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 Norton Internet Security 2007Norton is now among the sleekest and most user-friendly protection suites around. Price:
$69.99
By Steve Smith 
Frankly, we used to dread installing and testing Norton's security suites, because it was an obtrusive and intrusive resource hog that seemed to overwhelm a user's PC. Oh, how far the brand has come with this release. Norton is now among the sleekest and most user-friendly protection suites around. It seems designed to satisfy both "set and forget it" types who don't want to bother with the details, and advanced users who want to tweak every inch of their shields.
All the standards are here: antivirus and antispyware, a firewall, phishing protection, and e-mail-intrusion scanning. The new Norton Protection Center gives you one-button protection. It determines what parts of your system are at risk and then lets Norton implement the best settings. The interface is clean and simple for novices, telling you what each setting does and why you would want it on or off. Norton is at the leading edge of security-system design because of its ability to make so many of the decisions for you. Rather than having you grant permission for every program that launches or reaches out to the Internet, it relies on its own knowledge to determine, in most cases, what is safe and what is questionable. Experts may not like handing over too much control to Norton, but the beauty of the new suite is how well it lets more experienced users drill into the details. You can tweak all aspects of the firewall and even create specific rules for how programs are allowed to address your PC. Norton is among the least intrusive products we have found. There was no discernible hit on performance in programs, while browsing the Web or when sending and receiving e-mail, and the program seemed adept at allowing already-trusted programs to communicate freely while still catching suspicious activity. If you shied away from Norton in the past because of its overbearing nature, take another look at this leaner and meaner approach. Compare Prices | Norton Internet Security 2007 Specifications Featured Site Sponsors
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