Rating: 
Summary: Full featured but heavy running
Review: This is a very full featured product. It checks every 5 minutes for virus and spam definition updates. Also, with one click you can help train your spam killer. And the firewall came with a wizard which made it effortless to configure it to my LAN.So it is with deep regrets that I uninstalled this program. I think I would have loved it if it did not slow down my machine so much. Relatedly, the burden on Windows 98 resources is huge. Unfortunately, one of my older programs necessary to my business would not even run. (It requires a high percent of windows resources to operate.) I'm going back to just running Norton Antivirus, and using my router software for a firewall, google to block pop-ups, and dealing with spam the best I can with my ISP. Maybe at some time in the future I will be able to run this program, but Windows 98 resource limitations, my computer, and my existing software make doing so now impossible.
Rating: 
Summary: Overpriced and Underpowered
Review: I bought Norton Internet Security years ago when it first came out. While it didn't have all the features I would have liked, it was better than anything else I could find at the time. Unfortunately, Symantec has since chosen to follow McAfee's lead in selling unbundled programs (It's better to sell 10 programs at $30 each than one integrated suite at $100), with conflicts between the programs, lots of bugs, no customer service, and a $30/year per program charge for updates. The only way we can show our dissatisfaction with this sort of foolishness is to vote with our feet. So I'm offering the following alternative, hoping that other reviewers will suggest others. Trend Micro has just come out with "PC-cillin Internet Security 2004," an upgrade of "PC-cillin 2003" (a top-rated anti-virus program---see Amazon user reviews), which offers a personal firewall providing protection from network viruses, spam email, inappropriate web content, and Spyware programs. If you do decide to move away from Symantec, you should be aware that the normal uninstall process will not remove all Symantec files from your computer (this has been a serious problem with Symantec from the beginning). In the case of Norton Anti-Virus and Norton Internet Security, the remaining files are likely to conflict with replacement software (they definitely do conflict with Trend Micro's products). To remove them, go to Symantec's website and download a file named "RnisUPG.exe". Run it, and it will remove the offending files.
Rating:
Summary: Cant believe I'm writing this
Review: I actually cant believe I'm writing this. I have been a loyal symantec customer for easily 10 years. If this review stops one person from buying Norton Internet Security 2004 then I'll feel better about this. If you have IS 2003 I strongly suggest keeping it and subscibing for updates. Stay away from IS 2004. I downloaded it hoping for a more secure firewall and security package. I always upgrade. What I got was a program full of bugs and crashes and what's worse - no support. I have 2 PCs that I loaded it on so it cannot be said that it's my other software. One PC is for media and the other for simple tasks. I never had issues with IS 2003 on either system. Since downloading IS 2004 I've had to reinstall it no less than 5 times! The program disables itself when it encounters a problem even when I'm not home. I've come home to find myself having been without firewall protection for hours. The error message that the program provides directs me to their knowledge base site. Each time this has happened the end solution is to reinstall. What's worse is the first two times I realized the issue was that IS 2003 left traces of itself behind. So basically Norton's own program is the problem. The knowledge base directs you through a complicated uninstall process involving the registry. This is okay for me but what about the average user? Why do they have to go through this when all they are looking for is a sense of security. I've experienced problems with using LiveUpdate for updates because of the same issue. The knowledge base instructs the user to reinstall the program or go through the process of making sure IS 2003 has completely vacated the building as if it was a competitor. Needless to say - emails to Symantec's support have gone either unanswered (I'm sure they are busy) or replied to with links to the same old knowledge base articles. I honestly never thought I'd be writing a scathing review of a product I've been loyal to, and recommended, for years but I feel it's necessary. Please stay with IS 2003 if you are considering the upgrade. Your peace of mind will thank you for it.
Rating: 
Summary: Norton Suite Works Great for Us
Review: Norton is my top choice. I have read many reviews. I have used it for several years. I use it on all three of our home computers. The computers range from one barely powerful enough to run Windows XP to a brand new one with plenty of power. These computers are used by two adults, a teenager and a six year old. We use the personal firewall, anti-virus, anti-spam, parental controls (Internet content filters), ad blocker and automatic live update features. We supplement the Norton suite with anti-Trojan, anti-spyware, password manager and privacy software from other vendors. We also use a hardware firewall router for our home network and have online virus and spam filters for our email accounts. I consider our network and computers to be 99% secure. Norton Internet Security 2003/2004 has been a PC Magazine editor's choice four times for the entire suite 11-25-03, firewall tied for editor's choice 11-25-03, anti-virus 11-25-03, and anti-spam 2-17-04 (posted online 1-31-04). It got a Small Business Computing award 1-23-04 (posted online early January). It has had positive reviews by eSecurityPlanet.com 1-22-03, the Inquirer 6-1-03, IT Reviews 2-17-03, and others. Why do some people have problems with Norton and other security products? All of these products do affect performance. You should only install the features that you intend to use and turn off the others. Before installing Norton, you should do all of the following things. Download and install Windows "critical updates", uninstall any other firewall or anti-virus software already on your computer (even Norton ones), make sure that the Windows XP internal firewall is turned off, run utility software like Norton Systemworks to check and fix the registry, scan your hard disk for Trojan horses and spyware, and throw out the trash either manually or with "cleaner" software. Lastly, use the Norton CD to scan your hard disk for viruses before installing the suite. When done, turn on the automatic live update feature.
Rating:
Summary: Says features are enabled when they're not!
Review: NIS 2004 can be a nice program *at times*, when it's working and you figure out how to deal with its quirks. But the stories about the bloated code, installation and unistallation problems (I've spent what seems like weeks installing and reinstalling for various reasons), instability, tech support indifference (and cost), etc. are all so very true. I could write a book about my experiences with those kinds of NIS travails. No program has ever caused me more problems. But let me talk about something I haven't seen mentioned: NIS 2004 tells you features are enabled when they're not!! Specifically, after my latest, very painful, uninstall and reinstall a few weeks ago, I decided not to turn on the Ad Blocking feature this time around. A week ago, I decided to enable it, and later noticed that -- even though NIS 2004 now had that nice reassuring "enabled" checkmark next to Ad Blocking on the main menu -- web popups weren't being blocked as they used to be. Then I did a little experimenting and found that the generally "behind the scenes" Privacy Controls (e.g., referrer and cookie blocking) were also non-functional -- even though Privacy also had that nice reassuring (?) "enabled" check mark next to it on the main menu. I did some searching of the Symantec knowledgebase and finally ran across an article titled to the effect of, "You reinstalled TCP/IP and notice that some features of NIS are not working." Huh? If that's true, Symantec, then why do your menus claim, "yes, these features are enabled" when in fact they are NOT FUNCTIONING? If I had elected to keep Ad Blocking turned off, in which case popups would not have raised suspicions, how would I have ever "noticed" that the Privacy controls weren't working?? Sheesh! The knowledgebase explained that NIS most load AFTER TCP/IP during the OS startup, and that if TCP/IP is reinstalled NIS will load BEFORE TCP/IP, causing "certain features" of NIS 2004 to become non-funtional. Well, maybe in my case this "surprise" was due to some recent work installing a wireless network. Symantec's solution to the "out of sequence" issue was the usual one: Uninstall and Reinstall -- which always turns out to be a bug-ridden all-night project, especially if you've got other Symantec programs on your PC (I have the misfortune to have Norton Utilities 2002 as well). The best I can say is that at least the most-crucial Firewall and Anti-Virus "Enabled" claims were true, based on a Security test. Oh...and NIS 2004 kept telling me my computer was being hit every few minutes by Netbus probes. After I made some adjustments it was telling me I was instead being hit every few minutes by SubSeven probes. That nonsense didn't stop until I installed a router/firewall. The vast majority of these were false alarms. I could go on and on. I've spent so many agonizing hours keeping this program working painful uninstall/reinstalls due to a host of NIS 2004-related problems and unpleasant "surprises". This program has casued me so much grief that Symantec has actually surpassed Microsoft on my arrogance, pc-infiltration, and screw-things-up lists. My recommendation is to definitely avoid NIS 2004. There are certainly good things about it *when it's (really) working*, but they are very outweighed by the definite and maddening "cons".
Rating: 
Summary: Do some research before purchasing
Review: Before installing anything on your computer, you need to do a bit of research before spending the money. This is definitely one of those products, especially as the company is leaning more towards making a profit. Unlike the other reviewers, I had no problem installing Norton Internet Security. The trouble came when I used it. A few days after installing, a hijacker got in through the security, and I lost all ability to use my browser. According to the reports, some viruses were quarantined, which causes my other virus check to keep telling about it. As others noted, tech help is really non-existent unless you want to pay for it, and help does not come cheap. If you use a dial-up Internet service, this program will bring your movement to a crawl. The program appears to check everything, which means that just loading a basic page (like this site) takes too long to be practical. Do your research before buying this program.
Rating:
Summary: CHECK OUT OTHER 'USER' REVIEWS FIRST
Review: Check not only this site, but other 'User Review' sites regarding this product - 80% or more EXTREMELY NEGATIVE. Even if the reviews were more positive, do NOT buy ANY Symantec Product UNLESS YOU WILL NEVER HAVE A NEED FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE - THERE IS NONE! I have just spent 4 hours AFTER HAVING PAID for my firewall SUBSCRIPTION RENEWAL trying to get my renewal activated. After going through 15 menus on-line to try and email customer service, I was given a form. I entered the info. When I finally got an email response, it had nothing to do with my question, then told me if it didn't help, I would have to REPEAT THE ENTIRE ON-LINE Process! I then called their "Customer Service" line - PUT ON HOLD FOR 30 MINUTES! Finally had to redo renewal by phone without answer to question. This is typical of ANY NORTON PRODUCT CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE I HAVE EVER HAD!
Rating:
Summary: Rebuttal of Norton support agent
Review: After reading the review of the Norton support agent, I felt that I needed to expand my review. I work in an operations lab for a Fortune 500 Co. We spend millions of $ for NAV. In addition, I have installed Symantec products on every server in my lab over the last 3 years. Hence, I felt comfortable purchasing a Symantec product. NIS 2004 is a flawed software. Some isp's help consumers by blocking communication on various unused or unusual ports. NIS uses an unusual port for activation. My personal computer runs an ad/spyware scanner & a registry cleaner on a weekly basis. Until recently, I've used older versions of NAV to keep my machine free of viruses. I run Ethereal network protocol analyzer every month, because checking the activity of various network protocols floats my boat. With all my experience, I was unable to activate my product. What chance does a normal user have of using this product? Cost is immaterial. Buy something from Amazon that works.
Rating:
Summary: Activation Problems
Review: I was unable to activate the 2004 version of NIS at home. If your broadband ISP (in my case, comcast) uses any type of firewall (ie. for packet filtering and/or port monitoring), please save yourself at least a weeks worth of troubleshooting. Currently, the only way I can activate this product is by phone. My last three computers have not had modems and my cell phone acts as my only phone connection. In addition, Symantec only provides "award-winning support" if you pay $30 a pop for live support. This is a documented problem. http://service.symantec.com/pcfix
Rating:
Summary: The good, the bad and the so-so
Review: I've been using Norton Anti-Virus in its many incarnations for over 5 years. Norton Internet Security 2004 is one of the more buggy implementations. Even for computer super-heros it's a pain to maintain when there is a problem. Bad:
Buggy program: I've had random Norton crashes forcing a reinstall of the product, not just once, but five times total on two separate systems. The uninstall/reinstall is a huge headache as others have pointed out. Accounts: If you are the only user that logs in on the computer and don't have children using the computer, don't install "accounts" (or parental control). It's very buggy. You must be logged in as the Windows administrator and as the Norton administrator to make changes to the Internet Security portion, and even then it's hit or miss. Privacy Control: The ad-blocking blocks many websites, some which you may wish to view. The screens to make changes are well hidden in Norton's configuration menus (here's a helpful hint: Privacy Control > Configure > Advanced > Add Site - type in website that has blocked features, check or uncheck desired features). Very unfriendly user design for such a popular consumer software product. So-so:
Firewall: Getting better, hard to understand for basic users, not enough features for advanced users. LiveUpdate is an essential feature to NIS. Symantec now charges an annual subscription fee for anti-virus definitions & program updates after the first year. The subscription implementation is one of the reasons it is so hard to completely uninstall the program. Good:
Anti-Spam - Up-to-date and catches most everything bad. Norton Anti-Spam was compared in a major tech magazine column with other popular anti-spam technologies and won the editors' pick. Anti-Virus - Extremely up-to-date. This is what they do best and continue to do it well. (Aside from the buggy program issues). Has paid for cost of subscription over and over again.
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