Norton AntiVirus relies on a subscription to keep your personal computers and workstations protected from the newest viruses and other online threats. Once your subscription expires, Norton will not let you in to the main features of the program, including the virus scanner. In order to restore protection, you need to renew your subscription or buy a different Norton product.
Effects of Expiration
Some anti-virus programs differentiate your subscription from the software itself -- even after expiration, you can continue using the program with old virus definitions. Norton, however, disables the entire program when your subscription runs out. You can't run scans or enable background protection in Norton without a current subscription. This prevents users from mistakenly believing their product will continue to work effectively without new definitions, but it leaves your computers vulnerable until you fix the problem.
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Renewing Your Subscription
Buying a new subscription for your Norton product will re-enable the software without requiring new installation. Open Norton from your taskbar and click "Renew" next to Subscription Status. Click "Renew My Subscription" and then "Buy Now." After payment, Norton will let you back in to the main program and resume protection. You can also renew your subscription from the Norton Management website, making it easier to renew subscriptions on multiple computers (see Resources). Renewal works with Norton software as far back as 2002 editions. If you have an older product, you have to upgrade.
Upgrading Your Software
Instead of renewing Norton AntiVirus, you can buy and install a different Norton or Symantec product with more features. New product purchases come with a subscription good for one year unless you pick a longer plan. Changing to a different product also allows you to alter your license to cover more or fewer machines, whereas renewal resubscribes your license as-is. You can buy a new product from Norton's website or from any store.
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Updating the Program
Symantec releases versions of Norton AntiVirus frequently, providing improvements and new features. You do not need to purchase new software to access these updates -- any computer with an active subscription can download and install the newest version of the program from the Norton Management website. You do not necessarily have to update all your computers to each new version to stay safe, however: as long as you have a current subscription, even last year's version of Norton AntiVirus will have up-to-date virus definitions.
References
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