Norton Internet Security 2008: can it be (freely) upgraded to 2009?

Title asks it all. I'm thinking about getting a laptop, and since NIS 2009 is supposedly much improved over its predecessors, that's a thought security-wise. I always build my own desktops, so I'm somewhat estranged from the major players and dealing with preinstalled software.

The problem is that the online builds only have NIS 2008 available.

Can NIS 2008 be upgraded to 2009 at no additional charge through Symantec? I've not touched "mainstream" AV software for many years, so I'm not sure.

 

hey,
yes you can.
simply download the trial from here
you dont even need to put correct information in the form.
i just put in mr,blah blah email address as blah and got the download link.
install the trial and input your norton internet security 2008 code in to it.

 

Not sure what you mean by "the online builds only have NIS 2008"...? Be aware that new PC's that come with NIS pre-installed usually have a short trial license (maybe 60 days) and I don't believe that license can be transferred. On the other hand, if you're paying for a full one year license you should get a key which you can use to activate NIS 2009. By the way, if that's the case consider buying NIS 2009 separately - either online or through a retail outlet - so you don't have to worry about transferring the license.

 

The laptop in question is a Dell Studio XPS 1340 (released recently, as it turns out). When building one online, one of the possible IS suites is NIS 2008 - for 15 months, and apparently, for no charge. Also offered are suites from Trend Micro and McAfee.

I edited my original post to say so, but I've been building my desktops for years, so I'm a little "eh?" about pre-built rigs at this point. Just double-checking things.

 

It is possible that OEM suites may not be eligible for "direct" upgrade; that is, you can't just put in the key in the trial version of the retail and get an upgrade - you may have to contact the vendor. If I remember correctly this was a problem with F-Secure's products in the past. I don't know if it is the same with Symantec but you may want to check this out as bundled suites are usually OEM licenses.

 

In that case I would call Dell and ask if they will supply NIS 2009 instead. Sometimes sales people will go the extra mile to close a deal.

 

Contact Symantec Support. Ask them about upgrading an OEM edition; 2008 OEM ==> 2009 OEM while preserving subscription days.

norton.com/support

Try chat support.

 

I'm told by Symantec support that OEM NIS 2008 installs can, in fact, be updated to NIS 2009 at no additional cost.

 

My father recently bought an HP and it came with Norton. I went ahead and purchased it, but I hated it. It forces a toolbar on you with no way to get rid of it, and it changes Firefox settings. Not good. I did find a way to get rid of the toolbar but it returned every time I rebooted. I'll never use Norton again.

 

Is this the way I can upgrade?
Or shoudn't I buy a HP?
Or shouldn't I have read this post?

Gerard

 

I believe he must be talking about 2008 version? Yes you can upgrade with a valid 2008 license
There is nothing wrong with HP.

 

Norton is fine for me. If you don't like it just uninstall it. It boils down to a matter of opinion for beginning users.

 

Nothing wrong with Norton or HP. Just the OT post of Caspian