Compared to the 2002 version, there is nothing exceptional about this 2003 version of Norton SystemWorks Professional. It is just a better organized 2002 model with minor additions. Like the core 2002 base, it maintained its traditional AntiVirus, Utilities, CleanSweep, and Ghost components. Overall, it remains a good software, but surely not a-must-have upgrade, especially if you are happy with an earlier version that is not more than three years old.

Together with its updated Firewall protection, this 7.0 Home Edition McAfee VirusScan offers more satisfaction for less money. It executes its job with maximum efficiency. It is also more stable and less hassle-laden than most comparative products from other manufacturers. Installation is easy; and updating via Internet is straightforward. However, depending on your Operating System’s stability and Hardware configurations, you may run into a hitch if you attempt to customize it.

There is no perfect AV software. Most aren’t even very good. They tend to be bloated, intrusive, difficult to use, and only moderately effective. Although KAV still has its share of problems, it does the best job of any of the ones I have tried. It tends to do the best job of detecting legitimate threats, not registering false positives, and not being too resource intensive. It still has some conflicts with other programs, especially during installation.

I don’t know anything about writing a will. But doing it the traditional way can’t be any easier than using WillMaker. I wasn’t looking for anything fancy or complicated. I just wanted a simple, bare-bones, straightforward will that divides up my possessions among a handful of people. It took me less than 30 minutes to install the software (Windows 7, install went smoothly) and create a basic will that met my needs.

I’ve actually worked my way up the Kaspersky product ladder and am currently using Kaspersky Pure (KP). But before that I used Kaspersky Internet Security (KIS). And before that, Kaspersky Anti-Virus (KAV). With KAV I only used the anti-virus capabilities. It has some other features for various types of other security enhancements, but I use some additional products for those other functions. So all I needed was something to watch out for viruses.

I actually did not have this on my computer very long. I upgraded to it from KAV, and shortly after installing it I was able to upgrade to Kaspersky Pure. I highly recommend Kasperksy Pure. But that’s another review. I tend to use a cocktail of software products for security. I like having one dedicated to anti-virus, and that’s where Kaspersky Internet Security (KIS) comes in. Although it has numerous security features such as identity protection functionality, parental controls, spam protection, etc.

I’ve used various anti-virus/security software packages over the years (McAfee, Norton, etc). There is no one software package that is going to catch everything but over the years I’ve gravitated toward Kaspersky products as doing the best overall job of catching as much as possible and not bogging down my computer. Kaspersky Pure continues to work well for me in that regard. I tend to be a cautious user so I don’t pick up a whole of junk for Kaspersky to detect, but it has picked up things here and there.

My previous subscription to Norton antivirus was expiring and got the typical daily warnings from them each day for a month. Since it was far more economical to buy a new version than renew, that is what I did. All I needed to do was use the new license number provided in the new purchase and I now had another years worth of coverage. There was really no new download, just continuing the current version with new daily virus updates.

The only thing this is good for is unlocking the Microsoft Office product provided with a new computer purchase. The full version of office is on the computer you purchased but you cannot use the full version until you buy the key and enter the code. It is very simple to use. After you enter the key, updates will be applied, via the internet, to the newly unlocked Office product. The Office product will then update periodically when Microsoft releases new updates.

When your current version on internet security is about to expire you get a message from Norton on renewing your subscription through them. What I have done is buy a new disk version from Amazon and just use the new key provided with the new purchase. It is quicker and easier, plus cheaper than renewing through Norton. You will probably save at least $20.00 depending if the product is on sale.