Norton AntiVirus 2009
Manufacturer: Symantec Corporation Part number: 14131314
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Norton AntiVirus 2009 hits all the right security notes, and its superior protection technologies might even win back some jaded anti-Symantec folks, though for some, technical support may continue to frustrate.
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CNET editors' review
Norton AntiVirus 2009 price range: $15.68 - $39.99
- Reviewed by: Robert Vamosi
- Reviewed on: 10/10/2008
- Released on: 09/09/2008
The good: Norton AntiVirus 2009 has a leaner footprint, improved speed, white listing, and other technologies to mark clean files as trusted, and free technical support.
The bad: Despite its free telephone support, Norton AntiVirus 2009 lacks adequate online technical support and, intentional or not, it drives users to its paid technical support services.
The bottom line: Norton AntiVirus 2009 hits all the right security notes, and its superior protection technologies might even win back some jaded anti-Symantec folks, though for some, technical support may continue to frustrate.
Symantec has been listening to its users, and this year the company delivers a slimmed-down and faster Norton AntiVirus 2009. Almost all the security vendors have recognized the changing threat landscape and have rethought traditional protection. We especially like the Insight feature, which identifies "trusted" files and applications and doesn't waste time rescanning them unless there's been a change. No other product does this. The redesigned logic behind Norton AntiVirus 2009 clearly shows in CNET performance testing: it is faster and considerably lighter than last year's version. Norton continues to win awards in third-party effectiveness testing. Lagging behind, though, is Symantec's technical support. While Norton users now have free telephone support, Symantec still doesn't provide enough of a knowledge base, or even an adequate user's manual. Once again, this year it emphasizes its premium services a bit too much. That said, Norton AntiVirus 2009 presents a remarkable transformation of a product and is worth a second look.
Installation
On our test system, we downloaded Norton AntiVirus 2009 and installed the product within a minute. Instead of relying upon Microsoft's installer, which Symantec has blamed for much of its past product bloat, the company started over, designing its own installer. There is the added advantage that as criminals target MSI files (say to prevent you from installing a security defense product on your already compromised machine) Symantec won't be affected--for now. The new installer process works fast, borrowing streaming technology from its Norton Ghost product. On both Windows Vista and Windows XP test machines, we were up and running in one minute and without a reboot.
Should you want to uninstall, Norton includes an uninstall option. In the past, Norton left a mess. Now, after rebooting our machine, what is left behind is licensing information.
Interface
Speaking of a mess, we didn't like last year's Halloween colors on the user interface. This year's redesign is much cleaner and more sophisticated, one befitting a major security product, and the colors used on the Interface can be changed if you want. Also gone are the tabs reminding you that you can purchase other Norton products. Specific tools can be turned on and off easily without diving into the configuration settings. The configuration settings page itself is always one click below the main page. The interface also offers a pop-up dialogs to explain specific terms, although thorough explanations of the choice users have in changing the settings is still lacking.
In the lower left-hand panel are two bar graphs representing the overall Windows resources used and one for the specific resources used by the Norton product. Compared with the resources used reported within the Task Manager in Windows, we noticed a slight sync problem between what Windows reported and what Norton reported for the overall system. Symantec confirmed that while Norton AntiVirus 2009 is looking at the Windows Task Manager, it is doing so at different intervals. We like the transparency, and think the presentation here is better than the line graphs used in some other security applications. Should you want line graphs, an icon will reveal how the system and Norton CPU usage has been since the system was last rebooted.
Features
Norton has, in the past, included some sophisticated technology from its enterprise products, which is good because it's cutting-edge, but it's also bad, because it doesn't necessarily integrate with the product, nor is it necessary. In Norton AntiVirus 2009, they seem to have found the right balance.
Whitelisting, the buzzword of security products for 2009, is included, and by marrying it with other technologies, Symantec makes it more suited for the user. Files on a whitelist are deemed trusted, and thus do not need to be scanned as often. Not all "safe files" make it onto the whitelist. For those, Norton uses a community process, called Insight, similar to that used by other security products such as Haute Secure. The thinking is that if thousands of other people are using this suspicious file, chances are it's not a new piece of malicious software but a new application. On the other hand, if only a few are using it, then maybe it's worth it to take another look to see if it's malicious software.
Malicious software signature updates are provided much faster, in some cases within five minutes of the last update.
Gone is the awful LiveUpdate component of past Norton products. With 2009 products, Symantec is providing antimalware definition signatures every few minutes or so. On the interface, you'll see a notice indicating how many minutes since the last update. We didn't see definitions older than four minutes in our testing.
Missing still are the various security utilities provided in other products, namely McAfee VirusScan. We would like to see, for instance, a secure file eraser or the capability to trace potentially malicious IP addresses within Norton AntiVirus 2009. Nor is there any mobile-specific security solution provided within Norton AntiVirus 2009.
Performance
In CNET Labs' performance tests, Norton AntiVirus 2009 scored better than last year on our test Windows XP systems. In third-party, independent AntiVirus testing using live viruses, Norton products have scored in the upper ranks, although not always in the top position. On the CNET iTunes test, Norton AntiVirus 2009 scored close to the test system result at 271 seconds, 5 seconds faster than the standalone version of Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2009. On the CNET Microsoft Office test, Norton AntiVirus 2009 finished at a respectable 1,443 seconds, placing near the middle. In a test scanning a single folder with compressed and media files, Norton AntiVirus 2009 came in at 191 seconds, which was the upper end of middle. In terms of boot speed, once again Norton came at a fast 31 seconds.
To find out how we test antivirus (and now Internet Security suite) software, see CNET Labs' How we test: Antivirus software page.
In terms of how well Norton AntiVirus 2009 will protect your PC, we cite results for Norton AntiVirus from two leading independent antivirus testing organizations. In the latest test results from AV-Comparatives.org, for on-demand scans Norton AntiVirus 2008 earned an Advanced + (highest) rating, catching 97 percent of all malicious software tested. However, for the Retrospective/Proactive test, Norton AntiVirus 2008 earned an Advanced rating, with Norton falling behind the others, proactively blocking only 18 percent of the "new samples" in the test. From CheckVir.com, Norton AntiVirus 2008 received its Standard award.
In antispyware testing on CNET, Norton AntiVirus 2008 scored in the upper half of our top 10.
Support
Symantec has dropped its overinflated per-call pricing schemes of the past; all regular telephone technical support calls are finally free. That's good. However, its online manual and knowledgebase could be more robust, and an in program link to its community forums would be wise.
To take advantage of the free offerings, Symantec encourages users to use its One Click Solutions self-diagnosis tools first; that's understandable since common problems can be self-remedied. In our tests, however, after answering no to "Does this resolve your problem?" we still didn't get a telephone number, but an online form. Only after supplying a first name, last name, e-mail address, and phone (information you previously gave when setting up your Norton Account; why the two can't be linked is unclear) are you offered a help ticket along with an option for a free online chat, free technical support phone number, or an e-mail address. Once contacted, a technician may remotely control your PC while you watch them solve your given problem.
Our first encounter with Symantec's technical support ended in frustration. Prominent on the technical support page and competing for prime eyeball space are Symantec's premium technical support services: Spyware and Virus Removal (prices range), PC Checkup Service ($29.99), Green PC Service ($14.99), and PC TuneUp ($69.99). These premium services are also mentioned when you call for technical support. But in subsequent testing, we found neither the call nor the chat technician tried to steer us toward these premium solutions. Of course, that depends on what specific problem you have and which technician you get.
The Norton in-program Help is better than in past years. Within the Help file, more terms are explained and less jargon is used this year, but it's still not as thorough as other Help documents we've seen in competing products. And user options when changing configuration settings, long the bane of this reviewer, are once again not adequately presented to the end user: you still have to trust Symantec's opinion on many things.
And the online manual, although indexed, is not very comprehensive, and leans heavily toward installation and the creation of the Recovery Disk. Only by accessing the Symantec Web site do you see the free community forums. That's a mistake. Despite the company response that the Norton community forum is still in beta, these open communities provide more technical support than the canned responses offered through Symantec's One Click Solutions process.
Conclusion
Norton AntiVirus 2009 hits all the right performance notes and its award-winning protection technologies should start to win back even jaded anti-Symantec folks. We love its sleek build, performance speed, and array of quality security tools. Our only fault remains with the products lackluster online consumer technical support.
User reviews
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Messed up my computer bigtime
by jon202jon on December 19, 2008
Pros: Can't think of an upside - the downside is so bad
Cons: Software interacted with Windows update SP3 trashing my registry
Lost lots of devices including network card.
User support hopeless - gave up after 3hr session talking to inexperienced staffSummary: Computer unusable for weeks, problem eventually solved by my Internet provider with simple IP config command
Don't touch with barge pole.Summary: Computer unusable for weeks, problem eventually solved by my Internet provider with simple IP config command
Don't touch with barge pole.7 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
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It found malware that others missed
by mitchd123 on December 28, 2008
Pros: My cousin's computer was very infected with Malware, Adware, and other nasty stuff. Brand new MacAfee found only two. I installed Norton 2009 which found over 20 nasty programs running and cleaned them.
Cons: Norton wasn't able to clean them all on the first scan, clean, and reboot. However a second scan, cleaning and reboot did the trick. What was not good was the fact that Norton didn't tell you it was still infected after the first reboot.
Summary: The list of nasty stuff that Norton removed was impressive. I tried MacAfee, and a number of other web programs like HiJackthis, SDfix, and Catchme. Norton however did the trick ...
Summary: The list of nasty stuff that Norton removed was impressive. I tried MacAfee, and a number of other web programs like HiJackthis, SDfix, and Catchme. Norton however did the trick and found and successfully removed, MANY ugly programs including:
Adware Mirar, several Trogan Horses, Trogan.Vundo, Garntet, Spyguard 2008, Backdoor Graybird, Downloader, and MANY more. I used to thing all Virus scans were the same. Not any more. What was even more impressive was it did them all with the 15 day trial license. I really like the fact they help you out without forcing you to pay up front. A clean computer was proof the product was worth it. I was just about ready to re-install the OS, but Norton saved me.6 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Killer App - kills whatever it touches
by extremus2 on June 6, 2009
Pros: No one at Norton should consider themselves a pro.
Cons: They should all be convicted and sentenced.
Summary: Slowed my XP laptop to a crawl, then froze it. Uninstalled it and went with Free AVG.
Summary: Slowed my XP laptop to a crawl, then froze it. Uninstalled it and went with Free AVG.
5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Having to setup a norton account is the biggest problem
by Pcforyou_com on May 20, 2009
Pros: nmOT MUCH NEED 10 CARATERS HER
Cons: many although a bit differnet from previous versions, still problems with missing spyware and virus. Upgading from previous versions problematic as it removes all previous norton products such as faxing software etc. WINFAX etc.
Summary: Better than before Plus Neg if you upgrade from 3 license version of older software program will install on second and third pc but tell you that the license is ...
Summary: Better than before Plus Neg if you upgrade from 3 license version of older software program will install on second and third pc but tell you that the license is priate software and will only install a 15 trial with link to purcase additonal licensee. Try as you might You cannot get to someone to try and rectify this problem without spend money to make the call In the US there is NO PHONE NUMBER TO REACH ANYONE AND INFO ONLY TAKES YOU TO PAGE TO PURCHASE NEW LIENCE EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE 1/2 YEAR LEFT ON OLD SUBSCRIPTIONS
GOOD LUCK WITH THE HASSLE4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Sleazy Renewal Method
by robocoprobert on March 16, 2009
Pros: It is dependable but renewal method is sleazy
Cons: Live Update is iffy at best
Summary: Norton is the sleaziest company. I purchased AV 2 years ago online. Since then, the firm has been billing my credit card without notice for renewal two separate times even ...
Summary: Norton is the sleaziest company. I purchased AV 2 years ago online. Since then, the firm has been billing my credit card without notice for renewal two separate times even after I notified the firm about this. I have called VISA to stop the auto-billing. Symantec is alienating one of its loyal users with this practice. I will never use this product again.
6 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.
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You be the Judge
by crowderdr on February 26, 2009
Pros: Not one thing
Cons: See the Summay it is junk
Summary: infected", "Security Alert" etc?
Mr. David Crowder:I get nothing from Norton it hangs when it reaches this file
Annsuma :Please wait for a couple of minutes.
Annsuma :David , are ...Summary: infected", "Security Alert" etc?
Mr. David Crowder:I get nothing from Norton it hangs when it reaches this file
Annsuma :Please wait for a couple of minutes.
Annsuma :David , are you getting any pop ups?
Mr. David Crowder:no I dont know how to make this any clearer there are no other
indications as to an infection or any other issue other than symantec update stop running and
norton stop at the indicated dll. I know you have a protocol to follow but if you dont have a
workaround or solution it is 130 am here and I will have to pursue this later
Annsuma :As I understand from your issue description, you suspect a threat on your computer
and you need help.
Am I correct?
Mr. David Crowder:yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Annsuma :Once there is infection on your computer, they would normally try to spread to
other files on your hard drive and to other computers/devices connected to your system. Most
of the times, they create/manipulate entries and keys in your windows registry. In these cases
we need to manually remove these registry entries and also remove the infected files.
Annsuma :So ,if you wish , our expert consultants will do a complete diagnosis of your
system, and troubleshoot any malware present on your computer. If required and if your
system permits they can connect to your computer remotely and do all this for you directly.
Mr. David Crowder:yes
Annsuma :Before we proceed , I would like to inform you that this is a paid consultation
service.
Mr. David Crowder:forget it I will just buy and install another product which can perform as
advertised
Annsuma :The Consultation fee would be US $99.99.We guarantee to identify any threats that
may be on your system. Once we have found them, we will remove them. In addition we
guarantee our work for a period of 7 days from today.
Annsuma :If you proceed , our expert Consultants would provide you the best solutions
possible based on their analysis of the threats on your computer. They would also provide you
with information to avoid from getting infected in the future. They would advise you based on
the specific configuration/settings of your computer and also answer your related concerns and
queries.
Mr. David Crowder:As an It professional with the Federal Govenment of Canada you can be
assured that I will not be recommending you product for any govenment procurements
Annsuma :David , Norton most probably is working well on your computer. But it ? s also
important to note that no security software can afford you 100% protection. This is because a
lot of environmental variables, the vulnerabilities of Windows and the softwares/applications on
your computer play a pivotal role in keeping your computer secure. If there is any level of
insecurity or any security holes, the possibility of a security breach is always present.
Mr. David Crowder:Please escalate this request to the incident and problem manager
Annsuma :David , I do understand your concern.But when you purchase the product, the cost
of the product is for the software, updates to the software and for the virus definitions. Apart
from this, there is an additional charge for value added services.
Mr. David Crowder:as stated please escalate as per your protocol. thank you for your
assistance
Annsuma :David , our supervisor would also suggest you the same.
Annsuma :Symantec provides free online support that has 'step by step instructions' to
remove the threats from your computer.
The free online support is available to you at http://securityresponse.symantec.com.
Mr. David Crowder:No problem please note I am now posting this incident to the internet
Annsuma :David , I do understand your conern.But as per company policy this is a fee based
service.
Annsuma :We guarantee to identify any threats that may be on your system. Once we have
found them, we will remove them. In addition we guarantee our work for a period of 7 days
from today.
Annsuma :David , are you with me?
Page 2 of 2 EN - View Transcript
27/02/2009 https://chat.symantec.com/sdcxuser/lachat/user/chat_view.asp?room=8ff98c55 -b6cf -44df - ...3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Abysmal customer service
by montigue13 on November 27, 2008
Pros: When no other products could clean a virus off my computer, Norton did the job...initially.
Cons: Got another virus with Norton loaded and it could not remove it.
Summary: Still have virus on machine, but it is contained and not doing anyting (emcodec trojan). Norton shows this virus every time I do a scan now. I contacted customer service ...
Summary: Still have virus on machine, but it is contained and not doing anyting (emcodec trojan). Norton shows this virus every time I do a scan now. I contacted customer service through instant message option for technical help on this matter, seemed like a cool option to get help. Gave them the low down on problems I was having and asked what could be done to get virus off computer. I got no response to my questions from the other end except for 30 minutes of a canned program telling me about virusses and how dangerous they can be. Then at the end of the routine they tell me there will be a $100 charge for additional help and asked for my credit card number so someone could help me. Grrrrr!!!! Horrible....They got me for a 1 year membership and now I have to pay them more money to really remove virusses because their great program can't do its job??? Really? Well, I'll ride out this membership and then search for a legitimate software company. Stay away from Norton!!!
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Horrid Performance
by ProToolsGeek on February 17, 2009
Pros: I like their logo
Cons: This product with WIN XP slows everything down to a crawl to the point it takes 20 seconds for the screen to refresh. (You can watch your screen slowly build like a SSB Slow Scan video.
Summary: Forget it unless you don't mind TRS-80 performance from your Alienware. The only worse product they make is Symantec 360 which will take over everything and leave you miserable ...
Summary: Forget it unless you don't mind TRS-80 performance from your Alienware. The only worse product they make is Symantec 360 which will take over everything and leave you miserable until you uninstall it. Also, the scan decides to run at 2:00 in the afternoon everyday no matter what settings the scan is set to, even OFF.
3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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PEOPLE JUST GET A FREE ANTIVIRUS ITS NOT GONNA KILL YOU
by Angmarr on May 17, 2009
Pros: Does a good job
Cons: A free program does it better
Summary: Avg is good but AVAST is AWESOME!!
TRY IT BEFORE YOU BUY THIS BLOATWARE!Summary: Avg is good but AVAST is AWESOME!!
TRY IT BEFORE YOU BUY THIS BLOATWARE!2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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can't install NAV2009 - tech support even spent 4 hours
by disgusted_white_male on December 27, 2008
Pros: i'm hoping for a refund at this point
Cons: will not install unless you remove way too many protections and programs from your machine.
Summary: "easy to install"!!! NOT!!!! Norton products used to work fine, but i've experienced nothing but trouble lately. Last year's Norton 360 fiasco and now NAV2009. NAV2009 does not ...
Summary: "easy to install"!!! NOT!!!! Norton products used to work fine, but i've experienced nothing but trouble lately. Last year's Norton 360 fiasco and now NAV2009. NAV2009 does not install easy. maybe it does on a new computer with nothing else loaded. I've been chatting with Symantec tech support for over 4 hours on two separate occaisions. They had access to my computer and still can't install NAV2009. IMHO, if you have a norton virus program running now, just pay for the subscription to be extended. I wouldn't upgrade unless you want to lose use of your computer and spare time.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Symantec Corporation
- Part number: 14131314
- Bottom Line: Norton AntiVirus 2009 hits all the right security notes, and its superior protection technologies might even win back some jaded anti-Symantec folks, though for some, technical support may continue to frustrate.
General
- Category Security applications
- Subcategory Security - desktop antivirus
- License pricing Standard
Software
- License Type Complete package
- License Qty 1 user
- License Pricing Standard
- Platform Windows
- Distribution Media CD-ROM
- Package Type Retail
System Requirements
- OS Required Microsoft Windows Vista Business, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP2, Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2, Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition SP2
- Min Processor Type 300 MHz, 300 MHz, 300 MHz
- Peripheral / Interface Devices CD-ROM
- System Requirements Details Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic - HD 150 MB, Microsoft Windows Vista Business - HD 150 MB, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium - HD 150 MB, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate - HD 150 MB, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP2 - RAM 256 MB - HD 150 MB, Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition SP2 - RAM 256 MB - HD 150 MB, Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2 - RAM 256 MB - HD 150 MB
Service & Support
- Service & Support New releases update
- Service & Support Details Virus definitions update - 1 year - availability: 24 hours a day / Monday-Sunday
Manufacturer info
- Symantec Corporation
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Symantec Corporation products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.symantec.com/
- Address:
20330 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino, CA 95014 - Phone: 1-408-517-8000
