Norton AntiVirus 2007 anti-virus software is a brand new offering from Symantec. NAV, as it is commonly known, has undergone extensive code rewrites, to make it more nimble and less of a system resource hog in operation. It includes both anti-virus and anti-spyware capabilities. A new scanning engine self-adjusts its background speed when you're using other applications, ensuring that the scanner has limited impact on your PC's performance.

During installation, NAV performs a limited check of your system and memory, to ensure that no active viruses that may affect the installation are present. The scan took only a few minutes on our system; your mileage may vary. As the last part of the installation, NAV requires you to set up a user account or log in to an existing user account; it then invokes its Live Update feature, which ensures that the program and its virus definition files are up to date.

A new user interface is based around a single, tabbed window. A sidebar on the right shows your current protection status -- red, yellow, or green -- and provides a one-click button that launches a wizard to fix any problems noted in the sidebar. When we first launched NAV, the sidebar contained a red X and a note that attention was needed. When we clicked the Fix Now button, NAV informed us that we needed to perform a full system scan for complete protection. The sidebar also includes links to frequently used functions, such as Live Update, Scan Now and View History.

The main window has two tabs, one for Norton Protection Center, which provides an overview of your computer's basic security, and one for Norton Antivirus, which lets you configure the program and perform related tasks. The included firewall, which for some reason is located in the Internet Worm configuration area, is very basic, but it's better than nothing if you don't currently have one.

Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2007 is much improved over previous versions, and is a good anti-virus software choice for home use.


Pros: Includes anti-virus tools, anti-spyware tools, and a personal firewall; system performance is much improved over previous versions
Cons: Lacks anti-phishing capabilities