A year ago, I would not be praising Norton. In fact, if you mentioned a Norton product I would have told you to uninstall it. When friends and family asked me to fix their machines, one of the first things I would do was uninstall any Symantec Product on their system.
But times change, and I was impressed by Symantec Norton Internet Security 2009. The install time was under 50 seconds for me. The resources it used were far less than previous versions of their software.
But Norton 360 isn’t Norton Internet Security 2009. It’s a full fledged Security Suite with Backup Solution and System Optimization. Norton 360 is a combo of Norton Internet Security and what used to be called Norton System Utilities. Knowing this, I was kind of afraid of Norton 360, because I believed the bundling of Utilities and Internet Security caused previous versions of Norton to be bloated and slow.
So I didn’t think Norton 360 would live up to the expectations I now had for it because of my great experience with Norton Internet Security. Even after a briefing I had with Symantec last month where they showed that it would install fast and not gobble up System resources, I couldn’t just take their word for it. I wanted to test it out for myself. I basically bugged my contact at Symantec to get me a Gold Copy of the software so that I could check it out before it was released Today.
I will never doubt Symantec again. They are NOT BULL SHITTING US when they say their software will install in under a minute. Norton 360 ver. 3 installed on my system in under one minute. I SHIT YOU NOT.
I timed it at 52.3 seconds. Little slower than NIS 2009, but Norton 360 has more to offer than NIS 2009 does so it’s expected.
One of the biggest complaints people have with previous Norton Products was that they are impossible to uninstall. So, I uninstalled Norton 360, and it did it in less than 3 minutes. The uninstall process did take longer, but most uninstall processes do.
I then installed Norton 360 again; this time it took 56 seconds, but that’s still under a minute. I honestly still can’t believe it. I know that NIS 2009 installed in under 50 seconds for me. It just literally boggles my mind that they are able to install this security suite on my system so quickly. I literally can’t wrap my mind around it sometimes.
After having my mind blown away at how fast Norton 360 installed, I began playing with it.
Norton 360 is split up into 4 Categories: PC Security which handles Virus Scans and your Firewall, Identity Protection which manages your passwords and protects you from phishing attacks, Backup which pretty much is self explanatory, and PC Tuneup which helps you keep your system running fast.
Let’s start with the PC Security Category. Here you will find all the tools you have to protect your system from Viruses, Hackers, Spam and Spyware. There are tools that will scan your incoming Instant Messenger Files to SONAR which basically seeks out viruses on your system. You pretty much need not do a thing. Norton Automatically does it all for you.
However, if you are an advanced user like myself, you can edit settings. You can change the schedule and even tinker with the firewall in a way previous versions of Norton 360 did not allow you too.
Now let’s talk about the Identity Protection Category. Here you find tools that will help protect you from Identity theft.
One of the newest features in this Category is Norton Safe Web. Norton Safe web is basically a web service that notifies you if you are visiting a bad website.
For example, you go to Google.com and you search for something. Norton will place a green check mark next to the link if the site is safe.
If you hover your mouse over the green check mark or the grey question mark, you will be given a little info about the site.
If you click Full Report you are then taken here.
If the site is dangerous it will tell you what the site does that is bad. If you are a webmaster and your site is identified as bad and it isn’t, there is an easy and quick way to have Symantec scan your site again. If they still feel there is something wrong, they will notify you where and what they think is wrong. If their initial scan was wrong, they will correct the status in a few hours unlike other similar services.
In the identity protection category there is also a password manager which makes it easy to keep track of all your passwords. This has been present in the last few versions of Norton 360, but what is new in Version 3 is you are able to categorize your logins.
Then, there is the Backup Category which again is self explanatory. Norton 360 Version 3 allows you to easily configure how you want to back up your data. They even offer free online storage (2GB). This is not enough for the average person in my opinion, but you can purchase more storage if you need it. The cost for additional storage is $29.99 for 5 GB for a year.
Personally, I feel that Online Backup is not cost effective. With the time it takes to back up your data and the amount of storage the average person needs, an external hard drive is more cost efficient. I personally have 18 GB of Pictures alone that I want to back up, another 10 GB of videos, and loads of documents. My total backup is close to 32 GB and it grows by about 30 to 50 GB each year. The 100 dollars per 30 GB I would have to pay per year is a lot of money. I wouldn’t want to pay 500 dollars for online backup in 3 years when I can buy a Terabyte external Hard Drive for 150 dollars. I can buy 2 for $300. If I am really worried about losing my important data in a home fire, I can back it up to the 2nd drive and stick it in my safe deposit box at the bank. They charge $25 – $50 a year if you bank at Chase. They may even give you one for Free if you have the right account and Status with the bank (no minimum monthly deposit amount required). If you don’t have a safe deposit box at the Bank, you can go to your local office supplies store and get a Sentry Fire Proof and Water Proof safe for about $150. I actually bought one during Christmas on sale for $79.99.
A suggestion to Norton, if you want to increase the Online Storage Market, make the pricing reasonable. You may have to work with ISP’s to prevent them from capping and throttling users who are backing up large amounts of Data to your servers.
But you don’t need to use Norton 360 Online Storage for your backups; you can use a hard drive on your computer, an external hard drive, CD’s or DVD’s.
I personally have Norton 360 backing up to my Western Digital My World Book Edition NAS. While My World Book came with a free copy of WD Anywhere Backup, the Norton Backup Solution is 100 times better in my opinion. Sorry WD.
Now let’s move onto the PC Tuneup Category. Here is where you will find tools that optimize your hard drive. This helps speed up your hard drive. The registry cleanup is here; this helps keep your registry clean and error free. It also has a start up manager that is easier to understand than MSCONFIG.
You can even run a diagnostic report on your system. While that might sound scary, Norton has actually made it easy to read and understand. If you are an advanced user, you can dive deeper into the report as well.
Norton 360 Version 3 is an amazing product, and I still am shocked at the speed of its install. I also ran a virus scan, and that was super fast as well. It really helps that Norton 360 has Norton Insight which pretty much tells the Virus Scanner which files it can ignore because they are trusted.
Overall, it’s a fantastic product and a definite Must Have for any PC owner. If you just purchased a new PC and Norton 360 version 2 or lower is on it, upgrade to Version 3. You won’t have to pay a dime for Version 3 as long as you have time left on your subscription. If you don’t have time left on your subscription, buy it because it’s a great product. Because it’s so great and as we said a definite Must Have, we award Norton 360 Version 3 our March 5 Star Must have Award.
To get your copy of Norton 360 visit http://www.norton.com it’s worth every penny. Version 3 retails for $79.99 or $99.99 for the Premier version.
Comments: (40)
Arminio on Wed, Mar 04th, 2009 at 11:05 AM
I think this is one of those I gotta see it to believe it things
Marvin on Wed, Mar 11th, 2009 at 10:51 PM
I had tons of problems recently with AV360, a “Misleading Application” purporting to be finding and helping rid your system of imaginary viruses. It is of course at minimum a hoax that plays on the Norton 360 name. That being said, Norton 360 V2 did not prevent the installation of the downloader, did not prevent the installation and execution of AV360 and did not even detect it when a full system scan was run. To top that, Symantec’s “solution” was to pay their new “special ops” support staff $99 to fix it (guaranteed 7 days, whow!). I found many other AV tools that could find/fix the problem costing much less than $99. I chose the free version of SpyHunter, which identified the bad files and registry entries and provided a nice list that I could go down and fix myself. Did I mention the cost was a lot less than $99? I wonder why Norton360 cannot recognice AV360. Could it be that Symantec would rather collect the $99? Take another logical step—is it impossible to believe that Symantec created AV360? I’ve reported. You decide. But, I’m not upgrading to N360V3. I’ll repay SpyHunter with a license fee.
Jonathan on Thu, Mar 19th, 2009 at 06:43 AM
360 version 2 was wonderful (been using it the last month or so), I upgraded to version 3.0 two days ago and my laptop (Vaio with Vista Business) went completely ‘mad’, app’s would just hang, I couldn’t open half of the app’s from the desktop (double clicking them would do nothing) or start menu...complete mess! so uninstalled it & computer is fine again, no idea what 360 (version 3.0) did?? I’ll be asking symantec for a refund, pity, I’ve always supported symantec’s products…
Christian on Tue, Mar 24th, 2009 at 01:52 AM
I had the same problem as Jonathan (vista laptop), no thanks, I dont want anything that unstable near my pc. version 2 was fine though but version 3 is a joke!!
The Geek on Thu, Apr 09th, 2009 at 12:19 PM
The only thing not covered is if somthing happens to your computer and or fire damage if you backup to a cd or an external harddrive and keep it next to your computer, its all lost along with your computer. Online backups offer much more security over your data, even though it may take longer to access. I would suggest to backup your most important files online, and or at least get a copy of those files, CD, usb device out of your house somewhere else. 
Michael on Fri, Apr 10th, 2009 at 10:06 AM
Online backup systems fail all the time, how many users have lost their data because of badly managed online back up services?
External harddrive for 90 bucks is a lot cheaper than online backup and you can get multiple and save them in multiple locations
jos on Fri, Apr 10th, 2009 at 05:04 PM
Hi, i had the same experience as jonathan and christian. no thanks i’ll stay clear of norton 360, not impressed.
Jacquelina abreu on Mon, Apr 13th, 2009 at 10:05 PM
Setting and Fixinf All Computer Errors and Problems Tools
The Geek on Tue, Apr 14th, 2009 at 11:46 AM
Michael,
I am not saying online backup is the only way or the best way. All I am saying is if something is really important to you it is a good idea to make backups of it and not just keep a copy next to your computer. Online backup I think is great for smaller files, but it is also your responsibility to make sure you have plenty of backups of files that are most important to you.
The Geek on Tue, Apr 14th, 2009 at 11:54 AM
one a second note, how many people have lost data related to hard drive failures? thousands, so its no full proof method either. You can do a search on Newegg.com and read hard drive reviews you will find plenty of people saying their drives crashed a month or 2 later and they lost everything. So lets not make it out to be external hard drives are full proof. that’s why you want to make more then one backup of information such as resumes, family pictures, etc.. I will agree external hard drives are great for backing up your data fast, and getting it back fast. They are also great for moving large amounts of information from one computer to another. Online backup is slower to backup and restore and moving files from one computer to another sometimes can be a challenge.
HC on Wed, Apr 15th, 2009 at 09:02 AM
I had exactly the same problem. Version 3 is awful. Almost all my apps from my desktop hung.
After 3 restores, I narrowed it down and it was definitely 360 ver. 3. It also caused one of my DVD drives to totally dissapear. I had to manually fix that through the registry. Not sure what is going on, but a reliable product for years is now a disaster. One last note; I unstalled ver. 3 and reloaded version 2. Still have a conflict with new IE and Norton anti-phising, but that is better than loosing all those apps. Updating and uninstalling takes forever. When the subscription is up, I am done with Norton!!
dave on Thu, Apr 16th, 2009 at 11:21 AM
Well i think Norton 360 v3 2009 is worth its weight in gold and has not messed or tampered with any of my files. It litterally stops even the so called elite hackers and malware programmers right in their tracks. Ive used alot of different virus scanners and like computer geek said he would never reccommend norton well neither would I. Until now that is. I did research and found the firewall rocks, the pulse updates “very convienient” and all the other little nifty gadgets on norton 360 are far more supperior than any other anti virus program that iv’e bought. And come on what other antivirus program runs a thorough diagnostics report and automatically fixes errors. Like comp geek said, “You set it and forget it!”. The online back is the only thing i wouldnt waste my time with; other than that a well made product.
modular_geek on Thu, Apr 16th, 2009 at 11:45 AM
Dave,
I agree with everything, I would probably not use the backup my self Unless just for maybe some financial information and or resume’s something that is small. I would not count on it and would also keep other copies, but having one more copy of those things I really do not want to lose does not hurt. I think what people do not realize is hundreds + people use the software everyday “this refers to allot of software” and have no issues. If the software crashes a few computers there is a good chance that there was a conflict with something else on the computer, and or an issue that the new software uncovered. I was installing a game not to long ago and I got a blue screen and could no longer load windows. I tried to reinstall windows but no go, took the hard drive out and moved it into another computer still FDISK nor Formatting fixed the issue. I could blame the game but the truth is the hard drive was about to go and the game just pushed it. Have to remember in the software world everyone’s computer have different applications on them and are very unique to that individual. There is no software released that is a 100% full proof on every computer. Software companies speed millions in testing the software and running beta’s to fix as many issues as possible. The way I look at it is if you install something and it does not work try something else. I am sure if you reinstall a fresh copy of windows and install Norton 360 V3 on it for those of you running into problems you will not have any issues. So why blame just one piece of software when it could be a combination of items that are causing the incomparability.
dave on Thu, Apr 16th, 2009 at 01:34 PM
Well spoken. I’ve had programs that have crashed my pc and i think to myself well this sux but whatever you move on. Computers is like dealing with doctors. Some are compatible and some arent. and many people dont know their pcs very well neither and install programs without reading on the box the specifications or requirements and try it out anyway. its like taking a pill that you have know clue what it is or what its going to do to you. and people that have viruses buy these virus programs but the problem is its usually too late depending on the severeity of the virus. a virus is like cancer; it just keeps replicating itself and eventually just fries your system. If your an avid internet surfer you should always keep your pc up to date like religiously and have a bad ass virus scanner on your pc. o well some people just dont get it. I’ve never had complex issues or errors that result in my computer malfunctioning. I’m cautious and never accept or dl anything that looks suspicious.
i dunno well ttyl modular_geek. peaCe -dave 
منتديات on Sun, Jul 05th, 2009 at 02:58 AM
access. I would suggest to backup your most important files online, and or at least get a copy
منتديات on Sun, Jul 05th, 2009 at 02:59 AM
external harddrive and keep it next to your computer, its all lost along with your computer. Online backups offer much more security over your data, even though it may take longer to access
Jonathan on Sun, Jul 05th, 2009 at 10:08 AM
Dear Modular geek: I blame Norton 360 purely because it was immediately after I’d installed it that my computer went insane, and I hadn’t installed any other software...and, after I’d uninstalled it my pc was completely sane again...ergo Norton WAS the problem! no rocket science required on this one…
wcakhgxp on Sat, Jul 11th, 2009 at 09:18 PM
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Craig Kilstrom on Tue, Jul 14th, 2009 at 11:17 PM
Michael is obviously on the Symantec payroll. Again I say that Norton 360 could not find the fake virus software (a.k.a. trojan installer) imatating their name. If it could find any it should find that one. Their solution? Pay $99 for personal online assistance to get rid of it (guaranteed for 2 days). I would not trust Norton Symantec with any computer system I use. It’s a shame. They used to be the “gold standard”. But we’ve also seen this with other companies. Remember when Compaq made great computers? ... when Gateway made great developer workstations? ... and I could go on with hardware vendors. The same is true for the venerable Symantec Norton product lines. Don’t trust them any more. Do not buy them. Do not install them even if they’re given away free....
hd on Sun, Aug 16th, 2009 at 09:43 PM
Shame on you non belivers,the 360 v3 I think is a very good product.
Mike on Mon, Sep 07th, 2009 at 08:43 AM
See, this part I like.
Everyone curses or loves the online backup.
1. It’s a choice.
2. Anyone with a brain stem would know having more than one location (plus the original) is a good idea.
3. (And most important) Call me funn,y but most home users do NOT have access to a RAID-5 configuration, or dedicated backup software to network / tape drive locations.
360 as most people here probably know, is designed for your Gran as well as Mr. Gates himself should be so choose (though, 100% unlikely! .. he has enough problems).
I do use N360 3.0, on Vista Home Premium and XP Pro. No real problems, it moaned that I had 130 Installed programs on my “Diagnostic Report” ... but I have a large drive so screw it 
Other than that, so long as the end-user has common sense, I see no problems with it.
Mike on Mon, Sep 07th, 2009 at 09:20 AM
Aah, I forgot to mention.
N360 as well as a lot of other products, which know who they are… do NOT pick up all threats.
Malware Bytes for instance, Spybot S&D;, Lavasoft Ad-Aware.
I run Malware Bytes once a week, and let N360 do the business in the background .. and I get no conflict.
Due to this combination (with other AV programs in the past) I’ve managed to keep XP Pro going for about 5-6 years (with upgrades here and there) with no OS reinstall.
Michael on Tue, Sep 08th, 2009 at 12:24 PM
No product picks up all threats, all products pick up known threats and some products pick up threats that are no longer threats.
I have noticed a lot of companies drop defentitions if the threat is no longer a threat just so that they don’t eat up your disc space with so many definitions and some products continue to pick up threats so that they can appear to be doing their job.
Benson on Thu, Sep 10th, 2009 at 12:47 AM
Norton Safe Web delivers accurate site ratings by leveraging targeted crawling, a unique Intelligent Aging Algorithm and the 20 million member Norton Community Watch gadgets. In addition, Norton Safe Web also extends protection by providing ecommerce safety ratings that enable users to make informed decisions about whether to conduct a transaction with an online.
life cover on Thu, Sep 10th, 2009 at 01:46 AM
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