All in 1 Computer Security: Worry Free
McAfee Internet Security 2007
First choice for desktops, second choice for laptops
· $69.95 for three users for one year
· For Windows 2000, XP and Vista
· Fully functional 30-day trial download
· Buy an activation key if you like it
If you were a friend with a family and a desktop computer, I would recommend McAfee Internet Security 2007 because it also makes file backups, includes a network management tool and has parental controls as a standard feature. It works with a variety of browsers. I couldn't tell if wireless network protection was included in their network manager or not, because their Web site information was not clear on that point.
First choice for laptops, third choice for desktops
· $79.95 for three users for one year
· For Windows 2000, XP and Vista
· Fully functional 30-day trial download
· Buy an activation key if you like it
Kasper-who? You might not recognize the name because Kaspersky Labs is a privately held company that has not done much marketing in the U.S. until recently. They have a good reputation among computer security professionals and have been popular in Europe for several years.
If you were a friend with a laptop, I'd recommend Kaspersky Internet Security 7 because it's the least power hungry of the three, and your battery will last longer. The laptop's wireless security is easy to set up. It has parental controls and even a timer for limiting your child's time on the Internet.
It does not make backups of your files and does not manage your network, probably because its primary market is laptop owners. When a user moves among networks, managing any of the networks is irrelevant. And scheduling backups is difficult because the laptop might be turned off or connected to the wrong network.
Symantec's Norton 360
Third choice for laptops, second choice for desktops:
· $79.95 for three users for one year
· For Windows XP and Vista only
· No trial download, no refunds
I would not recommend Norton 360 to any friend. Its features are comparable to McAfee's and the protection is undoubtedly adequate, but the treatment I received as a customer was poor. My annoyance began as I was ordering the download. An ad appeared trying to persuade me to switch to a two-year license, offering a paltry $5 discount on the second year. When I reached the checkout page, I was surprised to see a $10.99 charge for "Extended Download Service," which is explained like this: 60 days after ordering, your download will no longer be available unless the Extended Download Service is also purchased. Both Kaspersky and McAfee use multi-character activation keys that can be used with a fresh download at any time during the subscription period.
Some Norton 360 features are only available if you use Microsoft Internet Explorer as your browser, while other features like the parental controls are available only as an add-on and only if you also signed up for automatic subscription renewal.
The Symantec marketing presents some of their features as if they are fantastic when they are not. Sorry, Symantec, but 2GB of online storage doesn't impress me when my camera has a 2GB memory card and I can buy a 2GB USB flash drive for $12.99.
Tsu Nimh