Norton AntiVirus 2009
Symantec's Norton AntiVirus products have always been among the most popular ones in the market because the company listens to client demands and criticisms when it makes its software updates. And with the Norton AntiVirus 2009, Symantec has once again managed to land among the top spots in various anti-virus software reviews. Not only does the AntiVirus 2009 have shorter scanning times, it also sports new features that ensure better protection from viruses, worms, spyware, and other malware.
Features
Among the key features of Norton AntiVirus 2009 are the anti-spyware scanner, instant messaging protection, Rapid Pulse, email scanning, and Norton Insight. The instant messenger protection feature scans the links sent and received in IM messages, and works in the following instant messaging clients: MSN, Yahoo, AIM, and Trillian.
The product's email scanning feature supports standard POP3 and SMTP-compatible email clients. The AV 2009 also allows users to lock down the program and configuration settings to prevent other computer users from changing the restrictions and limits you've set.
Many are also in awe of Norton Insight, one of the features found in the AV 2009 version. Norton Insight is responsible for identifying which files in your computer are trusted and safe, making your routine, full-system scanning time significantly shorter. Users can choose between Norton AV 2009's Quick Scan and Full System Scan to check their computers for viruses, worms, spyware, bots, and other malware.
The Rapid Pulse feature allows Norton AV 2009 to look for and install updates every five to fifteen minutes, thus assuring users that their anti-virus program is constantly updated and made more effective in detecting viruses. Software signature updates are also provided must faster, allowing users to keep up with the constantly evolving malware that are detrimental to your computer's health.
As if that's not enough, the new Norton Protection System also employs multi-layered security technologies which all work together to detect, identify, and prevent your computer from being attacked by different types of viruses.
Installation and Setup
Many users are raving about how the installation time has vastly improved with Norton AntiVirus 2009. Some even report completing the entire installation process in just a few minutes. Also, the 2009 version no longer asks users to reboot after the software has been installed. Once the intallation process is complete, your computer is immediately ready for use.
One downside to the AntiVirus 2009, however, is that some components are left in your machine even after you've successfully uninstalled the program. According to some users, they found a few registry entries and directories left behind, which they had to delete and remove separately. The LiveUpdate feature is reportedly among the programs components that you'll have to manually delete after you uninstall the software.
User Interface
The Norton AntiVirus 2009 sports a cleaner and more sophisticated user interface, and with changeable skins to boot. This version's interface also makes it easier for users to access specific tools and turn them on and off - minus the hassle of going deep into the configuration settings.
If you want to customize and tweak the configuration settings, all you have to do is click below the main page and you'll instantly be directed to the configuration settings page. Popup dialogs also appear on the interface to explain specific system terms.
At the lower left-hand side of the interface are bar graphs that indicate the overall usage of Windows resources and those used by AV 2009. Some users even commend Symantec for presenting data in bar graphs (as compared with other anti-virus programs that use line graphs) because according to them, these are more visually friendly and easily understandable.
Depending on where you buy it, the Norton AntiVirus 2009 can cost from $19.99 to $52.00.