"It’s a great effort from Norton and one which places it in the top echelons of antivirus software products"
John Hillman
Norton Internet Security is basically the midrange package, sitting between Norton 360 and Norton Antivirus. It comes with a good comprehensive suite of tools to keep your pc safe when browsing online, but it lacks some of the automatic back-up and restore features found on Norton 360.
Norton has pulled off a great reinvention of itself in recent years by developing new versions of its software that manage to stay light on your system but maintain robust antivirus protection, which could not be said of them a few years ago.
What we like best
Internet Security 2011 isn’t packed full of new features, it just does what it’s always done a lot better than before. From a smooth and quick installation of around a minute to a much better user interface IS 2011 is a satisfying piece of software to use.
Norton makes use of its millions of global users to crowd-source known problems; it then checks them against your system giving a red flag warning against any of your programmes that may have been downloaded from a risky location.
The User Interface is much simpler and uses recognisable mobile app like icons to give you options for tasks such as accessing Norton’s online resources – this makes the whole user process much more straight forward for those of you without a great deal of computing experience. Furthermore it does this without opening your Internet browser which is a much more convenient system than previous Norton programs.
You get Online Family which gives you advanced parental controls, and something called Norton Power Eraser that is tough enough to remove any fake antivirus programs or other malicious software. In fact Norton Internet Security really is one of the strongest products on the market when it comes to detection and removal.
It has something called SONAR that monitors your system for any software on it that behaves suspiciously and will instinctively react and deal with the problem.
Another very useful feature on IS 2011 is that it will scan Facebook links for any signs of malware. With more and more people being invited to follow shortened URLS by friends these days it is a very useful tool indeed.
Other cool features include a bootable recovery tool that works on DVD, CD and USB, which is excellent for netbook users and you’ll find links to lots of very useful how to guides on the user interface for when you decide its time to start playing with more complex and deeper settings.
What we liked least
Norton Internet Security 2011 is a very good antivirus choice but it will still slow down your boot-up and shut-down times, however this is measured in seconds not minutes. You might also find that it impairs on your multi-tasking speeds from time to time.
Excellent comprehensive and powerful software that is easy to use and light on your system. It’s a great effort from Norton and one which places it in the top echelons of antivirus software products. Norton was already a name you could trust but the slimming down and speeding up of the software has really impressed us, we recommend Norton Internet Security 2011 as one of the best antivirus products on the market.
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Features
Strong Internet protection includes aggressive fake antivirus removal tool Facebook link scanner and bootable recovery device.
System Requirements
- Microsoft Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit) Starter or more
- 300 MHz for Microsoft Windows XP or 1 GHz for Microsoft Windows Vista/Microsoft Windows 7
- 256 MB of RAM
- 300 MB of available hard disk space
- CD-ROM or DVD drive (if not installing via download)
- Microsoft Outlook 2002 or later
- Microsoft Outlook Express 6.0 or later
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later (32-bit only)
- Mozilla Firefox 3.0 and later (32-bit only)
What is red eye and how does it happen?
Red eye effect is the name given to the appearance of red pupils in colour photographs. It is caused when a photographic flash is situated very close to the camera lens, as is with most compact cameras, and in low lighting.
When a photo is taken the flash occurs too fast for the pupil to close and so the light is reflected back through it and is captured by the camera. The light bounces off the back of the eye and creates the red colour which is due too the blood in the choroid (which nourishes the back of the eye).
How to prevent it?
If you have a separate flash, try to distance it as far as you can from the lens, or point it at an angle so that the light will not penetrate the pupil directly. Some cameras also come with a red eye reduction setting.
How do I fix it?
If you haven’t managed to prevent the red eye effect then do not panic, you will not look like an evil creature in your wedding photos. Serif has a wide range of photo editing software such as PhotoPlus X3 Digital Studio which can help.
The Makeover Studio gives the option of an “Easy Fix” which will apply corrections automatically or you can exercise your editing power manually using the individual sliders.
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