My software package says it’s version 21 on the front, but the disk installed as version 20, still that’s not what made this unusable. The package notes the Parent’s Choice award for version 20 on the back so we still thought we’d be okay. It says it works for Windows 7 and it did install (although I needed to input my administrator password), but then we got a shock when we started the software.

Norton has protected my computers well for years so I always re-up as needed. It has required visiting each computer and several steps in the past but not anymore. I always had to sign on to my account from each, reenter the key code, etc., so was really pleased that they’ve simplified this process. Now all I have to do after following the easy steps included on this key card which includes entering the code, is send an email to my son and daughter and one to myself for my laptop, in the place Norton provides after initial installation.

This software was actually more than I needed since I never needed to go to the separate business app at all. The premium allowed me to enter all I needed for my small business. My business is not complicated and I’d done all the work up front with my records so all I had to do was enter the totals. It would have imported them from Quickbooks automatically so for 2014 I’m using that and next year the tax prep will be even easier.

My software package says it’s version 21 on the front, but the disk installed as version 20, still that’s not what made this unusable. The package notes the Parent’s Choice award for version 20 on the back so we still thought we’d be okay. It says it works for Windows 7 and it did install (although I needed to input my administrator password), but then we got a shock when we started the software.

This Norton Utilities 16.0 package installed easily and shaved a full 6-minutes off my laptop’s boot time! My poor old Compaq laptop took a seriously long time to boot after upgrading it to Vista, upwards of 17-minutes. The install process was very straight forward and the program quickly scanned the PC for issues. It took two scans to get the PC optimized but now I am very pleased with the improved boot speed and generally faster running PC.

Instant Immersion German is a fairly comprehensive program for learning German. My son has decided to take German next year in school and he wanted to get a head start with a home based system. This package contains both audio and PC based media (as well as a game). The structure is well thought out and does give the student a good grounding in the basics of German. I really like that the program checks your pronunciation when used on a PC with a microphone.

This Honestech VHStoDVD 8.0 Deluxe is a fairly basic video capture device that works better than expected. We do a lot of video work for our small business so have prosumer grade capture and editing software, but this package is a good entry level system for anyone wanting to convert old tape based footage to digital. It should be noted that this take the video input in from your VHS/BetaMax tape player or Camera that you already have and then saves the converted video to your hard drive or DVD burner.

This Norton Anti-Theft package is a good idea on the surface but the implementation leaves much room for improvement. I have had two Kindle Fires go missing (most likely left at doctor office waiting rooms) and have not recovered either one, so I know how frustrating it can be to have a valuable device get stolen. While I generally like Norton products, this program added little over the free solutions that are available to justify the expense of this package.

This Norton Small Business - 5 Device Licenses is a good way to protect PCs on a small network. We have a four PCs and various other wireless devices on our shop network, but no Macs or tablets to test. We installed this on Win XP, Vista, and 7 based PCs and did not run into any issues, other than older anti-virus software previously installed that has now been removed. The scans did not pick up any major threats but lots of tracking cookies were found and removed.

Mcafee Internet Security 2012 is a very good antivirus, Internet security package that works well once installed. The main issue with the package is the cumbersome install process that ranges from cumbersome to very difficult based on the configuration of the PC. On a clean PC, without any antivirus software, it is fairly straight forward process, but on an older PC with existing products, it took a very long time and three attempts.