Norton Internet Security 2010 1-User/3PC

Norton Internet Security 2010 1-User/3PC

November 7th, 2009

Symantec

Norton Internet Security 2010 1-User/3PC

Customer Rating: Rating 4.0 out of 5

(225 Reviews)

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Product information Brand: Symantec
Publisher: Symantec
Category: Software
Release Date: September 30, 2009
Format: Cd-rom
Model: 20043745

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Features

Norton Internet Security 2010 delivers fast and light comprehensive online threat protection, guarding your PC, network, and your identity without slowing you down
Gives you greater insight into downloaded applications and files by telling you where they came from, if they can be trusted, and how they may impact your PC’s resources and performance
Warns you of dangerous web sites and suspicious sellers so you can surf and shop online with confidence
Stops online identity theft, viruses, spyware, bots and more--guard your PC, online activities, and your identity against all types of Internet threats
Proactively blocks hackers and prevents dangerous software from downloading to your computer when you surf the web

Editorial Review

Amazon.com Product Description: Norton Internet Security 2010 delivers fast and light comprehensive online threat protection. It guards your PC, network, online activities and your identity with innovative, intelligent detection technologies optimized to combat today's aggressive, rapid-fire attacks. Improved Norton Safe Web technology blocks Internet threats before they can infect your PC. So you can browse, buy and bank online with confidence. It even warns you of unsafe web sites right in your search results. Plus, unlike other Internet security suites, it provides easy-to-understand threat and performance information to help you avoid future threats and keep your PC running fast.

Fast and light comprehensive online threat protection. Click to enlarge.

Norton Internet Security 2010 Key Benefits

Stops online identity theft, viruses, spyware, bots, Trojans and more--Guards your PC, online activities and your identity with comprehensive award-winning protection against all types of Internet threats.
Stops attacks before they get on your PC--Blocks hackers from accessing your PC and prevents dangerous software that could harm your computer or steal your identity from automatically downloading onto your PC when you surf the web.
Delivers clear performance and threat explanations--Tells you how files and applications affect PC performance, what actions threats have taken, and where they came from to help you avoid future attacks.
Identifies unsafe web sites right in your search results--Provides safety ratings for web sites listed in your search results so you can avoid visiting sites that are likely to cause problems.
Uses intelligence-driven technology for faster, fewer, shorter scans--Identifies and scans only files at risk to detect and eliminate dangerous software.

Norton IdentitySafe On-the-Go lets you access your most up-to-date log-ins and passwords on any Norton Internet Security 2010 protected PC. Click to enlarge.

Norton Safe Web identifies unsafe and dangerous web sites right in your search results. Click to enlarge.

Norton Insight scans only files at risk for fewer, shorter scans and the fastest scanning times in the industry. Click to enlarge.

Download Insight warns you of dangerous downloads before you install and use them. Click to enlarge.

Maps and monitors your home wireless network so you can see everything connected to it. Click to enlarge.

Norton Internet Security 2010 Features

Intelligent Protection

New--Norton IdentitySafe On-the-Go lets you access your most up-to-date log-ins and passwords on any Norton Internet Security 2010 protected PC.
New--Norton Safe Web identifies unsafe and dangerous web sites right in your search results.
New--Analyzes downloads, files and applications and tells you if they can be trusted before you install and use them.
New--Parental Controls give you insight into your kids' online activities so you can teach them good Internet habits and help keep them safe.
New--Professional-strength antispam protection uses the same technology as many large businesses to effectively block unwanted emails.
Improved--Norton Protection System delivers multiple layers of security that work together to provide comprehensive Internet threat protection.
Improved--Norton IdentitySafe offers one-click log-ins and automatic form filling to prevent key loggers from stealing your information as you type.
Improved--Vulnerability Protection guards security holes in your operating system, applications, browsers and browser plug-ins.
Improved--Detects and gets rid of even the hardest to find Internet Explorer and Firefox cookies.
Improved--Norton Bootable Recovery Tool repairs, restores and boots severely infected, unbootable PCs.
Industry-leading anti-phishing technology authenticates safe sites and protects you from visiting unsafe and fraudulent web sites.
Smart Firewall stops hackers and makes intelligent security decisions for you.

Engineered for Speed

Improved--Proven fastest, lightest security suite for protection that won't slow you down, get in your way, or swallow up system resources.
Improved--Norton Insight scans only files at risk for fewer, shorter scans and the fastest scanning times in the industry.
Uses less memory than any other security suite.
Won't slow you down when you download, copy, or edit files, or install applications.

Combats today's rapid-fire attacks

New--Norton Insight Network uses Symantec's global security network to provide real-time protection from the latest-breaking threats.
New--SONAR 2 (Symantec Online Network for Advanced Response) uses online intelligence and proactive monitoring to detect and stop new threats.
Norton Pulse Updates provide rapid mini updates every 5 to 15 minutes for up-to-the-minute local protection against the latest threats.
Prevents bots from taking control of your PC.
Finds and removes rootkits.
Prevents Internet worms from getting on your PC.
Tells you which application processes currently running on your PC are safe and which are at risk.
Norton Bootable Recovery Tool provides a deep level of cleaning for heavily infected PCs.

Provides info on threats, downloads and files

New--Norton Download Insight warns you of dangerous downloads before you install and use them.
New--Norton Threat Insight tells you if threats were detected, what actions the threats attempted to perform on your system, and how Norton Internet Security eliminated those threats.
New--Norton File Insight tells you where files and applications came from, if they're trusted, and how they may be impacting your PC's speed.

Helps keep your PC running at top speed

New--Norton System Insight helps you improve and maintain PC and application performance.
New--Automatic and on-demand application optimization improves application performance.
New--Norton System Insight gives you an overview of recent events on your PC such as installs, downloads, scans and detected threats, so you can see what events may have impacted your PC's performance.
New--Norton System Insight resource usage graphs help you pinpoint what's causing your PC to slow down.
New--Tells you how files and applications impact your PC's performance.

Protection without disruption

New--Automatically delays product updates and other tasks if you're watching TV or burning CDs/DVDs.
New--Power Saver Settings help extend portable PC battery life by putting off power-intensive activities until your computer is plugged in.
Smart Scheduler conducts scans and other tasks only when your PC is idle.
Automatically switches to Silent Mode (no alerts, updates or scans) when watching movies or playing games in full-screen mode.

Additional Features

New--Monthly report tells you what Norton Internet Security has done in the past month to protect you and your PC.
Free 24x7 support by phone, email, live chat or online knowledge base.
Automatically scans emails and IMs for infections.
Maps and monitors your home wireless network so you can see everything connected to it--even unauthorized visitors like the PC next door.
Automatically downloads protection updates and new product features as they become available during your service period.
With the Norton Automated Renewal Service your yearly subscription can be automatically renewed for uninterrupted protection.

Customer Reviews

Norton has done it again, almost perfect!

by Gene Cloner 2009-10-01, 96 people found this review helpful

This is my fifth year of using NIS to protect my home computer and laptop. With the noticeable improvements last version, Norton came back with a bang. While NIS2010 still has some flaws, the good trend seems to continue this year as well.

Installation: Installation was very quick similar to NIS2009. It does require a restart which seems to be the case for most virus protection software. Norton for some reason wants us to download and install parental control separately. just a hazel. If you are an existing NIS user you can upgrade from Norton's upgrade website before deciding to purchase the new version. The upgrade will retain your 2009 subscription and your license will be retained as well. NOTE: If you install from CD, your old license will be over written.

Performance: I don't think NIS2010 is a resource hog. Norton also has performance meters where you can check how much of the system resources are being used by Norton. It seems NIS 2010 uses most system resources only during a complete scan. NIS2010 upgrade virus signatures on the background during idle time just like NIS2009. So you dont feel that it exists. Quick scans during idle times also seem to be pretty quick. I havent noticed any loss of performance in the one week that I have been using NIs2010.

Virus protection: Based on tests by PC world and CNET Norton is only behind the not well known G-DATA internet security in virus detection. I havent used G-DATA so I cant compare them. However, NIS has gotten better at malware detection. It did detect a number of malware that adaware and other security software that I use (e.g. Advanced system care). NIS2009 missed a number of these malware.

Network protection: Although NIS claims that when NIS is installed in all PCs on your network, it can detect and keep a trusted network, it has not worked for me. NIS detected my skype phone (ofcourse didn't protect it), but didn't detect my other PC on the network that also has NIS2010 installed. I am not sure if this 'trust' is of any use to me anyway.

Internet security: Norton identified websites that you visit (amazon, bank and ccard websites for example) as trusted ones based on IP address and other data. so you can be safe you are not entering your password on a phishing website. It is very handy for me. I always look for the 'trusted' sign from both Firefox and NIS before entering my passwords.

Password manager: I dont know if I will trust NIS to be my password manager. You need just one password for Norton and it can manage your other passwords and form filling information. However, it seems to be easy to break in to NIS to obtain the password manager's password list. Although the hacker needs physical access to your computer to do this, it is a concern if your laptop gets stolen for example. NIS2010 offers to have the password manager's list reside on removable media which is a somewhat safer alternative. Norton safe search which identifies safe websites on your serach list is also helpful, but google can do this as well.

Over all, it is a good virus protection for your PC, checks files on the fly, can scan emails and attachemnts, IM text and links. Not very good for password management and parental control.

Good to see somebody focused on lightweight software

by Busy Executive 2009-10-07, 68 people found this review helpful

While most of Symantec's competitors seem to be struggling with software "bloat", it's good to see one of the big guys heading back to more of a streamlined approach.

I installed the software on two PCs so far...one a Vista Ultimate having no existing security software, and the other a Windows XP with McAffee's product. The installer suggested removing the McAffee product (which I did) and the installation was similarly uneventful on both of my systems from there on. It does force a reboot, and between the initial install plus downloading any updates, it took longer than I expected - about half an hour end to end.

As for performance, there is a slight (but noticeable) increase in the reboot time when Norton starts up - perhaps an extra 30 seconds total. And if you're sensitive to performance, you can also tell when the product is updating virus signatures in the background, or performing one of its quick virus scans.

The basic anti-virus protection seemed fine. Not too obtrusive, although it's difficult to really assess the quality of the virus scanning, since I've yet to actually encounter a virus. I tend to be careful, but still, being one of the better known products, Norton gives you a sense of security in case you do something silly and let an infected file in.

I didn't activate the network protection features that come with the product. I tend to rely instead on a router with a strong firewall capability, and then I keep my "internal" network fairly open. The product did detect a number of networked apps I use, stopping to ask my permission before letting them open whatever ports they were using. Would have been nice to set this sort of policy globally, rather than having to bump into applications one at a time.

One feature I would have liked to see is the ability to designate one of my PCs as the "master" for policy decisions and updates, with my other PCs driven from the master. For instance, on kids PCs, I'd like to set a strict policy, record any unusual activity, and know that my policies can only be changed from my central master computer. Big corporate AV systems do this - would be nice to have the same capability at home.

Like the network protection, I also didn't find myself using the password management features of the product. My PC is a ThinkPad with the built-in fingerprint scanner, and I prefer to use the IBM security software, which provides this same function. The biometric device (fingerprint reader) seems more secure, and it would be nice if Norton provided integrated support for these types of authentication devices.

The internet security feature is sort of helpful, but if you know what you're doing, you can do this on your own by looking at a sites digital certificates. Norton automates this, telling you that it's okay to trust a particular site. Not sure I'd buy the product just for this capability, but it's a nice add-on feature.

Overall, I was also glad to see that the product seemed to be fairly stable and to operate without all that much overhead. Compared to a few of the others I've tried, Norton is about the best mix of usability, capability and efficiency.

It's sort of sad that we need this type of software in today's world...I'd rather be spending my money on software to make me more productive or entertained. But, if you accept that you need protection, Norton is as good a choice as any.

Norton Internet Security 2010

by Ken 2009-10-06, 21 people found this review helpful

I first bought the new Norton Internet Security 2009 this spring and installed it on one computer (notebook)that had been using CA Internet Security and one (server) that was using Trend Micro IS 2007. The performance difference between Norton IS 2009 and the CA product was dramatic, not as much so with Trend Micro. With Norton IS 2009 my computers ran much faster and had far fewer "issues" with security software on both systems. I received an upgrade to Norton IS 2010 as an IS 2009 user at no charge and the installation on two machines went flawlessly. I am very impressed with the smaller footprint of IS 2009/10 and the tools it offers. One complaint is the long (1 week)interval between full scans if you choose to use automatic settings. It does quick scans every day but needs the ability to schedule full scan intervals as part of the automatic settings. A novice choosing manual scans could inadvertently leave their computer at a greater risk if not configured properly.

Problems with networking, support

by Lonnie E. Supnick 2009-11-12, 8 people found this review helpful

I would not recommend this software to anyone with a home network who wants to share files among computers.

I used to be a big fan of Norton security products but stopped using them due to finding that later Norton versions slowed down my computer too much. I bought Norton Internet Security 2010 because of the favorable reviews and reports that it no longer slowed down the computer.

Installation on my 3 computers went smoothly and everything looked good until I accessed the community network feature, which supposedly allows you to customize access on your own local network. At that point I could no longer access shared folders among the three computers--not at all. I tried everything obvious like setting all computers to "full trust." Nothing worked.

I found nothing on the FAQs on the Symantec website and nothing when I searched in various ways for solutions. The only way to talk to a real person at Symantec is to pay a lot for the privilege.

I joined the Norton Community to search the forums for possible solutions. I found a number of people who had similar problems with local network access after installing NIS 2010. None of them, apparently, were able to solve the problem and Symantec "experts" who tried to help them were similarly clueless. If there is a way to configure the NIS software, it is not obvious and, in any case, should be

I finally uninstalled NIS 2010 and went back to my previous security software that I know is probably not as effective, but doesn't interfere with my network.

Continuing excellenc plus new features

by David N. Parker 2009-11-01, 7 people found this review helpful

I am a very satisfied long time Norton security services customer. Norton puroducts are effective, esay to use, and now - esay to install. Norton Internet Security 2010 was the easiest to install version ever - I was done in less than 30 minutes, including checking all the settings to be sure they tranferred correctly. It is completely Windows 7 and Vista compatible.
That in itself is a real plus - I have hundreds of logins, with varying IDs and passwords. Trying to input them all again in a new program would be a nightmare! As soon as the program restated my computer, I was able to check and find them all in place in the Identity Safe, ready for easy access and automatic use.
Insight is a new feature, at least as it is now configured. It monitors your downloads, optimizations, and processor usage. It accesses Symantec's Community database of programs which they have examined for viruses, trojans, and other harmful programs and compares those results with the programs you have running on your computer, then reports the level of trust for each program. There are currently 70,500,000 such files.
My favorite Systemworks programs are also included - optimize. This and many other features are included in the new Performance segment of NIS.
The other very important feature to me is client integration, where email scanning (in- and outbound) is available for MS Outlook, Outlook Express, and Windows Mail.
If you don't have it, buy it!

Fully customizable malware vaporizer

by LB 2009-10-28, 7 people found this review helpful

I used to be lukewarm to Norton. You know the drill: resource hog, etc. That was then. Forget the old Norton: since 2009 they have produced some of the leanest, fastest, meanest virus killing software on the market. This is what now makes me a proud owner of a Norton product. There was a time when having a Norton product on a machine was as bad as having an AOL account and using Altavista. Not anymore. I am a PC enthusiast, and I am so convinced this product is great that I never shy away from telling my PC enthusiast friends about it.

Easy to use, Dependable Norton

by Linda Holman 2009-10-29, 9 people found this review helpful

I tried out the 2010 version of the Norton Internet Security/multiple users (up to 3) security software.

I have traditionally used the Norton suite of security products over the last 7 years or so. I use it for my home PC and my laptop. I have never gotten a virus or had problems..I have read about several software packages that slow down people's computers or are hard to use..I have not had this problem with Norton, nor have I experienced any problems with this new version.

I would recommend that when you are renewing your subscription, you shop around if you are going to renew on line with Norton..sometimes it is cheaper to go to Amazon or a place like Costco and just buy the new version...

Like it!

by I. Peters 2009-10-24, 9 people found this review helpful

This is essentially the same product as Norton Internet Security (NIS) 2009. The user interface has changed a bit but these changes are all cosmetic and frankly, barely noticeable. All the ver. 2009 features are still there and work the same.

The one big change is the addition of something called Download Insight and this is how it works:

Whenever one downloads a file from the internet, Download Insight kicks in in the background and evaluates the safety of the respective file. If it is safe, a small window pops up in the bottom right corner of the screen, informing the user that it is safe to download or run. If the file is deemed not safe, a larger window opens in the center of the screen and informs about that, too. The criteria used to evaluate a file's safety are threefold: a) How many users in the Norton Community have actually used this file - more is better, b) How long this file has been out there - longer is better, and c) Whether Norton (based on their internal evaluation) believes the file to be safe.

In my opinion this is a great feature that makes NIS 2010 worth its money. I have often wondered whether a file I downloaded from a website was actually safe - just because the website tells you it is, it doesn't make it that. So it is great to have pointers, if you will, that can help you with the decision. Of course the one drawback here is that if a downloadable program (i.e. the .exe file) is brand-new, NIS 2010 will always tell you that it is not safe, simply because there is not yet enough information on it. However, I am one of those users that are much rather safe than sorry, and would gladly stay away from a file for a while longer if that's what it took to know it is safe or not.

So, kudos to Norton - after years of no enthusiasm when it came to this application, I am actually liking this new version a lot...

After a year it's still leaking...

by Derek G 2009-12-22, 6 people found this review helpful

This review is going to be much like my review of the 2009 edition of Norton 360 because, except for the removal of the backup features, the two programs are quite alike. For the same reason, I am not going to be so nice to Symantec, the makers of Norton 360 and Norton Internet Security this time around. I want to be clear that I am only referring to the Windows XP version in this review. I may post another one for Windows 7 users once my new system arrives.

The main problem is this: You absolutely cannot trust the firewall to work correctly on your system as configured as it is too permissive. This means you run the risk of losing valuable personal information and/or damaging your computer. In the default "set it and forget it" mode, it has continued to fail in almost every firewall test I have thrown at it as it does a horrible job of detecting and blocking potential threats on its own. Even a free firewall program provided by Comodo performs better than Norton Internet Security.

The only way to make the firewall safe is to do the following steps:
1) Open the Norton Internet Security homepage by doubleclicking on the icon in the system tray
2) In the box named Network, click on "Settings"
3) Scroll down to Smart Firewall, click "Configure[+]" next to Advanced Settings
4) Turn "Automatic Program Control" off and "Advanced Events Monitoring" on
5) You'll get a warning that it's for advanced users, congratulations that's what you will become soon
6) Hit Apply to accept. If your settings are correct, it should match the image I uploaded to Amazon.

From this point forward, it will start to ask you before you start a program or access the Internet; much like the previously referenced Comodo firewall. It will seem annoying at first, however the interruptions will become less frequent as it "learns" the programs that you have designated as safe. You may not recognize each individual file but you can make educated guesses. For instance, if the file is located in the directory of the program you just started up, it's a high probability the file is legitimate. Because Norton has started including file directories in its popup alerts, it becomes much easier to locate files you're unsure of. From there you can check the properties of the file to make sure they match the program's vendor, Microsoft, or otherwise. It just depends on how accepting you want to be. After a while, the interruptions will become infrequent unless you install something new or, more importantly, something uninvited is trying to access the Internet without your permission. It's not a foolproof method by any means, but it is much safer than the Norton 360 and IS 2010 default which seems to be to allow anything you run to access the Internet and/or your computer. As long as you perform these steps, the firewall performs quite well.

Fortunately I can say that the antivirus works much better. It even identified and quarantined a few of my firewall leaktests before I was able to run them. No virus protector is 100% safe, however, so the best way to protect your computer is still to practice safe surfing. When I deliberately tried to run some questionable files, one of them managed to make my computer unbootable and Norton never stopped it. The same thing happened to Norton 360. This brings me to another issue. I sent that file to Symantec months ago with specific details about what it does yet even now Norton doesn't catch it. I'm starting to wonder how much they're paying attention to the files we send them. Maybe they're being overrun by the number of people submitting iexplore.exe as a potential virus.

The database is still a mess of unnecessary messages that are service related rather than virus related. There does seem to be some realization of this so this years version is a little less confusing with links to the database regarding particular issues you may click on. Cosmetically, Norton has changed to yellow over black instead of black over yellow. There's a nice (buried) feature called optimize. To get there you need to flip the main menu to the performance history and click a tiny link of the same name. Not sure why it's tucked away, but for this aging system I did notice some improvement in startup times. Symantec will honor the remaining days of a subscription to a former product and add them to this year's product but you will have to contact them. It will also transfer your settings and identity cards and passwords, however it will not use your identity card information on new websites. Per support you need to delete them, in spite of the import, and start over. I also find it takes much longer to login than it did using Norton 360; almost a 10-15 second wait. Not sure if that was due to the import or a problem with the program.

Norton Internet Security 2010 says on the box that it supports POP3 and SMTP now for its email scanner. That would cover almost every email scanner on the market. In Symantec's world, however, that only means Outlook and Outlook Express according to a support guy named Kumar. He says that, in spite of the many popular email programs on the market, Norton continues to support only Outlook and Outlook Express but he couldn't really explain why Symantec appears to be flat out lying. Maybe he was stoned. I'll ask Harold next time.

One new feature that doesn't impress me are the constant popups saying I am the first person to run this program or that. Quite odd considering I get these warnings even after downloading a file from the Symantec website. You can remove this annoyance by clicking Web Settings then turning off Download Insight. You have to turn it off completely,otherwise it'll simply delete any file it considers a risk. One of these days Symantec will realize we don't like it when they do that.

In short, this version of Norton is not much of an improvement over last year's version and there were a ton of areas where they could have made improvements.

Decent solution, but lacks key features

by Lost My Mind 2009-10-25, 6 people found this review helpful

I've been running Norton Internet Security 2010, Avast! Antivirus, and Microsoft Security Essentials on different machines running Windows 7. Of the three, Avast! (including the free product) is the best balance of features, ease of use, and price.

One thing to note, I have no idea if this uses the same technology as Symantec Antivirus (usually found in business environments), but NIS seems to take far fewer resources than SAV.

NIS offers a huge number of features, including some that aren't offered with many competitors. One excellent feature is web browser integration that integrates with Bing and Google search results to show you whether a site is known to be unsafe by way of a small icon on search results. This helps you avoid visiting sites that may be known malware distributors or may otherwise compromise your machine.

Another handy feature (not malware related) is the ability to manage and auto-fill your passwords, credit card numbers, and other info. It saves you a bit of typing if you have a lot of passwords to manage (or you shop a lot). It's a mild improvement over the freebie toolbar's available on the net or the built-in browser features, but I think the average user won't miss it.

Its core antivirus features for scanning files, catching malware, and otherwise protecting your computer is competative with other packages. Based on third-party testing, it offers excellent protection that's on-par with other products (and honestly, who wants to test this themselves?).

The user experience is very good and it's less intrusive than others including Avast!. NIS checks for updates multiple times an hour without asking, prompting or otherwise interrupting you--it just does it and updates itself. The out-of-the-box settings are good and will protect your computer without any tweaking or adjusting.

That all said, it's not a perfect product.

The email and antispam features are limited, at best. NIS has trouble with SSL mail connections, IMAP, and Exchange. If you connect to your corporate mail server via Outlook at home, don't count on NIS protect you or filter spam either... just hope your corporate Exchange server has good virus protection. IMAP support is non-existent (which I guess most people don't use) and it seems spotty with catching viruses via webmail. I can't even say it's "good enough" for the average user because I've found it's support for POP to be inconsistent at best (several viruses got through, but were caught if I tried to save or open the attachment).

It's support for Windows Live Mail appears to be non-existent (I see no evidence that it's working). No spam, no virus, no nothing. You're on your own there. This alone is enough for me to NOT recommend this product to average users. As of Windows 7, Windows Live Mail is the free, out-of-the-box email solution for Windows.

NIS also adds yet another toolbar into my web browser. As much as I appreciate all of the web integration features, much of your protection stops working if you turn off the toolbar. So I have to make a choice--give up more screen real-estate or have malware protection. Personally, I am sick of everyone's custom toolbars and I want to disable every single one of them.

The performance statistics appear to be mostly red-herrings as they don't provide any real useful information to improve the performance of your computer. The only purpose the "Performance" screen serves is a sales pitch from Norton to convince you that NIS doesn't hog resources or slow down your computer. To their credit, that all seems true--it has comparable or better memory and CPU usage compared to other products.

For $39, this isn't a bad product for what you get. It has some significant limitations and annoyances. If you don't use Windows Live Mail and you don't care about another useless toolbar sucking of screen space, NIS is a good solution.

It offers a few extra features over the Microsoft Security Essentials ($0) and doesn't bog down your machine when you logon (which is really the only major weakness of MSE--it insists on doing something when you logon that slows down the machine for a few minutes).

However, for $0, I'd rather run Avast!. It's a little rougher around the edges, but handles email better (or at least better for me).

Updates:
1. A few other things came up. First, +1 for its scanning abilities. Norton is able to scan a greater variety of compressed file types and picked up a few questionable applications that other virus scanners wouldn't pick up until the file was decompressed.
2. A -1 for its inability to stay activated. Requires re-activation every few days. More importantly, support has been slow to respond and unable to fix the problem. "Reinstall it again"... for the 5th time.
3. A +1 and -1 for its Internet Download scan. The good news is that it'll scan the file before you can try to run the file... bad bad news is that if you download to a network drive (such as a WHS), the scan can take several minutes (and there's no indication it's running).