Norton AntiVirus 2012 19.5 User Reviews

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CNET Editors' Rating 5.0 stars

Spectacular

Average User Rating stars

out of 672 user reviews

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Results 1-10 of 43

  • 1.0 stars

    "Norton functions like malware"

    August 29, 2012  |   By dx58so

    Version: Norton AntiVirus 2012 19.5

    Pros

    NONE AT ALL

    Cons

    SONAR is a terrible idea, the heuristics engine is useless and flags legitimate software as dangerous. The malware scanner is slow and inconsistent. Strong malware easily bypasses Norton software and uses it against you therefore it is prone to hijacking. The firewall can be broken with little effort. The customer support does not want to fix your problem they want to charge you for the phone call and the service of telling you that you need to reformat your PC. Take it from a software engineer, this is BAD NEWS!

    Summary

    Do not under any circumstances use Symantec's products unless you want to support your local computer repair shop, then by all means,they will love you.

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  • 2.0 stars

    "Disillusioned with NIS"

    August 15, 2012  |   By WarlockOrange777

    Version: Norton AntiVirus 2012 19.5

    Pros

    1.No false positives
    2. Low impact on the system
    3. Really a LOT of benefits, like integration with Firefox.

    Cons

    1.After each Security Engine upgrade, NIS won't start. I had to remove NIS completely and install it anew 2 time already since May.
    2. Almost any other antivirus disables Smart Firewall after restart.
    3. Automatic renewal of subscription has to be cancelled manually through Norton Account.

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  • 1.0 stars

    "Lags computer"

    July 27, 2012  |   By Enlightarts

    Version: Norton AntiVirus 2012 19.5

    Pros

    I cant think of any

    Cons

    It slow down computer considerably and uses a lot of ram ALL of the time. Did not catch things that other programs that were free did.

    Summary

    It seems like norton gets the best reviews from cnet, pcmag and other pro reviews, but regular people mostly think it sucks. Why is that? Is norton paying these companies to give good reviews? Cnet gives it 5 stars / average user rating 2.5 stars. Thank goodness for user reviews.

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  • 5.0 stars

    "This is a very good product being reviewed by morons"

    June 25, 2012  |   By HCSGuy

    Version: Norton AntiVirus 2012 19.5

    Pros

    Low system resource use
    Catches nearly all viruses
    Doesn't tend to mess up your computer

    I repair computers and fix viruses for a living. I see a lot of different AV software and how well it protects peoples' systems. There is no antivirus that can protect the system from its user if they do something dumb enough, but Norton Antivirus is the best I've seen. Here are some actual facts to compare to the reviewers writing in all CAPS:

    - In the last 18 months, I've removed 1000s of viruses from hundreds of computers. In that time, not one computer with a properly updated Norton has come across my desk, not one.
    - I've installed NAV on dozens of customers' computers who have previously contracted a virus. Not one of those machines has come back with either a virus or problem of any sort.
    - NAV consistently rates at the top of its class in independent tests

    Cons

    If Norton get your credit card, they'll automagically charge you for an update every year. Moreover, that's about the most expensive way to buy the product. I'm also not crazy about their SONAR product interfering with your downloads because "Not many people download this program". You then have to go through 3 or 4 steps to download a file you want. For some naive users, this might just save them from downloading the latest virus, but I find it a tiny bit annoying.

    Summary

    I'm not a fanboi for this product, I don't even use it on my own computer (I use Avira). NAV used to suck until they re-wrote it a few years ago, it could suck again some day, but the 2011 and 2012 versions just rock.

    Haters are going to hate, don't let the reviews you see on here dissuade you from using Norton.

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    Was this review helpful? (4) (6)

  • 1.0 stars

    "Are There ZERO-Star To Rate This?"

    June 16, 2012  |   By privatejohn

    Version: Norton AntiVirus 2012 19.5

    Pros

    There's None.

    Cons

    HEAVILY BLOATED!
    SLOWS UP PC.
    FALSE-POSITIVES AND FALSE DETECTIONS!
    HIGHLY EXPENSIVE WITH LOWEST QUALITY PIECE OF ****!
    Need A 4GB RAM Just For Detecting Malware. (YOU **** ME?!)
    LOTS OF BUGS And ERRORS.

    Summary

    Totally CRAP! There Are LOTS Of Cheap Yet Effective (And Some Are FREE!) Antivirus That Won't Let You Down. Avast!, Avira, ESET And Others.
    Avoid THESE: McAfee, And Norton / Symantec. Even A New Computer Users PISSED Off With This Crap (And Even n00bs Will NOT Recommend This).

    Other Notes: There Are Some So-called "5-star Rating" Comments Concerning This **** Product Which I Think It's Just Paid Off By The Publisher(s). Do NOT Trust Them. EVER!

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    Was this review helpful? (5) (4)

  • 1.0 stars

    "Takes actions without asking or even telling you"

    May 16, 2012  |   By pjcamp

    Version: Norton AntiVirus 2012 19.5

    Pros

    Industrial strength protection
    Low system impact

    Cons

    SONAR technology silently deletes files

    Summary

    The last version of Norton introduced a set of heuristic protection tools, among them one called SONAR. It is basically a reputation engine. If some particular file is, in Symantec's judgment, used by an insufficient number of people, then it is treated as a virus and removed from your system. That in itself is annoying, but what turns irritation into a MAJOR BUG is that Norton does not tell you what it did. No warning, no asking for permission, no informational popup telling you what is going on and why, not even a history log. It is up to you to figure out why that program you thought you had vanished without a trace. Making major alterations to my system, silently and without my permission, is the one behavior I simply will not tolerate. Yeah, you can turn off the "feature." And the next time Norton updates, it will turn itself back on. I've been testing Avast on another machine and so far I'm pretty happy with it. I don't see the point in paying for antivirus any more, and certainly not in paying for deliberate irritation.

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  • 2.0 stars

    "Symantec are just useless money hoggers"

    May 3, 2012  |   By sanvinayak

    Version: Norton AntiVirus 2012 19.5

    Pros

    Not a very big resource hog
    Fast and easy installation

    Cons

    I tested norton personally against a few viruses and some virus killed norton completely and also the net connection. Norton couldnt repair itself and i had to use kaspersky rescue disc to save my system

    Bad detection and protection
    Cluttered interface
    Expensive and no VFM

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    Was this review helpful? (4) (2)

  • 1.0 stars

    "awful program"

    May 2, 2012  |   By commander2001

    Version: Norton AntiVirus 2012 19.5

    Pros

    none doesnt have any

    Cons

    everything price,doesnt stop all viruses

    AVAST is the way to get get norton off this site

    Summary

    go for avast its more better

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    Was this review helpful? (3) (3)

  • 4.0 stars

    "improved, faster!"

    April 24, 2012  |   By mfrman

    Version: Norton AntiVirus 2012 19.5

    Pros

    Much faster load time, I'm the only one of my friends not to get hit with a virus lately, (don't use exploder, of windows firewall)

    Cons

    None i can find

    Summary

    Free with Centurlink, take it, don't stick with the freewares

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  • 5.0 stars

    "I think it's good :)"

    March 5, 2012  |   By Maniac_34

    Version: Norton AntiVirus 2012 19.5

    Pros

    I've had really good luck with this antivirus I'll keep supporting Symantec. However I think the reason why people are saying it slows down their machines is because their machine is crap. Or they don't know how to personalize their SONAR exclusions and any other settings.

    Cons

    None to be found

    Reply to this review

    Was this review helpful? (4) (4)

Results 1-10 of 43

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