Summary: Even with 256 Mb of RAM and a 2.0 Athlon processor, the program is way too slow to scan the hard drive. In addition, there is a noticeable delay in speed whenever doing an operation that invokes the virus scan. I ended up removing the program. AFter taking more than two hours to scan the hard drive, (40 GB), it only found two items, which were spyware. Adaware found the same two items in six minutes.

Reviewed by:Reviewed by: carr_e from MA on Apr 6, 2005
Rating:

Experience: 15 Years

Strengths: Absolutely NONE

Weaknesses: defective install & uninstall, does not comply to normal ms-windows op system acceptable usages, customer support worse than program

Summary: Every install since Norton 2000 versions have PROGRESSIVLY gotten worse in terms of reliability and additions of restrictive, non-windows complaint "features". Tech support personnel can hardly speak English; are typically arrogant along with being simply rude and stupid.

2005 versions take the cake. First of all IF one moves the default shortcuts folder "Norton SystemWorks" (should be titled "Norton SystemDoesntwork") from start menu-->programs to another folder - a NORMAL and STANDARD FEATURE that ms-WINDOWS allows from every version of Windows EVER made then
version 2005 live update will fail. Moreover the anti-virus programs will fail on system start with nasty messages about needing to uninstall and reinstall.

Second, for upgraders especially from the almost equally horrid 2004 versions, The 2004 uninstall FAILS to properly and fully uninstall the product (I deliberately let my subscription run out to get full usage of it since Norton renewals take place on day of renewal thereby effectively screwing a purchaser out of remaining time for exisiting renewal period). That failure to fully uninstall leaves registry settings that indicate to live update that subscription services are expired. Upon attempting to update 2005, you get messages regarding expired subscription, yet when you verify with Norton "Doesntworks" web site, your license is current.... Until you manually remove the leftover crap the 2004 uninstall failed to, this situation will not resolve.

Anybody using 2005 and willing to live with the ridiculous and non-compliant to ms-windows normal usage by not allowing any user to organize the folders in start-menu.programs is a fool for not pursuing alternative products from zone alarm, trend lines (pc-cillin), mcaffee, computer associates. The idiots at Symantec do not see this restriction as a problem and challenged me to prove to them this was not a non-compliant to ms-windows usage standard. The best result and message to send Norton is simply stop using your product and hopefully enjoy news of unemployment lines of former Norton developers and management if you already have a version and instead competitive upgrade to a ms-windows compliant product alternate.

Not to mention that other evaluations of Zone Alarm and pc-cillon have superior ratings as well. McAfee is not as bad as Norton, but their software is an unprofessional install in that a user cannot specify the destination location but they too like Norton make manual update a major pain. And I for one, do not want nor allow any software to blindly update in the background. Instead I want to manually downloaded updates, preferably an exe that can be run after the download completes. Norton in version 2005, attempts to turn on the auto-update EVERY darn time you run live-update - ANOTHER MAJOR NUISANCE -- from idiot programmers who a trying to foist their version of how you should run YOUR computer on you. McAffee requires you to manually download three or more files, manually stop the product, move files, and restart. The OLD Norton was great, download an update exe and run it - simple, effective, convenient --- and effectively GONE from version 2005.