Norton Antivirus 8.0

A killer defense program that scans your hard drive and updates itself continuously with the latest virus definitions to protect against email-borne viruses, Trojan horse programs, or server exploits, Norton AntiVirus 8.0 is Symantec's latest weapon for Mac users.

For those using a version of the Mac OS earlier than OS X, Symantec's CD will install Norton AntiVirus 7.02, which includes virus definition updates through December 2001. (The 7.02 version is also the version that is used to scan your hard drive for viruses when you boot from the CD; it is fully capable of scanning a Mac running OS X.)

Those running OS X receive the big advances in functionality with the full Norton AntiVirus 8.0 install. For the first time, Norton AntiVirus automated scans are compatible with OS X. Norton AntiVirus 8.0 also designates your entire hard drive as a Universal Safe Zone, continually scanning all files saved to your hard disk drive. (Norton AntiVirus for 8.x to 9.x makes the user create custom safe zones, rather than designating the entire computer as something to be scanned). An easy-to-use scheduling interface allows for complete control over when the software scans for viruses and/or updates the virus definitions or software from the Symantec Internet site. Something to watch for: a few times during the scan of the hard drive you may see an error that claims a file or folder has not been fully scanned. If you have set Norton to scan all compressed items, it's likely that the StuffIt Engine for Mac OS X may erroneously determine system files or printer drivers to be compressed when they are not. Norton's use of the StuffIt Engine may also cause the program to quit unexpectedly at corrupt archives. Overall, Norton AntiVirus 8.0 offers powerful, effective protection over whatever dangers may be lurking on your beloved Mac. --Elizabeth Aoki

Norton AntiVirus for Macintosh 8.0 is one of the world's most trusted antivirus solutions for Macintosh systems. Use it continuously to keep your data safe and virus-free. Norton AntiVirus works automatically in the background to find and remove viruses without interrupting your work. It can also run scans on a schedule of your choice, and will automatically fix many of the infections it finds. The software even detects viruses in e-mail attachments and Internet files while they're downloading to your computer.

Norton AntiVirus eliminates macro viruses such as those that can infect Microsoft Word and Excel, protecting your Mac and preventing you from passing them on to Windows users. Users are also backed by the Symantec Security Response team, working to protect your Mac 24 hours a day, ready to develop new defenses the moment a new virus is discovered. Symantec's LiveUpdate technology provides easy software updating and protection against the latest threats by checking for new virus definitions via the Internet and automatically downloading them to your computer. Plus, Norton AntiVirus is now available to users of Mac OS X.