Norton Internet Security / Norton AntiVirus

[arthurk]

I'm currently running NIS 2011 on 3 PCs (2 with Windows 7 64-bit; 1 with XP Home). I'm planning to upgrade to NIS 2012, but would like opinions as to the most efficient way to do this.

The subscription has just under 8 weeks still to run. Last year I renewed by purchasing a new boxed copy and just using the code, and if it's the cheapest way I'll probably do the same again.

1. I know I could simply upgrade each computer one at a time through 2011's check for upgrades. However...

2. I'm on a fairly slow connection with limited bandwidth, so is there an upgrade file that I could download just once and run manually? (It would need to be for both W7 and XP.) And if so, are there any instructions I could read through first?

3. I could buy a boxed copy of 2012 (which I may well be doing anyway to get a renewal licence), but I'd like to know if there would be any problems using that to upgrade. Specifically:

(a) would I need to uninstall 2011 first and run the removal tool before installing 2012 from the disc? (In other threads I've seen warnings about backing up Identity Safe, but I don't use that.)

(b) if so, would I have to re-register/reinput the licence details?

(c) if not, would the 2012 version work on my existing licence, and I would then input the new code nearer the renewal date?

Thanks for any advice on this.

[floplot Norton Fighter]

Hello arthurk

If your NIS 2011 is not having any problems, then you can install NIS 2012 over the top of NIS 2011. You don't have to uninstall NIS 2011 first. NIS 2012 will work with the NIS 2011 license until it expires. A day or 2 before expiration, you would just have to enter the new key where it says renew.

You could d/l NIS 2012 to a pen drive and install it that way to your computers

Link for NIS 2012

www.norton.com/nis12 (Norton Internet Security 2012)


Please remember to run live update to get all updates and then reboot once more. Thanks.

(thanks to Yaso for the links.

Please come back and let us know how you made out. Thanks.

[arthurk]

Thanks for that. The link takes me to a page which wants to download NIS-ESD-19-5-1-2-EN.exe (114 MB) - will that file upgrade both the Windows 7 and XP versions? And is there anything to do other than just run it?

On the other hand, I still can't decide whether to put it off for a bit and use the CD, since I'm probably going to buy that anyway. Would it then be a case of simply inserting the disc and letting it run and work out for itself what needed to be done?

[floplot Norton Fighter]

Hello arthurk

That file will update both windows 7 and xp if you have the minimum service packs for xp. You should be on sp 3 for xp.

You could use the CD, but that is a static file from when NIS 2012 first came out. You will have more live updates to do.

[arthurk]

OK, thanks. I'd overlooked about needing more updates, so maybe the download route would be better. (And I do have XP SP3.)

[huwyngr Norton Fighter]

Arthur,

Downloading that file that floplot gave a link to is way the best and even better is if you can do it on someone's machine with a fast internet connection!

Just download it and move it onto a thumbdrive and then you can take it to each of your machines and install either by doubleclicking on the downloaded file, or in the case of VISTA or Windows 7 by right mouse clicking on the downloaded file and selecting Run as Administrator -- someething not available for XP.

After installing in each case run the LiveUpdate manually a few times with a restart inbetween until it tells you that you are fully uptodate. That file is the most recent available for download but there may have been some updates since it went on the Norton Server ....

If you've any queries -- keep asking ....

[arthurk]

Well, it worked - but I'm not sure I can wholly recommend this method, though I don't of course know how the alternatives would have turned out.

By downloading the latest set-up file just once I saved around 225MB of bandwidth, but after upgrading, the updates that were needed amounted to over 500MB between all 3 computers. For me, speed turned out not to be a major issue, as my ISP has just had new equipment installed in the local exchange which has considerably improved download speeds, but if I hadn't been able to split the upgrades between two calendar months, I would have gone over my usage limit for March - and I may yet do so for April.

So for me a big question is why Norton's supposedly latest upgrade file needs such a massive update as soon as it is installed. And I'm left wondering what size of downloads I'd have had if I'd simply upgraded from within NIS 2011.

Another issue which arose during the upgrade is about Smart Definitions. In 2011 I had this feature turned off, as I'm willing to trade a bit of performance for the promise of more complete protection. However, the upgrade turned Smart Definitions back on, which I wasn't entirely happy about.

[floplot Norton Fighter]

Hello arthurk

You can still turn off the smart definitions if you want to. There is also a metered broadband mode which can be set.

[arthurk]

Thanks - I did turn off the Smart Definitions. I didn't look at Metered Broadband initially, but I have now. Again, I don't think I'd want to use that, since it looks as though it will inevitably compromise security to some extent.

I'm not objecting as such to using bandwidth in order to keep my computers secure, otherwise I'd turn on Smart Definitions and/or Metered Broadband. What annoyed me first of all was that a supposedly up-to-date installation/upgrade file needed such large updates immediately after I'd run it - and I had to get them separately for each of 3 computers.

My secondary annoyance is that the program apparently defaults to having Smart Definitions turned on, which seems to assume that users rate performance above security. I'd already made my choice on that question in NIS 2011, and I didn't appreciate the setting being changed without my being told about it.

Arthur