by Steve Bennett
NORTON ANTIVIRUS 2001
Rating 98
The stakes are too high to question whether to update or not, as new viruses sprout up faster than dot-coms go under. Each year anti-virus software gets better at doing its job, and gets easier to use. That’s certainly true for Norton AntiVirus 2001. Designed to run on Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000, it offers a number of performance improvements to make it a necessity.
The best new feature is the Live Update functionality. Rather than generate reminders to update, AntiVirus 2001 finds an open Internet connection, retrieves new virus definitions from the Symantec site and installs them effortlessly.
The new SmartScan technology intelligently determines which files to scan for viruses. It also reduces the system-resource hit the software takes when running in AutoProtect mode. A nice addition is the inclusion of a bootable CD (finally). While PC makers don’t appear to be in a hurry to ditch the floppy, CDs are certainly more convenient and dependable. If a system won’t boot from the CD, a built-in utility creates emergency floppy disks.
Symantec made minor modifications to the interface. The e-mail configuration that scans e-mail attachments as they download to a computer is easier to use. Otherwise, the interface changes are purely cosmetic.
If you don’t have antivirus software, get Norton AntiVirus 2001. The cost of the software is a small price to pay for peace of mind.
NORTON ANTIVIRUS 2001
$40
Symantec
800-441-7234
