Norton Internet Security 2008 up to 3 Users [OLD VERSION]

by Symantec

Product Features

• Norton Identity Safe keeps your personal information and identity safe when you buy, bank and browse online
• Start, scan, and run faster. Improved performance delivers an enhanced online experience
• Get help fast with free online technical support via live chat and email all from within the product
• Optimized product design improves scan times and decreases impact on system startup and resource usage
• SONAR technology delivers behavior-based protection that can detect emerging spyware and viruses even before traditional signature-based definitions are available

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000T9LUBU
• Item model number: 12608434
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 13, 2007
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (180 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,208 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
  • #2 in Software > Networking > Firewalls
  • #11 in Software > Networking > Security
  • #41 in Software > Utilities > PC Maintenance

Product Description

What do you do to keep yourself healthy? Norton Internet Security Suite 2008 is designed to keep your PC healthy. Every time you visit the Internet, there are hackers, predators, and weapons ready to usurp your identity and destroy your computer. It can happen quickly and silently. Some viruses present on the web can have delay mechanisms that can halt use of your computer days, weeks, months ahead. Norton Internet Security Suite 2008 scans your PC for potential pathogens, points them out, and helps eliminate them. It provides regular updates to your system to eliminate any new viruses. It also provides a strong firewall acting as a shield while you're online. Control spam with built-in filter technologies. Enjoy the Internet and safeguard your PC and peripherals with the power and reliability that Symantec is famous for. Be safe when your PC has Norton Internet Security Suite 2008 installed. Intrusion Prevention automatically shields newly discovered security vulnerabilities Network protection configures security settings when logged on at home, or on public networks Full System Scan performs a deep scan to remove existing viruses, spyware and other threats Norton Protection Center provides a central place to easily check overall security settings Includes protection updates and new product features as available throughout the renewable service period Windows Vista friendly

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

197 of 206 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Norton Internet Security 2008: Much Better than Past Versions, October 5, 2007

By 

T. Frye (Athens, Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Norton Internet Security 2008 up to 3 Users [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

I do not typically write rejoinders from previous reviews, but on this occasion I feel it necessary. As a longtime user and tester of antivirus/antispyware/security suite software, I have been terribly disappointed over the years by what has (or had) become of Norton products. Starting around 2004 they transformed into bloatware, slowing down computers, overhauling the CPU, and basically were a nuisance. NIS 2006 was probably the worst of the lot, although McAfee's security suite software this last year gives it competition in the department of ineptitude.

To give some credit where it is due, Symantec apparently listened, read, and paid attention to the complaints, and they revamped their product. NIS 2008 won over this critic, and I must admit that it was a pleasant surprise when I installed the trial version on my work and home computers (200 GB hard drive, 1.8 GHz Duo Processor, Windows Vista Home Premium on the home laptop). Since I like to test software on my computers to empirically observe the chaos that ensues, I was not expecting much. If anything, my experiences with Norton products instilled in me a sense of foreboding futility. I cannot stress enough how unexpectedly satisfying it was to witness a security software company finally comprehending the concept of listening to its customers.

What impressed me most about NIS 2008 was the ease of use, the simplification of the interface, although its graphics still leave much to be desired (as with the 2007 version), and even featured a more user friendly program with help and assistance options that seem to actually assist a computer user. Best of all, it is not as cumbersome on my computer usage as previous versions, and it is barely noticeable on my CPU. It also has a much better browser defender, which includes one for Mozilla Firefox (after numerous complaints over its past omissions to provide security for non-Explorer web browsers). The browser defender also doubles as a password protector on web pages that you frequent.

Another departure from older versions is that it is easy to install (installs quickly, actually), does not interfere with the booting and re-booting of my computer, and does not slow down my employment of other programs (like Microsoft Office). All of these are areas of progress for NIS.

There are a couple of cautions, however. One, if you do want to use this program, try the trial download first, to see for yourself (it is good for two weeks). Also, if you purchase the product, make sure to download the add-ons for NIS 2008, which contains vital elements like anti-spam and parental controls. You need this add-on (it is located on the Symantec site) for email protection at the very least, so it is highly recommended that you use it.

Compared to other security suite software currently on the market, NIS 2008 is certainly as good, if not better, than the competition. This is not saying much to the extent that much of what constitutes security suite software (like CA, Zone Alarm, McAfee) has over time become gradually worse, less efficient, and slower. NIS 2008 is an advance over its previous versions and the competition. Among the other security suite software, Kaspersky Internet Security is the only program I have tried that is nearly as non-intrusive and maintains the ability to at least detect viruses as efficiently as NIS (although the security tests I used on these programs were more easily detectable than those utilized in more rigorous tests). As long as you are willing to pay and want the protection of a quality antivirus with antispy/malware program, NIS 2008 is a good choice.

123 of 130 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better and Improved, September 9, 2007

By 

N. Nizami "Techie" (U.S) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Norton Internet Security 2008 up to 3 Users [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

I have been a customer of Norton Internet Security products since 2002. I have had my share of problems with NIS including slowness, compatibility issues, blocked sites etc., but it has done an excellent job of protecting my computer. I recently purchased NIS 2008 and installed it on my laptop and computer. The laptop was an upgrade while desktop was a new install.

For those of you looking for quick review, here are the main points:

1. There was no noticeable difference in computer's speed. I did not notice increase or decrease in processor or memory usage (bit of a surprise).

2. The installation process was fast. It took less than 10 minutes and a reboots to install on a Pentium 4, 2.4GHz processor with 2.5 GB of memory.

3. The computer started normally (no extra time) after hibernation.

4. The boot process was considerably slow after NIS2008. It added at least 30 second to the boot process. I was expecting this from my experience with previous versions of Norton Internet Security. However, it was even slower than I expected.

5. Identity Safe does not work with many websites.

From a security point of view, this is a five star product. However, the boot process becomes so slow after installing NIS that I was not sure to give it a three or a four star. In the end I gave it a four star because it is a solid security product.

Now some details.

The very first installation screen gives user an option to join Norton Community Watch. Norton Community Watch is a program that collects security and application data and submits the data to Symantec for analysis to identify new threats. It is a good concept and I would love to help in improving the overall security for Symantec users. However, after reading Norton Community Watch privacy policy, I decided to disable the feature. Here are some excerpts from the policy:

"The collected data could contain personally identifiable information...... "

"The collected data may be transferred to the Symantec group in the United States or other countries that may have less protective data protection laws than the region in which you are situated......"

"Symantec may disclose the collected information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official...."

I have no interest in sending personal information to Symantec which may be shared by others. I would strongly recommend disabling this feature.

The installation was a breeze: both on the laptop and the desktop. Online activation is required after installation.

After activation, Norton prompts to create "My Norton Account". This is a password protected site where the license key is stored. This has really helped me in the past when my computer crashed and I couldn't locate the media. I was able to retrieve the key from "My Norton Account". I would highly recommend creating an account and registering the product.

The user interface in NIS 2008 is different than NIS 2007. There are two tabs: `Home' and `Norton Internet Security'. `Home' is the default that comes up when Norton icon is clicked. The first thing that caught my attention was `Network Map' icon on the left. Clicking it brought a screen with details on my network: other computers on my network, their name, physical address and IP address. This is a cool place to check for uninvited neighbors when the network is slow. The `Home' tab shows the status of various NIS 2008 components (virus protection, intrusion prevention etc.). Just know that secure is good.

There is not much improvement in the reporting features. To lookup something you still have to go through activity log, line by line.

One cool new feature of NIS 2008 is Identity Safe. When you visit a password protected site and login, Identity Safe can store your credentials. At subsequent logins, it will log you in by filling the user name and password on your behalf. It can also fill information in we based forms. This feature will save me a time and the hassle of remembering many of my passwords. It works well with Yahoo mail, Gmail and similar sites. I have not been able to configure it for some of the sites like Hotmail and InviteShare.

I also like the Security Inspector feature. This feature checks for common configuration issues with browsers, Instant Messenger, IP Address and Windows passwords. It will be a good idea to run Security Inspector at least once a month.

All in all, I think it that Norton Internet Security is a good security product. I would recommend it.

72 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NIS 2008 much improved over NIS 2007, September 15, 2007

By 

Stanley M. Rose (Lawrenceville, New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Norton Internet Security 2008 up to 3 Users [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

I've been a user of the Norton product suite since the DOS days when Peter Norton was the actual author. There have been some good years and some bad years, but, in general, my system has remained virus free with no break ins. Since I have been an early adopter, it seems that every year I am forced to upgrade a week or two earlier than the previous year. It would be great if the subscription, at least for the initial purchase, were 13 months and not 12.

So, my subscription to NIS 2007 ran out last week and I had to either renew or upgrade. Since, with rebates, it isn't much more expensive to upgrade, I, as usual, went that route.

I have had it installed for a week and my first impressions are that it is much improved. My system seems to boot faster and also seems a little more responsive. MS Word, that used to have a noticeable delay when starting, now pops open. I don't have any empirical evidence, just anecdotal impressions, but so far I am very happy. (I just hope I haven't jinxed myself with the review.)