Norton Internet Security / Norton AntiVirus

[tga]

Hi,

I am considering to buy either Norton Internet Security 2012 or 360 6.0 - but I am in doubt which one to go for.

I see that people say 360 doesn't have as many options for tweaking, so it's more set and forget - that sounds nice, but on the other hand I wouldn't like if it is doing something that annoys me a lot that I can't disable. It's not because I think it's technically too difficult for me do a little set up (I consider myself an advanced computer user, I build my own computers and work a lot with computers), but if I can get something that just works right away then I don't see the reason not to get that :)

Actually in a local store the 360 is a little cheaper than NIS2012, so the price is not really a factor in the decision :)

So basically, I am looking for something that gives me the best protection, but also something that just works right out of the box - but I can't really say if I need the options to tweak because it depeneds on how it runs - if everything is fine then I wouldn't have any interest in the amount of settings available to me :)

Another thing is the impact on PC performance - do they differ here?

I hope someone can give some advice, thanks.

[peterweb Super RootKit Eradicator]

Welcome tga

Both products offer the same protection, and both work straight out of the box. As you noted, NIS offers more tweaking options, but most people do not really need the extra control. You can usually disable a feature in N360 if you do not need/want it.

N360 has the additional feature of some performance tools and online backup. Depending on which version of 360 you get, Standard or Premium, you get 2GB or 25GB online storage.

[tga]

Thanks for your reply.

So if we say I just installed the software, made sure it's updated etc., but didn't change anything other than that really - then NIS would work as good as if I did a similar install with 360, and in that sense NIS could be considered set-and-forget too? I mean, it's not like I have to go through a lot of the settings with NIS?

We're just referring to it as "settings", but what's an example of something NIS got but 360 doesn't?

And are there any differences in their performance footprint?

[peterweb Super RootKit Eradicator]

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tga wrote:

Thanks for your reply.

So if we say I just installed the software, made sure it's updated etc., but didn't change anything other than that really - then NIS would work as good as if I did a similar install with 360, and in that sense NIS could be considered set-and-forget too? I mean, it's not like I have to go through a lot of the settings with NIS?

We're just referring to it as "settings", but what's an example of something NIS got but 360 doesn't?

And are there any differences in their performance footprint?

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Sorry, but it has been some time since I had 360 installed, so I cannot remember specifics of the difference in the control of the programs. I'm sure someone else will add their knowledge to this thread.

As you say, once installed, if you do not find anything not working the way you want, they can both be considered set and forget. The main difference is the added functions of backup and a couple of utilities in 360.

As the underlying protections are the same, the performance footprint should be almost identical.

[yank Trojan Terminator]

Hi tga,

First of all there is a comparison chart tab on this URL for NIS 2012/N 360 & N 360 Premier:

http://us.norton.com/internet-security/

IMHO, which product you purchase is partially driven by your own personal desires as to what you want the product to do.  All the protections/footprint are the same as peterweb pointed out, but the added capabilities are not. 

N 360 has the backup and tuneup functions - while NIS does not.  I have never run the Registry Cleaner on my N 360.  I have backup disabled also as I use another backup program that not only backs up data files, but is also capable of imaging the entire system.  Bottom line - do you really need the extra Optimization, File cleanup, Startup Manager, Diagnostics?

I am not really  sure of the addtional settings tweaking available with NIS at present.  I have not done a setting comparision with the 2012 products - but I do remember that being the case from previous versions.  Hopefully someone els ewill jump in and add the settings (tweakability) differences.

[tga]

I don't really know if i 'need' those things or not - but that's mainly because I don't know how it would benefit me in practice? :)

I just know that I am using my computer everyday for my work - mostly very cpu-intensive tasks, and it's important that my computer runs nicely. Though I've been quite ok with Avast so far, which, as far as I know, doesn't do any optimization stuff or the like (and I haven't run registry cleaner either or any other cleanup/maintenance stuff, but maybe that's a mistake).

I also don't know regarding the backup thing - if it works nicely and simple then there's a chance I could use it, since I'm doing my backups manually right now (and not as often as I want) - I'd like to change on that so I get a better and more safe backup plan.

[rkasse]

I'm currently using Norton 360 but used NIS the previous year.  I did not do a direct comparison of the available settings in each but as far as I can tell N360 has all the settings found in NIS just "hidden" slightly below the surface and easy enough to get at.  I do a lot of tweaking of settings and everything I'm looking for is there in N360 just slightly frustrating till you figure out where to find some of them.

[1mcrtd]

To put it simply, here is what Norton 360 offers in addition to data storage: 1) "Automatically finds and fixes problems that can slow down your PC." 2) "Gets your PC up and running faster by letting you choose what programs to load at startup." 3) "Helps prevent crashes and keeps your PC running smoothly by removing outdated system files." So, if you would like these options, go with Norton 360. If not, go with NIS 2012.

[tga]

So there are not any bad things about going with 360 compared with NIS?

[dickevans Super RootKit Eradicator]

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tga wrote:

So there are not any bad things about going with 360 compared with NIS?

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Hi,

I'm not sure what you'd call 'bad things'. 360 and NIS do similar things. The biggest difference is that with NIS you get much more flexibility. 360 is designed for you to install, configure once and forget.

If you have specific questions that have not been answered please post them and one of us will respond.

Til then, stay well and surf safe