Norton Internet Security Dual Protection For Mac - complete package [CD-ROM]

I've written this review in case any other user experiences the same problem as I did with my 4 company Intel Macs.

This "dual" pack has been discontinued by Symantec. The Mac disc in this pack will only work with OSX up to Snow Leopard.

If you have a new Intel Mac with Lion, or if you plan to upgrade your Intel Mac to Lion soon, you won't be able to run this version (4) of NIS for Mac. You need to buy the new, stand-alone, NIS 5 for Mac, the only one compatible with Lion.

I bought two of these "NIS Dual Protection for 2 Intel Macs" packages just over a year ago, when I replaced 2 old business Windows PC's with Intel Macs (Mac Pro & Macbook Pro). I also had an earlier Intel iMac & Mac Mini which needed new/upgraded Internet Security software.

When the subscriptions were due to expire, I checked renewal prices & found that buying two new "Dual" packages was the best option, by quite a saving.

Each pack contains 2 discs....

The Windows disc has a Product Key label & installs easily (as with other recent years versions of NIS. Because I already had NIS installed on the Windows 7 partitions, I simply had to type in the new Product Key & the subscription details were updated, the licence code was added to my Norton Account, and the first LiveUpdate installed the newest version of the software, which works exceptionally well, and is a far better product than Norton 360.

But the Mac version wasn't quite as simple....the Mac disc has no label with a Product Key....as there isn't one.
Last year, I installed the software & was never prompted for a Key. It worked fine, though not as obvious as the Windows version, and the main screen is nowhere near as useful....why these two products can't be made to look the same, to help Dual OS users, I'll never understand.
This year, on the subscription renewal date, I installed the Mac software from the new disc....and was then prompted for a Product Key or to buy a subscription renewal. I tried every code on the CD & on the box, and none worked. I then used Symantec Uninstaller to remove all the NIS software. Then I installed from the new disc......and again was prompted for a key or to buy a renewal.

I searched the Norton site for support, and the forums for advice, and found nothing to resolve this.

I emailed Norton Support, who replied that they could see the new Windows software registered on my Norton Account, but not the Mac version. Tell me something I don't know! After a lengthy online "chat" I was asked to send proof of purchase to a 3rd party I'd never heard of, so I did & copied the Norton Support email address. Almost 2 weeks later, no reply from either.

I found another "support chat" site, and finally established the solution, which (after I had to provide proof of purchase again) was for Norton Support to provide me with a Product Key, to use on all 4 Macs. I also had to download (from a support link they sent) a new version of Live Update for Mac.

No-one has responded to my question "why does the Mac disc not simply have the same procedure as the Windows disc, ie a label with the Product Key?".

In all, I guess I've spent about 2 working days on all of this....and yet, the old/new Norton products do not (I believe) make it anything like clear enough to customers, and it appears this information hasn't been provided to Amazon as this item doesn't mention that it won't work with Lion.

Norton Internet Security is, in my years of experience, still the best & most effective Firewall/Security/Antivirus package around, and the 2010/11/12 versions have been very effective in running automatically & efficiently in the background. For Mac, though, they could do with bringing it in line with their Windows version.