Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2003

Symantec's Norton AntiVirus 2002 has been sitting pretty in the PC Pro A-List for some time now, thanks to its unbeatable combination of quality virus detection, disinfection tools, good design and extreme ease of use.

While this latest version doesn't provide as many new features, it still improves on transparency, with a few more automation tools to disinfect suspect files or delete them without user intervention. AntiVirus 2003 can now scan files from Windows messaging services, and automatically repair or quarantine them, while outgoing messages are scanned for worms and blocked if an infection is detected. General security has also been beefed up, as all user settings can be password protected.

Installation is still a swift process, after which the software offers to run an immediate full scan and schedule a weekly scan. FAT users can create rescue disks but, thanks to the size of the virus signature file, this now stretches to a whopping eight disks. NTFS systems don't get this option, but Symantec now offers a full remote scanning service from its website, so you can check your system's clean before installation. LiveUpdate checks for updates in the background and had no problems with our proxy server - unlike the Instant Updater in McAfee's latest VirusScan 7, which refused to connect to the download site and forced us to run manual updates.

The AntiVirus 2003 interface sees some minor cosmetic changes, but these don't impair its accessibility. The main screen provides a simple readout on the software status and update service, and uses colour-coded symbols to warn about errors or discrepancies. A real-time scanner provides round-the-clock surveillance on all files, and defaults to automatically repair or quarantine infections. All incoming and outgoing emails and attachments can be scanned, and extra options now allow you to include AOL, MSN or Yahoo! instant messenger services. An extra feature for MSN users allows a warning message to be delivered on receiving an infected file.

You can easily run manual scans on your hard disk and select specific drives, folders or files. A full system scan is only a mouse click away, and a scheduler utility allows this to be run at regular intervals. Viruses get a tough time, as AntiVirus 2003 will attempt an automatic repair behind the scenes and, if this fails, it places the file in a safe quarantine area. If the latter approach isn't successful, it simply deletes the file. AntiVirus 2003 doesn't waste any time when it spots an infection - during testing it immediately denied access to the infected files until they were cleaned up.

Commendably, you can't ignore an infection, as the only options are to repair, quarantine or delete them.

Despite the modest range of enhancements, Norton AntiVirus 2003 still remains one of the easiest anti-virus packages to use. There may be cheaper alternatives, but they can't compete with this fine partnership of features, tools and usability - making Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2003 the top choice for personal protection.

Author: Dave Mitchell