Customer Reviews
User-friendly virus protection 
2008-07-15
As an average computer user, this suite worked well with my Windows XP programs. I would not recommend it for the Vista user since Vista already come with half of the extra features that this suite has outside of the regular Norton Antivirus. One very obvious drawback is how this suite slows down computer performance, a lot. It is a big suite so it does use a lot of memory. The big selling point to this suite is that it is very user friendly, actually Norton as a company is more customer service oriented so it is not unusual that most of their products are user friendly and easy to install and navigate.
Great product, BEST DEAL! 
2008-07-13
My original Norton 360 1 year subscription ran out. Preferring to have the actual disk v renewing on-line, I searched the internet. With a $20 rebate and price under $50, this was by far the best deal anywhere!
With Proper Setup Runs like a Charm 2008-07-13
While I can review a computer game after "beating it" - often a week or two after purchase - with Norton 360 I waited several months after installing it to come to any judgement. There is always a learning curve with any serious software product where you tweak the settings, learn what combination works well for you, and so on. I really feel a serious package like this should be tested out for many weeks - not days - before a decision is made about it.
I run Norton 360 on my main home PC, from which I run several websites. This means I am running database development software, graphic editing software, video editing software, logging software and much more on this machine. Plus I'm a game reviewer, so I'm running some pretty intensive games on it as well. My machine does a great variety of things. You would think if an issue was going to trigger, that I'd probably trigger it.
I definitely agree that you need to spend a little time setting up the software to work well with your surfing and net patterns. Someone who does a lot of networking operations might need ports more open than someone who just reads email and wants their computer locked up tightly. Now, that being said, the interface is rather straightforward to do this. Once you set it up, you're all set.
I haven't run into any issues with Norton 360 once it was set up well. Yes I had to do some tweaking to get my various POP mail accounts working - many of which are customized and using non-standard ports. It was a one time operation, and has been set since then.
In terms of the quality of the anti-virus software, I always give Norton very high marks. Our cable company provided free anti-virus software as part of our cable bill. Virusses got right through their "shield". When I put on Norton, Norton instantly spotted those virusses and eliminated them without any fuss.
I completely agree that some systems out there might have issues with this software package, just like some people are deathly allergic to peanuts. Where an XBox 360 is a perfect clone of every other XBox 360 out there, every PC is unique. Every person has different internet settings, different mail software, and perhaps most importantly, different virusses and spyware that have snuck on your system. Undoubtedly there is always going to be some unique blend of these things that causes a system to crash - with OR without Norton 360. In general, though, I really feel Norton 360 should work extremely well on most systems.
Well recommended - but as always, back up your system before beginning, and have your network documentation handy so you know which specific ports you happen to be personally using, to keep those open.
Purely Surround-ed 2008-07-12
Symantec's 360 has a surprisingly excellent product in version two of this made for home use item.The product integrates very well with Office 2007 ( the Full Enterprise Version , as well as lesser types).With the full MS Office and Norton 360 to be installed,two reboots is common.Norton 360 covers PC Security, Identity Protection,Backup and PC Tuneup in broad terms. When errors in install occur, a reinstall utility covers and easily fixes problems. The setup shuts down Ghost until install is complete, and also until the backup setup is decided upon since 360 has its own backup technique.After initial setup, the configuration is pretty much automatic. All items are set up on what seems to be a standard basis, with the exception of the backup routine, which is something that can be turned on or off ( unlike the other three major sections) so that you can use the Norton GHOST backup should you want to do so. Its an impressive piece of software, great price, installs and operates extremely well.
For a family machine with a non-technical or partially technical background, this is a great piece of software that operates well, and operates automatically. It fits a niche market, and does not , as some say, cross over into some of the regular Norton areas; especially since it is simple and easy to use.
Exactly What it Says it Is 2008-07-10
I installed this into my computer and the feature all work fine and the program is rather smooth. The only thign about it is that it does not play nicely with other virus programs such as McAfee. Which can be a bummer because they each have different focuses. But for the money I would suggest Norton.
Better than the previous versions; at least for an online gamer such as me. 2008-07-25
I am a big fan of MMORPG. My biggest complaint about previous Nortons is that when it worked in the background it caused my current game to seriously lag, resulting in my own character's death, if not my entire team's.
Since my Norton subscription was expiring, I decided to give Norton 360 a shot. All the features are a lot like the previous version, which I will not go into detail of since so many others already have, but I instantly noticed that my online gaming is not effected by Norton 360. Nothing lags anymore - for the first time EVER!
I still took off one rating star since the product still has flaws, also mentioned in so many other reviews, but for an online gamer Norton 360 cannot be beat. It can be used on up to 3 computers too, so no need to get a copy for each computer in the home. (That was my big problem with online downloads in the past.)
Terrific product. But again, that is from someone who plays online games. And our online characters are a big deal with us, especially those online games that charge a monthly fee.
Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
Strengths and weaknesses 2008-07-23
Norton 360 has strengths and weaknesses, yet this version remains a vast improvement over the last. On the down side 360 lacks the "install and forget" pleasure which came with Norton's older software, now one has to manage their protection software. I am uncertain if one can fairly blame Norton for this, as some responsibility must be laid on Microsoft's penchant for creating vulnerable unstable products. Further, 360 is a memory hog, requiring considerable resources and will noticeably slow older machines. Again, Microsoft deserves their share of the blame for this problem as well.
On the up-side, 360 does offer an imprssive array of protections for your PC with an interface that can be understood once one has gone through the proper learning curve. This is not the see-all, end-all in PC security, but it is a step in the right direction.
Norton 360 working well 2008-07-18
I have this product on three computers, all running Windows XP with SP3. I've been using it for almost 10 months now and it has performed nicely. When one of my hard disks crashed and I had to replace it, the auto back-up feature was extremely convienient. I use an external hard drive for backing up and once it's set up you don't have to give it any thought - just tell it what you want it to save and it does it. Retreiving data from the backup is easy as well and you can pick and choose from the saved data that you want to recover. Some of the features are not as good as they could be. I still prefer to use XPs "Disk Cleanup" over the 360 version and I prefer "RegCure" for my registry clean up tool over 360. But at least 360 has put these feature into their program and I can only hope that they improve them to the point that I don't feel the need to subscribe to other developer's utility programs. Being able to run 360 on three computers is very economical as well. 360 has intercepted or prevented any spyware, trojans or viruses that I've encountered. If you use this product I would recommend giving it time, maybe 20-30 minutes, after you start up the computer to do its auto-update and any scans that are scheduled to avoid problems with other programs that may be running. Before buying the external hard drive I found the auto back-up feature annoying as I was using rewritable CDs. I plan on renewing the license when my current subscription is up, but to prevent any mix-ups I am going to purchase a hard copy and install it on the three computers I want to protect as they won't be all the same ones I am using it on now. I prefer this product to McAfee's as it has had fewer problems and the "Fix-Me" and "Support" features have always worked well. Not perfect but a good value if you need to protect three computers.
Quite Satisfactory 2008-07-17
I have installed this program on both Microsoft XP and Vista operating systems. I previously had Norton Internet Security installed on my computers, so Norton 360 V2 is just an upgrade for me.
I really like the added Backup function. One DVD backs up everything of importance and its easy to run.
I'm unsure of the Tune Up function which is also an upgrade over Norton Internet Security. It is supposed to keep computers running at full speed. Maybe it works but I can't tell. When I run it it reports that no changes were made. I guess it just didn't have anything to find. My computers are running as fast as new anyway.
I don't care much about the Norton Identity Safe function. Maybe in time I'll find it worthwhile.
Computer care is just one step away 2008-07-17
I'm careful about what I let get onto my computer. I try not to visit suspicious websites; I never download attachments in emails unless I know who sent it and what it is. That said, a lot of "safe" websites are full of adware, and even our best friends can pass along viruses without knowing it. Years ago, our family lost two computers simultaneously to the same (particularly vicious) virus. And yet I've never been too serious about virus protection. If it came with the computer, and I could get a year for free -- great. I'd try it. Then I'd start to get irritated by the seemingly-constant "update" popups. Virus software is serious about keeping you safe, to the point of almost being annoying. After the year is over, I'm typically not in the mood to pay for continuing virus protection. The result? You'd like me to say I got a virus, right? Nope, I've been without up-to-date virus protection for over a year, and I've been graced with nothing more than adware (which I remove manually using a free program I found online.)
Lately, however, both my desktop and laptop had been running slowly, and I got a bit paranoid. What if they were both saddled with byte-eating viruses and I didn't even know it? One thought leads to another, and suddenly I'm convinced I need Anti-Virus software. So I get Norton, because the last one I had was McAfee and those little red popup messages drove me crazy (at least with Norton, I'd get a different color of popups, right?) First, I installed Norton 360 on my 6-year-old laptop; the process was slow, and I'm thinking with the amount of hard drive space Norton takes up, it might not be worth it. My 2-year-old desktop, on the other hand, handled the installation just fine. The installation process was slower than I expected, but once Norton was up and running, I didn't have any problems. It asked if I wanted it to scan my computer for badness, I said yes, and it found a handful of semi-malicious cookies.
According to the box, Norton 360 does everything that Norton Internet Security and Norton AntiVirus do... plus more, including a feature for restoring deleted or damaged files on your computer. They also give you 2 GBs of "secured online storage service," with the "option to purchase more." 2GB doesn't seem like much anymore, does it? Still, it's something, and if you don't already have your own webspace, you may want to consider backing up certain files online, in case of a house fire or something.
All in all, if you're already careful about what you put on your computer, you take care of your own cookies, you already have free adware protection, and you regularly back up your files your own way, you may be able to do without this. But it's nice to have this stuff all in one package, and -- dare I say it -- it's even kind of nice to get alerts when there IS something suspicious going on, assuming you really care. If you need an extra selling point, the box claims you'll receive "free, unlimited 24x7 email and chat support" from Symantec, as well as phone support. There's also a 60-day money-back guarantee. I haven't actually needed that support yet, but that's a nice promise.
