UPDATE 1/29/04: I have written reviews on newer Norton products:
Norton Internet Security 2004 and Norton Internet Security 2003 (which both include Norton Antivirus). I have also written a review on what I am using now, TrendMicro PC-cillin, which I think surpasses Norton.
______________________________________________________

I have been a McAfee user for years, for reasons of money (McAfee VirusScan is usually free or nearly so at various stores, with rebates) and because of a bad experience I had with a previous version of Norton. However, my significant other uses only Norton on the Network for her business and loves it, and so I figured that I would give in and try it again.

Having just installed WinXP, I was concerned about whether Norton AV 2002 would be truly compatible, and whether I would run into those same problems from before - that it was terminally slow and often crashed.

Luckily, whatever Norton has done recently has greatly improved the system. The installation is a breeze and I had no problems installing in WinXP at all. During installation I was able to upgrade to the latest version, update my .DAT files (the critical piece of information that the anti-virus programs use to know the most recent viruses) and all of my other files.

I am currently using it to not only protect my drives from bad disks or files, but to check my email. So far, it has detected all three viruses I received in email and offered me the choice to continue, clean or delete (um, which one do you think I took?). It also scans your outgoing emails to prevent a virus or worm from sending out multiple copies of itself if you have Outlook or Outlook Express - this is a GREAT feature, even if it takes an extra couple of seconds to send your emails.

Not only that, but updating the program is almost too easy. The auto-update feature has worked flawlessly, doing so in the background or at night (as I have mine set up to do). It also does its scan of my system weekly during the time when I am away from the computer. Come every Monday morning, my computer is updated, scanned and ready to face the world of viruses, worms and other e-nasties.

Overall, this has been the easiest and most problem-free Antivirus program I have ever used. Symantec has not only managed to address past issues, but seems to be leading the way in working new technologies in without bloating the program relentlessly. Overall, this program is the one that you want if you are defending yourself against things that go bump in the hard drive.

Recommended: Yes