I had serious problems installing Kaspersky Internet Security on my desktop PC running Windows XP Home. The install procedure would give me an “Installation complete” window with instructions to click “Next” for the Installation Configuration Wizard. Doing so would kill the installation with no warning or indication that anything had happened. My product disc was for the 2009 version. I also downloaded the 2010 version and got the same results. I did multiple uninstall/reinstalls of both versions (with the associated system reboots) and the same thing always happened. And yes, I did remove other security software as directed – Norton in this case, with the Norton Uninstaller tool.

Of course this was on the weekend and Kaspersky’s customer support is only available Monday-Friday, so I was on my own to search for a solution. After trying several system tweaks and updating my OS to SP3, I had made no progress. KIS simply would not complete the installation process. Finally, I downloaded the AVAST! anti-virus freeware. This installed with no problem, located about a dozen infected files and disinfected them. I then uninstalled AVAST! and KIS was able to install successfully. What a pain, and what a black mark for Kaspersky!

Shame on KIS for terminating its own installation with no warning or error message.

Shame, shame on KIS for not doing some sort of pre-installation scan to determine if it can install properly (this IS a security suite, after all).

Shame, shame, SHAME on Kaspersky for not having a “plan B” for failed installation on an infected computer.

SHAME, SHAME, SHAME on Kaspersky for needing third party anti-virus software to clear the way for it!

Praise and glory for AVAST! for being able to install where the big dog couldn’t.

Praise and glory for AVAST! for being able to clear the way for the big dog for free!

Once I got past the several hour installation ordeal, KIS seems to be functioning quite well and offers some very nice features. I’m running the 2010 upgrade. It has been fairly transparent so far and has a light touch on system resources. You might wonder why I didn’t just stick with AVAST! … in some ways I feel like I should have, but KIS is a total protection package with firewall, and several other features I want to try. The new Safe Run “Sandbox” feature looks especially interesting. AVAST! is principally anti-virus… a HERO anti-virus in my book. You can bet I’ll keep it around in case of emergency.

EDIT: Money saving hint – Buy the 2009 version at a much reduced price and get a free upgrade to 2010 at the Kaspersky web site.

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UPDATE, 27 August 2009: KA-BOOOOOM!

I leave my system on all the time and KIS 2010 did a great job for about three days. Then one morning it was showing the dreaded red light – System Unprotected. The message from KIS was that some of its own files had become corrupt. I pushed the “Fix now” button and nothing happened, KIS just sat there. Finally after waiting 45 minutes or so I decided I’d better reboot. Well… on restarting, the mouse cursor froze on the welcome screen. Tried rebooting again… and again… and again. No go every time. Tried booting in safe mode. Tried different mice. Nothing could bring it to life.

After trying everything I could think of and using another machine to search the internet for solutions, I finally bit the bullet and did a full system restore (Yikes!). Fortunately most of my data files live on drives other than where Win XP is parked so I didn’t lose anything. I just had the aggravation of doing reinstalls, fiddling with settings and searching for elusive drivers. But my story doesn’t stop there. I decided to give KIS another shot because I actually liked it when it was working.

I removed the trial Norton from the restore then I got KIS back on and running. I next decided to remove the other bloat from the system restore. Well, while uninstalling MS-Money, KIS didn’t like something and sent me a couple of messages to which I replied to let the uninstall continue. Then suddenly BOOM! KIS sent a message that its blacklist had become corrupt and another message that a base GUI was also corrupt. The interface went all squirrely and KIS quit responding again!

Another reboot and guess what – KIS was gone!! It didn’t start at boot-up and the program file directory showed no indication that KIS files were still on the system. Well, since I was fresh off a full system restore, I figured I’d better do another one because there was no telling what else got messed up.

Call me an idiot, but I put KIS back on yet again!! I guess I’m just determined to make it work. This time I put it on after removing MS-Money and the other bloatware. So far it has done a full system scan and found no problems. It was working when I left for work in the morning, so I’ve got my fingers crossed that this time is the charm.

As far as evaluation, I’m revising my ranking to ZERO stars. This is software that is supposed to PROTECT your system. Instead, within a week KIS 2010 has repeatedly corrupted itself and my OS along with it. Where is the protection in that??? I’ll be looking for something other than Kaspersky next time.

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UPDATE, 10 September 2009: Two weeks of stability.

It has been two weeks since the last of the events chronicled above. Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 has been stable and I have had a chance to evaluate it more properly. There is much to like about it. Compared to my old version of Norton Internet Security, this uses hardly any system resources at all. It runs pretty much invisibly with very few notification windows popping up. The only thing I changed from the default settings was to schedule updates for a certain time each day rather than letting them run automatically.

KIS has not interfered with my ability to access the internet. That was a common complaint in reviews of the 2009 version. In fact, it allowed my browser and torrent tool full access right off the bat.

The full system scan is very fast, and the Quick scan is lightning fast. I have about .5 TB of disk space in use and the quick scan only takes a minute or two to complete! So far the reports are showing that zero bad things have gotten past KIS. My system is clean.

There are still, however, a couple of minor points that are mildly bothersome. First, my daily updates usually give me a “not all components updated” message. Viewing the logs reveals that one or two update files were corrupt; about 80% of the time it is an update file for APU – whatever that is. There doesn’t seem to be any way to get a description of the corrupt files or to determine their importance.

My other small gripe is that clicking the support menu choices is not working for me. No browser window opens when I select “Support” or “My Kaspersky Account”. A minor complaint to be sure, but it is a non-functioning feature.

To sum all this up, I do like the 2010 version of Kaspersky Internet Security. However, I cannot overlook the serious problems I had both with getting it installed and with the repeated system problems it caused after installation. The full system restores that KIS made necessary are NOT conditions one would expect from security software. Now that things have become stable I feel that it is doing a top notch job of protecting my computer.

I think I will now rate Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 on two levels:

ZERO STARS for ease of installation and initial system compatibility.

FOUR STARS for performance once it is operating in a stable mode.
Rating: 3 / 5

I started with kaspersky back with the 2007 version. At that time I had a much older computer, but the security system didn’t slow down my computer at all. I then went to 2009 and noticed it was much slower to load to desktop on booting and that many other programs were slower to load. It’s even worse with 2010 and I’m on a brand new computer. Maybe not everyone will have this problem, but I sure have. My computer is top end as well so it’s not a problem of that.

Rating: 2 / 5

I agree with the other reviewers who said that it is slower than Internet Security 2009. I noticed that a new update came down yesterday, so I’ll have to see if they’ve cleaned this problem up a bit.

The thing that really gripes me about Kaspersky 2010 Internet Security is that the scheduling part of the program is buried. Why would they do this? It compromises the security package, in my opinion, if non-computer-savvy people don’t know how to hunt for it.

I do like the memory key scan feature. I’m just happy I can buy this legally overseas for a lot less than you have to pay in the USA (and I get a 2+1 year license). Don’t fret, though, because you can purchase 2009 while it’s in stock and the key will work with 2010. It’s a legal upgrade!
Rating: 3 / 5

It takes my computer five minutes to boot up another five minutes to get onto Internet. Once there, the screen freezes. Incidentally, I have a PC running Microsoft XP. I’ve sent two e-mails to the company asking for help and a week has gone by and no reply. I went to their chat line, waited 12 minutes, got an operator, and learned I was on the wrong chatline. I went to the recommended chatline . . . oh, I was shuntedback to the first chatline.

Now I thought that the problem might be with my computer. As a test, I disabled Kaspersky. I did this three times. Without Kaspersky, the computer behaved as it should. No hangup. So, if you want to be entertained and frustrated, buy this product. Otherwise, steer clear!

William Beller
Rating: 1 / 5

I’ve tried AVG, Norton, McAfee, and several other security suites, and Kaspersky continues to be THE BEST. It is really fast (fastest scan I’ve seen, even on one of my older computers), thorough (no viruses in 3+ years of using it) and inexpensive (tip: Buy the Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 and upgrade FREE to 2010 by downloading from their website – totally allowed and supported). I also like that one package supports all three of my computers.

I agree with another reviewer- scheduling regular scans is buried in a couple of screens. AND – the default setting is no regular scan, only “manual” scans, which mean that you need to go in and click “scan now” to run a scan. The alternative is to go into the “SCANNING” tab on the left of the main screen, then click on each scan individually (e.g. “start full scan”), then click on the “SETTINGS” button in the top right of the screen, and then finally click on “settings” button of the next screen. That’s several screens to get to something that by default should be turned ON, so that once a week or so the scanner automatically runs.

Aside from that minor annoyance, however, the software runs extremely well and is easy to use. There’s a big “fix it now” button that allows you to address issues with one click, and the scanner automatically addresses trojans and other nasties it encounters without user intervention.

I recommend this package for my friends who don’t know much about computers because, once set up, it is easy to use and very effective. Highly recommended!

Rating: 5 / 5

Kaspersky Customer is NON-EXISTANT! I have been trying for 3 weeks to get a response from Kaspersky to help get an activation code for my new system. I bought Kaspersky AntiVirus 2009, but had to reload 3 times due to my system crashing. I purchased a new system but could not reload due to 3-time limit. However Kaspersky did not respond to any cases I opened on their customer service portal and no-one could help me at the 800 number by phone. I tried to open a Live Chat with a technical person, but after 2 hours waiting and the chat window telling me that I was the next person in the que – I GAVE UP! DON”T BUY KASPERSKY Products if you feel you will need customer service at any point!