Product Description

Norton 360 Premier Edition 3.0 eliminates the need for any additional security, performance optimization and data backup & restore products. Truly a breakthrough in PC protection, Norton 360 Version 3.0 provides a hassle-free user experience. It includes the strengths of Norton Antivirus 2009 with Antispyware for online threat protection and powerful features similar as those of Norton SystemWorks Premier Edition for backing up your data securely as well as continuously optimizing your PC for peak performance. Automatically fixes common PC problems Gets rid of unnecessary Internet clutter and temporary files. Removes stale Windows registry entries. Defragments your hard drive(s) for faster data writing and access. Files such as photos, music, contacts and financial documents can be backed up automatically to CDs, DVDs or external drives. Includes 2 GB of online storage Norton Pulse Updates - it automatically checks for new virus definitions every 5 to 15 minutes and downloads them in the background for continuous protection without performance sacrifices.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33 in Software
• Brand: Symantec
• Model: 20005480
• Released on: 2009-04-02
• Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows XP
• Format: CD-ROM
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 1.90" h x 7.70" w x 9.70" l, 1.25 pounds

Features

• Norton 360 3.0 provides automated, comprehensive protection for your PC and online activities--the industry's fastest, lightest, most complete security solution
• PC security defends against viruses, spyware, botnets, and more, protecting your computer and all your online activities
• Identity protection safeguards you against online identity theft, letting you shop, bank, and browse with confidence
• PC Tuneup keeps your PC running at peak performance, which makes your computer run faster and helps keep it running like new
• Automated backup and restore protects your important files from loss--safeguards your irreplaceable photos, movies, music, and more

Amazon.com Product Description
Norton 360 Version 3.0 offers proven performance, delivering today's fastest and lightest all-in-one solution for protecting your PC and all your online activities. It protects against viruses, worms, hackers, and botnets, safeguards against online identity theft, protects important files, and keeps your PC tuned and running at peak performance. Completely automated and easy to use, Norton 360 works quietly in the background, with virtually no impact on PC performance, to provide comprehensive protection for everything computer users care about. By offering an unmatched combination of performance and protection, it helps you get the most out of your PC and your online experience.

Norton 360 Version 3.0 offers proven performance, delivering today's fastest and lightest all-in-one solution for protecting your PC and all your online activities. Click to enlarge.

New--Ultra fast and super light performance
Norton 360 Version 3.0 is the fastest and lightest all-in-one PC protection solution available on the market today. It delivers industry-leading protection for your PC and all your online activities while using significantly fewer system resources, so it won't slow you down:

• Startup time is less than 1 minute.
• Scans take less than 3 minutes.
• It uses less than 10 MB of memory.
• New--Rapid installation gets you up and running quickly in less than 1 minute.
• New--Norton Pulse Updates deliver up-to-the-minute protection against new threats every 5 to 15 minutes.
• New--Norton Insight scans only those files at risk, saving time and dramatically improving protection with faster, fewer, shorter scans.
• New--Smart Startup Manager turns off unnecessary programs to accelerate PC startup time.
• It automatically performs tasks in the background and during PC idle time to eliminate interruptions and minimize any impact on PC performance.

Flexible, automated, and easy-to-use backup and restore capabilities protect photos, music, documents, and other important files from loss. Click to enlarge.

The new Smart Startup Manager turns off unnecessary startup programs so your PC starts up faster. Click to enlarge.

Norton Safe Web identifies unsafe websites and suspicious sellers so you can surf and shop with confidence. Click to enlarge.

Protects against Web-based attacks that use vulnerabilities in your browser to infect your PC. Click to enlarge.

Industry-leading PC security
Our latest virus, spyware, botnet, firewall, and network protection technologies protect you and your PC at all times.

New--Botnet detection
Prevents others from taking control of your PC to access your private information or use it to host an attack on other PCs.

New--Norton Safe Web
Identifies unsafe websites and suspicious sellers so you can surf and shop with confidence.

Norton Identity Safe
Identifies fraudulent websites and validates authentic ones to protect your identity when you buy, bank, and browse online.

Password Manager
Automatically detects, stores, and secures logins and passwords so you can have highly secure passwords without having to remember them.

Secure, one-click login
Conveniently and securely fills in online forms at your request and submits logins and passwords to your frequently visited sites while blocking eavesdropping programs like keystroke loggers.

Browser Protection
Protects against Web-based attacks that use vulnerabilities in your browser to infect your PC.

New--Norton Pulse Updates
Provide continuous protection against new threats automatically.

Automated backup and restore
Flexible, automated, and easy-to-use backup and restore capabilities protect photos, music, documents, and other important files from loss.

• Includes 2 GB of secured online storage (with option to purchase more) (requires high-speed internet access).
• Easy-to-use set-and-forget features automatically back up your valuable files to a local hard drive or secured online site according to the schedule you set.
• New--Norton Drive lets you queue up important files to be backed up whenever your computer is idle, so backups won't get in the way of your computing experience.
• Supports a variety of local backup destinations, including external hard drives, Blu-ray Disc, HD-DVD, and iPod.

Network monitoring
Protects your network and alerts you when you connect to an unsecured wireless network.

PC Tuneup
Automatically cleans up unnecessary Internet clutter and temporary files, defragments your hard drive, and optimizes and maintains your PC to keep it running at peak performance.

New--Diagnostic recommendation
Checks your PC to fix common problems and provides recommendations to help you make your PC run better.

New--Smart Startup Manager
Turns off unnecessary startup programs so your PC starts up faster.

Free 24/7 support
Provides easy, one-click access to expert support at no charge via email, live chat, or on the phone.

Monthly report
Shows the details of your PC's activities, such as threats caught, tune-up tasks performed, and files backed up.

Ongoing protection
Keeps your computer protected from the latest Internet risks by automatically renewing your subscription at the regular subscription price (plus applicable tax), so you don't have to do it.

New--Real-time SONAR (Symantec Online Network for Advanced Response)
Detects emerging spyware and viruses before traditional cures are available.

Network map
Provides a visual picture of your network and each device connected to it, allowing you to view the security status of all Norton products on the network.

Optional antispam and parental controls
Are available for easy download via the Norton Add-on Pack.

Customer Reviews

Much better than previous version(s)
I first started using Norton 360 on my laptop running Windows XP and it was pretty awful. It would always "ding" an alert or notice on every legitimate web site or online retailer. In addition, my laptop became terribly s-l-o-w. So bad in fact I thought it was my memory, and even with a memory upgrade it was crawling along. After that experience, I evolved into a new laptop running Windows Vista and bought Kaspersky Internet Security. This was a total disaster. Kaspersky, in my experience, is total junk! EVERY web page and browsing experience was blocked with so many "threat" notices that I had to disable it just to use Internet explorer. Not even Mozilla Firefox had a chance. So, in need of relief, I saw this "new" version of Norton 360. I removed the Kaspersky and installed Norton 360 Version 3.0 (As of April 8, 2009 be careful what you buy, when I was shopping, many stores were still carrying the older 2.0 version.) I did cautiously backup my system before installing this, and after installing it; it pretty much works as described. It will keep log-ins, and passwords stored within its program for various sites, like Amazon.com for example and these are password protected.
What is more noticeable to me, over my past experience with Norton 360 Version 1.0 is the "diet" the software has undergone. On my laptop, again running Windows Vista, (two years old) there does not appear to be any lag, or sluggishness, and you could argue it is faster than when Kaspersky was running. At first I thought the protection was not running, but it is, and I don't notice it.
As far as options, there is a Premier Version 3.0 and a "plain" Version 3.0. The main difference, as you see on the back of the box, is an upgrade in online storage. I have not tried to use the online storage and don't plan on using it. I already have a big enough external back-up drive and I do not like uploading my personal or sensitive files for someone else to hold onto. But it's your call in the end.

Pros: "light" software, hardly noticeable, compatible with Windows Vista, and able to securely remember log-ins and passwords

Cons: Having to buy this every year

Hope this review helps!

Great all-in-one security suite
Pros:
-Intrusion prevention/Auto-protect (Firewall)
-Virus scanner with the largest database among all virus scanners
-Heuristics scanner that makes even Kaspersky jealous
-Other security features (Email scanning, browser settings check, network address check)
-File backup
-Disk defragger
-Temp file removal
-Registry scanner
-Does all of the above automatically while your computer is idle
-Has a full gamut options to fully control what 360 can and cannot do

Cons:
-Price
-Backup will only backup files, it will not make an image of the disk. This means that if you have a hardware failure you will have to reinstall windows + every program you own
-People claim it's a resource hog but my Norton 360 is currently consuming 00% CPU cycles and 10mb RAM. It does consume a lot of resources during a scan but that's why you're supposed to let it run automatically while your computer is idle
-People claim it is hard to uninstall. This though is false, Symantec has a program on their website that will uninstall it completely for you or you can use a program like Uninstall Tool


In order to copy all of the features of Norton 360 with different programs you would need to pay for an internet security application, backup application, and a "PC Tuneup" application. I actually didn't want to use Norton but it saved me money over buying those three programs individually and allows them to run automatically saving me the trouble of setting up run schedules and making sure my computer is on during those scheduled times.

I've installed Norton 360 on 3 different computers and none of them have experienced any of the problems that all these 1-star reviews did. One of the computers is even a POS laptop with barely any resources and it runs fine.

Norton 360 does not contain or use the program "PIFTS.exe" which is the purported executable that Symantec uses to "spy" on people.

Norton 360 v. 3.0, As Reviewed By A Computer Security Professional
I have a Bachelor's of Science degree in Computer Science with a Minor in Security and Forensics. I feel qualified to speak about this product as a professional in the field. I am not an "expert" because I do not work in the "Virus" scanning or software field, and I do not work for Norton. But I am a professional in the field of Computer Science and Computer Security.

Note: I am putting the word "virus" in quotes, to emphasize that the word is a media creation, and is not entirely indicative of the real behaviors and traits of malicious codes and programs. In biology, an organism can "catch" a real virus by simply being near it and/or exposed to it. In the world of computer security, active acceptance of a "virus" is needed, in order to "get it." This can include running unknown downloads, browsing shifty websites with an insecure browser, etc. Security threats can come from a multitude of sources: websites, downloads, programs, scripts, macros, etc. They are called all sorts of names: "spyware," "malware," "viruses," etc. All of these names and categories try to order and control something which is by its very nature uncontrollable. It is better to call is all "malicious code" and stop trying to categorize it. But, for the purposes of this review, "virus" refers to a type of malicious computer code which is generally intended to do harm to a target computer, and/or to ferret out financial/personal information, and/or capture control of a computer to allow the "virus" writer to use it for illegal purposes later.

First of all, let me state that I generally don't use any form of "Virus" security software. I generally don't trust them, and I do not like their subscription model of business. Over the years, I have used: AVG, McAfee, Norton, and lesser known products to CLEAN an infected system I was called in to look at. But, I do not use the products myself on my own systems. I generally use a simple firewall and on some more critical systems I will also use a behavior monitor to flag and block suspicious behaviors from software. If one follows good computer security practices, security software above a firewall and possibly a behavior monitor (such as from ZoneAlarm Pro or PC Tools "ThreatFire" or SpyBot's "TeaTimer") are all you need. Even with all of the security software in the world, you STILL have a chance of being hit, especially from a "zero day" threat. Because of that, the only way to 100% protect your data, is to perform regular backups.

However, I have to give Norton credit for giving this product a good "college try." First of all, they are doing their best to protect against "zero day" threats. A "zero day" threat is a threat on the day it is released. This is usually a problem, because most security software, especially "virus" scanners tend to rely on program "signatures" -- the names, and code and makeup of specific virus files. The "virus" is most dangerous on the day of its release, because the security software hasn't been updated to recognize it yet. In the past, updates to get new "signatures" used to happen on a daily or even a weekly schedule. This left a window of opportunity to get hit before the signatures were updated. And frequently, once you have been hit, the "virus" will disable your security software, or render itself invisible to it. Norton 360 v. 3.0 is attempting to combat this by literally checking for updates every 5-10 minutes or so. Additionally, Norton sets up an automatic backup process which can be used to restore critical files after a disaster. This will not help if your entire hard drive gets nuked by a virus, but it is better than nothing.

So, how did I test this product? I threw the proverbial kitchen sink at it, that's how. Note, this product requires Windows XP SP 2 or greater to install. The first test system I attempted to install it on was an original XP system with no updates. It refused to install (as do AVG and MacAfee for that matter, just to be fair). So, I installed it on a test system which I slightly more used than the older test system. Once I had installed it, run its updates, and run all of the scans, etc. (it found nothing, which is what I expected it to find), I was ready to try to break it. I networked a known corrupted system to the test system, and opened the network and file sharing protocols. I began accessing files, moving known infected files to the test system, etc. Basically, I gave the infected system the chance to take over the test system. I also loaded known virus files of various types (including Unix/Linux viruses which have no affect on Windows systems) to see if Norton would spot them, and what it would do with them.

Sure enough, the infected system started trying to get into the test system over the network. And I started receiving pop-up messages from Norton telling me over and over again that "such and such virus, or process, or whatever" had been blocked. It also dug up, within minutes, all of the known "virus" files and folders (even the Unix/Linux ones) I had loaded. Okay, so it was good at blocking bad stuff from a few months ago, and known "virus" files, even from other operating systems. What about zero day stuff? I hit a "hacker" website with an unsecured version of Internet Explorer (v. 5) which is known to try to inject into insecure browsers. Norton blocked it. I then downloaded the source code to a "virus" the "hacker" community was promoting, and compiled it and ran it (I altered the source code so it wouldn't actually harm any of the files on the test system if Norton failed), and sure enough, Norton had a signature for it, and blocked it. So, Norton 360 was able to repel attacks from a known infected agent. It was able to catch all of the "virus" files I presented it with, it was able to repel attacks from a known bad website, and it was able to catch and repel a self inflicted attack from a "zero day" "virus." Not bad. Not bad at all. For someone like my mother or grandmother, this is exactly the kind of product they need. It takes care of the details, and leaves them (more or less) safe.

The other features Norton 360 v. 3.0 has are fairly trivial. It has a disc optimization wizard (read: defrag), and a cleanup wizard (read: delete temporary files). Most of its PC Tune-up tools are either included in Windows, available for free online, or unadvisable. Their registry cleaner seems OK, but any time you mess around with the registry, you are asking for trouble. The backup function works fine, and can be scheduled to run automatically. And the identity protection stuff works fine too. If you are running Mozilla's "Firefox" you already have most of the tools that the identity protection offered by Norton offers, such as identifying insecure websites, etc. It has too many features too really rate and enumerate individually. I tested the major ones that an average user is going to care about.

Now, on to my only major gripe about Norton 360 v. 3.0 (and all security software suites for that matter). They claim, "Norton 360 3.0 [is] the industry's fastest, lightest, most complete security solution" and they claim that, "[it] is the fastest and lightest all-in-one PC protection solution available on the market today. [...] using significantly fewer system resources, so it won't slow you down: [...] It uses less than 10 MB of memory."

Well, true enough, it generally didn't use more than 10MB of RAM. But who cares about RAM usage? Most PCs on the market these days come with 1GB of RAM, or more. It is CPU usage, which is the problem. And just like every other security software suite like Norton which I have used, 360 v. 3.0 is a resource hog, just like all the others. Scans consistently topped 50% CPU usage. The test system is a 3.2GHz, dual core processor, with 2GB of RAM, running Windows XP SP3. When scanning, or doing anything CPU intensive, the computer basically freezes, or runs very slow, until the CPU has been released. This behavior is true of all security software, so Norton cannot be dinged too hard for this, which is why I am only subtracting 1 star from the review. However, they COULD have been a bit more honest in their claims and advertising. The thing is a resource hog, plain and simple. The main process running in system memory is pretty much always claiming 5-15% of the CPU, and whenever it is doing something more involved, then it regularly pings the CPU to 50% or higher.

My only other complaint about the product is how chatty it is. By default, it will pop-up and bug you whenever it has ANYTHING to report to you, including "tracking cookies" (which are not a real security threat.) This gets annoying after the 100th pop-up telling you it has blocked something. This behavior can be modified in the settings, but it is on by default. Norton also will ignore you if you restore a file which it has identified as a "virus," and it will re-delete the file when it encounters it again. This is a problem if you are a computer security professional, and part of your job is to archive and analyze security threats. I had to encrypt the files I wanted to keep, in order to prevent Norton from finding them, and trying to delete them. Good job to Norton on being so aggressive, but they need to make it easier for a professional to override the program.

So, overall, I rate the product a 4/5, with it losing a star for its less than honest advertising about how "fast and light" it was, and for the other obnoxious behavior listed above. I will not be continuing to use the product, because as I stated previously, I don't use any major security products. But, from the tests I ran, I would be perfectly happy to recommend this product to any family member or anyone in the general public, so long as they had the money for the product itself, and to pay for the updates subscription.