Norton Antivirus 2004 cannot be used until the product is “activated,” just like Windows and Office. That means a separate copy has to be purchased for each computer – you can’t run around with a single CD installing it all over the place.
I noticed an interesting twist. The regular version of Norton Antivirus 2004 costs about $45 and can only be installed on a single computer.
But Norton Antivirus 2004 Professional only costs $60 and its license permits it to be installed on two computers. Theoretically it adds some extra tools as well – “data recovery” and “data cleaning,” for what it’s worth. Regardless of the extras, though, it looks like the right choice for anyone with more than one computer.
If you’re a believer in rebates, there’s a $30 rebate on NAV 2004 Pro but only a $20 rebate on NAV 2004, making the final prices almost identical.
I’m holding off for a couple of weeks while I watch for bug reports, by the way. NAV 2003 was pretty solid, but there’s always the possibility that the new version has some problems. There’s a couple of Amazon reviewers who think it’s just awful but that tends to be an unreliable indicator.
