Software Evaluation: Norton AntiVirus 2003

Introduction:

I installed Norton AntiVirus 2003 on my new desktop because it is the one that I installed in my old computer, which worked well before. I trusted this anti-virus product since my last two computers had never been affected by virus in the past. I think I need to repeat some general system information of my computer, (although the information was presented in my last assignment):

• Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.0 GHz;
• 640 MB of RAM;
• 60 GB IDE Hard Disk;
• DVD-ROM and CD-RW;
• BCM V.92 56K modem;
• Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Version 2002, Service pack 1.

Email and the Internet connect us to world, but unfortunately these can also open our system to attack. Norton AntiVirus™ 2003 scans and cleans instant-message attachments as well as email messages. It removes viruses automatically, without interrupting our work. And automatic updates help defend our PC against new viruses.

Installation:

I installed Norton Antivirus 2003 from the retail CD:

1. Closed all programs before beginning the installation.

2. Inserted the installation CD into the CD-ROM drive. Then the Installation wizard appeared.

3. Clicked Install Norton AntiVirus 2003. The Microsoft Installer attempted to start the installation. This took a few moments. Then I was prompted to restart the computer and I did so.

4 . After the Windows interface loads, the Information Wizard appears. Click Next to continue. The first registration panel appears.

5 . The program began to scan the whole computer system for the first time.

Description:

“Symantec's Norton AntiVirus™ 2003 is the world's most trusted antivirus solution. Now this easy-to-use program scans and cleans instant-message attachments as well as email messages. It removes viruses automatically, without interrupting your work. And automatic updates help defend your PC against new viruses. Protect your PC today with award-winning Norton AntiVirus.” (Symantec’s website)

Key features:

• Removes viruses automatically
• Protects email and instant messages
• Automatic updating defends against new viruses

On the official website of Symantec, the price for Norton Antivirus 2003 is $49.5. But people can always find less expensive ones on other software sale websites.

Criteria for testing and the tests results:

• Includes step-by-step instructions for installation: Yes
• Installation Comments: Most people do not understand the different checking options while installation, so they just click on “next” or “OK” to continue the process till the installation is completed. So In my point of view, there are many confusing messages.
• Generally speaking, Easy to use: Yes.
• Detects and blocks viruses in instant message attachments: Yes.
• Automatically removes viruses, worms, and Trojan horses: Yes.
• Scans and cleans both incoming and outgoing email messages: Yes.
• Downloads new virus definitions automatically to protect against new viruses: Yes.

Recommendation:

1. Sometimes the program doesn’t work well: The execution speed was low, so I had to restart the computer to solve the problem. In such case, even scanning a small word file will take more than 10 minutes, so I had to click on the “stop scan” button on the right side of the window below:

If you also encounter such kind of problem, just restart the computer.

2. Norton is updating very frequently because the viruses are updating quickly. So even if you bought the latest version of the software, it would become “old” after a couple of days. So make sure you often download the latest version online. Although Norton is a good anti-virus software, if you don’t have access to the Internet, do not trust it so much.

3. If any anti-virus program is currently installed on your computer, un-install it before proceeding, such as McAfee. It is required in the Norton Antivirus installation wizard, so users should follow it to avoid any conflicts in the computer system.

4. If you currently have NAV 2002 installed and you want to move the options from NAV 2002 to NAV 2003, then do not uninstall NAV 2002 before installing NAV 2003.