Created by the guys over at Symantec, Norton Antivirus promises to be the perfect antivirus solution for every computer, as it delivers “industry-leading” (Symantec's very own words) protection against all types of infections. But is that really so?
During our test, we were really surprised to see how easy and fast someone can install this application. Truth is, the installer doesn't look too professional though, although it's extremely efficient and takes only a few seconds after everything is dropped in the right place. And it doesn't ask for a computer restart, something that was mandatory in the past and allowed viruses to spread and sometimes disable antivirus protection.
The interface seems a bit too crowded and clunky and we wouldn't really expect such a main screen from an antivirus that's supposed to be a leader in its segment. The settings menu comprises tons of options, but as always, you should pay extra attention when browsing through them.
Another problem we experienced during our test is related to the update process which seems to take ages when running Norton Antivirus for the first time. It depends on the Internet connection indeed, but the size of the first update has reached in our case 175 MB, so dial-up users might not be happy with such news.
A really good thing is the fast scanning process that's also quite friendly with computer resources. Plus, it is very efficient thanks to the virus definition updates that are delivered very often, sometimes even several times an hour.
We've tested the trial version of the application, which is limited to 60 days of use and comes with some nag screens to present you the benefits of buying the full package. After this period, you have to either buy a license or uninstall the program completely.
