WHY YOU NEED NORTON

So you have got your new computer -- Read on to find out what your next purchase must be!!!

The two things that any pc user needs before they browse ebay is a firewall and antivirus software.  Without these two pieces of software, your pc will be turned to porridge in a matter of hours!
Norton Internet security ( NIC  ) has both of these with added bells and whistles.

INSTALLATION
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If you can play a cd on your hi-fi you will have no problem installing NIC . IMPORTANT -- You must uninstall all previous virus / firewall products and disable Windows own firewall.
( This software can als be purchased as a download online but would advise you to get the cd rom as I have had problems before with the Norton download manger. You also have the cd rom to hand if you need to reinstall at a later date! )
You have to enter the product key to activate the software and then register the product online. You are then led through a simple process to set up your protection.
You will have to get the latest updates to the software and all the new virus definitions via 'live update'.
You are then free to roam the web with impunity!

FIREWALL
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Add blocking

Along with the firewall you get Ad blocking and pop up window blocking. This makes surfing the web bearable again. You could get repetitive strain injury on some ad blasting web pages!

Privacy control

Privacy control allows you to protect your personal information. You simply enter information like credit card numbers that you do not want to flow out of your pc

Parental control

Allows parents to control what sites their children can view.

Anti spam

This neat feature removes to a folder the more nasty obvious spam. You can then train NIC on what mail you wish to keep or delete.

ANTIVIRUS
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Email scanning

This feature scans your incoming and outgoing mail for viruses. In the last eight days my email scanner has automatically deleted 59 emails with the W32.Netsky.B virus !

Script blocking

Script blocking is a feature that will stop any script based viruses.

Live update

Live update allows the download of the latest virus definitions that then allow the antivirus software to recognize the very latest viruses. The software comes with a 12 month subscription to recieve virus definitions and program updates. Further yearly subscriptions can be purchased online after this first year.

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Norton Internet Security is a good all in one product. You can install this and know that you are safe to surf up and down the Ebay isles. If you are a more advanced user you can configure the settings to suit.
If you do have problems there is a good automated online help centre that will help you with most problems. The telephone support is not so good. In the past I have found it quicker to reinstall windows xp and data than sort out the problem on the phone. Another gripe of mine is that they have put so much detail and time in their copyright protection that it is making the programme unstable and conflicts can occur with other Norton products. If you want to install older versions of the software problems can easily arise in the registry.
You get a detailed manual but you do not need it as all the same information can be found in the help menus in the program.