Norton AntiVirus 2008 review | AV Scan

Monday, January 21, 2008

Norton AntiVirus 2008 review


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I've used Norton longer than any other software (yes, any kind of software). The current version is 2008, but its update servers are, still, slow; and since its the bestselling antivirus in the world, all the hackers seem to be intent on exploiting its weaknesses. Moreover, its uninstallation process is (and has always been) terrible: it just won't remove all the files, so you have to do that manually. And, it's more RAM-hungry than many of the newbies that do the job much better.

Symantec has this habit of coming up with minor variations of Norton every year: they're more or less the same, or only rarely significantly improved. Norton can be (and continues to be) a real pain at times: some of its updates have reportedly been chaotic (a bit like Windows in that department, eh). From my experience Norton is very poor at catching viruses, and even worse than a few free antiviruses. The excellent/good reviews and sales figures it enjoys every year is probably due to Symantec's aggressive marketing policies than anything else. Bottom line: forget it.

The good:
- Despite its horrible track record, it still exists

The bad:
- Can't sleep on it - poor detection rate
- Uninstallation process doesn't remove files
- Common target for hackers

The ugly:

- Grossly overrated and overpublicized

Price: $39.99
Go to: Symantec website

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