Is Your Norton AntiVirus Up To Date?

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Norton AntiVirus is the antivirus software recommended by Clear-Cut Computing. The main reason is because it is very easy to see if your software and subscription is up to date. Any antivirus program is made up of two pieces:

The Program

Which possesses the ability to scan your e-mails attachments, websites, floppy disks, CDs, etc. BUT, how does it know a virus is present? The answer is the second piece....

Virus Definitions

This is the online encyclopedia of all known viruses. The program compares what it finds (let's say in your e-mail), to this virus definition "encyclopedia" (other programs, like McAfee, call this the "Virus Signature" file). This is the most important piece - and you must keep it up to date or your computer is not protected.

When you buy an antivirus program, like Norton AntiVirus, it comes with a ONE YEAR subscription service - after that, you must renew or buy a new copy of the program. Did Norton AntiVirus come with your new computer? If so, your subscription may only be for three months! Of course, you may have seen a warning screen about this pop up when you start your computer. How can you check to see:

(A) When your subscription service expires, and...

(B) How recent your virus definitions are?

You'll need to launch the Norton AntiVirus program. You may have an icon for it on your desktop, but you must at least have an icon for it in the System Tray (that area near the clock).

Why is the one in the system tray more important? Because if it's not there, that means Norton AntiVirus IS NOT PROTECTING YOUR COMPUTER!! If it's there, but has a red 'X' through it, then it's been disabled, and again, is not protecting your computer. In the picture below, we've circled the normal icon in red.

When you open the program, the screen below appears. The critical dates and information is at the bottom:

Virus Definitions

Should be a recent date, but new definitions are not released every day (because new viruses are not released every day).

Subscription Service

This is the last date you can download the new virus definitions file from the program maker's website (Symantec).

Automatic LiveUpdate

This should be turned "On" (unless you have a dial-up Internet connection or none at all). With this turned on, your software will regularly connect to it's home website and download the latest virus definitions.

While Symantec allows you to renew your Subscription Service online, we recommed that you buy a new copy when your subscription expires. Our reason; renewing online only gets you the subscription service for another year - while purchasing a new copy in the store gets you the latest version of the program, complete with the newest "bells and whistles" and any improvements. Plus, we have seen problems during the online renewals that have caused the service not to be updated. Pricewise, it's the same: $30 to renew online vs $50 to buy a new copy (but you usually get a $20 rebate if you own a previous copy! Just send in the receipt and the cover off the manual from your old copy).

Clear-Cut Computing provides a wide range of computing services for small and mid-sized businesses. We have performed "computer tune-ups" for many clients where we've installed Norton AntiVirus, removed "spyware," corrected configuration problems, and more to improve the speed and performance of Windows-based computers. If your computer needs help, call us at (516) 845-4081 or contact us via e-mail.

URL: http://www.clearcutcomputing.com