Norton Anti-Virus 2003 Review

This program is available directly from the vendor.

Vendor's antivirus software homepage:

Pros - Norton Anti-Virus 2003:

• Good virus detection rate
• Easy to use, automated
• Easy to update signature files
• New version (NAV 2003) includes support for instant messenger clients

• Slow on initiating a scan
• Log file could be more informative
• Doesn't remove trojans, you have to download a separate program
• Has trouble running on computers with multiple accounts
• Slow on disk-intensive work
• Resource hog, uses a lot of RAM
• Some users have reported dying dial up internet connection shortly after they have logged on the internet, reboot necessary
• You have to pay an additional $4.99 to have the option of redownloading your purchase later
• Expensive, not worth the extra $20 / $50

• Inadequate detection rate of backdoors and trojans (misses 1 out of every 4 viruses)
• Has trouble detecting viruses in zip files. No support for ACE or RAR archive files.
• Major compatibility issues with a wide range of third party programs, Zonealarm, Corel, AdSubract, and others
• Difficult to uninstall without manual intervention, involving cleaning up the registry (experts users only) and deleting leftover files

• Outlook
• Outlook Express
• Eudora
• and other POP3 clients (but none listed)

So why is it so highly regarded? The only reason I can think of is that reviewers do their testing on computers with few other programs installed but Windows, Office and internet access. Because those are the only instances where Norton Anti-Virus has performed flawlessly for me. Throw in your favourite freeware applications and Norton runs into major issues. If you start encountering the Blue Screen of Death, Norton Anti-Virus is likely the cause. Something to have in mind before you order.

If that was all I could have ended this review still recommending Norton Anti-Virus 2003, only leaving a warning about these issues I just mentioned. But unfortunately, there is more. Most importantly, Norton Anti-Virus 2003 fails to detect and clean several script viruses and backdoors/trojans. Norton has only limited support for compressed archives, the most common method to get infected besides by email. Norton Anti-Virus 2003 doesn't support either WinAce or WinRar, two very popular formats (only WinZip is more common). Furthermore, Norton Anti-Virus 2003 performs only average in detecting new and unknown viruses (heuristic scanning), leaving the user vulnerable if he/she fails to update the virus definitions.

Norton Anti-Virus 2003 also slows down a computer considerably when monitoring files, requiring a lot of RAM and taking up more disk space (70 MB) than any other antivirus software. Kaspersky uses only 4 MB of RAM and 11 MB disk space, and still detects viruses way better than Norton.

Finally, total cost of ownership is higher than in most other antivirus software. The subscription cost (to the virus definition files) is not that much, but for a software update Symantec will charge you $30. And since Symantec has adopted a policy of only supporting new operating systems in new software releases, the user is left with the option of spending $40-$50 every second year, or turn to a different antivirus solution.

While Norton Anti-Virus scores very well in AV-Test.org examinations with both zoo and in-the-wild viruses, unless the system it is to be installed upon has plenty of hard drive space, memory, and a fast processor, users might be better off with some of the less intrusive products on the market. Norton Anti-Virus 2003 provided stellar performance on a P4 with 256Mb of RAM and over 20Gb of available hard disk storage. Conversely, on a P3 with 64Mb of RAM and less than 100Mb of available hard disk storage (after installation), adverse performance impact was quite noticeable. If your system can handle it, Norton provides very good protection.

PCPlus, summer 2002
Editors rating: 9 out of 10

Symantec's philosophy is that virus protection should be as transparent to the user as possible, and it has been taken to the utmost level in this release. Norton AV can be configured to operate in the background independently of both you and your level of technical expertise. As well as the fully automated online updates for the program itself and the virus signatures, the program now scans and repairs or quarantines infected files as you work with no input required from you.

Norton AV 2002 stopped every test infection dead in its tracks, and the ability to revert to a DOS screen and grind Windows to a halt meant nothing got through. The installer seemed flaky on some machines, requiring more than one attempt, but the application itself is as well behaved and dependable as it ever was.
http://www.pcplus.co.uk/article.asp?id=31991

PC Magazine
June 2002
Editors rating: 5 out of 5
Users rating: 3 out of 5

The most intuitive program in this roundup, Norton Anti-Virus 2003 (NAV) is also one of the most powerful, providing superb virus protection and removal. Every task, from on-demand scanning to scheduling automatic scans, is very straightforward. NAV monitors Microsoft Office, all e-mail traffic for major e-mail clients, and SMTP and POP3 mail. In testing, NAV caught and cleaned every WildList virus we threw at it. The program's update feature, Symantec's LiveUpdate, is aggressive and simple, so you can easily keep your program and virus definitions up to date-an essential task for complete protection.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,11958,00.asp

CNET
Editors rating: 8 out of 10
User rating: 4 out of 10
03/28/02

Norton Anti-Virus (NAV) can seek out and destroy bugs better than an Orkin man, identify viruses faster than the CDC, and stomp worms harder than the cruelest kid. Version 2002 showcases a new, simple interface and provides some additional protection against e-mail and script-based nasties. If you're new to the antivirus game, purchase NAV 2002 ASAP. But if you already have Norton Anti-Virus 2001, pass on this upgrade, unless you're migrating to XP
http://www.cnet.com/software/ 0-806174-1205-6844862.html?tag=dir-rev

VUNET Network
18-06-2002

Not much has changed in this update to Symantec's established antivirus software. Norton Anti-Virus (NAV) runs on all versions of Windows, from 98 onwards, including XP. You can install NAV 2002 on a system running Windows 95B, but its antivirus protection defaults to NAV 2001 version of the signature. It performs both on-access and on-demand scanning, although if the former is working properly, the latter is rarely needed. Email and web protection is also provided and configured automatically.
http://www.vnunet.com/Products/Software/1131542