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Norton 360 Version 2.0 Review (continued)
More User Submitted Norton 360 Version 2.0 Reviews
Date: 2008-12-18
Unstable and weak customer support
I purchased Norton 360 with my new computer last year and it ran well with only a few annoying features. A few months ago I received a message from Norton that the new and improved 360 Version 2.0 was now available for downloading. That's when all the problems started. I would consistently get a message that my system was "At Risk" and there were 3 items that needed immediate attention. It also aid to click on "Fix Now", but there was no fix now button or link to click on. In addition, when I would click on the Live Updates option, it would tell me that my license had expired even though I still had over 180 days left on my subscription. Also, when opening Internet Explorer it again told me my Phishing License had expired, again with over 180 days left on the subscription. The most confounding issue with the version 2.0 was that whenever I would go to my mail in-box, it would automatically go into a painfully long scanning process that would either cause my ISP to shut down due to an "unexpected error" or it would take 10 to 15 minutes to finally open the mail folder after the long scan was finally done.
I reported the problem multiple times to Norton through the on-line support tool. That sometimes took a while with as many as 20 people in the queue in front of me. For the first half dozen or so reporting sessions, the analyst would take control of my system, delete 360 V2.0 and reinstall it all over again. That would work until I restarted the machine, but then on restart I was right back where I started. I then started telling the analyst I wanted a better solution and the problem was "elevated" to a supervisor who essentially did the same thing, which gave me the same problems again after a restart. Finally a supervisor came back with a solution. He claimed that bits of an old deleted version Trend Micro were still present and needed to be deleted. Instead of deleting them while on-line with me and controlling my system, he said I needed to contact Trend Micro and have them delete the files. While I did this I insisted that they delete 360 version 2.0 and reinstall version 1.0 until this could be resolved. I then contacted Trend Micro who graciously told me what to delete through Windows Explorer (which wasn't exactly rocket science) while sounding very surprised that these few dormant files would have anything to do with the Norton issues. I lived with version 1.0 for a few weeks fearing that reinstalling version 2.0 would bring back the same problems. However, after multiple messages and pop-ups from Norton reminding me to upgrade, I reluctantly reinstalled version 2.0 with hopes that the deletion of the Trend Micro files would really do the trick. It didn't. The same problems were back as soon as version 2.0 was installed.
So back I go to the on-line support for a daily dose of analyst and supervisors uninstalling and reinstalling, with assurances each time that this time they solved the problem and all was now well with 360 version 2.0. Needless to say, it was not. Finally, last night I reached the point of surrender and insisted on a refund. After bickering with the on-line analyst (NOTE: Norton provides no telephone numbers for support or customer service. You must deal with the offshore support analysts through the on-line connection), he reluctantly told me I would be issued a credit within 10 working days. Asking me if that was acceptable, I responded by saying I didn't know unless I was told how I would receive the credit and how much would it be. After a long back-and-forth exchange of "How much?"/"Full credit", and "Credit what?"/"Your account", it began to feel more like some kind of bad imitation of an Abbott and Costello routine. He obviously he had no idea how much would be credited or how it would be delivered. Finally, I just gave up, ordered a new copy of Bitdefender, and decided to delete Norton 360 Version 2.0 for good.
I guess I will never really know if some kind of Trend Micro conflict really did interfere the Version 2.0 of 360 (it didn't have any effect of Version 1.0), or if the cause of the problems was something else, but I'm done with Norton. When you have the incident number memorized so well that you don't have to look it up, that's probably an indication that you're not likely to get the problem fixed. In this case, an upgrade really wasn't an upgrade and a once satisfied customer has been lost for good. In the grand scheme of things I suppose losing a single small customer doesn't mean too much, but I can't recommend them. I have to admit that I do miss the days of a genuine help desk that employs someone who speaks my language and takes ownership of a problem until it is resolved. Who's on first? Yes.
Date: 2008-12-16
Dont buy anything norton
This is the last product I will ever buy from norton. There software is non compatible and disruptive to the os. As always I give low scores for tech support, in this case, there isnt any.
Date: 2008-12-15
Great!!!
This product is easy to setup. Purchased for parents (over 65 yrs old). They have no complaints. Puchase of product was easy and delivery was fast.
Date: 2008-12-14
Does the Job
I have Norton 360 installed on my desktop PC running Windows XP. It should be noted that this PC is a "gateway" PC for hosting wireless connectivity and Internet service, so the computer has to be rock solid secure, but doesn't see as much use as my laptop.
Norton was easy to install and is intuitive to use. The main screen is setup to be aesthetically pleasing, with a series of bubbles that you can choose from to drill down to more advanced functions. Unlike other virus programs I have used in the past, it does not become intrusive, causing windows to pop up during routine browsing or software installation. Advanced users will want to make use of the customization, in order to remain protected, yet keep Norton from overstepping its bounds. Norton can take care of threats on its own, or it can be set to ask the user what to do when a security risk is found.
One of the most useful features of 360 is that it can be used to easily set up a backup system. Backing up is an important task that many users overlook, so having an automatic tool takes all the thought out of the process. Norton will help you select which files you want to back up (pictures, video, financial files, documents), how big those files are, how often you want to back up, and the destination of the backup system. Plus -- Norton offers an online backup storage of 2 GB with an account in their system.
Overall, Norton 360 2.0 works just fine for my purposes.
Date: 2008-12-14
Annoying and poorly tested
The product does OK as far as virus protection -- not surprising since this is Norton's background.
The first problem with this product is it trying to do all these other things for you - like backup - that Norton clearly doesn't have much expertise in and so that part of the product is poor. It's difficult to administer and slow.
The backup part is a real pain. I don't want Norton backing up my files on the internet. But it forces you to configure that. This part is extremely slow as it repeatedly scans your hard drive, wants to take you to your Norton account (whose password you've probably forgotten) and generally makes itself annoying. Good luck finding out how to turn backup off so it will stop nagging you.
The product used to require frequent re-installation as it would seem to get in a fight with Vista and neither firewall could be turned on. They seem to have fixed that now and I haven't had to re-install in a long time.
Probably the worst problem is administering the product. It is very difficult finding out how to do the simplest tasks (like turn the backup off, or do a virus scan).
The final straw is when they had a major product update, they notified me that I should go install it. The install was manual, it de-activated my product so I had to find the product key and re-install it. It lost my backup settings to I had to go through the tortuous process of getting the backup to stop pestering me.
This is a typical bundled product that does one thing well and the rest poorly and you are stuck with all the bad parts. If you want virus protection, get norton antivirus. If you want a firewall, use the Windows firewall that is on by default. If you want backup software, go find some that fits your needs. But I don't recommend this product.
If you want backup software, go find some really good
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