Symantec's security suite is stronger than ever, boasting an intuitive VGP-BPS9 interface and beefed-up parental controls.

Symantec pioneered the category VGP-BPS9A/B of all-in-one security suites with Norton 360, which combines traditional tools to thwart malware, spam, and phishing attacks with parental controls, identity theft protection, online backup, and utilities designed to make your PC run faster. The software won our Editors' Choice award two years ago, and this year it earns the honor again, thanks to more robust parental controls and a simple but elegant interface.

Installation
Installing the 300MB program was straightforward: after agreeing to Symantec's terms and conditions, Norton 360 detected and removed VGP-BPS13B/Q a previous-generation Norton product installed on our PC. (It can detect specific versions of competing programs that are known to present compatibility conflicts.) After a brief wait, we were prompted to restart, and that was that.

Interface
The main screen, done up in Symantec's familiar yellow and black tones, has four vertical VGP-BPS13/B panes for Backup, Identity Protection, PC Security, and PC Tuneup. Underneath each pane, you'll see the status (e.g., Protected, written in green). Below that, you'll see an explanation of your status (say, "You are protected for web browsing and e-mail," or "You are secured for online banking and shopping"). That's pretty much Sony VGP-BPS13 Battery what the last generation of the software looked like, except it had a zen white background and reassuring green check marks when things were in order.

Norton's interface makes it easy to launch features with one click and ignore intimidating menus, while still being able to drill into more advanced Sony VGP-BPS13A/B Battery settings, something we felt was lacking in the previous version. If you roll over each pane, you'll see various options for activities such as running a malware scan or a backup. You can also click View Details to turn features on and off. To tweak settings,batterysuch as deciding what features run automatically or on a schedule, click on the Tasks and Settings tabs, which are listed in smaller font at the top of the screen. Beginners will find the scheduling settings, for instance, easy to navigate. Other options, such as the Firewall menu, Sony VGP-BPS9/B Battery are clearly for the most advanced users.

Our biggest issue with the UI is that there's no Back button; you have to Sony VGP-BPS9/S battery click Close in the lower right-hand corner every time you want to navigate backward. At least there are no pop-up windows, something that makes competing security programs a pain to use.

Performance and Malware Detection
This edition of 360 ushers in a reputation-based technology that helps identify threats based on how other machines in Symantec's vast network have responded Dell GD761 Battery to them. According to Anti-Virus Comparatives, Norton had a detection rate of 43 percent, enough to give it Advanced status, but behind Kaspersky (59 percent) and Bitdefender (50 percent). It should be noted that AV Comparatives tested the 2010 versions of Bitdefender and Kaspersky.

Norton redeemed itself with other third-party tests. Dennis gave it a combined protection score of 80, above toshiba PA3534U-1BRS Battery Bitdefender (68) and Kaspersky (76), and Norton was also tops in AV-Test.org's benchmarks, detecting 98 percent of malware, and just edging out Kaspersky (97.5 percent).

We noticed some performance lag after installing dell Vostro 1710 Battery and running the software, but it was most apparent when we booted our machine. Before we installed Norton 360, our HP G62t took 1:17 to boot (that is, how long it took for the circle to stop spinning once the desktop appeared). After we installed 360 and ran PC Tuneup, this time rose to 1:24. When it came to launching applications, though, we didn't notice much of a difference. Launching Firefox without a scan running took a shade under 2 seconds; with a full dell Vostro 1720 Battery scan in progress, it took 3. Ironically, Norton 360 includes tools to help your PC start faster by allowing you to prioritize and stagger start-up applications.

Backup
Norton 360 lets users back up files, folders, and entire drives to both portable hard drives as well dell Latitude E5400 Battery as Symantec's own Norton Online backup (the subscription comes with two free gigabytes of storage). Symantec makes the process easy by letting users check off boxes next to drives and the common My Documents folder. You can also check off file types you'd like to back up (e.g., photos or Office documents), while HP/Compaq Laptop Battery more advanced users can opt to exclude certain file extensions. By default, the program favors a faster backup, even if it does slow down your PC. However, you can throttle between backup speed and your PC's performance, and you can also opt to good battery have the software back up your files weekly or monthly instead of kicking in every time you make a change to a file.