Security software with the common name Norton from the American company Symantec, which is rightfully considered one of the founders of antivirus technologies, has been known for a long time on the market of such software. Many install them on both home computers and office terminals. However, if you read the reviews about the Norton antivirus described in this article, you will find completely contradictory statements. Some praise him, others scold what the light stands on. What is the reason for such an ambiguous attitude to the line of these software products?
Norton Security Antivirus: General Information
Today, Norton Security is the most popular security software developed by Symantec. This product allows you to use several types of protection for personal computers, as well as user actions performed on them, offering several types of basic software.
It is immediately evident that free versions of this antivirus package do not exist at all, and any of the three offered on the official website is shareware and can be used as a trial version for thirty days, after which it is proposed to issue an annual or two-year subscription . At the same time, everyone can choose for themselves the most suitable tariff package for their needs (Standard, Delux and Premium).
It goes without saying that all versions have quite strong differences among themselves, however, for the most part it concerns some advanced functions such as ensuring family safety, using the web portal to configure common parameters for several terminals and accessing cloud storage about 25 GB in size for backup copy user data.
In addition, the standard modification is intended for installation on only one computer or laptop, and the other two can be installed on five and ten devices, respectively. But for any package, as stated on the official resource, the Virus Protection Promise service is provided - virus removal by the development company’s specialists throughout the subscription period, as well as a guaranteed refund if it is impossible to remove any threat. But what do the reviews of all those who use (or used) it in practice say about the Norton Security antivirus? Surprisingly, opinions about this software product can be found diametrically opposed.
Norton Antivirus: user reviews on installing a software product
As it is believed (and this is confirmed by the opinions of many experts), the installation for Windows users looks somewhat unusual, and almost nothing can be changed during the installation process. But this is only at first glance. The fact is that negative reviews about the Norton antivirus are left mainly by those users who simply did not fully understand during the installation process.
At one of the first stages, it is necessary to deactivate the point of joining the Norton Community Watch community, so that then the user program does not bother with its offers and reports. If necessary, you can change the installation path, and at the final stage view the installed components.
With regard to system requirements, reviews of the Norton Security antivirus for Windows XP (for example) indicate that it works on 32-bit systems even with a second service pack (and not a third), it requires only 256 MB of RAM, in the presence of an outdated processor with such a frequency - 300 MHz!
Hard disk space after installation is about 300 MB. For later systems, system performance is also low. It is enough to have a processor with a frequency of 1 GHz and RAM at the level of 1-2 GB for versions 32 and 64 bits, respectively.
Norton antivirus: reviews of specialists about the program’s work and protection settings
After installing the program, nothing special needs to be configured, since the assumed default protection options for personal computers are optimal.
In addition to installing the main components, the antivirus embeds its own tools in all web browsers without exception, which provides better protection. But this, alas, cannot be avoided. On the other hand, maybe this is for the better. However, according to the testimony of both users and experts, the antivirus often blocks reliable resources and also lets threats through.
With regard to resources, clear recommendations are made regarding the fact that some domains should be included in the exclusion lists. One can argue with the omission of threats (here opinions are clearly divided). However, many note that the minimum number of configurable parameters facilitates the use of this software by ordinary users.
What annoys users the most
Finally, reviews of the Norton antivirus often contain angry criticism of developers for the reason that this software product loads the system resources too much. Apparently, this is noticeable on older systems like XP and Vista. However, there are those who can’t get enough performance, considering that the operation of the antivirus in the background is absolutely invisible.
But the biggest problem is the complete removal of suspicious files without any confirmation or sending them to some kind of “cloud” for verification. Reviews about the Norton antivirus in most cases suggest that this somehow concerns the photos. Indeed, such a problem is observed in the standard version, for which the backup of graphic images to the cloud storage is not provided. But with the premium modification there are no such problems.
Program removal issues
Regarding the uninstallation of the antivirus, there is no unity among users either. Apparently, angry publications about the impossibility of completely removing the antivirus and blocking even its main files are left only by ignorant users who themselves do not really understand that any antivirus software needs to be deleted only when the system starts in safe mode.
In addition, it is not recommended to use standard system tools, such as the program and component section, under any circumstances (it is best to use either the built-in uninstaller or special programs like iObit Uninstaller). And unlocking files with “Unlocker”, which many people try to resort to quite often, is absolutely useless in this case, as well as manually cleaning the registry after using Windows tools.
What is the result?
Summarizing and taking into account the opinions of users and experts, it is worth agreeing that it is unlikely that the company that was at the origins of creating anti-virus packages would allow itself, having enormous experience behind it, to give out an incomplete software product that would undermine its reputation. And all the negativity that can be found in reviews is most often left by those users who simply did not understand the essence of the configuration and use of this antivirus. It is a pity that this package does not have free versions. Indeed, this can be called a rather fat minus.