martytdx's Full Review: Symantec Norton Internet Security™ 2004 Full Ver...
IMPORTANT UPDATES AT THE END OF THIS REVIEW: 1/28/04 and 12/7/04
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Recently, my 'subscription' to the update service for Norton Internet Security expired (you only get 1 year with the program). I looked into my options: subscribe for another year for $45, or buy the new version for $69.99 - minus the $30 rebate (total cost = $39.99). So, being the thrifty sort of fella that I am, I figured that I would get the updated engine with the updates and fixes from last year already installed.
But was there anything new that would make it even more compelling? Well, actually there is.
• BACKGROUND •
I know, I know - you already have WinXP and their 'impenetrable' firewall ... and Harry Potter really lives in England with the Muggles. Seriously, with Microsoft announcing a new security hole every other week, you can't be too comfortable with the reliability of their included firewall, particularly if you have broad-band access. Add to it the other features that Norton Internet Security (NIS) bring to the table, and this is a no-brainer.
We've had a history with firewalls, since we have a network at home. We started with ZoneAlarm, which worked great on Windows 98. However, the Windows XP version was a nightmare - so we decided to give Norton Internet Security 2003 a try after the great success we had with Norton Antivirus 2002 and Norton Firewall 2002.
Norton Internet Security 2003 worked very well for us, despite a few minor glitches (wouldn't do the live update, some install problems), and kept us on the web and safe from attacks all year (including stopping a Denial of Service attack at one point). So, the decision to stay with Norton was easy.
• WHAT'S NEW •
Product authentication - actually, this was in the last version, too, but they are claiming that it's new. Hmmm...
Expanded Threat Detection Alerts tells you about non-virus threats, such as spyware and keystroke logging programs.
Web Assistant installs into Internet Explorer to let you block pop-ups and other ads directly from the IE toolbar instead of having to open Norton itself.
Network Detector allows user to define firewall settings while it automatically updates its internal settings to optimize how it works.
Norton AntiSpam filters unwanted messages in most email programs, leaving a visible SPAM tag in the subject line, so you can delete it easily. It also integrates into Outlook (and Outlook Express, Eudora) to automatically filter junk mail. It will also help do so for Hotmail and MSN accounts when accessed through Outlook.
NIS 2004 doesn't offer any huge additions to the 2003 version. Mostly, you are getting the results of 1 year of bug fixes and updates, although some of the components are enhanced. Besides the Anti-Virus and Firewall programs, it includes the Internet Security add-ons:
* Parental Control
* AntiSpam
* Pop-Up/Banner Ad Blocker
* Privacy Control
• INSTALLATION •
I have to admit, the installation of NIS 2004 was MUCH simpler than 2003. It takes quite a while to install (and the program takes up a whopping 200 MB of hard drive space, up from 90MB in NIS2003), but I didn't run into any conflicts One note: When you go to install this product, make sure to UNINSTALL PREVIOUS VERSIONS. It says that you shouldn’t have to do this, but I've read horror stories of failed installs which will require you to reinstall Windows XP itself. Save yourself the trouble, and uninstall your previous versions...
Aside from that, the only problem I had was that during the live update right after you install (which was an odd 26.8MB - kind of big for an 'update', don't you think? But I digress...). One of the components failed, but a subsequent automatic live update fixed it with no further effort from me.
They also advise you to run a complete scan before you install - if you're installing from scratch (never had Norton on your system), I would agree - if you are upgrading, I'd ignore this step.
• FEATURES • INTERFACE
The interface is virtually identical to the 2003 version, so there is no real learning curve if you are already familiar with any of the Norton products in the last 2-3 years.
The different components of the program are listed on the left-hand side of the dialog box (in my case INTERNET SECURITY and ANTIVIRUS, and the sub-programs of each component sit in the middle, along with their status and last update. Up-to-date components appear in a healthy green, while out-dated components show either a red X or a yellow caution note, as well as a large NEEDS ATTENTION at the top.
The interface offers several quick buttons along the top of the interface - the block traffic button is a crucial addition to the system – with one click of the mouse, you can completely stop all flows of information to or from your computer instantly. This is crucial if a hacker was attacking you, since it allows a complete disconnection of your system from the Internet, saving critical time and data. The Live Update button starts the process of updating all components to their latest versions. As with past versions, Antivirus has regular weekly updates, although particular threats may create more frequent downloads. The Options button gives you full access to many of the features of the Internet Security program.
In the main window, you see the status of the each component, and for the Internet Security functions such as Parental Block, you can change settings for each user from here.
One quirk is that when starting from the taskbar, it always seems to require double-clicking on the icon twice to get window to come up. Strange but not a big deal.
Norton Antivirus
The 2004 version of Antivirus is essentially the same as 2003. They speak of better detection of more insidious programs (such as Trojan Horse, scripts, etc.) and 'improved email scanning'. The email scanning is a mixed bag - it is even less intrusive, but it seems to me that it actually takes longer to scan. I'm half tempted to turn it off on the outgoing mail because of the delay.
The new version is supposed to also have improved capabilities at isolating and cleaning infected files, although I still haven't really had a problem with virus files, so I can't speak to this.
Norton Firewall
If NIS 2003 Firewall was easy to set up, NIS 2004 was flawless. It installed in a snap, and worked flawlessly from the start. NIS asks what programs you want to allow full access, or you can do each program on the fly. It even reviews the software on your computer so that you can quickly decide whether to allow it access or not. And if any program tries to access the Internet without your previous permission, you get a dialog box warning you, and giving the chance to block or allow it access. I do notice that it happens more frequently now, but maybe it's because I have more unfamiliar software.
Internet Security
There are four main components of this part of the program, and each can be customized to a particular users tastes. Primary (for me, at least), are the privacy control and Ad blocking.
PRIVACY CONTROL enhances your browsers settings for which information you want to have transmitted to sites, downloaded by sites or even what you want your computer to look like to an ad server. It duplicates the features of Internet Explorer itself, but gives even more security - you can actually program it to keep certain elements of personal info encrypted and unreachable from the net!
AD BLOCKING is a phenomenal tool, quickly and easily blocking many of those annoying pop-ups (such as those our beloved Epinions tries to load on us). Unfortunately, some true images are regarded as ad banners, so you might have to disable it on certain sites. In NIS 2004, Norton has added a plugin for Internet Explorer that I dislike - it automatically adds an Ad-Blocker toolbar into your Explorer window, messing up whatever set-up you already had. To have it as an option would be okay, but I was annoyed to have to turn it off (luckily, it CAN be).
AntiSpam is Norton's method of helping you sort the junk mail in your inbox. In addition to filtering mail from known spammers, it marks e-mails that fit its profile for spam with a big *SPAM* in the subject line so that you know to delete them. UNFORTUNATELY, one of the other 'enhancements' is a plugin for Outlook to detect and remove spam - it installs as another toolbar which I have tried to remove, but still shows up EVERY time you start Outlook. An email to Symantec has told me that it can't be stopped, even though I have AntiSpam turned off. If you WANT this toolbar, it offers 4 self-described functions - THIS IS SPAM, THIS IS NOT SPAM, EMPTY SPAM FOLDER and OPEN NORTON ANTISPAM.
Parental Alert duplicates the features of many mid-range Cyber Sitter-like programs. You can set up each user to have particular sites that they can or cannot access, which sites can see or send certain information, etc. In one of the few things that I didn't like, it required me to put in settings for all users on my computer, even though I didn't want the program running. Not a big deal, but an annoyance.
LIVE UPDATE
Automatic LiveUpdate is a great feature that allows the program to automatically update in the background, without you having to fuss with it. In NIS 2003, I couldn't get this to work, but it seems to have worked very well so far in NIS 2004 - no glitches and I've been updated every time that I look.
If you should want to do a manual update, the LIVE UPDATE buttons at the top of the Component Window give you easy access to getting updates to all NIS components in a quick, easy manner. This would be useful for dial-up connections, or for those who don't want to have the auto-update running.
WHERE TO GET IT
I looked around for the best price and found that AMAZON.COM had the best deal ($69.99 - $30 upgrade rebate). Some of the office supply stores (OFFICE DEPOT, STAPLES) are offering free NIS when you purchase certain tax software, so you might want to check that out as well.
WHY NOT JUST GET ANTI-VIRUS and FIREWALL INSTEAD?
I found that I could get both Norton Antivirus and Firewall for about $30 apiece, so NIS offers a better deal. Also, based on the conflicts that I had in the past when installing them separately, the seamless integration of NIS is a huge bonus.
FINAL THOUGHTS
FINAL THOUGHTS
As a whole, I'm glad that I updated - I'm paying less (after the rebate) than I would to have gotten a new subscription. The interface seems to be quicker than the previous version and runs well on my system. Installation was easy, if a bit lengthy.
My only problem is the invasiveness of some of the tools, particularly the plugins for Microsoft products. Some may appreciate the tools, but I would have liked the option of whether I wanted them crowding my desktop or not, especially since I have them turned off. So, NIS 2004 is more intrusive than its predecessor.
But it is a good program. As I said, I don't trust the WinXP firewall, but I do trust the protection that I get from NIS, as well as the added safety from viruses that the less savvy relatives send my way. NIS has some problems, but they are minor - and the good highly outweighs the bad. If you connect to the Internet frequently – PARTICULARLY if you have a broadband connection – make sure that you go a little further and get the full protection that this program offers.
And remember - just because you're paranoid, DOES NOT mean that they aren't out to get you.
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