Customer Reviews

Norton AntiVirus Mac 10.0 (Mac) [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I used to be a Norton true believer, for years using everything they sold. Ever since Apple went to OS X, though, Norton has been falling down on the job.

First, their Utilities tied my earlier (10.2) system in knots, forcing me to literally pry open the CD slot and extract the disk in order to have the system software start up again...then they gave up and stopped making Norton Utilities for Macs altogether. (And, no, it wasn't the computer's fault -- it's been error free ever since I banished Norton in favor of alternative utilities.)

Then came Norton AntiVirus -- the most useless waste of money anywhere. The interface is VERY POORLY THOUGHT OUT compared to VirusBarrier and Virex, for example, in that it forces it's will upon how you manage your desktop. Also, it (a) is extremely intrusive in that it installs components throughout your system, (b) constantly interrupts workflow to ask questions I've already answered, and (c) works WAY too slowly.

Did Norton AntiVirus ever stop any viruses from attacking my Mac? Possibly, although the number of viruses that OS X is vulnerable to -- compared to the 14,000 or so to which PCs are vulnerable -- is close to zilch. Even so, I'm not recommending that you NOT have virus protection. I just suggest you go with VirusBarrier or Virex instead. They're a bit more expensive, but well worth it. If cost is an issue, use ClamXav -- it's freeware, has a great reputation, and is now available in Universal mode.

My happy MacBook Pro was working perfectly until I installed Norton Anti-Virus. Within a few hours, I started experiencing random system crashes -- hard freezes where I had to kill the power to the system. Using the "what has changed?" troubleshooting approach, I uninstalled Norton Anti-Virus, and the system has been super-stable again ever since.

This version of NAV is not Universal -- it is not written to support Intel processors -- so it makes sense that it could cause stability issues on Intel based Macs.

I don't know if it has the same stability problems on PowerPC Macs, but I would recommend avoiding this product until Symantec updates it to at least be Universal.

This software is little more than another virus. Full of unnecessary pop-ups. Slows the computer down. And worst of all, it cannot be uninstalled as evidenced by the complaints about it online. Google "How to uninstall Norton antivirus from Macintosh." and you will find thousands of complaints about it as well as complaints that Symantec won't support it. In my experience, all of the complaints are justified. Don't waste your money or endanger your Mac with this turd that won't flush.

I've worked with Norton AntiVirus (the consumer product) and Symantec AntiVirus (the corporate product) for PCs and they're great.

Unfortunately Symantec has dropped the ball when it comes to the Mac version of Norton AntiVirus 10 (NAV10).

First off, NAV10 interferes with Final Cut Pro and causes overall system instability.

Second, NAV10 "does work" with Intel Macs but it is not a Universal App -- meaning that it uses Rosetta and ultimately more memory resources.

I would recommend ClamXav because it works plain and simple, however it is not "supported." I use my Mac for mission-critical work so I must stick with an anti-virus program that offers technical support like Norton AntiVirus. I use NAV10 and it "works" most of the time but I'd rather use ClamXav.

I think my title says it all. It's a shame because Norton could have a better reputation if they could help with issues. I'm going into my 5th hour of trying to get Norton onto a Mac G4, first trying with tech support to solve a problem then being told they couldn't help, but that customer service would handle it, and then (surprise!) customer support says it's a tech support issue, and so now it's been a bit of back and forth with the Norton supervisors in both groups. Now, I'm in one of those how-long-will-I-listen to their "your-message-is-very-important" phone-loops that "customer service" sent me into, which I'm starting to suspect is where they dump people that have issues they can't solve until they eventually go away--if there is no answer after an hour, one starts to suspect that. They could have satisfied me as a customer if they acknowledged hours ago (yes, it has been that long, it's been 5 hours with these folks and still no satisfaction or answering of my third call) that they recognized that their product packaging is incorrect. Instead, the discussions so far seem to be trying to get me to pay more money to get the product I thought, based on Norton's packaging, that I thought I already paid for. Don't believe what you see on a Norton package as to what software it applies to, and don't believe that Norton will provide you with customer support when you need it.

I have no financial interest in this product or in any other competing products, nor do I have any such interests in any other product or its competition that I have evaluated in any other reviews.

I tried to buy this from Symantec's site. After purchase, it would not download. So, tried to use website to get help. I chose the button for 'problem with download', selected 'no firewall' from the choices, and it asks me which of two windows platform I am using. Obviously, the answer is neither. I e-mailed then, asking for help. Had a series of e-mails with a delightfully unhelpful agent who insisted we were using OS9 and kept telling us to try to download 10.0 version. I got on the website to get a priority code to call for help, selected the product NAV for Mac 10.0, got a priority code, called the number provided, waited on hold for one hour, only to learn Mac users had to call a different number. Finally got to Mac consultant. Surprise, he could not download it either! Gave us refund since he was not authorized to just mail a CD.

This product refuses to perform the live update. In fairness to Symantec, the tech support lads have been attentive by email trying to help me solve this problem, but no matter - it still will not update from my Mac. Is it because of the Mac factor? I don't know. But there it is.

While my Mac is not in any immediate danger of getting a virus, I sometimes find them attached to other files. Norton alerts me to this and takes care of the problem in a heart beat. I am very satisfied with NAV.

Norton AntiVirus for the Mac has been surprisingly solid for me so far. When I first got it I installed it (which was quite simple), and then I ran a virus scan. Like other reviewers I agree that this took much longer than it should have. That is the reason it only got 4 stars. However, once it was done doing a total scan of the HD it had found 4 virii. They were all Windows virii, but I still don't want that kind of stuff on my iBook. I use a Windows desktop and a Mac laptop. This software has already proved it's worth the money because of the virii it was able to destroy. I haven't tried any other antiVirus software, but I can tell you that this is a solid piece of software. If you have a Mac, even though the threat of a virus is near non-existent, it's a good idea to protect your investment. Get some kind of protection so when a virus writer finally does exploit a vulnerability in OSX you'll be prepared.

Norton is not necessary if you're using a Mac. While the PC software may be OK, the Mac has not a single virus to be scared of so this software is simply not needed. And user experiences all over the Mac forums at various websites point to system problems that are directly caused by the Norton software. If you're a long-time Mac user, you know you don't need it. If you've switched to Macs from the PC world you probably think you want this. You don't. Don't buy it.