Norton AntiVirus 2009 Review Discussion

by Charles P. Jefferies

Norton AntiVirus is one of the most well-known names in PC security. The company's AntiVirus 2009 is the base security suite that provides essential protection against viruses and spyware for home users. It updates itself every five to fifteen minutes, and includes an intelligent scanner that effectively sweeps a computer for threats in less time. Does Norton AntiVirus 2009 deliver on its claims?

Read the full content of this Article: Norton AntiVirus 2009 Review

Related Articles:

• Symantec Norton Internet Security 2008 Review

 

Actual Worth - $0.

 

LOL. (10 char.)

 

I was going through some other reviews of popular anti-virus software and Norton doesn't seem to be doing a very good job when compared to other software like Kaspersky, NOD32 and Bit Defender. Symantec may have improved on their previous iterations but they still are no match for the competition, especially at the price they charge..

It would have been nice if there was a comparative review here..I am really concerned with the usage of system resources..Agreed Anti-virus software should be efficient at preventing virus attacks, but I don't want to be wasting a lot of system resources running them in the background...

 

The first thing ive done with my last 3 laptops is to remove the anti-virus software trial junk-ware. No thanks. Put up your fire wall, install OS security updates, and dont do anything stupid.

[edit] also, is there a way to test for performance degradation while browsing? or using email? since the program will be most active.. as opposed to when your system is idling (and there is nothing to scan).

 

I saw some complaints in the forum that one of the Norton products (either NAV or NIS, I forget) installed a web browser toolbar without giving the user any option to not install it. Did you find that to be the case with this package?

 

have to disagree with most nis2009 is a VERY good program and has found files on my systems that when scanned with both nod32 (ess4) and kis2009 they overlooked. and there is literally 0 impact on any system i have ran it on.

chaz try to make sure to let it do the full insight thing then run a single full scan and check impact again. usually after that there is even less of an impact that before and startup is even faster.

 

So, I guess you tried Norton 2009 and that is how you came to that conclusion? Interesting . . . it's good that people always try products before judging them. Yeah!

Other than doing some surfing myself, there isn't a way to test that I know of. I noted that it did not interfere with everyday activities like surfing . . . I did not notice any performance degradation.

This isn't the first AV suite I used; out of NOD32, Kaspersky, Trend Micro, Norton, and McAfee, Norton would be a serious contender for my money. Currently I use NOD32 on all my PCs but had I tried Norton before I purchased NOD32 . . . my decision would definitely require some thought. Norton 2009 is a great product.

 

I haven't used the full paid version, but tried the beta version last year and was very impressed compared to previous versions of Norton software. Very low on resources, even when scanning, and seemed to be doing a good job on picking up threats.

If I was to buy security software, NIS2009 would definitely be a contender for my money.

 

I've had the same 'shocking' experience with NIS 2009 vs ESS. However, I just reformatted my desktop and am running ESS 4 on XP x64.

 

Tested the NIS 2009 few months back and I right away bought a year subscription... definitely a happy user here. What I like the best is the notification/pop-up is minimal .

 

Random grammar check!

So in "compared to other vendor's solutions" the apostrophe needs to be moved over to the right one space.

Anyway, I'm glad Norton is beginning to be a much more efficient, but it still is no match when it comes to actual detection rates. People are still pretty happy with it, so I wouldn't say it's a BAD program, per se...

 

Great review Chaz, as usual.

However, one of the persistent problems with Norton is that it is an absolute bioch to uninstall on some XP systems where Norton had to supply specialised uninstall tool.

I wonder if you tried this on the new version and see if this issue is resolved?

 

Although NIS 2009 looks promising, I will stick with Avira for my XP systems. It's less resource-intensive than any AV I've ever tested or used on a day to day basis - and, yet very effective.

 

Great review Chaz. I think Ill give this a go on my lappy, my Dad has a copy.

 

Amen . . . .

 

So what happens when someone sticks an infected flash drive into your PC?

Replacing antivirus with a firewall is like replacing a policeman with a firefighter.

I am all for promoting sensible computer use as the #1 defense against malware and attacks, but for the average pc you need some kind of antivirus protection.

edit: clarity

 

The most interesting question to me would be is Norton considerably better than free AV like Avast or Avira. Why pay for what you can get for free?

I'm very happy with Avira. Scanning 37GB took 7 minutes on my antique laptop.

 

That I can't comment on; the test system had Vista.

 

I am assuming it would uninstall fine on XP. I tried the new Norton 2009 (trial) a few months back and have to agree, its an amazing turnaround for a product that use to be a real pathetic POS. The only problem I had was they had an update that forced the ask.com search onto the Norton tool bar... they did not ask and it installed without user permission.. There was a firestorm of blogs from users and Norton quickly pulled the update off. The update was also setting off firewalls since they forgot to register it. I believe they now prompt the user if they want the ask.com and the other "calling home" feature was pulled. I mean for a paid product that is inexcusable. Norton did however back step real fast since they did not want to retreat into the PR nightmares of hell that they have earned over the last several years.

The firewall in NIS is somewhat limited and is better for those who want the application to do most of the configuration for you. But overall, I think it was a decent product. Oh, and I almost forgot, after the ill fated update it killed my ability to right click on shell extensions in my powerdesk and windows explorer.. it would crash windows explorer and the Norton update killed it. After uninstalling NIS my right click functions returned. I consequently did not buy a subscription to NIS and put NOD32 and comodo on instead.

 

You might wanna give this a try: www.symantec.com/symnrt

which is a removal tool and quite effective, although I think you can still find some traces in registry

 

Is this also available in 64bit? I know 32bit should work on a 64bit system, but it would be nice to have it actually be 64bit.

 

It installed in Program Files x(86) on my Vista x(64) laptop, which means 32 bit.

 

Nice to see that the update time frame is short. When it only got definition updates once a week, I told everyone to delete NAV and get something worth their money. I can't say that anymore.

 

I scanned with Revo Uninstaller after removing NAV2009 on my XP machine (I purchased a NIS2009 license) and it turned up with only 2 registry keys. Clean uninstall.

As far as I know, Norton and McAfee provide the most "free" deals, after manufacturer and upgrade rebates - many times, Fry's Electronics offers these products for $0.00 after rebates. So, it's a minimal investment, since you only have to pay tax.

And with the very very minimal resource usage of NIS2009, I'd say a few dollars is quite worth it for this superb antivirus

 

Are AV-Test.org and AV-Comparatives ( PDF) both wrong?
Don't think so.
Norton's AV and Internet Suite have detection rates comparable with peers like Kaspersky, Avira and others.
Cheers.

 

uninstalls just fine for me everwhere. the ask thing is now a option and the call home thing they had going on was pulled via the next set of updates.

also to not with pulse updates i get updates sometimes as often as every 5-10 minutes even... most others are hourly or longer

 

I've noticed that too, but that's because NIS2009 doesn't want to "call home" too excessively - if you press the Live Update button, new updates are actually available every 5-15 minutes or so, they just aren't downloaded sometimes.

 

Revouninstaller is your friend for any application removal.
Never leave home without it

You really need to go and check the Av-comparatives reports!!!
Norton has VERY good detection rates, and more importantly has very low false postive rates.

cheers

Z

 

Nice review Chaz.

I haven't tried Norton or the other "pay for" programs since I've been very satisfied with the free programs I use.

Is Norton one of the programs you where have to pay an annual fee?

 

Typical licenses are available for either 1 or 3 computers for 365 days. At the end of that period, you will have to buy a newer edition, but there will likely be an upgrade rebate, so the end cost is just tax.

 

i have the norton IS 09 and i have to say it work very well, even on a p-m 1.5ghz.

for 30dollars(christmas time) it is well worth the price.

 

you can also buy 5 and 10 pc lic for it as well. i use the 10pc ones myself