Customer Reviews

Trend Micro Internet Security Pro 2008 3-User [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

(This is the same review I posted for Trend Micro Internet Security 2008, since that's basically the same product as the Trend Micro Internet Security Pro 2008, minus a few bells and whistles. I am posting it in both places because I see the review prior to this one was posted for both products also, and I don't think that reviewer gave the product a fair shake, as I expand upon below.)


I haven't bought this product yet, but I have just downloaded and installed the free 30-day trial version Of Trend Micro Internet Security Pro 2008 and am VERY pleased with it so far. Running Vista, I have had problems with some security products in the past (including Trend Micro) but it appears they have now corrected those problems with this newly-released product.

Frankly, the review immediately prior to mine seems dubious. He submitted reviews for TWO Trend Micro products, claims he purchased them both on the same day, and submitted identical (and very negative!) reviews for both products! Why would he buy a second product from the same company if he was so disappointed with the first one?? He panned both Trend Micro Internet Security 2008 AND Trend Micro Internet Security Pro 2008. I smell a fish.

What I found was that the free 30-day trial version of Trend Micro Internet Security Pro 2008 installed flawlessly and has a VERY clear user interface. It detected and removed numerous spy cookies. It scanned my files quickly and found no viruses. No surprise there because I had been running a competitor's product for the past month, which kept my PC clean. I've been evaluating several competing security suites for my new Vista system until I decide which one I want to purchase. ZoneAlarm seemed to work well, as did Bitware. My impression is that the Trend Micro Pro is the most complete of the three, and has the clearest user interface. All three cost about the same. I'll give the Trend Micro another week or so of use and then make my purchase, which at this point I think will be the Trend Micro, probably not the "Pro" version but instead the simpler Trend Micro Internet Security 2008 version. It lacks a few of the features of the "Pro", but they're not features I'm apt to use and it costs about $20 less.

Based on my use so far, I really don't have any idea what the prior reviewer is talking about. If you go to the Trend Micro website, there's a link, in plain view, right on the order page which allows you to select whatever renew option you desire - automatic or not - as well as allowing you to select either 1 year, 2 year, or 3 year. And it clearly says "3 user" also, not "1 user" as he claimed. Frankly, his review sounds like sour grapes. Maybe he works for a competing security product? Else why would he submit two identical reviews for two different products from the same vendor, and both reviews claim that he dislikes that vendor intensely???

I don't work for Trend Micro (although I have used their product in the past when I had XP and was pleased with it) nor do I work for any other software security company. I'm just your typical PC user, trying to find a good product for my Vista system. I encourage others to try the free Trend Micro trial products (they offer several versions to pick from) for themselves. But as I said earlier, my impression is that it's now the best of the lot, and I have tried Bitware, Microsoft's suite (I forget what they called it but it was "Onestop" or "TotalCare" or something like that), Norton's version for Vista, and ZoneAlarm, so I have a pretty good basis for comparison.

I have been using both Norton and McAfee security products for years on my PCs and decided to try out Trend Micro due to the positive reviews from the consumer report magazine. I purchased both the Trend Micro Internet Security and Internet Security Pro for my 5 PCs at home (4 uses XP and 1 uses Vista).

First of all, the good news was that it installed successfully on 4 of the 5 PCs and it seemed to work well on the Vista PC. The bad news came when I noticed that a few of my programs actually either crashed and/or not working properly after the software was installed. I verified that Trend Micro was the culprit by uninstalling the software and then all the problems went away. I believe there were clearly issues with Trend Micro not thoroughly testing the software on a variety of applications. I switched back to the latest versions of Norton and McAfee security products and none of them had any problems.

I would also suggest that no matter which security products you choose, it would be much better to uninstall all other security and spyware products beforehand to ensure a clean install. This would save you a lot of trouble with installations due to incompatibility issues.

I was a Norton Anti-Virus user for more than a decade, despite Symantec's horrible customer service and tendency to hog computer resources. It was just easier to renew each year than switch to something else, especially when dealing with approximatelly 15 home and business computers. This week (Oct 3, 2007), when it came time to renew on our three home computers, I once again took what seemed like the easy route and bought the latest, greatest Norton 360 product. What a nightmare! After a week of installing and uninstalling this awful product, I waited on hold for 90 minutes until I could ask that Norton refund my money. The refund center must be awfully busy. Then I bought Trend Micro Internet Security Pro. Security Pro installed easily on two machines. I had one minor issue when installing on my laptop computer, probably caused by me. I was able to reach a Trend Micro tech quickly by phone and she resolved the problem quickly. I don't know what the grumpy reviewer's problem is. The single-user license clearly states that Trend Micro allows you to put the software on 3 computers. I like the fact that I now have software that covers firewall, antivirus, spam blocking, phishing and other security issues all in one neat bundle, and for one annual fee. Also, it was nice to talk with a tech support person well versed on the product and easy to understand. My old ears have trouble with heavy accents, such as those of the friendly, though unable to help, folks in Symantec's India support center.

I've been online since the 1990's and have always been security conscious. I've been using Norton since it came pre-installed on my first PC. Later I added Spybot Search & Destroy and Zone Alarm. Keeping them co-existing in peace has required some tweaking over time, but all was well until a couple of months ago when I updated Zone Alarm. My fast pc slowed down and start-up took forever. I tried all sorts of fixes and nothing worked. I decided I had to find one security suite that could handle most issues. After researching lots of sources I decided to go with Trend Micro Internet Security 2008. My install went flawlessly and I've been extremely pleased with the ease of use and unobtrusive nature of this software.

Here's a play-by-play version of what I did: first, I defragmented my hard drive; next I uninstalled Spybot (in the uninstall help file they even tell you which file you need to manually remove and where to find it!); after that I uninstalled Zone Alarm; and finally, the real pain, I uninstalled Norton System Works. This has to be done carefully and involves a number of different steps. (Norton has an uninstaller online, but I've had a problem with that in that past.) You must do the uninstall in the proper order and be certain that you do all the separate parts ie the automatic updater. Also, Norton files are hidden all through the computer so they have to be searched out and deleted manually. When that was done, I defragmented my hard drive again. My final step was inserting the Trend Micro CD, re-enabling my internet connection when it became mandatory, updating the software and running a scan.

It took a long time to do the above, but I think it's a good way to install any new security software. I think some of the problems people have had with Trend Micro might be related to not starting off as "clean" as possible. Hope this is helpful.

I installed Trend Micro Internet Security Pro 2008 (TMISP 2008) on a 1.73 GHz Dell Inspiron 9300 Laptop with Windows Media Center 2005 and 1GB of RAM. I bought a 3-user license for $0 after rebate (they must make it up on volume:-) at Frys Electronics and followed the installation instructions on the small paper card inside the box. First I removed all other antivirus, firewall, and spyware programs, including turning off the Windows firewall. Then I rebooted and defragmented the hard disk (my idea). Next I inserted the CD-ROM and performed a default installation for a home network with no wireless connection. The installation was extremely easy and polished, and fairly quick. I then rebooted and did a full scan, which required about 1/2 hour for 40GB of programs and data, and found 24 cookies. Next I tested all of my normal web sites and logged into my work F5 Firepass SSL VPN with no problems at all. PC boot-up performance seems a little slow, but still okay. I checked to see that all default protections were active and noticed that the firewall is set at "minimum" protection level for this home network profile. I later turned up the firewall security level up to Medium, which still did not cause the usual pop-up warnings that the 2007 version gives me when I try to install or change any programs or registry settings. All-in-all I am very pleased with the 2008 version, although I was a little miffed that it did not want me to keep WebRoot Spy Sweeper on the system. I like the simplicity and performance of using a top-rated suite from a single vendor, so I will stick with Trend Micro. I suspect that the troubles that other reviewers reported are mainly due to one or more of: 1) Already having viruses or spyware on their PC, 2) Not having enough RAM, 3) Buying the program on-line instead of from a store, 4) Not uninstalling all other security software and rebooting before starting the installation, and 5) Not selecting the "home network/no wireless" configuration and thus getting security settings that are too restrictive to do their normal work without customizing the firewall settings (which I had to do to make ping (ICMP) work, for instance). When I later installed TMISP 2008 on a Vista PC, I also found that I had to reboot it when changing the security profile from Direct Internet Connection to Wireless connection (otherwise the Vista PC could not be discovered by other PCs in my home network). If you follow the procedure that I have described and then turn up the security settings later, you may have a good experience. My only remaining concern is that I still don't have all of the Pro features turned on and may need to tighten the security settings further.

In general TrendMicro IS (TIS Pro) is a good product, especially if you use Internet Explorer. The real difference between pro and regular version is a keyloger blocking and secure folder support, but if you use firefox you out of luck "TIS" keyloger only support IE - for now. Things that I really like is that is very light on PC resources and has very fast scanning. If you own older PC or have only 512MB RAM with XP & 1024MB RAM with Vista this is one of the best options on the market. Norton uses much more resources and takes twice as long to scan your PC. But Norton does few things much better, like spyware blocking, keyloger & protection from direct attacks. So if you have a powerful computer (2GB RAM) you might like Norton better. Few more things about "TIS Pro". License is for 3 users, and technical support is very good over the phone.
Now Parent who have kids: "TIS" Parental control: when activated it blocks access to Web sites matching ten undesirable categories such as Spyware, Sex, and Gambling. You can optionally tell it to block any or all of fifteen other categories including Games, Email, and Shopping. But it works only in Internet Explorer and Firefox. So if you use Opera or Safari to go on internet don't buy "TIS". If TIS errs in the other direction and blocks a site it shouldn't, there's no easy way to make an exception. You have to open the main program, navigate to parental control settings, and manually add the site to an exceptions list. Make sure you set a password protection in a command window other wise kids can just turn it of. Another good thing for parent it keeps all logs of browsing history, so you can keep track of what your kids doing. "TIS" also works grate on a network including NAS(you might have to lower your firewall protection level), but one thing it has called network monitoring with shows who is connected to your network. Grate idea but not fully implemented it's actually annoying because of it's pop up. Any bugs that your might get during installation it means that your PC has too many spyware problems , besides that I personally had no problems with or after installation. I do confirm that "TIS" will ask you to uninstall other spyware detection software, but I had no problem reinstalling it later. And you do need 2 spyware blocking programs no matter you use Norton, TIS or Panda. I use free spybot search & destroy. So after all would I buy it again. YES, because I have a 2 year old laptop with 512MB RAM and again it's a laptop so security software that does what it should without slowing down my PC and draining all battery power it's what I need. Plus I hope that future updates will solve those few problem that "TIS" has.

Little Add-on: My rating went down to 3.5 stars I found that it stops from installing few games like diabloII, so you have to turn "TIS" of in some cases restart your PC, turn of "TIS" & and then install the game. I informed Trend Micro about this bug, so hopefully there will be a bug fix soon. So my recommendation on buying this product - is to wait a month or so if you not in a hurry to buy security software.

I bought this product as a solution to Norton 360, which i just removed from my 3 computers after endless attempts to make live up date work...anyway, this is a stronger product BUT it has flaws:

1) SPAM, my outlook express freezes & is slugish with SPAM filters on, once i turn them off - all is well with Outlook Express (except no Spam protection);

2) online support - basically doesnt exist - waited for over 2 hours to speak to some one who had NO expertise....telephone support which ends at 6pm PT isnt much better

3) a feature i liked on Norton & AVG, was the ability to do auto scans & auto updates if the scheduled time was "missed" which is great for laptops that arent always ON

4) makes you remove any other related software ie AVG; Spybot etc - its there product or no product

anyone know of a better product to use - i would switch in a minute! (im done with Norton & Mcaffee)

All internet security software sites offer free evaluations for their software. Try them before you buy them since I have not found one that runs fine on all computers. If you decide to buy one, get the best price and then simply put the security key into the evaluation copy to keep it going. All the suites give some people problems.

I have three computers in my house, a superfast computer, an aging computer that runs everything fine except new computer games, and my kids old 1.5 ghz klunker. All are XP computers built by me. Trend Micro works great on mine and my wife's computer. But I had to downgrade to 2006 on my kid's computer (the newer 2007 three user key code worked fine in it). And 2006 is obsolete, but I don't care on my kids computer since it does not have "secure", just basically clean so all their software runs fine.

I think the extra features on the Pro version make it a solid single solution (many experts think you should run multiple security programs, and while intellectually I agree in real life I find it a hassle). PC magazine felt that the firewall was a weak point. But I love the user interface and even if the firewall is weak I think user error (mine) is a bigger danger with other software. And caveat, I did not test spam protection on anything since my email account does that well. The complaints about conflicts with other security programs are real. And if you have a computer that is already infested with viruses, I have read this software is extremely difficult to install.

But as stated nothing works fine on all three. I tried Nortons and it would not run on my computer and gave me nightmares trying to remove it. I could not deinstall it, the web site's utility to remove the software did not work neither, along with standard Windows deletions even including registry manipulations. I then booted up in command mode and used commands to delete Norton, but that caused me to lose internet connections. After three hours of trying to get back a connection, I gave up and reinstalled Windows. We use Norton at work, and since I am not happy with it there I am not sure why I tried it at home (it has advantages in a network setting).

I also tried BitDefender, and at first I thought it was the best out there. Fast even on my kids computer, bullet proof and initially I thought easy to use. Then I got infected when the firewall and virus protection turned itself off. Maybe it was user error and maybe a problem with my system based on other reviews. And I ignored the two red X's warning me, so I was dense not to access the help screen for a day. Otherwise it is the only 5 star product security suite out there.

I hated the user interface with the 2007 version of McAfee, so the 2008 version never got evaluated. I tried the free Avast which is great for basic protection, but I think too limited for total protection if you use your computer for things like taxes and on-line shopping, even in combination with something like Adware.

So I just ordered a CD for TM 2008 Security Pro from Amazon and plan on putting in the security code into my evaluation copy. And maybe in three months I will be upset and downgrade this to 1-2 stars because my computer slowed to a crawl. But for now I am happy with it and it gets four stars since though not perfect it is the closet thing to a single solution for me. But I would still try other highly rated programs.

I have been a long time Zone Alarm Pro user. Advocated it for all my friends, but the latest version was problematic. Our kids PC keeps getting infected despite using a non Admin/non Power User account for him and requiring a password to confirm changes in Zone Alarm. So after my own notebook started to head south a month ago in terms of responsiveness I decided to load the TIS Pro 2008 trial. I have been very happy.

I like the update process, it is better than Zone Alarm's method. I like the scanning, it doesn't use up the entire CPU. I am still trying to figure out the best way to setup my MFCs. The Belkin Network USB works with it once I added it's utility to the list of allowed and opened the correct ports. It hosts a Epson MFC (9400-Fax) which works flawlessly. I am still trying to figure out (not very much time spent) on getting my Brother MFC-5840CN to scan across the network to this machine. Printing works fine to it. Just a matter I believe of doing the same thing as I did for the hub/epson by adding the correct programs (there are 5 I believe that machine uses) and ports to the allowed programs/ports lists. Although I miss the program style control of Zone Alarm Pro, I think I like the TIS Pro model better.

Our kids notebook is crawling again (it has Zone Alarm Pro on it), I suspect once again it has been infected. Looks like we will be using the recovery disk on that PC then loading TIS Pro 08 onto it. My trial expires in four days, and I am buying this today. I still have over a 100 days before my Zone Alarm subscription runs out. I wish I had put the trial on the kids PC as well, but then I might not have had such an obvious way to compare the two. I also wish I had found this before I renewed my Zone Alarm Pro subscription last spring.

I've been using Trend Micro for over 3 years, first on XP and now Vista, with absolutely NO problems whatsoever. Their installation is flawless if you FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS, and I've never had a problem with tech support -- they answer by e-mail within hours. Internet filtering with ANY software is always a bit daunting, as some prefer to see all the web's warts while I like to not even be bothered by all the garbage posing as interesting. The daily downloads aren't a problem here -- a window appears, I minimize it whilst working, it takes care of business and closes itself; if only other aspects of my daily life were so easy! I'm getting ready to re-up with the 2008 version and expect the same good experience. I had nothing but trouble previously with good old Symantec and Trend Micro has them beat. The only reason I don't give 5 stars is the upgrade price which could be a little lower.