Cheap Norton Systemworks Pro 2004 (Software) (Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows XP, Windows 2000) Price

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Customer Reviews of Norton Systemworks Pro 2004

Let me say that I have used Systemworks for 5 years and always loved it's easy installation, compatibility with Windows and other software, and ease of use. Features like the Live Update always kept my version current and it has helped me avoid more than one virus while keeping my system clean and efficient.

The installation directions say to upgrade from Systemworks 2003 you simply run the CD and it will automatically upgrade. WRONG!! I immediately started getting error messages that .dll files were missing, that LiveUpdate could not run, and Windows XP system errors. After uninstalling and reinstalling several times without success I checked the Symantec web site. There were instructions for correcting the LiveUpdate problem which consists of multiple steps to remove, manually install, reinstall, reconfigure, etc.. none of which work. It seems Systemworks 2004 is not compatible with itself let alone other software such as Symantec's Winfax Pro which also crashed after installing Systemworks.

Symentec's final solution: MANUALLY DOWNDLOAD AND INSTALL UPDATES!! This is not a solution, the whole idea of spending good money for this software was to keep my system automatically updated.

To add insult to injury, If you want to talk with a real person about the problems Symantec will charge you $29.95. After spending $90 for buggy software this is really crappy customer service. After 6 hours of trying to get this working I gave up. One direction was helpful though "Uninstall all traces of Systemworks". I followed this directive and installed McAfee instead. Everything was working within 5 minutes.

This Version Missed Symantec's Usually High Marks
Something happened with this release for Norton System Works (2004) (the 2004 version of "Internet Security" also had similar problems). This is the fourth version of SystemWorks that I have used and it has always been a favorite. It has saved my system on more than one occasion, and makes disc clean up a snap. The antivirus feature is phenomenal, and is regularly updated. I think their antivirus software is one of, if not the best, on the market.

Unfortunately, Symantec dropped the ball with this version. It works fine ... once you get it installed that is. This version has serious installation issues, and is "buggy". I received this product in the mail on a Wednesday, and began installation that night. It wasn't until the following Monday -- 16 hours of frustration, several uninstalls and reinstalls later that I finally got it working. I kept getting error messages, and the absolutely essential LiveUpdate segment did not install at all, meaning I would not be able to update anything on this product, most notably the Virus Definitions.

I discovered that you have to download the LiveUpdate from Symantec website. This did solve that issue.

Norton Ghost, which is included with this professional version, also had a glitch that Symantec doesn't yet have a fix for, and apparently their techs haven't been able to recreate. Their only solution at the moment is the annoying time consuming uninstall/reinstall (which doesn't always work). The Symantec site has some fixes, and a web tool that can analyze whatever Symantec product you have installed, and tell you about some possible fixes. It's a nice feature, and very useful, but not perfect. So far, it hasn't fixed the Ghost issue. I received a message that I had an older version of Ghost and it referred me to their update page when I had just installed their latest version of it!

When I finally was able to run LiveUpdate, that did seem to cure many of the glitches. I haven't worked with it enough to determine whether or not it fixed all the issues I encountered.

Once installed, however, it does work fine with the tasks I've run so far (disk doctor, virus scan, and WinDoctor). These tasks are faster and easier than in prior versions, and I found the menu to be much more navigable.

Although I have not used it yet, it seems, from what I've seen so far, that Norton Ghost should be easier to use than previous versions. You no longer have to start this product from a DOS command, a requirement in previous versions that I was never able to grasp the logic behind. Who wants to go back to DOS commands now?! Hopefully, this will prove to be a great, and much easier to use feature, or as a stand-alone product. (My Network instructors all swear by Norton Ghost). Hopefully, I can get this working a report on it later in more detail.

The other annoyance with this that you have to remove every single remnant of previous version of Norton SystemWorks before you installs this. Warning! The Windows "remove program" feature does not do a good job of this. A lot of "fragments" were left in the Registry, and it the Norton system folders. Their website had a download that helped remove those, although I had to manually remove a good number of files from the "Programs" directory. Norton's uninstall feature using their CD-ROM did a much better job. If you have an older version of "Internet Security" installed, you may also need to remove it as well before proceeding with SystemWorks install.

In conclusion, my suggestion would be to wait and see if they come out with a fix before buying this newest version, or wait until the 2005 edition comes out. It's a great product, but this version comes with too many bugs and installation issues. For now, I think buying their subscription renewal would probably suffice until the next version comes out.

My rating above takes into account the long process it took to install, the numerous error messages I kept getting, and the fact that you had to uninstall previous versions to install this one. That simply should not be necessary, or it should do it for you at install, if it's that necessary to its functionality.

As I use this over the next few weeks, I will update this review to reflect my experiences with the actual use of this product.