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Norton SystemJerks Yeah, Jerks!
I am a longtime user of Norton Anti Virus products. I've been running Norton Systemworks for several years - I really like some of the components:
One Button Checkup - "find and fix your computer's most common problems" is what the product claims
Speed Disk - "optimizes your pc's disk to improve performance" is what the product claims
Well, up until two days ago I was a Norton zealot! Why did I change my mind?
My sister-in-law was given a copy of Systemworks by her daughter and I was asked to go over and install it for her. The nightmare that followed turned me off Norton.
After initially installing it, the computer balked at the Id code Norton had supplied with the software. I uninstalled and reinstalled with the same result. A phone call to Support, or should I say NonSupport, led to an incredibly long wait on hold at which point I had to leave. My sister-in-law hung tight and after an inappropriate wait (in the middle of the day, I have to point out) and she ended up shaking her head in disbelief as the Tech NonSupport Guy, in his broken English, failed to resolve the problem and finally told her to go online to the Norton Help page. The next day I uninstalled and reinstalled and to my shock the Id code was accepted. Trouble was Norton SystemJerks installed all the components except the Anti Virus component. Okay, I decided to uninstall and reinstall using Custom install instead of Typical - I ticked all the components I wanted to install and guess what - everything but the Anti Virus component installed. I shook my head and dialed the 1 800 number for NonSupport. Twenty five minutes later, again during prime daytime hours, I got tired of waiting listening to Norton's wait with music bullcrap - I hung up with an extremely sore ear.
I've installed AVG freeware anti virus on sis's computer and last I heard she was sending her gift software back to her daughter. My current Norton expires after the new year - you can bet I'll not be renewing it!
You may not be aware of this - Norton has built in code into their software that only allows a certain number of installs. When sis's daughter gets the software in her mail she may not be able to install it herself if she wants to use it. Go back and check how many times I had installed the damn thing.
Having said that, if your computer crashes over the period of time you have Norton installed on your machine, you may or may not be able to install it back on your computer. This anti-piracy code Norton has included in its software punishes the honest user and quite frankly turned me against what I once considered to be the best anti virus app around.
My brother-in-law doesn't use computers and I've always laughed when he has threatened to toss his wife's computer into the lake. Now I'm beginning to think he was a Norton user in a previous life.