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Featuring a wide-ranging array of powerful features in addition to a completely new approach to online secureness, Norton is the way to go in 2012.

Norton AntiVirus 2012 takes it up a notch from the 2011 edition and with these enhancements came a whole new realm of possibilities for people used to Norton quality to keep their computers virus free and also keep their confidence level in Norton high as well.

Combined with sustained creativity and competent implementation, the 2012 installment should certainly always keep Norton clients satisfied. Let’s face the facts, none of us are able to refute that Symantec/Norton is among the big boys when it comes to the anti-virus market, and Norton AnitVirus 2012 doesn’t leave us wanting.

The 2012 edition of Norton Anti-Virus shows improvements upon earlier editions with the inclusion of some compelling features specifically engineered to catch by far the most lethal viruses (those that aren’t discovered through standard security signatures).

Let’s Talk About Performance and Effectiveness:

Features aren’t what make an anti-virus program effective despite the fact that the 2012 edition is jam packed with quite a few user-friendly features. What makes a virus-program powerful is its capability to identify and eradicate viruses from your personal computer.

The overall effectiveness in the computer software stems from the comprehensive coverage supplied by several layers. Every component is thorough, and combined to provide protection from all angles.

Norton now supports a huge number of browsers (Chrome, Opera, Safari), e-mail clients (Outlook and Outlook Express) IM customers(Yahoo, AOL and MSN Messenger), download managers (FileZilla) and even P2P sharing customers (Bittorrent, Limewire).

Norton AntiVirus is certainly efficient at protecting your personal computer; now more-so than ever. AntiVirus 2012 is equipped to defend your computer from viruses, Trojans, worms, bots, spyware, rootkits, hackers, along with other malware threats, no matter whether they’re on the web or in emails or IM messages.

The conventional virus detection approach of matching signatures is robust, and continuously updated to defend your pc. Advanced heuristic detection has turn out to be the standard in antivirus software, and Norton does an excellent job of proactively analyzing files and their behavior to quit suspicious malware

Lineup of Capabilities:

Along with protecting your Pc against spyware and viruses, Norton AntiVirus software scans instant messages and email to check for infected attachments, suspicious links and viruses. It also scans your Facebook newsfeed to discover links to unsafe sites or dangerous downloads.

The Symantec technology that analyzes file behavior is known as SONAR (Symantec On-line Network for Advanced Response). Its primary job is to detect brand new threats, so-called zero-day threats.

SONAR examines what any specific process is carrying out on your pc, and it also looks at communications to and from your personal computer to detect any patterns or series of associations that fit the malware profile.

The software is fast to install and it runs in the background and doesn’t consume memory or difficult disk space. The control center is organized with tabs.You are able to pick a straightforward view if you want to delegate protection choices, or a detailed view in the event you like to twiddle with controls.

Norton detects whenever you connect for the net over a 3G network and it stops producing any updates which are not essential so that you don’t have to pay your carrier for excess information.

Aid & Support

Within the rare case you have problems with installation or other issues, Symantic has an award winning customer support group that is obtainable on the web or by live chat, along with telephone and email 24/7.

And speaking of installation, Norton AntiVirus 2012 is among the easiest packages to install on your laptop or computer we have found. Management of your Norton goods continues to be cloud based, so you’ll be able to install, transfer, update or renew Norton product subscriptions from anywhere on the web.

So In Summary:

In terms of anti-virus protection you can’t go wrong with Norton Anti-Virus 2012 and the hundreds of thousands of pleased clients are a testament of this fact.

Should you be in need of a robust, trusted security solution for your computing needs Norton Anti-Virus 2012 will not leave you hanging and we fully recommend it without hesitation.

McAfee AntiVirus Plus continues to uphold their coveted position as one of the best virus protection packages available as with their previous editions wherein you can expect to receive protection against viruses, worms, spyware, Trojans and rootkits.

In addition to the above you can also rely on McAfee AntiVirus Plus to sufficiently detect and avoid attacks from hackers, phishing scams, dialers, adware and malicious scripts. This software package also has bragging rights as one of only a handful of virus protection packages designed to include a two-way firewall.

McAfee AntiVirus Plus is equipped to protect your computer from threats regardless of where they come from, including network threats, online scams, malicious websites, risky downloads and files shared through email or IM.

Ease of Use & Installation:

McAfee AntiVirus Plus scores well when it comes to ease of installation wherein even the most novice user will be able to install and setup this package, and if that was not enough the engineers at McAfee also designed the software to eliminate threats while in the process of installing itself.

This function is useful because it allows you, the user, the opportunity of detecting and eliminating infections already on your computer without the risk of getting blocked by malware already on your computer.

Package Functions:

As with previous editions of McAfee AntiVirus Plus  the user has the ability to schedule scans manually and or have the system schedule automatic scans without your input. As far as control goes, McAfee AntiVirus Plus  has one of the easiest to understand and operate control panels available on the market.

As an added bonus, McAfee AntiVirus Plus doesn’t require you to consistently assist with regular maintenance because it is designed to to protect your computer in real time, as you access files or browse online.

Of course there is no perfect virus protection suite available and McAffee AntiVirus Plus is no exception to the rule but the positive side of the package is not overshadowed by the negative  as popups are concerned.

You the user can easily turn off the nonessential notifications as they occur or keep them running so as to notify you of every event to hit your computer. As briefly mentioned above, you can schedule scans manually and to have them occur when you won’t be using your computer.

If you happen to be operating a laptop or netbook, you can adjust the antivirus software to not scan unless you’re plugged in. This antivirus software includes a digital file shredder that safely and permanently removes sensitive files.

SiteAdvisor, a link scanner plugin, provides security ratings on individual websites to protect you from online threats. SiteAdvisor makes it easier to shop, download and surf safely. The utility includes a toolbar that shows the security status of the site you’re currently on and adds unobtrusive security rating icons to each result from a search.

Updates:

When it comes to updates McAfee AntiVirus Plus doesn’t leave you wanting wherein the system will update itself without your assistance.

It also is sophisticated enough to maintain the highest levels of security without any input from you by automatically updating all security threats in a timely manner thus keeping your system up to date with the latest library of threat elimination

Help & Support:

McAfee offers a number of resources for additional help, as well as outlets for personal assistance. Online, their antivirus software support center includes technical support and customer support with a searchable knowledgebase and FAQs section.

You can get more personalized help through online chat, email or phone. Or you can peruse the product-specific user forums. One unique self-help tool that all users can take advantage of is the McAfee Virtual Technician. This downloadable utility is a simple program that installs, checks your computer and walks you through the fixing process.

Summary:

So in summary, there is not much wrong with McAfee AntiVirus Plus that we can honestly note within this review, though it is not the best software we have reviewed it is by no means anything to shy away from.

McAfee AntiVirus Plus will definitely help maintain your peace of mind when it comes to protecting your personal computers from malicious attacks while on the Internet and with a virtual library of extremely useful functions we have no issues with recommending McAfee AntiVirus Plus as your source for computer protection.

The software package is perfectly equipped to defend your computer system from numerous threats, and the 2012 version has been constructed with a number of new enhancements this year.

However, even though Trend Micro’s newest antivirus computer software is much better as compared to previous versions, it still is not up to par with the competition, but still a valuable asset capable of protecting your computer.

Scope of Protection:

Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus + 2012 offers a great deal of protection for your desktop PC, to include care-free protection from viruses and spyware and several other risks to include:

• Keyloggers
• Hackers
• OS Exploits
• Dialers
• Malicious Cookies & Scripts
• Trojan Horses
• Rootkits & Worms

The software program is not as comprehensive as other multi-layered antivirus computer software products, but is sufficient in scope and degree of protection.

Effectiveness:

Independent test lab AV-Test certifies Trend Micro, and it scores comparatively properly in AV-Test results for protection and usability on Windows 7 and Windows XP.

The 2012 edition of Trend Micro antivirus software combines standard signature-based security with real-time protection. The cloud-based antivirus element that was introduced in the 2011 edition proved valuable and continues in the 2012 edition.

Trend Micro Smart Protection Network, gathers data on brand new viruses from the community of users and then alerts every installed copy of the software about new threats. It also detects threats based on the behaviors of files to see how they conduct themselves. Trend Micro uses file-reputation technology to examine files for patterns that might signify malware.

Ease of Installation:

Installing Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus + 2012 is straightforward and simple, only taking a minute or so. The plan is designed to work effectively and efficiently, and for essentially the most part it does.

One benefit of the integrated cloud security is that it helps create an environment where the computer software can operate quick and behind the scenes. Since numerous of the processes are performed on the internet in the cloud, the software program doesn’t require as significantly of one’s PC?s resources.

Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus + lets you surf the internet safely simply because it blocks access to malicious web sites and prevents malicious drive-by downloads. A component of the Trend Micro Intelligent Protection Network utilizes web-reputation technologies to safeguard you online.

In a related fashion, the software also incorporates email-reputation technologies to protect your system from email-born threats by validating IP addresses and checking reputation databases of sources recognized to be negative.

By stopping these potential threats while they’re still within the cloud, harmful botnets are unable to reach your PC or your network. The computer software is easy to make use of thanks to a straightforward interface. The main console gives the existing security level at a glance.

The software is developed to scan for threats in actual time, but if you desire a manual search is an option at your disposal where you are provided with options for a quick scan, as well as an in-depth scan or a custom scan.

Trend Micro has an excellent mix of assist and support choices online, such as common customer service and technical support. They host a searchable understanding base, or you can appear for help in the discussion board.

Personalized assistance is accessible by submitting a case on-line or acquiring in contact directly more than the phone or live chat. Premium support is obtainable for such problems as PC tune-up, malware removal or emergencies.

Key Functions:

• Anti-virus
• Antispyware
• Real-Time Updates
• Light Demands on Program Resources
• Easy to Utilize & Understand

Titanium Antivirus + Offers You:

Though not completely up to par with other virus protection suites available on the market these days, Trend Micro still provides it’s customers with more than adequate protection against some of the vilest threats the Internet has to offer.

In either case you can’t go wrong using Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus +2012 to protect your computer and is recommended by VirusPrevention.net

To get started, Panda Antivirus Pro has some compelling functionality and numerous new capabilities which make Panda Antivirus Pro 2012 worth considering.

A third party IT-security company in Germany, AV-Test, put Panda Antivirus Pro 2012 through the ringer and came to the conclusion that it ranks amid the very best when it comes to user friendliness, proper protection as well as repair. Additionally, it scores well on various tests executed by West Coast Labs, ICSA and AV Comparatives.

It is interesting to note that our research concluded that Panda Antivirus software has been installed on and actively used on so many different computers now that hackers are writing code specifically designed to attack Panda.

This is a testament to the quality of Panda, and to combat these unique attacks, Panda Antivirus 2012 has been designed with protection to protect against malware code designed to alter files or entries within the Windows registry.

Panda Antivirus 2012 is straightforward and easy to install. The software only takes a few minutes to completely install, and doesn’t require a system reboot. Panda’s interface has been redesigned, but maintains the same basic organizational layout. The software is pretty straightforward and provides simple access to all the essential features.

Running manual antivirus scans or scheduling them for later is pretty easy basically allowing the software to run itself and Panda is engineered to keep optimum protection without requiring you to constantly monitor or update.

Millions of Panda users opt to share with Panda Security particulars of the various attacks conducted on their computers. In this way, Panda is in a position to rapidly identify and include fast-breaking contagions and send out an antidote.

While the antivirus software isn’t running a scan, it’s very non-intrusive, and only takes about 5MB. Panda has also worked tirelessly on their unique scanning performance stats from last year and substantially improved. In fact, their scanning speed is currently one of the fastest in the industry.

Panda has the capability to distinguish between recognized and unknown threats and provides you with options for discarding or keeping the threats.

Against recognized threats, it’ll scan web browsing, instant messaging, e-mail and files on disk. You are able to choose any of these or none.

Moreover, you are able to choose the kinds of threats you would like it to detect, some of the threats Panda is engineered to detect are:

• Dialers
• Jokes
• Hacking Tools
• Phishing
• Spyware and Viruses

Panda’s behavioral analysis, known as TruPrevent Technologies, analyzes behavior to figure out threat level. Heuristic scans examine the plan code in malware to determine if it’s a virus, worm or spyware. You are able to also safeguard against unknown threats by blocking the execution of Script files.

Panda Antivirus Pro 2012 also comes with a powerful email function that enables you to detect potentially harmful e-mail attachments from email received and whether to quarantine these messages or not.

In the event you use this feature to vaccinate your pc, it’ll disable any autorun utility from USB drives and CD or DVD drives. If you are like most people, you want a safe internet experience and Panda delivers with an internet browser mode called Panda Secure Browser whose sole function is to prevent malware intrusion while you navigate the web.

It’s a secure method to browse simply because if it’s attacked, it sends the threat straight into a virtual sand box and isolates it till its intention becomes clear. A gaming mode lets you watch full-screen video games or movies without pop ups or alerts. House Network Manager enables you with the function to monitor, safeguard and update PCs on your house network.

A rather significant and helpful feature is the ability to create a rescue CD-ROM to use in situations where a pc can’t boot simply because it’s so infected. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and in the event you take the time to create a rescue disk before you need it, you will be in a position to recover from otherwise catastrophic situations.

Updates:

Updates for Panda Antivirus Pro are setup to run automatically in the background, and occur daily to ensure that your system is always up-to-date with current virus signatures. As mentioned earlier, the Collective Intelligence and cloud computing technologies help deliver timely updates without compromising performance.

Help & Support:

Panda’s antivirus software is pretty easy to use, but if you need additional assistance you can refer to the in-program user manual, or find some answers online. On Panda’s online support center they host a user forum, support blog, and a product-specific FAQs section.

Summary:

Panda Antivirus Pro 2012 features some great features and is an overall effective solution. We appreciate the new features, improved performance and redesigned interface. While there are better options available, we can still recommend Panda Antivirus Pro.

Although CA Anti-Virus Plus Anti-Spyware did not rank highest amongst the many different virus protection software suites available on the market, we recognize that it may still be worth your consideration and fair review. One of the positive aspects we discovered while reviewing this software suite was that the admin interface was easy to operate and user friendly.

Also, CA has recently added new features to this package to include rootkit detection and USB scanning. But in terms of overall security for your computer system, we found CA to be lacking in certain areas as compared to other anti-virus suites available on the market.

Let’s Take A Look At The Overall Scope of Protection:

We found the CA AntiVirus Plus to be reasonably encompassing in that we noticed an increase in its ability to safeguard your computer both online as well as offline. Our review revealed that CA Anti-Virus Plus Anti-Spyware shields against viruses, spyware, worms, Trojans, and other malicious software as you might expect from any virus program.

CA has furthermore added to their arsenal the ability to now detect and safeguard your system from rootkits. CA Anti-Virus Plus utilizes real-time checking, analyzing all of the files in your system whether or not they are opened up, saved, and even when the file is closed.

Another plus is being able to enact a positive heuristic check which safeguards your pc from potential infections prior to the virus installing its signature database on your computer resulting in infection. The above characteristics only scratch the surface of the features within the suite, the Internet Security is a lot more robust and all-encompassing, to include such features as: anti-spam, anti-phishing, a personal firewall and parental controls.

What Is The Overall Effectiveness Of The Suite?

In comparison to other anti-virus packages, CA supplies comparatively capable defense against a variety of malware, in fact we discovered that the software has obtained the VirusBulletin VB100% (for Windows XP), signifying that the software has successfully found and blocked 100% of in-the-wild viruses.

On the other hand, we believe it important to point out that it didn’t take long to discover that CA failed the latest VB 100% test for the Windows Vista, and Windows 7 operating systems, so if you are running Windows XP you are golden.

While there is little doubt that CA AntiVirus Plus is considered to be reasonably effective in its overall effectiveness in detecting and eliminating potential threats against your system, we have come to the conclusion that the software just doesn’t do as much as other comparable virus protection suites that are currently available on the market.

How About Installation of the Software?

As far as the installation goes, we found the software to be quite easy to install wherein we had it on our computer, up and running in only a few minutes. Of course you will be required to restart your computer a couple of times, but aside from that we can confidently say that you will find little difficulty getting it up and running. One thing that we learned was that this edition of CA AntiVirus has a lighter memory footprint as compared to previous editions.

In previous years we found the software had a tendency to bog down our system, and even though CA is not completely up to par with other suites, we have found the 2011 to be far superior to its predecessors. Another new and useful feature we discovered while installing the software was that the CA AntiVirus Plus will actually run a quick scan on your system just before installing it. We assume this is to ensure that no prior malware exists, if it does encounter any you will be notified and asked if you would like to remove it.

How Easy Is It To Use?

As was mentioned above, we found that the admin panel for CA AntiVirus Plus is much better than previous editions; with a better design and easier admin panel we found it far easier to use the software more effectively. It is important that a good virus prevention package be able to perform manual scans and automatic updates with relative ease, and CA has done well to provide these functions.

You can tweak settings or setup the scheduled scans with ease. We were also pleased with the easy setup of routine maintenance functions, and like most other antivirus software, CA has been designed to run on its own with very little to no required user interaction. The system will scan files once they are accessed by the user and without bogging your system down and furthermore, CA AntiVirus Plus includes a smart auto-scheduling feature that recognizes when your computer is idle, and performs the scan then.

Update Capabilities:

As with most virus prevention programs, regular virus signature updates are a literal must and CA doesn’t fall short in this regard. Updates are performed on a daily basis to ensure the virus definitions are up to date and this is done automatically or you can manually check to ensure updates have been performed.

Help & Support:

CA offers a complete lineup of help and support functions wherein you can seek out support on the program itself or directly online. If you choose online you will find several help resources to include phone or online chat assistance, and also a community forum. In the program itself, CA AntiVirus Plus has the usual help file/manual, but also has several additional help files, including video tutorials.

So In Summary:

So to summarize, even though CA AntiVirus doesn’t rank as highly as other virus protection programs available, it is still a solid platform and can effectively protect your system from most threats you may face. However, as compared to other systems CA AntiVirus protection pales in comparison and lack of advanced features are significant setbacks.

But all in all the modern interface and internal updates makes CA far better than the 2010 version and if you are loyal to CA you will enjoy this version much more than the previous. Aside from that if you are interested in purchasing a license for yourself please click on the button below.

Trend Micro 2009 is their latest software package and one of the packages that we have put to the test and have made our exclusive report available to you at this time, and to begin with I will start with the setup.

Setup:
Our installation was clean and even a reboot was not required. After activation, the signature databases were updated as well as any program updates it needed. If you ever want to uninstall an independent option is also available. A few traces of the product were found upon reboot.

Interface:

The interface is an enhancement of last year’s version, removing some odd features. Down the left side are nicely place Overview, Virus and Spyware Controls, Personal Firewall Controls, Internet and E-Mail Controls, and Other Settings. Clicking any of these buttons will open a more detailed view in the right windowpane.

In Trend Micro 2009, there are additional features that appear in the form of a pop-up dialogue, including protection for mobile phones, system utilities, and onscreen keyboard.

Prominent at the bottom are buttons Scan Now and Update Now. The whole page is color coded to inform you about the status and uses the now-standard red for alert, yellow for warning, and green for good.

Features:

A simple antivirus scanner and also in addition a antispyware scanner was provided in Trend Micro Antivirus plus. A utility tracks your system files and notifies you if some changes occur to your system.

Updates:

Updates are both available as automatic and manual. Automatic updates checks for updates every few hours, three hours to be more precise. If an update requires a reboot then you shall be notified by the program.

Performance Speed:

In Labs’ performance tests, Trend Micro Internet Security 2009, in general, scored even with Norton Internet Security 2009 this year. In one third-party independent antivirus test, Trend Micro 2008 scored well, in the upper-middle rank.

On the iTunes test, Trend Micro Internet Security 2009 came in at a respectable 271 seconds, 3 seconds longer than our test system. On the Microsoft Office test, Trend Micro Internet Security 2009 finished last at 1,415 seconds, better than some standalone antivirus products.

During a test in which  scanning a single folder with compressed and media files, Trend Micro Internet Security 2009 had very respectable results, completing this test in 229 seconds, only a few seconds more than Norton.

In terms of boot speed, Trend Micro Internet Security 2009, at 30.45 seconds, was much faster than Norton Internet Security 2009, at 33 seconds.

In terms of whether Trend Micro Internet Security 2009 will protect your PC, we mention results from two leading independent antivirus testing organizations.

From AVtest.org, Trend Micro Internet Security 2008 found 91 percent of the malicious software and 88 percent of the adware in the September 2008 test.

These are some pretty impressive results. Despite faltering on the On Demand antispyware portion, Trend Micro Internet Security 2008 scored average or better in the other individual tests performed.

Support :

Some good technical support is offered by Trend Micro. The good thing is it is free. You are first directed to an Answer Guide. If you can’t find what you are looking for in the FAQ, then you can search the knowledge base, submit a question via e-mail, conduct an online chat (1 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends), or even call a representative of Trend Micro(5 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays only).

Some other Help/support features include PDF-file documentation. There is also a video tutorial (which other vendors should supply but don’t), an interactive learning guide to the product’s features, and a Getting Started manual that covers the basics.

Conclusion

Tidy interface is impressive. Good effective and helpful live-chat support is available. Scanning abilities for vulnerabilities is not bad. Installation is difficult on malware-infested systems.

The interface looks almost the same as the previous one, except that the familiar controls are now on a tab named My Computer. So there is nothing much new in the interface to praise about.

With the latest edition Trend Micro Virus Scan 2009 aims at boosting protection, reducing worries for the user, and does it all using fewer system resources.

Trend Micro Virus Scan 2009 is a significant improvement over last year’s edition. Its features go along better, some user-interface peculiarity is fixed, and it recovered from installation problems much more conveniently.

Bottom Line:

A great product to challenge is competitors. Much improved protection-definitely worth giving a try.

System Requirements

• Compatible Microsoft Operating Systems
• Windows Vista (32/64-bit) Ultimate/Business/Home Premium/Home Basic, with SP1
• Windows XP Home or Professional Edition with SP 3
• Windows XP Media Center/Tablet PC 2005 Editions with SP3

CPU Requirements

• Windows Vista (32/64-bit) Home Basic/Home Premium/Business/Ultimate Intel Pentium 800MHz (1GHz recommended)
• Windows XP Home/Professional/Media Center/Tablet PC, Intel Pentium 350MHz

Memory Requirements

• 256MB RAM for Windows XP (512MB recommended)
• 512MB RAM for Windows Vista Home Basic (1GB recommended)
• 1GB for Windows Vista Home Premium/Business/Ultimate

Disk Space and Misc.

• 300MB HD required
• Supports Web Browsers
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 with SP2* for Win XP
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0
• Mozilla Firefox 2.0
• Supports Instant Messaging Software
• MSN Messenger 7.5
• Windows Live Messenger 8.0

The following review is what we experienced with the various tests we did on Panda and what you can expect if you decide to purchase it for yourself.

Installation:
Panda comes bundled in a 35 MB file that can be downloaded off the internet. During the installation process it performed a scan to detect any kind of unwanted stuff. Though, no details of the scan was shown to us and neither was any trace of this scan was found after the installation-pretty weird.

The details should have been displayed for us to see which program it caught. Uninstalling: It is quite simple and straight forward. There is a feature named uninstall wizard. After a rebooting there was no traces of Panda AV were left.

Panda Antivirus 2010 includes an interface with bright, contrasting colors and basic graphics.

Interface:

The interface is pretty basic and it may seem unreal and may be too basic. The color scheme this time was much better than the previous version which was not much appealing.

Though all the options were nicely placed and within reach. One thing odd was that during a manual scan all the features if the program were inaccessible.

A novice user can easily begin scans or update the definitions and in advanced mode expert users can have more control over the settings. Some basic scans can be scheduled but with limited control.

Extra Features:

Panda Anti-virus scans and blocks viruses only. The full version also includes protection against malware and its different forms. Not much features are available in this stripped down version.

Performance Speed:

Panda scored nearly average of the antivirus products in Labs’ performance tests. On iTunes test, Panda was fast at 270 seconds, just 2 seconds more than our test system. On our Microsoft Office test, Panda was firmly in the middle at 1,355 seconds.

In a test scanning a single folder with compressed and media files, Panda scored a speedy 135 seconds, however, the default setting excludes many of the compressed files used in our test. And in terms of boot speed, Panda did poor and came in last at 39 seconds.

Panda Antivirus is a good AV product with decent speed for inexperienced users, but it would be better to see at least a scheduled full scan for better disk protection. If you’re looking for some broad protection and more control, NAV will be a better choice.

Scanning:

It uses generic engine heuristics with real-time scanner. We have the option to add file types and turn on compressed file scanning in real-time scanner. Scan results inform us about detailed stats on files infected and cleaned files. By default it deletes the virus upon detection.

For quarantine there is an option but to purchasing a platinum version which includes this feature and will cost you around $70. Some settings can be confusing.

For instance, you can enable heuristic scanning, but there’s no indication as to whether it’s working for on-demand scans, real-time, or both.

If you disable the real-time scanner it should come back automatically but in this case it doesn’t. The simple options might be attract novice users but other may want their control over scans and actions of the AV.

Support:

Local E-mail support is available in 40 countries but there is no phone support. An interactive troubleshooter helps you pin down solutions. It takes you to an unappealing knowledgebase section. It lacks significant details.

The software also includes a tool that lets you send suspicious file to an S.O.S service for further analysis. This feature should have been automated but unfortunately it isn’t. ‘Hot topics’ takes you to all the questions that already have been answered.

Least we can say here is that support for Panda AV is not much satisfying.

Conclusion:

Though a decent Anti-virus but the price tag makes you think twice. It has many tough and good competitors in market available for the same price range. They offer much better protection and features at the same price. One good thing that impressed us was the inclusion of antispyware to detect all those nasty spyware.

The bottom line: It lacks third party-tests to prove its worth and failed to draw attention.

Software

• License Type Complete package
• License Qty 3 PCs
• License Pricing Standard
• Platform Windows
• Distribution Media CD-ROM ( Mini-box )
• Package Type Retail

System Requirements

• OS Required Microsoft Windows XP
• Microsoft Windows 2000
• Microsoft Windows Vista
• Microsoft Windows XP 64-bit Edition
• Microsoft Windows Vista (64-bit versions)
• Software Requirements Internet Explorer 6.0
• Min Processor Type 150 MHz
• Peripheral / Interface Devices CD-ROM
• System Requirements Details Pentium – RAM 64 MB – HD 170 MB

Service & Support

• Service & Support New releases update
• Service & Support Details New releases update – 1 year
• Phone consulting – 1 year – availability: 24 hours a day / Monday-Sunday
• E-mail consulting – 1 year – availability: 24 hours a day / Monday-Sunday
• Web support – 1 year – availability: 24 hours a day / Monday-Sunday
• Security alert notification – 1 year

It just so happens that we were interested enough in their newest creation to do a detailed review over it and pass this information over to you. so without further ado, this is what you can expect from Norton this year.

Let’s start with the installation:

Installation process is admirable. The only thing you need to do is click one big button that says that you agree to the license- after that, the software is fast and happens automatically.

From the first click to the installed product launching took a minute and a half when we timed it; activation just took another one minute. The initial Live Update of malware definitions required one more minute. Whole process took place in an amazing 4 minutes.

The Interface:

The user interface is sleek and simplified. The main window includes a nice huge CPU usage meter that independently tracks system-wide usage and usage specific by Norton. When the system seems to slow down; you give a quick look to see who is to be blamed.

Performance:

This latest product by Symantec unlike the past products makes sure that you get top-notch performance without eating away the system resources.

Process like downloading new virus definition or scanning for malware can significantly slow down the system, so the product performs these tasks when the system has been idle for a while, more specifically 10 minutes.

A link located at the top of CPU meter opens a detailed display of CPU and memory usage over the last 90 minutes. Typically you’ll see a steep rise in Norton specific CPU use during times marked on the chart as idle. The software also contains a log showing you when various tasks last ran.

There is another performance tool located below CPU meter that can be accessed by a link. Another awesome feature is the Norton Insight, speeding the malware scanning by indentifying files that can be trusted. All executables are checked against a huge data base containing trusted programs.

Also there is a display showing files that it has exempted.  The full scans become faster after Insight completes its assessment. This full system check if not manually launched occurs during the system idle time.

Norton adds about 15 seconds to the boot time when compared to the system running without the Norton installed. This is not too much and is about the same when compared to some of the other standard leading AV in the market.

Updates:

Live Updates takes place every 8 hours to get most up to-date definition and signatures. To protect against nasty threats that spread much faster than than 8 hours, pulse updates checks for signatures after every few minutes.

Additional Security:

Antiphishing is a feature that checks for frauds, parental controls checks for inappropriate content, and malware protection is also quite impressive.

Compared to the  ZoneAlarm’s 30 percent to Kaspersky’s 65 percent  Norton  only increased the browsing  time to 13 percent to the time, which is quite impressive.

The big self-determining antivirus testing labs all certify the efficiency of Symantec’s antivirus technology. West Coast Labs and ICSA Labs certify it for both detection and cleaning, and West Coast also confirms its Trojan horse detection ability.

European lab AV-Comparatives tested the 2008 edition’s ability to detect and remove known malware as well as to proactively spot malware without using signatures.

AV-Comparatives rated it Advanced+ (the top rating) for signature-based detection but just Standard (the lowest passing grade) for proactive detection.

AV-Test, another European lab, tested both the 2008 and 2009 editions in August and rated them in a dozen significant areas. The 2008 edition received Satisfactory, Good, or Very Good on all tests, with Very Good being the highest rating in all the areas.

The 2009 edition was rated Good or Very Good in every category a significant improvement. Norton’s antivirus scans files on access, on demand, and on schedule.

However, the scheduled scan is turned off by default, because real-time protection and the automatic idle-time scan render it unnecessary.

Those who wish can schedule full or custom scans to run on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, or to run at start-up or log-on, but it really isn’t necessary.

We installed Norton on a dozen systems infested with malicious software of many types, among them adware, spyware, rootkits, Trojans, worms, and rogue antispyware. Its speedy installation was a great bonus. Also the fact that it doesn’t require a reboot after installation.

Norton’s installation went effortlessly on all of the infested test systems, though there were a couple of obstructions during the cleanup process.  Scanning on any standard clean test system took 50 minutes, quite a bit longer than most others. Usually 30 minutes is about average, and ZoneAlarm managed the job in just 20.

However, that was before Norton Insight had finished processing. After Norton Insight identified 90 percent of the files as trusted. A rescan took 5 minutes, which quite impressive.

Overall Conclusion:

We evaluate the Norton Anti-Virus as one of the best Anti-virus currently available in the market- matching performance to some of the best products.

With significant increase in performance hats-off to Symantec for producing the best product yet. The top- notch security the product offers, after installation we may no longer fear any deadly viruses or other malicious software.

For those of you, who still believe that Norton cannot be quick and light on resources, think twice before making another prejudice opinion. Definitely, a recommended product worth your money!

System Requirements:  (obtained from the official website)

Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Basic/Home Premium/Business/Ultimate*
Microsoft® Windows® XP with Service Pack 2 and later Home/Professional/ Media Center Edition
Microsoft® Windows 7 ready***

• 300 MHz or faster processor
• 256 MB of RAM (**512 MB RAM required for the Recovery Tool)
• 150 MB of available hard disk space.

Email scanning supported for POP3- and SMTP-compatible email clients.

Required for all installations:

CD-ROM or DVD drive (if not installing via electronic download)
Support for AntiSpam feature

• Microsoft Outlook® 97 or later
• Microsoft Outlook Express 6.0 or later

Browser support for Browser Protection feature

• Microsoft Internet Explorer® 32-bit 6.0 or higher
• Mozilla Firefox® 2.0 or higher

*Must meet minimum Windows Vista operating system requirements.
**Tested on AMD 1600+ CPU based PC with Windows XP Service Pack 2, and without security software previously installed.
***Microsoft Windows 7 compatibility update to be delivered online, and is subject to production release of the Windows 7 operating system within the service period. For more information, go to www.norton.com/win7. See Microsoft for Windows 7 system requirements.

For this reason I have decided to review McAfee’s latest virus protection to help anyone interested in protecting your personal information.

Setup:

McAfee persists with a method to use a bootstrap, a method of downloading code to your machine, it then installs the suite module by module. However in this edition the process was much faster in our informal tests.

According to McAfee, this method permits it to offer the latest build; the other alternative is to install the product, then immediately update. As a whole the process is quite simplified and straight forward.

Uninstalling:

If you ever want to remove McAfee Internet Security 2009, there will be no uninstalling option for McAfee in the Start menu listing. Instead, use the traditional windows uninstaller to get rid of the software.

After a reboot, we found its little evidence on our machine. So a clean uninstall feature should have been provided.

Interface:

The interface was impressive integrating all of its tools–security, utility, and networking–in one interface. This feature of integrating all the tools really came in handy.

The McAfee Security Center offers a left-hand navigation for all tools, with a right-hand windowpane for system status. There are two types of contents: one lists basic features, which should be sufficient for most people, while a second lists tools that are more advanced.

Features:

McAfee VirusScan offers some quality set of features:

• Scheduled scanning can be set to scan your system at a desired time, but you will not be able to do  multiple schedules at once.
• A new feature called Quick Scan will scan for the most common areas within your computer that are hit by viruses.
• Disk boot sectors
• System memory and startup objects are included in these areas.
• Added protection for Viruses, Trojans, Spyware and Malware is also provided.

Some further features of the new McAfee system include:

• McAfee’s Active Protection (also known as Artemis) which will enable the product to detect and remove a new threat that is only a few minutes old. Heuristics and built-in signature files are used by the program to identify unknown threats. Daily signature updates are provided to keep the product updated.

One excellent new feature introduced is the provision of Active Protection, McAfee’s near-instant communication with the master signature back at McAfee database.

If a new malicious software is caught by McAfee Internet Security, rather than wait for the new update to become available, protection is sent back to the desktop.

By comparison, Norton uses mini database updates every few minutes. In Labs’ performance tests, McAfee 2009, in general, scored noticeably better than last year’s version, and on one test it scored better than Norton Internet Security 2009.

In third-party, independent antivirus testing using live viruses, McAfee Internet Security 2009 scored in the upper ranks, although not always at the top position.

In terms of boot speed, McAfee Internet Security 2009 took only 30 seconds, faster than Norton and most of the other suites we tested. In terms of whether McAfee Internet Security 2009 will protect your PC, we quote results from two leading independent antivirus testing organizations.

In the September 2008 AV-test.org results, McAfee Internet Security 2008 scored well, having a few false positives, but is scored toward the bottom of the list in response times to new threats.

In the latest test results from AV-Comparatives.org for on-demand scans, McAfee VirusScan Plus 2009 earned an Advanced (second highest) rating, catching 94 percent of all malicious software tested, falling behind Norton, Kaspersky, Eset Nod32, and others.

Support:

An Emergency Response team, constantly monitors the worldwide virus behavior to provide you with the maximum safety. The always-on protection protects against viruses, spyware and other Internet threats that may enter your PC.

McAfee lacks a bit on the technical support end. Unlike Trend Micro and Norton, which both offer free telephone support, McAfee only offers its support for a limited time.

The 30-day free phone support is accessible daily from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. Pacific. Afterward, telephone support is starts to cost you at $9 per minute or incident.

Virtual Technician is software available as an extra plug-in. It diagnoses the current state of your AV and can recommend some actions to improve it. It doesn’t have a manual or other online support.

Conclusion:

McAfee is faster lighter and much improved when compared to its previous versions. It is a proved to be a competitor when compared to some of the best products available in the market. Instant updates are available instantly to keep your product updated.

Comparing the product to one of the best products like Norton Internet Security we notice that this product offers more features combined with a decent interface.

Much of its features can be customized according to ones needs. Technical support can be improved and test scores could have been higher but still its offers some unprecedented security.

The bottom line:

Security provided by this remarkable software is no joke and can be compared to some of the best products available in the market. Definitely it is an incredible piece of software worth trying!

System Requirements:

Operating System -

• Windows 2000 (32-bit) with Service Pack 4 (SP4) or higher
• Windows XP (32-bit) with Service Pack 1 (SP1) or higher
• Windows Vista (32 or 64-bit)

System Memory – 256 MB RAM
Monitor – 800 X 600 or higher resolution
Storage – 150 MB of available free drive space
Internet – Internet connection
Browser – Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later (optional: Mozilla Firefox 1.5 or later)

As put by the eTrust company:

“CA Anti-Virus for the Enterprise is the next generation in comprehensive anti-virus security for business PCs, servers and PDAs. It combines proactive protection against malware with new, powerful management features that stop and remove malicious code before it enters your network, reducing system downtime”.

So we decided to place CA under the microscope this time and have taken the time to share with you exactly what we have discovered…

Download Your CA 2009 Anti-Virus NOW!

Installation:

After laying hands on the latest CA Associate 2009 we got down to business by installing the product and we found that installation was a breeze, and was quick and easy but found that registration proved to be somewhat a nuisance.

But the results were unanimous, and installation took a couple of minutes without proving a burden on system resources.

Interface:

After the installation, it came down to clean, sleek and elegant interface. The interface is well designed, including something for both the average user and a professional.

The interface includes nicely placed tabs at the left for quick access to its features and a status bar at front informing the user about the current status of the system.

Protection:

CA anti-virus provides top-notch protection against the latest threats of viruses, worms and Trojans and other malicious programs. It also includes an online e-mail scanner.

Comprehensive Spyware Detection and Removal tool protects you from all the spyware hidden deep in your system.

Updates:

To ensure perfect security from everyday threats it includes an online updater that download the latest definitions daily to ensure that your product remains up-to date.

It updates itself automatically (if set to automatic updates) and frequently to ensure that its signature never turn out-of-date.

Scanning:

It includes a standard Scheduled and on-Demand Scanning feature and also Real-time Scanning to protect you from any threats that you may encounter while accessing your files.

It also means that any spyware, virus and Trojans residing in your memory are detected and cleaned, and also includes Advanced Heuristic Scanning and Archive Scanning for those files that sound suspicious and also those that are in compressed formats.

This feature impressed us during our review. Custom scanning allows you to search for nasty virus exactly where you what it to, and allows for scsas of any specific drives, files,  or folders you want.

Detailed Scan results are put in an organized manner for your viewing allowing you the opportunity to view the path or source of the threat detected.

Evaluating Performance:

But beneath the surface, CA proved awful at the fundamental task of identifying and blocking malicious software. German research company AVTest.org performed the malware testing portion of the product.

When it pitted CA’s suite against its 674,589-strong collection of dormant malware samples, AV-Test.org found that the it caught only 63 percent, meaning that almost four out of every ten pieces of malware slipped right by its defenses.

This result isn’t even in the same league when compared to the other products that we tested. The next worst product, caught 86 percent of the samples in this test.

Also, CA miserably failed to detect almost half of all spyware and adware; its detection rate of 56 percent was the worst recorded for any of the eight suites in our collection.

And in tests of the suite’s ability to use one-month old signature files to detect newer malware, it again hit rock bottom. The suite spotted an insufficient 3.5 percent of new threats.

CA did prove quite effective in dealing with rootkits, detecting and cleaning all six samples that AV-Test.org threw at it. Only Norton matched the strong performance of CA’s suite on this test.

Further, the CA suite issued just one false positive warning in connection with a harmless file; and it was relatively fast, scanning 10MB of data per second during user-started scans–the third-best result we got among the other suites we tested.

CA wasn’t nearly as rapid at responding to malware outbreaks. Delivering signatures for new threats in an average of 12 to 14 hours. Certified by Independent Testing Organization “West Coast Labs as effective spyware protection”

Support:

The company offers decent online support. CA also offers direct phone support for $19.95 per incident. Free online chat and e-mail services are also provided to the valued customers.

There are a good number of options available online like the FAQ’s. Though some of these options are buried deep and you may struggle a bit to find these options though!

System Requirements:

**Product does not support Windows 98/Me**

• Windows 2000 (SP4+), Windows XP (SP1+), or Windows Vista™
• Visit shop.ca.com/64bit to download an upgrade to 64bit at no additional charge and for more information
• 256 MB RAM (512 MB for Windows Vista)
• 300 MHz or higher processor (800 MHz for Windows Vista)
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher (7.0 for Windows Vista)
• 35 MB hard disk space
• CD-ROM drive
• Internet access
• Download Size: 32.8 MB

That about wraps up our review of CA’s 2009 Anti-Virus protection, and as you can see though it does not do as well as some of the other virus protection we have reviewed it is still a viable fit for your computer’s protection and will do well for the price you pay.

Click Here to go to the CA website and ORDER CA 2009 Anti-Virus today!

Download Your CA 2009 Anti-Virus NOW!