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Norton Internet Security 2009 1User/3Pc

Childrens Toy Shop > Software > Utilities
from: Symantec

October 01, 2008
I do computer training and light technical work for small offices and home users. I used to recommend Norton, but in recent years it had caused so many problems, from slowing down the machine to requiring daunting re-installs, that I advised many clients to just use a free anti-virus and the built-in firewalls and hope for the best. I was encouraged to try again based on good reviews and have not been disappointed. It is fast and does its work in the background without calling attention to itself. Norton always handled bugs about as well as anyone, it was just that the users got beat up too.

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Kaspersky Internet Security 2009

Childrens Toy Shop > Software > Utilities
from: Kaspersky Lab

August 13, 2008
Probably the most expensive of all - but also has the highest of ratings.

This is my second year using Kaspersky Internet Security (KIS) and I am more satisfied than last year. This version seems to create fewer confusing situations and also appears to be stealth in operation.

I have to admit, however, there is a lot to this program that I know little about - but try and learn as I use it.

There wasn't a User Manual with the shipped product, but there is an easily downloadable version that you can obtain from Kaspersky.com I am one that would have prefered a hardcopy at installation - but loading and launching was a breeze!

From my past experiences with this product it can be difficult getting through ... Read More:

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VMware Fusion 2

Childrens Toy Shop > Software > Utilities
from: Smith Micro Software Inc.

October 05, 2008
I bought VM Ware Fusion 1 and then upgraded to VM Fusion 2. The initial version worked fine and was most effective.

As soon as I upgraded to Fusion 2, I received a notice of "failure to connect peer process." I have been completely unsuccessful at correcting the problem; so I cannot use my virtual machine.
I have tried to get help from Smith Micro and from VM Ware. Smith says they cannot help because I bought the upgrade through Amazon. VM Ware sends you in every direction but one that offers assistance to the non technician. It is almost impossible to speak to a human being at VM Ware unless I sign on and pay for support, even though I have just purchased the basic and upgraded program.
The result is I have a Mac and no ability to ... Read More:

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Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred

Childrens Toy Shop > Software > Utilities
from: Nuance Communications, Inc.

August 11, 2008
I'm dictating this review with my Dragon 10 software. It's incredible stuff. I just purchased it and installed it and was up and going in 10 minutes without any problem whatsoever and I use Vista as my operating system. I simply do not understand the complaints that I have seen about any of the installation processes. I do think registration is a little bit of a pain in the neck but it's a minor issue. The training took me 10 to 15 minutes and it's pretty much 98% accurate. I will use this all the time.

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Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Standard

Childrens Toy Shop > Software > Utilities
from: Nuance Communications, Inc.

August 11, 2008
wow I have only had this product for a day and a half. And I am very very impressed with it. The installation of the product(dragon) only took about 10 minutes to install. The voice recognition took about another 10 to fully understand my voice patterns. Actually it started understanding my voice within the first 1 to 2 seconds. I already sent out a ton of e-mails to friends and family. Telling them about this product. All of them are super impressed that for the most part I never even have to touch the keyboard. Most of them have seen my previous e-mails and no that I'm not the greatest typer in the world and misspell words quite a bit. They are impressed of how accurate this software is. For a person like me with a reading disability. This product I would have to ... Read More:

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McAfee Total Protection 2009 3-User

Childrens Toy Shop > Software > Utilities
from: McAfee

September 07, 2008
Amazon had this for $29.99 in a gold box special and it isn't even worth that. If you want the most bang for your buck in virus protection, stick with Norton. McAfee can't hold a candle to it.

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Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac

Childrens Toy Shop > Software > Utilities
from: Nova Development US

November 11, 2008
I purchased this upgrade to version 4 in hopes of improving the performance of version 3. I had found version 3 to be buggy and memory hungry, so I had abandoned it in favor of VMWare Fusion when I purchased another Mac. When I saw this Parallels upgrade, I thought I'd give it another try on the older Mac. After installing, I tried to install the add-on Parallels Tools repeatedly, but the installation would nearly complete, then automatically rollback and uninstall, prompting me to restart and try again. After numerous attempts and a support request to Parallels with no success, I'm still stuck with an upgrade I can't fully evaluate. I'm also prompted repeatedly by Windows 'detected new device' messages each time I restart. I've been much more pleased with the performance of ... Read More:

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Norton Antivirus 2009

Childrens Toy Shop > Software > Utilities
from: Symantec

September 15, 2008
I had trouble at first in installing this product. With help from my son who is in the computer business we were able to complete the installation. For the price, this appears to be adequate for my home computer. If there is only one user to a computer, it is fine, if not, it would be advisable to select another Norton product.

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Acronis True Image Home 2009

Childrens Toy Shop > Software > Utilities
from: Acronis

September 12, 2008
(I've adapted this review from an earlier discussion post because those posts don't affect the product's star ratings.)

I've been looking for a drive imaging program for protection in case my HD fails at some point. I'd tried ShadowProtect, but it wouldn't run, and the publisher's tech service people were unable to find the cause. So now I've done a complete image backup with True Image 2009 to an external hard drive, and I've restored individual files from the backup without any problems. I'll also mention that this program was very easy to use, and the user manual is clear.

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Windows Live OneCare 2.0 (Up to 3 Users)

Childrens Toy Shop > Software > Utilities
from: Microsoft Software

November 15, 2007
I thought this would be worth a try since it came included with Qwest DSL service, and reviews here seemed generally positive. It did not work well on my 7-year old system, though. After a couple weeks struggling with it, I finally was able to uninstall it.

First of all, this requires a lot of RAM. My system was doing OK, but getting a bit low on RAM at 384 MB until I installed this. With Windows Live OneCare installed it wanted around 500 MB just to boot up--even while not running anything. So it was using Virtual Memory and paging like crazy, with the CPU pegged at 100%, even after I let it sit for hours, thinking it just needed to run an initial scan. Well, RAM is cheap and it was time, so I went ahead and upgraded to 1 GB (as much as my old motherboard can handle.) That was a lot better. ... Read More: