Panda Platinum Internet Security

I have been using Panda Platinum Internet Security since February 2005, and before that Panda Platinum 7.0, which was installed as a three month trial when I bought my new computer.

Having found Panda Platinum 7.0 to be excellent at protecting my computer and very user friendly, I decided, at the end of the three months to continue using Panda.

Unfortunately, by this time Panda Platinum 7.0 was 'old hat' and no longer available, and so I purchased the nearest thing to it that I could find, Panda Platinum Internet Security.

For almost five glorious months I had no problems with it at all, despite using the internet via a university LAN in my halls of residence (known to be hotbed of viruses).

I used the internet heavily, but my computer remained uninfected until one terrible day in late June, when I was, ironically NOT using a university LAN, but a relatively safe, domestic broadband one.

Having opened a routine e-mail, I got a pop-up message from Panda, informing me of a spyware infection (whether this was due to the e-mail I don’t know).

Although the spyware was then 'neutralised' and the computer 'disinfected' automatically by the software, from then on, I have experienced problems.

To begin with, sometimes when I switched my computer on, I would be informed by a pop-up that the protection was 'low' and the automatic file protection was disabled, even though I hadn't altered any settings on the software.

At first this seemed a minor problem, and restarting the computer would often rectify it. However, the problem only got worse and became increasingly frequent, with every single component on the list (automatic file, firewall, anti-spyware, anti-dialler, and anti-spam protection as well as web content filtering) ALL disabled on almost every start-up, regardless of how many times I had restarted or clicked the ‘enable’ button!

I became convinced that this must be due to a virus, so, having declared war on the problem, I got to work, and began to scan the 'Whole System'.

Except, therein lay yet another gremlin...the scan froze, and the computer helpfully informed me that it was 'not responding'.

Since then every attempt to scan any part of the computer for viruses has been to no avail. I eventually had to resort to 'Panda Active Scan' on the company's website to put my mind to rest. This proved my computer to be virus free apart from two spyware items, which I deleted myself (and may have, to be fair, unable to be detected by my older version of Panda, despite the daily updates).

However this did not solve to problem.

In despair I e-mailed panda (two weeks ago now) via their tech-support address.

I have still not had a reply. Incredible, when you consider that technical support is supposedly included in the package.

At my wits end, a week later, I reinstalled the software. On the first attempt this didn’t work. Before the second attempt I dredged the computer, removing any trace of any free web software or other antivirus software that could be upsetting it.

Finally, having also done a disk cleanup and defragmented, I felt that the computer was in peak condition, and that now was as good a time as any to try the installation again.

I waited with baited breath as the computer restarted after the installation... it still hadn’t worked. Unbowed I tried a third time. This proved to be third time lucky.... well, sort of.

The truth of the matter is that, it isn't really fixed after all, just not quite as bad. Every other time I switch on my computer, it still complains that it 'could not load the automatic file protection' and on checking the status, the automatic file protection (thought thankfully none of the other features - so far) is disabled.

A week after the first e-mail (having still had no response from the first), I e-mailed them again, but this time through the tech support page of the website.

Or at least I attempted to.

I obediently filled in the online form. On reaching 'select you product' (or something to that affect) I clicked the down pointing arrow to access the drop-down menu. But no menu appeared. Refusing to be put off, I entered the exact name of the product in the 'version' box instead. I clicked the send button; only to find that this was not possible I had not filled in all the required boxes. I tried again but with no success.

Not to be beaten, I painstakingly noted down all the fields from the webpage, and filled them in on an ordinary e-mail. I sent it off with a detailed description of the problem, and I STILL haven't received a reply, or even an acknowledgement. Conveniently for Panda, I cannot afford to call the tech support phone line, (an 090 number).

I have however, received an unconnected e-mail from Panda, telling me of a special offer regarding the latest version of the product. Customer support my not be their forte, but marketing clearly is.

As for the new version, I am now in two minds as to whether or not to upgrade. With six months subscription left on my current software, I cannot afford, as a student to waste half a year’s subscription, which was included in the package, by changing to another company’s product. However to keep the remaining six months I would have to switch to another Panda product, and I'm not sure if I want to take that risk.

For the time being at least I am left with three equally unsatisfactory options:

1) Carry on until my Panda software expires and becomes 'extinct',
2) 'Feed' the Panda company just a bit more 'eucalyptus' to get the new version, and keep my computer happy,
3) Send the Panda 'back to the jungle', and get an antivirus program from another company, losing six months subscription.

You have been warned.... this Panda can be an exceedingly temperamental animal

I've used Panda products for the past 3 years and recently upgraded to Panda Platinum Internet Security. After using some of the others (Norton, Mcafee, AVG), it's a relief to finally find an AV program that does what it promises without hogging resources or causing conflicts with other software.

This new Panda product is a bagful of conflicts and headaches. It installs if you are lucky - but that does mean it is going to work. When I eventually got the thing to install I received all kinds of error messages from the system, and the firewall and sentinel worked only when they felt like it.

Even though I switched off the anti-spam option, the program conflicted with Cloudmark, my regular (and excellent!) anti-spam ware. To get Panda to work I had to uninstall Cloudmark ... only to find Panda's anti-spam routine falls on the wrong side of just about useless. Uninstalling Panda was even harder... it simply would not leave my computer. I had to get rid of it manually using the cheat sheet from tech support.

All this, plus the program's constant failure to recognise my password and username (until one day when it suddenly did for reasons still unclear to me) means a low, low score for the successor of Panda Platimun 7.