I’ve been extraordinarily happy with the CA line of products. So, when my CA 2008 renewal date approached, I looked into re-upping via the download offered directly through the Computer Associates website. However, after a bit of comparative shopping, I found that I could obtain the 2009 update for less than one-half the price by purchasing it through Amazon. com. The other advantage was that the physical product contains the installation CD — as opposed to the on-line download — which was important to me should I chance to encounter unexpected system glitches and/or corruption down the line (where I might find in necessary to uninstall/reinstall the program). And although the CA site (shop. ca. com) does offer the option of a back-up CD as well, it is provided only upon request — and at a slightly additional cost. Thus, with Amazon. com’s tremendous buying power, it was economically to my advantage to go through them.

I should mention two things: This 2009 version would not completely install on my machine until I totally removed the 2008 version. While the installation instructions do in fact require that you uninstall all competitor security programs, there was nothing stated about possible conflicts between the 2008 & 2009 versions of the same product. I therefore assumed that the new version would automatically pave itself over the old. It didn’t — at least not on my computer. Once I experienced a few failed attempts, I uninstalled 2008, flipped in the 2009 disk, and the new AV-Plus took to my computer like the proverbial duck to water. And it’s been warding off the hackers and the shady cyber-villains ever since. Secondly, the product description on Amazon. com curiously displays no operating platform for this product. It is, however, compatible with Windows XP (32 bit) and Vista (32 and 64 bit).

I still like — and trust — the CA program immensely. Easy operation, easy scan scheduling, easy updating. They even made some functional and aesthetic changes that enhance the ’09 version over the ’08. Thumbs up from this gal!

ONE MORE NOTE: This particular version is a One-User security program (protects one PC per household for one year). If you have more than one PC to protect for your hard-earned bucks, I believe CA has a security package for that too.
Rating: 5 / 5