User Rating: 
8/10
Don't know what everyones complaining aboutby icecubez189 - June 3, 2005
Pros: Not intrusive through computer usage, has a lot of useful options, does what its suppose to do
Cons: Some options are not needed, would be better if it included a firewall as well and some features from internet security
Review:
The program works as it should, if your computer has absolutely no protections, this programs the way to go. As for firewall usage, i just stick to Windows Firewall which isn't the greatest but at least its some protection. I run virus scan about every week and fix any problems. its does it fast and it works.
User Rating: 
2/10
Avoid it. It will disapoint when you really need it.by semi4 - March 21, 2005
Pros: If you do not need it, it works great.
Cons: Great pretender using a once great name, Norton.
Review:
Got hit twice, with the virus scan updated and running. Once was a trojan and the other was something that changed the boot record of the HDD so that when I booted the HDD was unusable.
Norton did find the change to the boot record, after the fact, during a weekly scan but did not properly repair the challenge and could have made it worse. I do not really know if there was a real problem or if Norton just reported a problem and then made the drive unbootable when Norton supposedly repaired the boot record. After the repair to the boot record I lost my entire C: drive and all the data. None of the Norton utilities in System Works could repair the change that the virus scan made to the boot record supposedly repairing it.
I originally purchase Norton to use trying to repair a failing HDD because of the name and the HDD utilities that I remembered from long ago. The Norton utilities could get no data from the HDD and the HDD was unreadable in windows or MS-DOS but when I loaded the HDD installation disk and Caldera DOS I found that Caldera DOS and the DIR command could find data where Norton could not. I was able to salvage data from a failing HDD using Caldera DOS and the COPY command to move some data to another HDD. Norton DOS utilities were buried on the CD and very difficult to locate and once found did not accomplish anything useful.
I used to use Mcafee and never got hit with a virus, trojan or worm for years and years. I bought Norton System Works because I had a failed HDD that I was hoping Norton Disk Doctor would help with. Not only did none of the Norton Utilities get any data off the failing HDD over the next year I was hit with a trojan and something else that is yet to be identified.
Norton is a well-known name of long ago that used to be associated with great utilities that could delve into a HDD when nothing else could. No longer.
User Rating: 
3/10
Cannot repair installationby - January 19, 2004
Pros: Great when it works
Cons: Has corrupted my system. Can no longer uninstall the product no matter what i do. Symclean and manual uninstall do not work. Has also corrupted my Windows Update. I must gather the courage to re-install XP. Symantec refuses to provide utility to completel
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User Rating: 2/10
Antivirus is no good.by - January 19, 2004
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Cons: The antivirus program wouldn't install properly under W/XP or WME. Get 2004 but not 2003. Norton, you done wrong!
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User Rating: 
10/10
Horrible Product and Supportby - December 11, 2003
Pros: Won't install in my XP system, keeps coming up code 12 and trashes my windows script file.
Cons: Won't install in my XP system, keeps coming up code 12 and trashes my windows script file. Automated on-line support ineffective, refuse to pay for phone support, already got ripped off by buying product.
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User Rating: 
6/10
Good product - the worst support I've ever seen!by - November 18, 2003
Pros: Complete suite - well integrated. Good value for the money.
Cons: As long as it works out of the box - great. If you have problems with your anti-virus subscription terminating early or ANY questions - you're done. Tech support is SLOW and INEPT. I'm now in the third set of emails to them with them asking me cryptic que
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User Rating: 2/10
Symantec needs Peter Norton backby - November 15, 2003
Pros: Who knows?
Cons: This is the 2nd SystemWorks I've bought. The 1st right after XP came, which screwed up the OS, and then this SystemWorks 2004. It can't be installed and Symantec's tech support is worthless as this program...
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User Rating: 
7/10
Works for me.....by - November 8, 2003
Pros: Installed it on my new machine. Pent. 4 2.6 Gig. with 1 Gig of ram and running XP. 2 120Gig HD's. The program installed just fine and works as advertised. Have not had any problems at all and the live update is great.
Cons: Tech support leaves a lot to be desired from what I have heard. I cant say from personal experiance because I have never had to use it!!!
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User Rating: 
1/10
Don't Install Under XP!by - November 7, 2003
Pros: Nice set of tools, that seem to work nice unless you have XP.
Cons: It took me a few times to realize what was happening. I have been a faithful Norton user since DOS. After upgrading to a new system with XP Pro my system kept completely crashing, requiring a complete re-install from format. After a few times of going
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User Rating: 1/10
Software companies can get away with anything it seems.by - October 13, 2003
Pros: Before I bought it, it gave me the feeling I was spending my money wisely, which was nice.
Cons: That good feeling was utterly gone after I installed.
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User Rating: 7/10
Messed my computer all up!!!!!by - September 16, 2003
Pros: completely ruined my new just fully updated computer. Doesn't recognize anything now.
Cons: nothing good to say about it except it is fast at what it does. Only took 10 minutes to mess up my computer.
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User Rating: 3/10
Not really necessaryby - July 25, 2003
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Cons: Although it is a suite that actually does what it?s supposed to do, it?ll only work for you if you?re a newbie. CleanSweep it?s a headache, if you pay attention in what you are installing you?ll have no trouble uninstalling it later, so no CleanSweep need
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User Rating: 10/10
Better than all the rest!!by - July 9, 2003
Pros: Although a minor upgrade from SystenWorks 2002, the 2003 version provides all the prior functionality, and also seems to run a bit faster. Norton has shamed the competition once again!! I had absolutely no issues uninstalling NSW 2002 Pro and installing
Cons: Not enough new features, but a great buy for new users!!
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User Rating: 1/10
Total piece of junkby - June 18, 2003
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Symantec's SymEvent driver cause a blue screen of death on boot up twice. There is no excuse for this kind of garbage from Symantec. The other thing I don't like is the memory limitation in Norton Speed Disk, which causes it to not run on one's boot drive, if one installs it on a system with 1GB of ram.
User Rating: 
5/10
Minor upgrade from Systemworks 2002.by - June 18, 2003
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I did not have the installation problems noted by other reviewers. Perhaps this is because I took the rather remarkable step of reading the manual and following the installation intructions in it; i.e., uninstall any previous Systemworks version before installing the new one. The programs work fine although CleanUp is only one step up from Windows XP's own cleanup program. Watch for specials on this program. Those of you with a previous version can usually get 2003 for free after rebates which, if nothing else, gives you another year of free antivirus updates. Be warned however -- there is no practical support for this product. The knowledgebase is practically useless and who wants to pay 2.95 per minute.
User Rating: 3/10
Symantec won't fix bugsby - June 18, 2003
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I have used NSW since version 2000. It has worked OK for my but has had some serious problems which I reported back then; Symantec has still not addressed them. For example, WinDoctor or OneButtonCheckup will scan and "repair" files in your System Volume Information(_restore{...} directorie or in your recycle bin. Doing so can corrupt your system. There is no way to configure the tools to ignore these critical system directories/files. The Norton Recyle Bin has a Restore Wizard that pops up a simple dialog, showing you what files exists. It contains a small "explorer" pane. You cannot resize this window! You can only see a small fraction of what is in each column (name, directory, file type, date, etc.) You can resize columns, but that then forces you to shrink others or use the horizontal scrollbar. Horrible UI, easiliy, trivially fixed by allowing the window to be resized. Try scrolling through 4000 deleted files when you can only view 7 at a time!! So, you think, no problem, I'll ditch this wizard and just explore my Norton Recycle Bin in Windows Explorer. Sorry, Charlie, you can't. It comes up empty.
User Rating: 
9/10
Absolutely no problems here !!!by - June 18, 2003
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Went as smooth as silk and has been working a treat - perhaps some people can't read instructions ???
User Rating: 2/10
An unbelievable nightmare!by - June 18, 2003
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I have used Norton SystemWorks for the past 3 years. Until now, I have been very pleased with their products. But installing this software on my WIN98SE machine has been a nightmare! Immediately after installing, I started having problems with the system locking up--sometimes while using IE6, sometimes when clicking My Computer, sometimes when using my CD-RW drive. I ran NSW One Button Checkup-- I fixed errors that it found and rebooted. Same problems. Then it started locking up when running Live Update. Each time it locked up, I would have to power it down (as ctrl-alt-del would not respond), it would run scan disk and reboot. I made several attempts to use NSW2003 to find and repair the problem-- it found no errors but still the system would lock. I finally decided to use my computer recovery CD, reformat my hard drive and reinstall all software. Again, no problems until NSW was installed. This time, device drivers would load at random (so it seemed). Sometimes I would get no sound; another, no CD-RW; another, no scanner. I still didn't connect the errors with NSW. I just figured it was a windows error from one of the software patches I had downloaded as I had never had a problem with a Symantec product before. Reformatted a second time, changing the sequence of my hardware and software installation. Same problems. Reformatted a third time. This time, I had trouble getting the NSW files to install. Changed the CD to a different drive and it installed fine. Figured my CD-Rom drive may have been the problem if files were corrupted during install. After several more lockups, finally decided to run "msconfig" and do a selective startup. After loading each startup item separately, I find that my computer hums with no lockups as long as NO NSW programs are running in the background. After reading other comments on CNet, I'm not even going to try to uninstall as it apparently embeds itself so deeply in the registry that it's nearly impossible. I will now be starting a fourth reformat to get rid of this awful program. I am also really ticked at the way Symantec handles product support. No phone support unless you are willing to pay $29.99 per incident. The symantec "Knowledge Base" has proven to useless for my installation issues. At the end, it gives you the option of on-line technical assistance which is a dead link. I absolutely refuse to pay to get phone support after what I spent to buy the program. There is also a dead link to the area where customers can provide product feedback. I thought about reinstalling NSW 2002 and Personal Firewall 2002, but then I would have to pay another $40+ to renew my subscriptions (which have expired for these products). They aren't getting another dime from me! My advice-- take your business elsewhere.
User Rating: 7/10
Great program, especially since I got it free!!!by - June 18, 2003
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First and foremost the anti-virus is top notch. as for the rest of the program, Symantec hasn't changed a thing since SystemWorks 2000. But since I was able to get the whole a absolutly no cost, hey it's a great program for the money.
User Rating: 1/10
Don't bother - this is not the Norton of old!by - June 18, 2003
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The speed disk doesn't even WORK with XP! They say as much on their web site! The System Check and other dignostics didn't even find a problem with my dying hard drive, nor did it help when I had a overly fragged disk.
User Rating: 5/10
No Problem!by - June 18, 2003
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First of all, I EXPECTED this software to slow my PC down a little. Any time you load a memory-resident program, service, or whatever, it's going to slow response time a bit. What you have to weigh is the benefit of installing the software in the first place. I've been burned by having to reinstall XP numerous times and losing data in the process, so I bought a second HD, where I store my docs. I installed SystemWorks 2003 Pro to PROTECT myself in the event of a problem with the OS that would normally require a reinstall and re-customization. Using Ghost, I have a baseline image of my C drive, and I have all of my added apps on CDs. I also appreciate the ability to schedule defrags based on thresholds. Most other functions are nice as well, although some are not all that great. But I've gained added protection from corruption problems, etc., at a minimal overhead. If your PC is fast enough and has enough RAM, I don't see the harm in sacrificing a little response time for the benefits this package provides. Also, I had no issues with installation over an existing Antivirus 2002 install. To be fair, I picked up the software at Staples for $70 with $70 in rebates, so I can't really complain about price!
User Rating: 9/10
Wow! Pretty darn good, especially compared to the c*&p that McAfee, TrendMicro, and Ontrack put outby - June 18, 2003
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I just bought Norton SystemWorks. Be sure to do a complete installation, it has saved my butt over and over and cleaned out the trash for the Internet. This is Symantec's best product yet! Be sure, however, to install GoBack with NO antivirus programs running at all, and install it first, disabled. Next, uninstall any other antivirus programs you have (they are all crap compared to Norton). Then, after a reboot, install SystemWorks 2003, reboot again, enable GoBack, and reboot for the last time. It has transformed my machine from being slower than a snail to the technological equivalent of a lightning bolt, speedwise. The only thing I DON'T like are the extravagant fees charged by Symantec for phone support. But then again, it is pretty easy to install, provided that you have some intelligence and use the owner's manual. Great job, Peter Norton and Symantec!!
User Rating: 3/10
Utilities okay, Antivirus Updates a Disaster!!by - June 18, 2003
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Norton SystemWorks utilities do not do a complete job of keeping my computer clean. I have never had a problem using Systemworks 2003, in either W2K or XP Professional, it has always loaded and run fine, albeit slowly, but it uses a lot of my systems' resources. Since I bought and installed SystemWorks on my computer, I have added other utilities as well; Ace Utilities, Adaware 6 Plus, and Spybot Search and Destroy. Between ALL of these utilities my machine stays finely tuned and clean. That is why my gripe with Norton only concerns the Antivirus part of SystemWorks. Antivirus is the one utility I do not wish to take chances with, and Norton really blew it. Those folks are ASLEEP!!! I download new definitions every day and always have Auto Protect on. But both my computer at home and at work carried the W32.Jeefo virus for a month, even though I ran virus scans regularly and had auto-protect on. Norton's definition of the W32.Jeefo virus didn't come out until 6/3. McAfee had this virus definition on May 7th!!! By then, when I ran the scan, every file the virus had gotten into during the month that they didn't alert me was destroyed when the file was supposedly "fixed" during the virus scan. That was over 800 files on my computer at home, 400 or more at work. I didn't lose documents(Thank God), and the W2K I run on my work computer seems okay, but XP Professional took a hit at home. After trying to fix it for three days I ended up having to reinstall XP and the 65 updates for it, as well as around 50 programs. I had to reinstall many programs at work as well. You would think Norton would at least check the definitions their competition has come up with. NOT!!! To be a MONTH behind McAffee with the definition for a very damaging virus is inexcusable and unacceptable to me. That is why I can no longer recommend any program of theirs which I must continually rely upon for updated information! They are not reliable!! Be afraid, be very afraid.
User Rating: 10/10
What are all of the rest of you thinking?by - June 18, 2003
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This version of SystemWorks is great for those who don't already own it! How could anybody NOT recommend it?! Especially helpful is Roxio GoBack!
User Rating: 2/10
Norton Lays an Eggby - June 18, 2003
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After getting Road Runner and a new computer, I've been picking up some protection software. I had been using Zone Alarm, which I really liked, and had picked up Pest Control. I had a version of Norton AntiVirus that probably came with my computer, so I down loaded a trial version of Norton. After my time ran out, I thought why not move up to the best and bought the professional version. Everything went well the first week, Norton had a few problems with my software, but seem to settle down. Then I started a defrag program and it was all over. The big red bar in the middle of my screen read "Unable to read configuration files". That was the last time I was able to see a pointer on a fully open windows screen. Norton is a very persistant program. No matter how many times I tried to kill, unload or bypass, it still gets back to me in less that 30 seconds and puts a hammer lock on my ME, and all that's left is a blue screen and error codes. I resurrected my old computer with a screen from and even older one, and finally got back online (dial-up) to Norton Support. I typed in my error screen and was advised that there were quite a few things that could have happened. One of the the fixes was to change a couple of file names, but that didn't help. The next was to download a program to my computer that would errase Norton... Just a minute! If I could get anywhere near the net with my VAIO, who is setting there staring at me with her big beautiful SAFE MODE icon eyes, I would. Well, that's all the story, I going back to the net to see if there is anything I can do to break into my computer. What I need is a way to kill Norton AntiVirus and a program to protect my computer from antivirus programs. My Sony is dead so I will give you my wife's AOL address.
User Rating: 
4/10
Junk!!!!!!!!!!!!by - April 25, 2003
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Speed Disk, simply can't cope or run right on boot drive in a system with 1GB or more of memory. It hangs on sorting files or just plain flat out crashes. On top of it, the program will not let me install Norton AntiVirus seperately, it forces me to install it as a part of System Works, which I shouldn't have to do.
User Rating: 3/10
Didn't work for me.by - April 17, 2003
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My computer became slower and started behaving strange since I installed this piece of junk.
User Rating: 1/10
this is unbeliavableby - April 15, 2003
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I use computers and utilities since 1983, I have never, ever seen such a faulty product in my life. I am just too tired to write my own review since I am downloading patches from Symantec to REMOVE their product. YES, it doesn't remove even...
User Rating: 1/10
Burnt our customer, NSW2003 is junkby - April 6, 2003
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I work at a leading reseller, and suggested NSW2003 as "an easy way to keep your computer tuned and protected"... After all, I have used Norton products since they first came out many years ago. Recently I noticed that with NSW2003 my personal computer runs slower than with the previous 2001 version, and had a major time trying to remove it. As for our customer, we have spent over SEVEN HOURS of time combing manually through the registry. We started the install by removing NAV 2001 per the instructions, then started the install. Everything went well until the final stage, when "WCPlug.dll failed to register" Following the "help" instructions on the web, we completely removed the product, then manually combed through the registry for hours. Next, ran SymCln (to clean up everything left over from previous Norton installs), it did not clean it all up; then, ran RNAV2003 (to clean up what SymCln did not clean up), it too failed. These are both downloadable utilities from Symantec, who should know what registry keys their junk software adds to your computer. Finally, after seven hours of hard labor, the customer has asked that this defective software be removed from their computer, we credit the time back to their account, and we find something that works. All in all we as a reseller look stupid, have wasted about twelve hours (not all were billed for obvious reasons), and the customer is very unhappy. We as an organization have been ordered to NEVER suggest any Symantec product again. As an aside, many home computers that are acting strange (slow, lockups, etc.) when brought in for service work fine once NSW has been removed. Peter Norton, where ARE you? What have they done to what used to be a fine product, worth more than the price?
User Rating: 6/10
Installation????by - March 29, 2003
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Shocking to install - crashed my system that had Systemworks 2002 - it was impossible to uninstall so it took nearly 3 hours to fix. AND I lost Winfax, major problem
User Rating: 10/10
Outstanding as a 1st utilities suiteby - March 24, 2003
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I've been using SystemWorks (Professional 2003 (I picked it up for 25 bucks at half.com, free shipping) with XP Pro (ProStar desktop replacement P4 2.4GHz, 512 DDR RAM, 40 GB HDD). I have had no problems whatsoever- even though I did need to manually uninstall a few components of NAV corporate edition prior to the install, which is not hard at all. Install went smoothly, ran live update immediately, got new virus definitions, schedule utilities to run when you want. Done in half an hour, fully configured to work for me. Cleansweep works great, especially for broadband connections because of unnceccesary file accumulation from web browsing. AntiVirus saved my butt many times from kazaa and files shared over a LAN. Keep in mind that SpeedDisk "optomizes", not necessarily defragments. It is designed to move programs to locations allowing the programs to run fastest. In my experience it is useful to run windows defregmenter and SpeedDisk alternatingly to get a good balance of a defragged and optomized drive. I haven't needed their support, but I have heard nothing good about it. Make sure your computer meets or exceeds the requirements and adjust the system resources useage on systemworks before blaimng the software. Works flawlessly as long as you know what you're doing or can follow directions.
User Rating: 4/10
New paint, old bodyby - March 24, 2003
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Yes, I am very disappointed in Norton for slapping a new skin on a product that is essentially an old one. Isnt this just an old MicroSoft tatic. In Nortons defense, I would say this; Anyone running Windows ME should get a real OS and quit complaining.
User Rating: 10/10
Works great.by - March 16, 2003
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Using it with XP and everything works fine. Used it on win98,nt4 and 2000 also. Only OS I haven't it with is ME. I use SYSTEMSUITE 4.0 also. Both are great products.
User Rating: 10/10
Improvement over NSW 2001by - March 16, 2003
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I had NSW 2001 Pro and NPF 2001 (Win 2K, Pentium III 1Ghz, Dell Dimension 4100). Read all of the negative reviews here. Upgraded to NSW 2003 Pro and NPFW 2003 anyway because I wanted newest antivirus and ad-blocking features. No problems whatsoever. Follow instructions, and you'll be OK. Ensured all Win 2K updates were installed; ran WinDoctor for last time to correct errors; backed up using Ghost; turned off all NSW, NPFW features; rebooted; stopped any Norton/Symantec services that still ran; uninstalled NSW, NPFW, and Live Update & Scheduler; rebooted; deleted remaining Norton/Symantec program directories (there were only a couple of files); installed new NSW and NPFW (this took between one and two hours). Have not seen any degraded performance. (In fact, my VPN connection to my office has improved with NPFW 2003.) Symantec's web site has plenty of good help info; I've never had to call them, but I understand the gripes about paying for phone suppoort. Bought new versions through Amazon.com and paid $15 for both, after rebates; subscription renewals would have cost me $25.
User Rating: 1/10
WHAT A PIECE OF JUNK!!by - March 12, 2003
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I just purchased a new retail version of NSW 2003 and installed it on my ME system with no problems. I installed GO BACK with the software, also with no problems. The problems started when I attempted to run the utilities of NSW 2003. The readme of NSW 2003 for GO BACK instructs that you have to disable GO BACK prior to running scandisk or the defrag. Ok, no problem, I disable GOBACK and when the system reboots to complete the disable part of GOBACK, I end up with a operating system that has a scrambled registry and errors refering to Norton popping up all over the center of the screen. Nothing worked on trying to reset the system, and with GOBACK disabled, I couldnt bring my system back to working order. Luckly, I made the (8) norton basic rescue discs at the start of the installation. After rebooting 2x using the floppies, I was finally able to bring my system and registry back to the prior state. Well, you might guess what I did next----yep--- got rid of the JUNK--NSW 2003 and GOBACK. I reinstalled my earlier package of V-COM SystemSuite 4.0 and began to reuse System Restore from the ME OS. No problems now or before using this combo. The only Norton system I am using still with no problems is Norton Anti Virus 2003. I am using this to supplement SystemSuite. Goodby to NSW 2003--Piece of JUNK!!.
User Rating: 1/10
Where O Where Has Symantec Goneby - March 11, 2003
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Having been a user of Norton and PCTools since they were introduced in the early 80's, I've been wondering what happened to the great tools they had, what one didn't fix the other did. Since NTFS, there is not a decent Drive repair utility in existence. After reading the comments, I will NOT buy Symantec products at this time, with one exception, their virus protection. We all have enough problems to find and fix with just Microsoft?. Now that?s another stoooooooooorrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyy. UE?????..
User Rating: 1/10
No improvements, new problemsby - March 8, 2003
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After I installed NSW 2003 I could no longer load my databases created in MS Access 95. Symantec support did not respond to my email request for help. Now I can't even figure out how to uninstall it.
User Rating: 9/10
Fantastic Must-Have!by - March 5, 2003
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There is NO better anti-virus program. I could go on and on about that, but think for a minute. Even the U.S. government relies on Norton! A computer virus terrorist attack? We will be at the mercy of Norton! As far as the rest of the program goes, I LOVE Cleansweep, the utilities are beyond compare, and best of all.. With this 2003 version, Symantec includes Passmark's Performance Test, so you can check YOUR computer over others to see how fast it runs! (Mine was 160 score) Finally, they have the absolute best Tech Support Web Site I've ever seen.. www.sarc.com, then go to Search..
User Rating: 1/10
Does not work well with win2000!!!!by - March 1, 2003
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This program is horrible. I cant unistall it either The main window is there but if I click on a button nothing happens. stay away from this!
User Rating: 3/10
beware of this product...especially if you have Windows XPby - February 27, 2003
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I would only recommend this product to my enemies. I am an experienced computer and software user, and have had more than a bit of trouble with this product. If you have Windows XP and all you want to use is the Anti-Virus portion of this software, I would say go ahead and purchase and carefully install per the user's guide. I have had no issues with the Anti-Virus component. Now for the disclaimers. I tried to defragment my hard drive with the "Speed Disk" feature. I followed the rudimentary instructions in the User's Guide (they are minimally helpful), and after multiple tries had a much more fragmented hard drive than when I started the process. I even allowed the software to run for periods of time in excess of 36 hours (the User's Guide does say the first disk cleaning can take some time!). I finally punted on using Norton/Symantec and used the Disk Defragmenter included with Windows, and the job was finished overnight. The real reason to avoid this software: the worst customer support I have ever seen. Your options to get assistance with any problems encountered are: 1) Accessing their so-called "Knowledge Base" online...that was a waste of 1 hour that I will never get back...unless your problem fits into the few small niches for which they provide answers, forget it...there is no general information beyond what you would get out of the User's Guide 2) Call their "toll-free" technical support, and pay $29.95 to talk to a live human being who will assist you...gee, thanks Symantec...that doubles the price I paid for your lousy software 3) use your favorite search engine to find info out there on the internet...probably your best hope...but I think having to rely on this as my best remedy is a joke Buyer beware...take care everyone
User Rating: 8/10
this okby - February 25, 2003
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I find it hard to believe that anyone with a computer doesn't have this. All this talk about not being able to install it is so funny, why do you have computers? , i have installed this on winme and win98se , its fixed previously unfixable problems, and i have never had a "hitch" the 98se installation was easier then winme and it found 450 problems for us which it fixed , don't throw NSW away ...throw your computers away if you can't install this cause you don't know how to use it anyway
User Rating: 1/10
So,Im not the only one!by - February 25, 2003
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I have had very similar problems trying to install nsw on my pc also. It did in fact install the 1st time, except for the anti-virus software. After many failed attempts at installing av, I uninstalled the whole program. What a freakin' nightmare that turned out to be. My father-in-law (a programmer), and I spent about 6 hours last weekend editing the registry, and doing all the other B.S. the support sight said to do, but to no avail. I'm afraid I'll have to call the "live" $29.99 per incident support line to get this in order. At least I feel a little better that I'm not the only one with this trouble.
User Rating: 1/10
Never buyby - February 24, 2003
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Never buy this piece. It does nothing more than screwing up your system, slowing it down and costs a bunch of bucks you'd better spend on s.th. else.
User Rating: 2/10
Install at your own risk!by - February 19, 2003
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After attempting to install this product it destroyed my Windows Scripting Host. After contacting tech non-support and waiting on hold for ages, they had me uninstall several items, and hack the registry several times. Finally they said I would have to wipe the entire hard drive clean and start reload everything. They could not fix what their software broke. They did offer to give me my money back on the software!! They also said they could have Customer relations call me the next day in a 4 hour window that I would have to be available for. When asked what they would do, I was told they would apologize for the problem and offer to give me my money back for the software! Poor support but they make up for it with gross incompetancy.
User Rating: 7/10
Destroys SystemSuite from V-com!!by - February 16, 2003
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After using SS 4.0 from Ontrack/V-com for several months, my computer began to slow down and act strange. I had been using the utilities of SS 4.0 often and the results said it completed correctly. But I decided to remove SS 4.0 and install NSW 2003, what a relief!! My system improved dramatically and NSW found 3 virus's that were in my system, something SystemSuite 4.0 never found, but only gave me results saying everything was fine. I found out one thing here and it is that you get for what you paid for. Systemsuite may be cheaper in cost, but you will pay for it in the long run. If you buy junk, you will get junk.
User Rating: 1/10
Fatal performance problems, buggy instllationby - February 14, 2003
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I upgraded my SysWorks 2001 and the performance of the Explorer became fatal. I almost could not scroll a directory with many files, such were the delays in responsiveness. Worse is that I am now unable to reverse it to the version 2001. You may ask: What, the very tool supporting all the "clean uninstalls" can not reverse itself?? Yes! Despite paying for the current antivirus upgrades I can not go back to 2001 anf get antivirus running. I tried full uninstall, new CD install of V2001, manual registry editing. In my despair I even made a full backup restore of the entire drive C:. No change! They store someplace some data screwing up the process. Antivirus and WinDoctor are dead. It is a grief and a mess for several days already. I used Norton Utils since their DOS times. Once upon a time this _was_ excellent software. Now it is a bad written monstrosity.
User Rating: 2/10
It can destroy your system.by - February 12, 2003
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As my McAfee anti-virus had expired, I was looking for a new one, when up popped a zillion ads for Norton?s AntiVirus. Being a devotee of their Cleansweep, and as their Systemworks 2003 included Cleansweep 2003, I ordered Systemworks. I am operating W98 on a 450MHz Intergraph machine. For openers, I received a CD titled Systemworks, but seemingly only containing AntiVirus. However, being naïve, and trusting the software manufacturer, I proceeded to install, thinking that the Systemworks would pop up after the AniVirus install (I did first remove my Cleansweep). Wrong!! What I got were a zillion errors, and a system so unstable that I could not operate. So I proceeded to uninstall the AntiVirus (there were no caveats in the Readme file). Uninstall did not solve the error problems. So I went to Symantec?s Website, and found volumes of instructions on how to uninstall, which include Register and Ini editing, as well as the standard MS uninstall. Finally, when all was uninstalled (supposedly), my system seemed to be operating OK. But what I had learned was that Norton Systemworks was not to be installed over ANY other Symantec products!! Hello??!! Imagine Microsoft saying I had to remove MSWord in order to install Excel!! I contacted the supplier of my CD, and he was amazed that I had received a mismarked CD. He supplied a new one, this time with the full-blown Systemworks 2003. Thinking that this time, I had diligently removed all of the offending software, I installed Systemworks. Wrong!! I didn?t know that Pcanywhere was a Symantec software! After downloading 2 clean-up files, and an additional 50 pages of ?Removal? instructions, and performing untold hours of regedit and sysedit, my system is still toast. My startup keeps announcing that there is a call for Pcanywhere, either in the System.ini or Register. A detailed search of both has found no reference (at least, to a text file). So obviously, I cannot install Systemworks. And after all this grief, who in his right mind would? Norton writes Cleansweep, one of the highly touted removal add-ins, yet cannot remove their own product! I give!! Caveat Emptor!!
User Rating: 2/10
Support - what a sad joke!by - February 11, 2003
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I have been a Norton Systemworks user since the product became available and have it installed on several Windows operating systems. Most recently I have Systemworks installed on W2K Pro. I have been attempting to do an upgrade from SW 2001 Pro to SW 2003 Pro for over a week with nothing but disastrous results! After the first attempt at upgrading I was nolonger able to access any web sites using IE v5.05 and Mozilla would nolonger even connect to the Internet; Microsoft Outlook would nolonger connect to any of my email servers! I spent days attempting a successful install; Symantec's support is a sad joke -- I returned the product.
User Rating: 2/10
Removes USB and cable modem settings!by - February 3, 2003
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Poor program. Can't install without it removing all USB and cable modem settings. Can't use individual programs. A real waste of money.
User Rating: 1/10
Utterly hopeless; wait till they fix the installation problemsby - February 2, 2003
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Virtually impossible to instal as an upgrade with NIS 2002, on Win98SE; having spent 3 nights trying to clean up traces of NAV 2002 and some traces of an even older version of VirusScan, which caused no problem for NAV 2002, I have had to reinstal NAV 2002 and then download all the upgrades; I think there is a serious problem with this software and would like my money back! NAV 2002 works and instals fine, but I really would like to have the utilities.
User Rating: 4/10
Good - In Part'sby - January 26, 2003
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Generally, NSW 2003 works well - although it does slow everthing down a tad on my XP home, with 640mb ram, and 1.33ghz cpu. It also lacks some useful features in XP guise. As for "speed" disk,not only is it slow and hoggs system resorces, it often requires several passes before it completely defrags, and soon becomes fragmented again, despite me doing no more than download a few small files. Disc Doctor is a joke. It refuses to operate unless it has total access to the o/s, but when you schedule a test next time you re-boot, DD simply hands it over to CHKDISC - What a con !! Despite all of that, I believe that NSM & NIS are still the best all round utility/security suites, that remain a must have, for any PC user. PDY.
User Rating: 3/10
SystemWorks 2003 is two a steps backwardsby - January 26, 2003
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I just upgraded to SystemWorks 2003, from 2002. It took several hours and multiple reboots to unintsall the old product, after which the new product installed properly. The program asked if I wanted to register. When I clicked a button it sent the machine to POST without any error messages. Note that up to this point I have been running Windows 2000 on this system with virtually NO trouble for over a year. The machine came up OK from the reboot but it was running as slow as molasses in January. I thought maybe GoBack (full version 3.1) was causing that problem but it was not. I ran a full virus scan. This normally takes 20 minutes at most but with the new, improved version the scan took close to two hours. The first time I opened Outlook I saw my folders briefly, after which the system went to POST. After much troubleshooting I determined that I could do anything except open Outlook. The machine was also performing very slowly. I killed all SystemWorks modules including Anti-Virus and rebooted to see if I could prove that was the problem. The machine went into a loop. It would come up and let me log in and then it would go to POST. I finally had to roll the system back to its pre-2003 upgrade condition and it is now working fine once again. It is also very peppy again. GoBack has proven it is worth; it is worth its weight in gold. GoBack was not the cause of the system slowdown. SystemWorks2003 was. So now I am running with virus signatures 2 weeks out of date. Symantec's Website offers no suggestions. They do, however, keep trying to get me to upgrade to the latest version, and they offer phone support for thirty bucks. Symantec is virtually unreachable. Like many big companies, they hide from their mistakes. All I can say is that customers are like teeth. Ignore them and they will go away.
User Rating: 10/10
The best qualified "doctor of PC" in towm.by - January 24, 2003
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thanks norton!...you solved my big problem....no doubt this is the best soloution to get remedy from pc problems those who don't know how can we solve these prob..can just press one button and get fresh.....so u can imagine....?
User Rating: 2/10
Impossible installationby - January 23, 2003
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Replacement of earlier Norton products extremely difficult. Previously stable systems unstable after installation
User Rating: 6/10
Great- if you know what you're doingby - January 22, 2003
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I have always used Norton, and always will. If you know what you are doing, this is an indespensible product. If you already have 2002, don't upgrade, but if not it is worth every single penny. I am a tech, and this has saved my bacon a thousand times. The great thing is, there is no need to install it to run two of the best utilities on it: Windoctor and disk doctor. You have the option of running them right from the CD.
User Rating: 5/10
Good Product >> Support is Poorby - January 21, 2003
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I have been in QA for 4+ years in Silicon Valley, so troubleshooting and figuring out software problems is second nature to me. But getting this up and running has been a pain in the neck. I understand that each PC is different but... I am protecting 2 machines with NSW2003, on XP Pro and Win98SE. Once it is all set up, it is good protection and the utilities are great. But each machine has had problems with the installation and setup which required me to contact Symantec after running out of options on their site and over discussion boards. The aspect of Symantec customer support that I interacted with was terrible. If I had read the reviews, I would in no way passed up McAfee due to the comments about support - but I have always trusted Nortons. I have family members who regularly ask me for IT recommendations, and I will not hesitate to tell them McAfee - due to Symantecs lack of appreciation of their customers.
User Rating: 8/10
Excellent product if you follow the directionsby - January 19, 2003
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I too have read the user comments here, and delayed using the product until today when it ABSOLUTELY SAVED MY XP PRO SYSTEM! My system became unstable yesterday as all right mouse clicks crashed explorer (I suspect there were registry errors in the shellex, but would have been faced with a complete reinstall of xp if it was more than that, or not fixed). I installed NSW 2003 Pro (Staples for only $29.94 with rebates!! http://www.Staples.com) with no problems at all, and ran the Norton windoctor -- over 160 registry errors were found, and corrected (not unexpected on a box used everyday in the office with lots of programs, etc.). The right click problem was solved after reboot. Whew! This is a fast 1.8G P4 system with 512 DDR Ram and a fresh xp pro install. That certainly helps NSW install and run as it was intended, but it *does* take quite some time to install and analyze, so be very patient. But, on a newer system it worked perfectly, and no doubt saved me from having to completely reinstall xp and all the programs. This product was originally recommended to me by a friend who maintains over 1,200 computers at a local university (he is the network system manager), and he swears by it. After today?s little crisis, I can see why. So realize as you read these reviews that those who had a bad experience were quick to post messages, and those who had a completely fine experience may not have read the reviews or bothered to post at all. Good news usually doesn?t make headlines, right?
User Rating: 3/10
One Button Check - not available because system works 2003 has expiredby - January 18, 2003
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If you get this message and depending your skill level. , be ready to take a vacation or spend more $ to fix it. Go and Search norton's knowledge base and type the phrase "One Button" and check what i'm talking about.
User Rating: 7/10
Good if tweakedby - January 16, 2003
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Remove install/uninstall feature from StartUp - that is what slows system down. Run LiveUpdate only from Internet Security, then it works fine. Do some intelligent research on the web to tweak it and then it is an excellent utility.
User Rating: 1/10
Had to restore registry to make system work again!by - January 15, 2003
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I've been a longtime Norton user for years but Systemworks 2003 installed on my new Windows XP system was a nightmare. It didn't install correctly and what's worse it refused to uninstall. Various attempts to remove files finally led to a corrupted registry that I had to restore from backup. Really bad.
User Rating: 5/10
Good in parts but appalling when things go wrongby - January 15, 2003
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Some excellent utilities - BUT for me with Win98SE it proved not to be a useful upgrade upon Systemworks 2000 AND I developed problems which necessitated uninstalling and then reinstalling the suite, and then it showed its malevolently perverse side. The big problem seems to be the install / uninstall program, which both fails to remove all elements of previous installations and versions, yet chokes on any of the traces left on the system. Their cleanup utility Symclean doesn't recognise that there's any trace left on my system, so refuses to help. I spent a long while doing a manual uninstall following the directions given in a page in Symantec's knowledge base, and even that didn't remove all traces and I still had problems and had to keep returning to Symantec's labyrinthine knowledge base system. Symantec have lost me several days of work through having to spend all that time trying to get SystemWorks going again - and even now the LiveUpdate module is inoperative on my system and the only advice in the knowledge base is to uninstall and reinstall NSW. As I've uninstalled and resinstalled several times already and now LiveUpdate isn't working, another uninstall / reinstall is not going to rectify that. I guess the only way would be to wipe my hard disk and start over, but that's too big a task. As free online technical support is inaccessible I've had no help on these issues beyond the jungle that they call a knowledge base. So, I'm on the lookout for an equivalent set of utilities that doesn't have all these reinstallation problems and has a better semblance of customer support. So, if you buy SystemWorks 2003 - and especially if you're upgrading from a previous version, be prepared for BIG trouble!
User Rating: 1/10
Long-Time Norton Fan Stunned By This Turkey!by - January 9, 2003
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I've used Norton products for many years with great success but this one leaves me speechless. I tried using NSW 2003 on two different XP machines, one an upgrade of NSW 2002 and the other a clean install of XP, and had identical problems on each machine. (1) The program was nearly impossible to install. I encountered numerous error messages, with no pattern. (2) Live Update often could not download all the required updates, again with no pattern. (3) When I finally got the thing installed after a dozen attempts and tried to run Speed Disk, I got an error message saying that my "Trial Version" had expired! This was a brand-new full version and I got the same message on both machines. Worse, I checked the Symantec website and discovered that they are aware of the problem but know of no known fix! (see here: http://service1.symantec.com/support/nunt.nsf/9a8adcf2979311d5882567ee007cb0ea/5a88ba1e5ff424c8882568240000d98d?OpenDocument) So I guess I'm just supposed to not use Speed Disk at all? I'm stunned that Symantec would release such a shoddy product. This is one formerly-loyal customer who won't be back.
User Rating: 6/10
Will not installby - January 8, 2003
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Will not install, and it apparently ruined the Norton antivirus I had which has worked well for me.
User Rating: 1/10
A Big Step Backward!by - January 8, 2003
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I am running Windows 98se with 64MB SDRAM that was equipped with NSW 2001. I "upgraded" to NSW 2003 and found out it was a big mistake. Whereas the 2001 version ran without complaint, the 2003 version slowed my system to a crawl. It also made my PC very unstable (so much so that it would crash if you just looked at it). It got so bad I tried removing it without total success and had to resort to reloading the OS to excorcise it from my pc. Aside from this failure, Symantec also removed many of the most useful features of the 2001 version (dumbing it down to basic utilities). If you have a previous version stick with that and save your money. I would be much angrier had it not amounted to being free after the rebate.Save yourself the headache and use something else.
User Rating: 4/10
FOLLOW UP TO: "IF A GIFT--RUN"by - January 8, 2003
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Credit to Symantec: It took almost a month but, Norton Systemworks 2003 (NSW), GoBack & Norton Personal Firewall 2003 (NPF) are installed & working. (All by E-mail with none of Symantec's superexpensive phone support.) Solutions created other problems requiring more solutions, etc. Came down to 2 final minor registry errors which NSW was told to ignore. Still think it ridiculous to take a month to get a retail program installed and working. (This view is probably reflected in this web site's 55% negative rating for NSW 2003 at this time.} Also, Symantec should have put a warning & fix method on first manual page about NSF locking out communication with some/my ISP. CURRENT PLUS: 1-button solution is convenient. GoBack, once working, was useful to restoring system to pre-error status. Once installed & working properly, features of NSW fixed many of its own problems. Automatic live update very convenient. Ad blocker effective & makes surfing peacful. CURRENT MINUS: Don't like size/look of Norton protected trashcan. FUTURE SUBSCRIPTION COSTS. NPF "instrusion detection" is a pain until brought under control. Defrag not very good. Much of NSW features already in WIN 98 if you look. (But NSW is more convenient.} Thanks to Symantec's: AJITH whose troubleshooting, once beyond the probably mandatory registry editing, fixed the main problems & JEEVAN LOBO who provided the final help for ignoring last 2 errors.
User Rating: 3/10
It's just NU2002 with NAV2003!by - January 2, 2003
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I actually sold my copy of SystemWorks 2002 so I could "upgrade" to 2003. I should not have wasted my money! And on a technical note... Norton should have learnt by now to avoid ever invoking NTVDM (wowexec) on NT based systems, but using the CleanSweep install monitor will load it every time (obviously so it can monitor 16bit installations). This is bad news for twitchy applications that can hang indefinately until the NTVDM process is killed.
User Rating: 4/10
Poor online support - bait and switch you to make a callby - January 1, 2003
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Apparently, I discovered with two completely different machines and OS's...if you plan on upgrading from SystemWorks 2002. Even if you run and uninstall, not all the program pieces are removed. After following the 45min drill down through free online tech support, still no success getting 2003 installed, mentions to use Symclean.exe...and when used, no success on getting the new revision installed. So your only chance on getting this installed is calling the support line, and getting charged for $29.95 to remove your old software that you purchased. When the tech walked me through this, and getting it installed I mentioned that this was a different procedure that is published on the online support. Tech mentioned "That's the generic support", and when I asked why do I have to pay for support just getting this installed. "Well, you can go and buy McAfee's product too". Next time, that's what I will do.
User Rating: 5/10
Okay, But Not as an Upgradeby - December 28, 2002
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The only reason I upgraded from NSW 2002 to NSW 2003 was because it was free after rebates. Since it includes 12 months of virus definition updates, I figure I came out ahead. I am running it on XP Pro and haven't encountered any problems yet. I agree with most in that there is really no need to spend any money on NSW 2003 -- especially if you have Windows XP. I simply use it for the antivirus functionality and a bit of internet cleanup.
User Rating: 2/10
Symantec has lost their edgeby - December 25, 2002
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Norton Utilities/SystemWorks has been kick-butt software up until version 2002/2003 and the release of Windows XP. The major problems it has in XP/2000: many of the cool tools like File Compare, Optimization Wizard and Registry Editor/Tracker are not installed. Unerase is completely useless, Disk Doctor can never get permission to check the drives (can only reboot and check before Windows loads), and Speed Disk is extremely slow compared to Microsoft Defrag or VoptXP. About the only useful tool if you have XP is the WinDoctor, so either just buy AntiVirus by itself or try the Internet Security suite that includes AntiVirus. The free online support is completely useless and will have you running in circles with solution #1 (change some setting), then #2 (change some registry key), then #3 (uninstall & reinstall) after which you're back at square 1 again with the same problems, for which they will offer the same solutions for as long as you have patience for. Rinse, Lather, Repeat. Rinse, Lather, Repeat...
User Rating: 3/10
Crashed Two computersby - December 15, 2002
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attempted to install on a 98 and a millenium. never had such problems before.The 98 went to the shop last week , got to take the millenium tomorrow.
User Rating: 9/10
A Positive takeby - December 13, 2002
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I read the reviews and the comments both on CNET and other sites before buying SystemWorks 2003. I was more than a little concerned after reading some of the reader comments in this forum. But I also found the Utilities on my new Toshiba Laptop (2.4GHZ Pentinum-4, 512 DDR RAM) very lacking. So with much trepedation I picked up a copy for $49.99, hoping it would work, expecting it not to. Much to my surprise System Works 2003 runs beautifully on my machine with Windows XP Home, does not clog up my hard drive, slow down my boot time, or degrade the performance of my system. No horror stories or crashes. System Works does its job just fine and doesn't get in my way. Of course I actually knew how to use a utilities program before I installed it; this means uninstalling the factory pre-install of Norton Anti-Virus 2002 and following the rest of the install manual. Not that hard guys, really! I also made sure that Anti-Virus is the only program in the Suite that loads on Start-Up. The rest I use when needed so they aren't always running. I have to agree that the negative reviews I've read seem to be the ravings of amatuers that do not know their own machines, or from people still trying to run new software on older systems. My only complaints about System Works is that there is no decent Disk Image utility unless you want to pay for the Pro version. And I think at $69.99 list price the package is way over-priced. My advice is wait for a decent sale.
User Rating: 2/10
Avoid it like the plague!!!by - December 6, 2002
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This version sapped my system resources to a point where I would sit back and wait for memory to be freed up before the next application loaded. Technical support was slow to respond (and then only on their bulletin board) and they gave me a lecture on what system resources were and how to unload other programs to free up memory. The tech support person apparently didn't understand the concept that there had to be a change in code in this version that caused Symantec's software to be problematic. The problem, to him, had to be the system and applications that I have been using for years. Great potential, poor performance - avoid it like the plague!!!
User Rating: 1/10
Clashes with several other programsby - December 4, 2002
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I'm no expert but, I have 26 years as a user and a recent programming diploma. After clean installing to XP Pro, I and others, found NSW 2002 did not function correctly with XP. I figured they just pushed too fast to get NSW 2001 up to work with XP, so we just used the Anti virus and the firewall which gave no trouble. I even use Zone Alarm Pro to cross check. Enter NSW 2003 and only one firewall will work and they alternate from boot to boot!! Then all the Norton products fail one by one. At this point I uninstalled all Symantec products and cleaned the registry as best I could. Then I reinstalled Norton Internet Security 2003 and my PC is back to almost normal. As for Defrags, I tried all the free trials Diskkeeper 7 crashed, O&O would not install so I tried Perfect Disk from Raxco. This program is absolutely fantastic and any problems are dealt with effectively and efficiently. Definitely the best software purchase I've ever made.
User Rating: 1/10
IF YOU GET IT AS A GIFT, RUN, THE GIVER IS YOUR WORST ENEMY!!by - December 4, 2002
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Ran Mcafee Antivirus for 4 years & Norton Antivirus 2002 on Windows 98 for last 6 months. No problems. Bought Systemswork 2003 & Personal Firewall 2003. Disaster. Would not install due to NAV associated error. Had me editing registry. Error message put me in a loop: error messge to reboot to error message. Problems with Systemswork 2003 then caused problems with Antivirus 2002 when I wanted to reinstall the old Antivirus program. "Install" did not install Norton Antivirus 2003 icon (feature might be there but, I cannot access it.) Installing Norton Personal Firewall 2003 locked out my ISP so that I could not connect on the internet and the installed features won't let me edit them. I have submitted 2 e-mails to technical support with no response. A premium program that does not work and causes substantial problems is still a poor, substandard program, even when it comes from a company with a pedigree like Nortons.
User Rating: 1/10
Pure junk for XPby - December 3, 2002
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Tried to install on XP. Crashed system. It would not uninstall. Had to uninstall manually. What a pain...had to modify registry files, etc.
User Rating: 4/10
No problems with NAV or Norton Utilitiesby - December 2, 2002
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My comments mirror those made by Kevin. I think Norton AntiVirus is one of the best on the market. I have used Norton Utilities to correct problems with shortcuts on recently deleted programs, etc. I never let Norton select it's own solution because if is wrong more often than not. Don't bother with Norton Internet Security. It is a solid program but the overhead is very high. My PC crawled with this software package. I finally gave it up for Zone Alarm 3.1.
User Rating: 2/10
Doesn't seem to be worth it for XP.by - November 30, 2002
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I should start by saying that I was a big fan of Norton Utilities under Windows 95 and 98. It had an impressive array of tools that worked better than the built in Windows stuff. Then I bought XP. XP itself is far better than 98, but Systemworks for it is horrible. What Symantec doesn't bother telling you up front is that half of the Utilities for 98 simply aren't available in XP. Even better, it appears that Disk Doctor and Speed Disk are now simply front ends for the built in versions included with XP. Worthless - I could just use the ones with the operating system. Disk Doctor seems to just call scandisk - except that it fails to report the results that the command prompt version of scandisk returns. And Speed Disk is no faster than the built in defragmenter anymore, nor does it touch the MFT, the page file, or any other system files (even though it claims to in the manual). You have to really go snooping through Symantec's support site to finally find where they admit to this. (Though it's obvious if you just run the programs.) For Win98, I'd recommend Systemworks, but for XP, it's a complete waste of money.
User Rating: 4/10
hour 5 of trying to reinstallby - November 25, 2002
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Not impressed at all, I'm a long time user of Norton and find they are getting worse. The product is great WHEN you can get it installed.
User Rating: 2/10
Not for inexperienced PC owners!!!!by - November 22, 2002
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I am an electronic engineer. I have used NSW for 3 years now with no problems. Problems occur when people refuse to read the instructions. Its not packing material folks, it there for a reason. I think after reading the negative postings here, judging by the quality of some people's language skills, I would have a hard time taking their opinions to heart. Everyone's PC is going to be different. If you are not very PC literate, then you should not get NSW. It is not for your everyday user. Best advice I can give you is to read the instructions. Not the negativisms posted here.
User Rating: 6/10
Depends on your needsby - November 18, 2002
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If you are running xp forget it, I have used the systemworks package for a few years now and all was well until xp. you know when your system appears to reboot for no reason? use mnsconfig from the run command to disable Norton and it will fix all your problems, no matter how many times I install it I cant seem to get it to run stable for any length of time.
User Rating: 2/10
Beyond Slow!!by - November 8, 2002
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Every year I purchase Norton SystemWorks, I notice that there is less and less included. Besides this, everything runs very slow and takes a long time to complete, such as the Disk Doctor (approx 1 hr for a 80 gb disk) and thats for the basic surface scan! The Speed Disk ran ok, but the Cleanup utilities are a pain, since they are sorted under two different headings, one for regular cleanup and the other for Web trash. Would it be to hard for Norton to put it all under one section? I was not happy with this years NSW 2003 product and if they keep cutting items out of the product, before we know it, we will be paying $70 for the box and instruction book only.
User Rating: 1/10
Don't even try to install on XPby - November 4, 2002
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Not only will it not install correctly, it will ruin your OS in the bargain. Followed endless instructions on web site to prepare to install, downloading and running 3 different clean up programs, manually uninstalling failed installations, cleaning out temp files, etc. to no avail. All I have to show for this program is hours of wasted effort. Symantec must be after the pay - only technical support fees. They're basically giving the program away. This program is a fraud on the public.
User Rating: 7/10
Works Fine.by - October 30, 2002
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200 installs from 98, ME, 2000 and XP. No issues, but then I bothered to read the instructions. If you are having trouble installing this product--seriously, think about another career field.
User Rating: 1/10
Don't Believe Me Go Symantec Support Pageby - October 29, 2002
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Anyone using MS XP is having problems. I have used Norton's Product since Peter was a PUP! There has to be a big BUG in the product as users alike are basically having the same types of problems.
User Rating: 3/10
A Crashing Dissapointment (Figuratively and Literally)by - October 25, 2002
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Installing on a new system? OK, if you don't mind the loss of some features from 2K2. Upgrading a 2K2 installation running under Windows XP? Welcome to Hell.. sit down and light one up with the rest of us. I'm 0 for 3 on upgrades, and let's just say that I have a significant amount of resources available to me to trouble-shoot such problems from the OS' standpoint. There's no way that this could be pawned off by Symantec as an MSI issue. Technical support via the Symantec forums? "Q: I've failed in my upgrade, and ran SymClean and other tools per the knowledge base. What next?" "A: Run SymClean." I've been a supported of Norton Utilities for years - this has severly tested my loyalty. I think I'll just sit back and wait for the class action.
User Rating: 1/10
ES UNA CAGADA - NO FUNCIONAby - October 23, 2002
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Lo instale completo, al querer ejecutar cualquier aplicacion no responde, desinstale todo nuevamente, instale por separado el NAV y las NU logrando el mismo resultado : NADA
User Rating: 3/10
Risky program to install and useby - October 22, 2002
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I have been using Norton Utilities for years (before the merged with PC tools). The program is getting very difficult and risky to use. Very hard to uninstall any recent versions and this must be done completely before installing new version. All previos settings are lost. I have been unable to get windows started after updates and must do a lot of manual register editing. Program not for the novice or faint of heart!
User Rating: 8/10
A great buy with 3 programs in one.by - October 16, 2002
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I bought it mainly for the Anti Virus software component, but I love Norton Utilities too. Live Update for the product has been a life saver. Two thumbs up.
User Rating: 1/10
a BIG dangerby - October 15, 2002
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Do NOTget this unless you know some one who worked on the development of this product as it will delete all your files if you do not know what you are putting on there is no way for you to know which files are been loaded.
User Rating: 1/10
Systemworks 2002 crashes Windows XPby - October 12, 2002
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I wish I had read the reviews here before buying and installing Norton Systemworks 2002. I upgraded to XP from 98SE and got this version of Norton Systemworks, NSW, too. About a minute after each XP bootup, the PC frezzes, every time! A new installation of XP did not repair the problem, but a complete reformat of the hard drive and a new installation of XP did solve it. After a few days, I braved installing Norton Anti-Virus, NAV, alone (the most critical part of NSW to me), and it has been working fine. I later tried to re-install the rest of Systemworks, but the same frezzes occured again. Using XP's system restore got me back to the NAV alone installation and all is fine. By the way, 'Go Back' in Windows 98 using FAT32, with XP using NTFS on another drive, results in XP not being able to see the FAT32 drive at all. They don't tell you about dual-boot in the blurb... Stay clear of Norton Utilities in Systemworks 2002, but NAV seems ok, but what a hassle!!!!!
User Rating: 5/10
No have a important changesby - October 11, 2002
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No more improvement, is a very similar for system works 2002, please, no waste your money
User Rating: 1/10
Install Hell - Horrible Supportby - October 10, 2002
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The installation fails with Error 1335: Cabs.m14 file corrupt. On hold 1 hour for phone support they want to charge $30 for (I just purchased this software). Can't contact customer service from any web links on their site. You'd think this was a fly-by-night operation.
User Rating: 6/10
It just looks better. other than that, no other improvementsby - October 7, 2002
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It's just the interface that has been fixed up/changed. Forget about it
User Rating: 2/10
Works fine with XP [so far]by - October 6, 2002
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I've been using Norton since I bought my first PC and I really like this version [2003] > no problems so far, and no need for support [so far]. If it works as well as the last versions, I shouldn't need any tech support.
User Rating: 10/10
I know.....by - October 5, 2002
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Norton ARE awesome. No matter what you all thinks. I have had norton verison 2.0 and upgrade every year since 1999 and now i am using norton systemworks 2003. I have no reason to complain cuz I used to use "McAfee antivirus"" and it is big time sucka! trust me. then friend recommend me to get/change to norton and good enuff, i love it. it can catch virus right there. but with McAfee i was attacked by virus 3 time which i had to restore my PC and once in shop. Those who THUMB DOWN must be silly or immature for some reason. buti call this rated big time THUMB UP! cuz i rather "one click and laid back." TRUST ME.
User Rating: 1/10
installation nightmaresby - September 30, 2002
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On a Compaq Presario using W98 I had many problems installing NSW2003. And so did many other buyers based on the postings at Symantec website, about 180 or so the last few days. After more than three hours waiting for the recommended scan for virus to finish, and several errors trying to install necessary IExplorer upgrade required using the supplied CD. And errors coming up everytime I booted system. I decided to remove the program. Many more problems followed. Finally had to remove explorer and outlook upgrades also. Many, many steps involved in fixing registers and deleting a multitude of files. After uninstalling IE upgrades I could not open icon to access c: drive from desktop. Lost my ability to restore virus program from factory supplied restore cd's and finally had to download an upgrade from Compaq website to get virus scanner back. etc, etc. Ultimate insult Symantec wants 29.95 or $3.00 per hour to help me fix install. OR.... post your complaint on discussion group and wait 3 or 4 days for response and hope that you don't have to ask follow up questions and wait for each. Don't want to go through another day of this again. Must return to store and get refund. NSW 2003 is not for me. No home computer user should have to pay $69.95 to go through this much suffering from a yellow box. Since I bought system works my system don't works.I would be better off dealing with viruses than trying to undo the mischief and possible damage caused by this software to my system, not to mention my computer system. Now somebody pass me a paper bag and a bottle of whine and I'll tell you what I really think...
User Rating: 2/10
Puts it's fingers everywhere without asking!by - September 29, 2002
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I am a consultant that strongly recommends my clients away from SystemWorks. I know of several examples where SystemWorks caused so much trouble with systems that the PC had to be reloaded. The thing I hate about Symantec's Norton products is that they try to do too much to your system. The old DOS Norton was a good set of utilities that was there when I needed them. SystemWorks monkeys around with practically EVERYTHING in Windows. This transforms the PC into a non-standard mess. If it would load only what I ask it to then it might be a decent product. The other problem is if you ever have to/NEED to remove it you are in for trouble. Again, it's tedrils are EVERYWHERE - touching EVERYTHING. Often, your best option is a complete reload.
User Rating: 2/10
Same ol' garbageby - September 28, 2002
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I installed this program for a friend on his computer. I won't put it on mine because I learned long ago that Symantec is a company I will never do business with again. My friend learned the hard way after this program was installed. He had a host of problems, tried to uninstall it later and told me that it kept uninstalling another program, but not the SystemWorks! And he didn't believe me about being charged to get help, though he does now! Haven't you people figured out yet that this company makes garbage programs ON PURPOSE!? Then they charge you nearly as much as the original cost just to MAYBE answer your questions...like how do I uninstall this garbage!! I laughed at my friend because I warned him before I installed SystemWorks for him. If people quit buying Norton/Symantec products, and magazines quit giving them favorable reviews, maybe they will clean up their act. Until then, folks, there are many other companys who make suites (e.g. Ontrack) like SystemWorks that work properly and offer free customer support. Why anyone continues to buy this company's products is beyond me. Norton SystemDoesnotWork is how I'd rate their EVERY product.
User Rating: 8/10
Awesome, awesomeby - September 26, 2002
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I use System works on Windows 98SE & Windows ME. I would not own a Computer with out it. Is has did everything they said it would. I have been using it for 3 years now and have not had a problem. Every time my Computer shows signs of having problems, or I just want make sure it working good, I just clean everything up with their programs and it works great. Buy it if you don't have it yet. And if your complaining it doesn?t work you don't know how to use it....
User Rating: 6/10
An excellent product at a competitive price.by - September 25, 2002
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Hope that you do not need tech support. You have two choices, figure it out from the FAQs or pay Symantec's Tech Support through the nose. Tech Support is ridiculusly high.
User Rating: 8/10
EXCELLENT Product!by - September 24, 2002
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Nortons has been the most consistant of all the antivirus/suite programs available. Nortons caught a virus sneaking into my machine, cleaned my hard drive, and defragged it all in one day.The customer certainly get their money's worth!
User Rating: 3/10
Stick With Version 2001by - September 24, 2002
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Uninstalled System Works 2002 due to the Advanced Features gone under CleanSweep. Each supposedly upgrade of System Works has less features than the previous version. Using WinMe & Sytem Works 2001 works great with AntiVirus 2002 & Internet Security 2002.
User Rating: 6/10
However, to upgrade is nonsenseby - September 24, 2002
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I believe NSW is not that bad as many describe here. Maybe their experience would be better if they had used it from the beginning...it's true that there may be some problems by installing it over the spoiled system. I have used versions 2000 to 2002 for a long time. The only problems I had were those with Live Update, even during licence period. But I solved it always without any need for a direct support. And: if you have NSW 2002, I can't find any reason to upgrade to 2003 .
User Rating: 7/10
I won't run a computer without Norton SystemWorksby - September 24, 2002
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I have used it since the days of DOS and will continue to. It has saved me countless problems with viruses opening in Outlook Express preview pane, all on their own. With Norton running, I don't have to worry.
User Rating: 6/10
Little new, loss of old featuresby - September 24, 2002
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Every time I upgrade Systemworks (I go back to Norton Disk Doctor vs 1.0!) there seem to be less features. In Systemworks 2002 the XP defragger doesn't defrag the MFT - it comes a very poor second to Diskeeper. And Disk Doctor won't work within XP - it only runs properly during a reboot, and gives you no control over what it does. As it uses XP APIs, I understand, then what benefit is there over using XP's ScanDisk? What's more, the Pro version of Systemworks 2002 has the Lite version of WinFax - the Pro version of Systemworks 2003 has lost this. This will be the first time that I have not upgraded my Symantec products.
User Rating: 6/10
System Works is Fine, But not for XPby - September 24, 2002
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I have three copies of NSW on three differnt machines(Win98SE, ME and XP). I am long time user. It works fine with Win9x/ME. But not worth the money for XP since many features are not comparable with WinXP. DiskKeeper is better on XP(since XP has a lite version of it included). Save your money and let the maker know you not going to over pay for something with less features then before.
User Rating: 8/10
Best in Live update featureby - September 23, 2002
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I don't have to worry about virus nor intruder. Norton SystemWorks 2001 or 2002 do it all for me.
User Rating: 6/10
There is nothing I have read which will do a comparable job.by - September 23, 2002
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I'm running nsw 2002, it might just appear that I need not upgrade. BUT I did manage to score 51 occasions of that" -h" type whatever while I tried to reinstall (not to happy with PC). I note that were cleaned out very thoroughly when the AV go underway again.
User Rating: 4/10
Acceptable (when it works)by - September 23, 2002
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SW2001 worked fine without problems for me. SW2002 has generated nothing but problems. I have removed everything except AV. I can't update AV and couldn't update other utilities. "Support" was useless. When they are able to understand English, their one response is always uninstall/re-install. I had resolved not to use anything from Symantec anymore. But Amazon is running a special through Sept. 29th where SW2003 is $9.95 after rebates. So for $10, I'll give them one more try. If nothing else, I'll at least get a subscription extension to AV.
User Rating: 3/10
the 2002 virus and System Works pks fouled up my Win 98 and was removed to avoid frustration of costby - September 23, 2002
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I have always had Norton but the 2002 version cost too much time and money with freezes and killed work in progress. I removed them because they could not be loaded without Norton help that cost nearly as much s the software!!! Looking for something that loads with ease it you follow simple on screen directions. The quality was great when it worked in the 2002 version of works.
User Rating: 5/10
Too difficult to remove older Norton versionby - September 23, 2002
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Installation requires all older Norton versions be removed...a time-wasting, needlessly ineffective dissappointing installation need.
User Rating: 10/10
System works 2003 is the bomb of norton is the best thing on the net of anitvirus softwaers.by - September 23, 2002
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System works 2003 is the best thing out their, for me theri is nothing out their like Norton softwaers norton is the best.
User Rating: 6/10
It's done wonders for me !by - September 23, 2002
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I've used Norton for years, comes with a little overhead, but it's will worth it.
User Rating: 8/10
Software that worksby - September 23, 2002
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This is the product Symantec should of released LAST year. No bugs and automatic updates. Very nice package that does the job.
User Rating: 9/10
I find it great on windows 98se.by - September 23, 2002
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It has saved me a lot of time searching and solving problems,and the optimizer is great.Windoctor works like magic.I highly reccomend it.
User Rating: 7/10
Fantastic Software, Horrendous Supportby - September 23, 2002
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I've been using Norton Systemworks for years and nothing is better as a utility manager for today's home and office systems. Unfortunately, the Symantec support is either non-existent or costs more than the price of the product. I found it impossible to remove prior editions of the product or even update the sysytem expiration dates.
User Rating: 4/10
Don't bother. Waste of money.by - September 23, 2002
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I had already bought the product as an upgrade to 2002 before reading these dismal reviews. No new significant improvements over the previous version. Sorry Norton, you blew it again!
User Rating: 3/10
Norton never worksby - September 23, 2002
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I've had two versions of this product and i always end up removing it from my PC because it freezes up the system and/or uses too many system resources. Also, Norton always makes Dell systems perpetually noisy like the hard disk is earching for something all the time.
User Rating: 5/10
Use SYSTEMWORKS 2002 INSTEAD!!!by - September 23, 2002
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DON'T GET ME WRONG! NORTON SYSTEMWORKS IS A VERY GOOD PROGRAM TO HAVE BUT THE FEATURES ARE THE SAME. GET 2002 NOW INSTEAD & WAIT. With 2003 you're charged $29.95 per incident to your credit card. At 1-900-646-0033 you get charged $2.95 per minute to your phone bill. Is that worth it? To me, no.
User Rating: 2/10
No Reason to Upgrade to this Versionby - September 23, 2002
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I've used SystemWorks for many years. This upgrade does not give me any reason to change from 2002. The only reason I may upgrade is that it may be cheaper to upgrade than purchase the AntiVirus DAT file required.
User Rating: 8/10
It Works On XP Home/Professional Versionsby - September 23, 2002
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I had previous editions of Norton Systemworks before and had no problems on other operating systems. I then went with another competitor and decided to come back to Norton when I installed Windows XP and have no problems which so ever. As far as support, I have never called them but have e-mailed them and have gotten good results. I highly recommend Systemworks.
User Rating: 5/10
Resourse hog especially the anti-virusby - September 23, 2002
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The only program (other than Yuppies On Line [AOL] and M$ itself) that causes the most problems when it comes time to install other programs! Everytime I look at the read me file or troubleshooting section of other programs, Norton's Anti Virus comes up as a problem! I will stick to Ontrack's System Suite V4 for my Virus/Utility program! Free updates twice a month for the virus scanner. Smaller, faster and it isn't a resource hog like Norton!
User Rating: 7/10
Use knowledge-base - best support!by - September 22, 2002
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I have NSW2001, and for every problem that I've encountered, I used Norton's extensive problem solving system that uses an excellent Knowledge-Base. Everything is there! There is no need for actual techsupport.period!
User Rating: 6/10
great features, but don't expect supportby - September 21, 2002
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I have the 2002 version and I use it with Windows XP Home and a cable modem Internet connection. It installed and runs great for me. It automatically downloaded the latest version, and found some problems with my system, which it promptly fixed. My system seems even more stable and faster from than before. The Anti-virus works great, even automatically checking incoming and outgoing email. However, I did have a question about the product, and found that trying to contact Symantec is awful. So, if you don't need the support, this is a good product to have.
User Rating: 3/10
Feel lucky?by - September 21, 2002
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Had to reformat one machine after a failed install. Forget support. It does not exist. Get the stand-a-lone antivirus. Pass on the rest. Too risky.
User Rating: 8/10
A must have do it all utilityby - September 21, 2002
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Ive been using Norton products for years, and must say that Norton SystemWorks 2003 (or 2002) is a must have for all XP users. Great Disk Defrag and scan disk program (much better than windows built in utilities!), and the essential Norton Antivirus. Along with many other features, this product is awesome!
User Rating: 3/10
Never Had A Problemby - September 21, 2002
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Except for the anti-virus I don't know if it ever did anything for me or against me. Clean sweep is a nice touch.
User Rating: 10/10
Works Great, even with XP!by - September 21, 2002
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I have used every version of this product since it came out. 2003 seems to be speedier and very stable with all Windows OS's.
User Rating: 3/10
awful with win me (what isnt??) but good with '98'by - September 21, 2002
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when i installed it to my puter with windows me on it it caused alsorts of problems. even with the updates from norton. but worked well on windows 98. This is for the 2002 version. if its so similar it should be the same with 2003
User Rating: 3/10
Sucks use system suite 4 teh best utility everby - September 20, 2002
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man waht is up with systemworks no good. it destroyed my computer. i couldnt remove it and i still have stuff on it.
User Rating: 3/10
2003 - NO BIG DEALby - September 19, 2002
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I had Norton systemworks 2001 and complained when I upgraded to NSW 2002. There were no major enhancements. I spent my hard earned $$$$ for nothing. Now we come to a new year....2003 NSW 2003! Believe me, its NOT worth a plum dollar for this upgrade either! Don't waste your money. Just checkout the "NEW" features. You won't find many at all. Stay with 2002 or if you have 2001, that's fine.
User Rating: 7/10
Looking forward to itby - September 17, 2002
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I checked the product info on their website and there are a few other new features your reviewer overlooked. And the price is same as last year so I don't know what the other posters are complaining about. I gotta get new antivirus anyway, right?
User Rating: 2/10
2003 Crashes WinXPby - September 17, 2002
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I tried installing it on my Windows XP Professional machine and it crashed every reboot. It works great on my Win98 machine and Win2K machine. Bottom line: If you have XP Home or Professional, I *WOULD NOT* upgrade....
User Rating: 7/10
Support is Availableby - September 17, 2002
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I have had nothing but good support from Symantec on their products. The online knowledge base normally has the answer I am looking for. If it does not, I post a question to the appropriate forum and I have an answer within 24 hours. They have always been good at answering my follow-up questions as well. This product is a good deal, especially with the $30.00 upgrade rebate.
User Rating: 3/10
Not what it used to beby - September 17, 2002
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The wave of the future - horrible support for a once great product even if you are willing to pay outrageous fees.
User Rating: 3/10
Grossly over priced, no support, no response to e-mailsby - September 17, 2002
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As these companies get bigger they get more arrogant. They produce an inferior product you pay through the nose to work around their errors. If you use Registry Sweep check to see if it is there, they took it out of 2002. Less costs more
User Rating: 6/10
Works well but not with Win XPby - September 16, 2002
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I have used this product extensively and found it does what it says it will. The most stable of all utility programs I have used in the past and has saved my butt more than once.
User Rating: 1/10
norton systemworks 2003by - August 25, 2002
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no picture for people to curious what norton systemworks 2003 looks a like. but all texts ?!
