Everyone is aware of the well publicized virus infections dealing with e-mail infestations causing great damage to large companies. You, the individual, have just as great a risk as the large companies for virus problems. These problems can range from formatting the hard drive, to installing a "backdoor" allowing outsiders into your machine without your permission. An up to date antivirus scanner, along with current virus definitions are a necessary prevention tool. Oh yeah, I almost forgot; the second tool is a quality firewall.

I have used Norton Utilities for years and really like the product, so I expected I would like the antivirus as well. My current antivirus program is McAfee antivirus. I am very satisfied with it, and would not hesitate to recommend it to those who ask. My curiosity was in whether I could run both McAfee and Norton simultaneously. Before viruses became so sophisticated, it was fairly common to try multiple antivirus applications run at the same time. The basic theory was some is good, more is better, and too much is not quite enough. What one misses, one of the others should catch. Usually this worked. The current generation of viruses is so sophisticated, that the scan engines used to detect the viruses will sometimes think that another antivirus application is actually an invading virus and act accordingly. I was aware of this, but after reading some tests of various antivirus applications, I noticed that all of them had at least one failure. As I mentioned, I have used McAfee for years, and, knock on wood, have had no virus problems. I HAVE had viruses actually make it onto my machine, but McAfee prevented any unpleasant experiences. If I could get both McAfee and Norton to peacefully coexist, I would have about as good an antivirus protection as it was practical. 

Norton AntiVirus 2001 installed without a whimper, either from itself, or from McAfee! Cool! I figured it (they) were just playing possum, and would exact some nefarious revenge at exactly the worst possible opportunity. Nope. At the time this review is being written, I have had absolutely no problems with either program interfering with the other. 

I have noticed one difference between the two, at least on my machine. McAfee scans a download when I attempt to download, and if it thinks a virus is present, complains about me continuing the download. It tries to clean the file if possible, and reads me the riot act if I download it anyway. Some files so offended McAfee it refused to allow them to download. Norton allows me to download, but scans them before I am allowed to save the file. If a file is infected, it tries to remove the virus, and requests I delete it if it cannot be cleaned. Both methods are equally effective, and I don't really have a preference between the two. 

Norton has an automatic update feature that can be set to check on virus definition updates each time you boot your machine, or on a schedule, just like McAfee. One annoying feature is Norton wanting to act as a server when it starts up. I don't want this, so I do not allow it. It doesn't appear to effect the operation, so use your own judgement. A note here about updates; whatever antivirus program you choose, check FREQUENTLY for virus definition updates from your publisher. Do not install and leave it. A quality application will have updates at least monthly, and maybe every two weeks. They should also have emergency updates for problems that occur demanding immediate attention. Do not forget to change the scanning engine every two years, or whenever a new one is released. It is not enough to just update the definitions, as the scanners are quickly compromised.

Something I noticed after installation was the LiveUpdate feature came up and requested I check for newer virus definitions. A good idea, as my CD was not the newest version, and new viruses had been discovered since it was burned. The problem was, it connected, and then notified me I had everything up to date! Duh, that can't be right. Virus definitions are updated monthly if not weekly, and mine was almost past it's sell by date! I accessed the Symantec web site, retrieved the definition update, and performed a manual update. No problem. I then began trying to find out why the automatic update did not work. Registration! An ugly word indeed. Since the days of product SUPPORT, discounts on REAL upgrades, and notices on useful products from the product publisher ONLY, I see no real use for wasting my time, or providing information that is none of the company’s business anyway, by registering. I decided to do it this time because I was reviewing this product. Bingo. The automatic update now works. I do not know for sure if this is due to registering, but it does now work.

This is a good product, and I can recommend it right along with McAfee. It is available locally for $39.00 to $49.00, and the new 2002 version has a $20.00 manufacturer rebate through 12/31/02. I have even seen it as low as $19.99 on sale. 

Symantec Corporation
20330 Stevens Creek Blvd.
Cupertino, CA 95014