I personally, noticed the legnth of the scans, and it bothered me, so i downloaded a new system. After getting rid of AVG, because it was driving me insane! Right now I have ClamWin Antivirus. my cousin found it for me, and I have no idea where.
I also use the microsoft anti spyware system.
Even though I read all the comments, I still want to beta test for symantec. if it messes up my comp, i'll sue for emotional trauma and destruction of personal property.(after i delete every trace of anything that could be considered illegal) end of story.

I would like to be a beta tester too but unfortunatly i don't have any viruses :(

BTW where do you go to get info on the latest virus? http://www.sarc.com/ gives you FREE removal tools. As for those who would never install NAV, bookmark the above URL...

Being a BETA tester for Symantic the last couple years has been fun and rewarding. It is not as threatening as one might think. I started using their products with my "black apple" and have continued to this day with my PC's (yes, I crossed over) Am presently testing 2006 and enjoying the improvements. All the necessary software is issued so your system is protected and can be returned to its original state. If you enjoy acting on the future then apply! You too will enjoy the adventure...

Um....Avast.

Since I own and operate 4 PC's in my "Home Office" naturally I would like to test their new products. Tommy oohdale.com Brown

I would like to be a beta tester.
I have used your products for a very long time and I don't have any complaints.

Oh c´mon... does anyone really serious about security uses this symantec crap??
OMG!

There is an echo in here, ahe?

I would not like to fix the PC of a Symantec Beta Tester. It's hard enough with thier released products.

Couldn't agree more with the negative comments about Symantec. They have a horrible customer service process, and their products have fallen from superior (when the Norton they were named after was around) to basement-quality.

What I find most disturbing is that the industry press has no desire to service the vast consumer market with an expose of the kind of service these companies provide.

I use Windows 2003 Server as my desktop and Symantec Corp was the only one that would install. I am actually quite satisfied with it unlike their standard bloated AntiVirus; the corp. version is much lighter and to the point.

No thanks symantec, test your own products.

"...as we create our award winning security products."

Hahaha, good joke!
what kind of awards?

Worst detection rates?
Most memory and cpu usage?
Worst uninstallation routine ever??

Norton used to be really good, but these times are definetly over...

When I uninstalled all the Symantec garbage I had, it really messed up my computer and my registry, leaving a lot of crap in my system. Imagine what a beta Symantec product can do to your system...
Be smart, forget about Symantec. There are MUCH better and more inteligent (and free) alternatives.

I would like to sign up to be a BETA tester. I am a retired computer and network specialist and I have all the time on my hands I need.

Just send them an e-mail to apply!

I signed up last year and tested for them. Then when they had that activation fiasco, we bought 18 copies of NAV 2005 and we installed them. After a month or so they asked to be reactivated and when we type in the number, it says the numbers are used. It was so horrible (and cost me over a grand) that I resigned from the beta program.

That sounds a bit unbelievable, honestly. Why not just contact Symantec and have them reset the activation instead of losing $1,000? Maybe I'm wrong, but that seems kind of like the activation FUD people tried to spread regarding Windows XP.

so... they want you to PAY to BETATEST?

that doesn't seem quite right... typically you do the testing, you get something for it instead of just paying to take risks...

Also, if you're at the 18 copy level you should be looking at the corporate version. Its cheaper through licensing and the client is 10 times lighter than the consumer version.

Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear. I tested the 2005 AV product before it was released. Once it was released then I bought it for the company, and that is when we started having problems.

I did not pay to beta test, and they sent me one free copy of NAV2005 when the test was over.

Well, I did use a licence that was good for 3 uses (I bought 6 boxes of that). I spent a lot of time trying to resolve the issue with no help. If you want to talk to someone at Symantec, you have to put down your credit card. I figured that was just throwing good money after bad.

I have such a bitter taste in my mouth about Symantec that now I just use other software and tell everyone I can how they treated me.

just had to clairfy because come to think of it... Xbox live was pay to beta-test kinda...

you paid your $50 upfront, then got till the end of the betatest plus a year's subscription... but you also got the headset, which is so awesome it's worth $50... =/

The corporate client is the same engine as the consumer version and as such is pure junk. I used to be a Symantec true believer - then I grew up and noticed how pporly architectured this CRAP really is. Their whole "threat" assessment engine (as they rechristened it in SAV 9 and now 10) is half-assed. Spybot, Ad Aware and the MS detector blow it away.

There is not a single Symantec product that I would recommend to anyone. Now that they've bought BriteMail, it too will fall to ruin. The personal firewasl is worse than junk. Zone Alarm is better and ZA is scraping the bottom of the barrel.

This company is as bad as Computer Associates - and THAT'S bad.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, my experience with the corporate client is with a coast-to-coast rollout of 10K users and 8 reginal servers with full roaming capability enabled.

Question to everyone: What antivirus product do you recommend then if not SAVC?

Thanks all, your input is really appreciated.

I recommend NOD32 from http://www.eset.com, I've been using it for a while now and I'm very pleased. It's $39 to register the first time and after that if you just want to renew I believe it's only about $27 or so. Definitely well worth the price if you ask me. Hope this helps.

I recommend AVG Antivirus from www.grisoft.com to home and small business users.

Kaspersky Personal is the only AV I will use on any of my computers. I have never had to turn it off to run any games or aps. Very low memory and CPU usage, updates every 3 hours. I've never had anything get through with this on 5 computers. Been using it for over 5 years with no problems or slowdowns of my system.

For personal use I replace SAV9 with avast! 4 Home Edition on all six computers on my personal network. Never looked back. Fast, light, non-invasive, well-architected protection that is considerably more comprehensive than the Symantec garbage.

Yes, I've heard good things about nod32. Isn't it one of the fastest engines out there? In use since 1988 or something, right? I'm guessing you needed something EFFICIENT back then. :P

Personally, I use Grisoft AVG (Free Edition). It hasn't let any bugs through yet, although I've only been using it since December this year. Don't have to disable it for games either - atleast on a 1.7ghz.

I've heard really good things about 'avast!'. I don't like a non-capitalized name with a '!' in it though, that has a constantly spinning globe icon in the system tray, but! I've! heard! the! scanning! engine! is! really! sweet! :P

Why don't you tell us how you really feel, ahe?

If Symantec products are as BAD as YOU say, then why are they rated #1 EVERY YEAR by various magazines, such as PC World and PC Magazine????? I have been using their products for years now, and can HONESTLY say that I have NEVER had any viruses or infections of any kind in my computer. It seems to me that the problem is YOU, not Symantec!!!

roj - I saw your comments about computer associates; please tell me what's bad about them. Is it their customer service or the anti-virus product itself? (or something else?)
I got a free 12 month subsription to their a/v from the microsoft update site. Thanks.

The problem with symantec is that their program is massive: it loads slowly ,it scans slowly, it uses a lot of RAM, it uses a lot of cpu -- all true even on a new, high-speed computer; the program itself is several times larger than many of the efficient competitors.
How much "garbage" it installs on the system, I have never assessed and therfore cannot comment on (even though I have heard that complaint before).