Norton Internet Security 2001 3

Virus protection is ably handled by Norton Anti-Virus 2001, and this latest version includes script blocking. This monitors scripts such as those attached to emails and stops them running if they attempt to make any system modifications. Your system is protected constantly by an Auto-Protect real-time scanner that checks any files that are opened, copied or moved and blocks access if it spots any viral code in their makeup. Internet downloads get the same treatment, and you can also select specific email accounts for monitoring.

The main Anti-Virus program provides on-demand scanning and acquitted itself well during testing as it identified all 55 test viruses thrown at it, including boot sector, multipartite and polymorphic varieties. Word and Excel macro viruses were also dispatched efficiently, leaving genuine macros intact. If an infection does occur, a Wizard guides you gently through the repair process. Should your system become unusable after infection, it can be recovered using a set of bootable rescue disks; Symantec is one of few companies to offer a floppy/ZIP boot disk combo for restarting into Windows. Along with new rules for blocking trojans, regular virus signature updates can be downloaded from Symantec's Web site using LiveUpdate and the price includes a one-year subscription.

As a budget-priced PC security solution, Norton Internet Security 2001 is hard to beat. It combines good firewall facilities, top-quality virus detection measures and some useful tools for keeping personal information private.

Author: Dave Mitchell