There are few pieces of software that could be described as crucial for every desktop - the operating system, a Web browser, and a fresh virus scanner.
Before Microsoft released Windows 95, anti-virus software was cheap and generally ineffective. Much of it would do little more than watch the hard drive's boot sector for unusual activity.
Due to the lack of Internet connectivity, most anti-virus programs were always out of date and virtually useless.
Today, there are only a handful of worthwhile antivirus programs on the market, and all work in a similar manner - watching for suspicious activity and for known virus patterns - and are regularly updated over the Net. Symantec's Norton Antivirus has long ruled the field due as much to its marketing muscle as to its features.
Now updated to support the full range of Windows operating systems - from 95 to 2000 and ME - Symantec Norton Antivirus 2001 Professional Edition is likely to continue the company's dominant position.
As a long-time user of Trend Micro's excellent PC-Cillin, I was reluctant to make the change, but a system upgrade and the realisation that I had lost my PC-Cillin disks sent me off in search of a replacement.
