Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 is the essential software suite for home computer users that enables you to quickly and easily create great-looking documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, and organize your information in one place, making it ea

There's no point fixing something that ain't broken!, 07 Nov 2008
I don't enjoy using Office 2007. Millions of people around the world got use to the original Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Excel etc. and then they decided to change the layout of everything.

After a while, you end up getting use to it and I quite like the way you switch from one tab to the next on Word. In other words, I quite like the way you switch from "file, edit, view... (although it's now called Home, Insert, Page layout...)".

There are little things though, which are really annoying. First, I don't like the fact that there are no permanent margins around the page on Word - it makes it harder to quickly adjust the layout of headings etc.

I can't stand the way it automatically double spaces, every time you press enter. Sometimes you don't want it to do that - it is difficult to change this.

Finally, I don't like the way it saves every file in the .docx format. You can change this to .doc and it will save all your work fine - so why bother even introducing .docx in the first place? It just means that if you forget to change the format to .doc when you save documents at work/university - you can't open the file at home unless you have already purchased Office 2007 on your PC at home.

It Wasn't Broken - It Is Now!, 02 Nov 2008
If you have Office 2003 (unlike me!) then avoid upgrading to this this ridiculous product. It provides nothing that you couldn't do, often more easily, with the old menus and toolbars of Office 2003.

On offer is the prominent "ribbon" interface that provides quick access to many features that in all reality will be fairly redundant for many users. In Word, any takers for Styles, Symbols, Themes, Citations & Bibliography, Captions, Table of Authorities? Thought not!

Conversely, many commonly used features are less accessible than before.

However, many of the old dialogue boxes are still lurking beneath the surface, which just goes to show that ugliness too can be only skin deep.

Think twice before buying this product it is a con!!!, 01 Nov 2008
Think twice before buying this product. I bought a new laptop that had office 2007 etc loaded as a trial. I bought Office Home Student 2007 as a Amazon special offer along with the laptop. Office Home Student 2007 does NOT include Outlook 2007 so the 60d trial runs out and the only way you can get Outllok 2007 is to pay a further £78.78 for Outlook from Microsoft. After the 60 days you just cannot get any more e-mail without buying the product unless you revert back to an alternative e-mail programme.- Why buy the office suite without Outlook?? It is not made clear when you buy Home & Student 2007 with Amazon.

Overall 0/10 Amazon & Microsoft - A true con.

Happy customer, 01 Nov 2008
I'm not big user of office and mainly use it for typing letters and reading documents from work. However compared to office 2003 i find it more user friendly and visually looks a lot better. It does the job and am happy which is why 5/5 -

I don't understand why the low marks that outlook 2007 is not included when if you have windows vista it comes built in windows mail ( which is same as outlook express ) and far better email client then outlook 2007.

Before buying from amazon i search the web to see if i could find better price and by far amazon is lowest by at least 20-30pounds. Super-save delivery took about 4days -

Also had registry issues due to previous office causing problems after uninstall. Microsoft technical support was first class and resolved the issue within minutes.



I dislike Office 2007 and will stick with Office 2003 - but schoolkids can get Office 2007 Enterprise for just over £50, 29 Oct 2008
I work at Oxford university and get Office 2007/2003/XP etc.. free via educational licences, but I choose to stay with Office 2003 Professional. As mentioned by other reviewers Office 2007 is a bit of a pain in the positrons compared to just about all other versions of MS Office that keep to the same basic menu and file format. It takes you 5 minutes just to work out how to load a word document with the new interface. I run many networked PCs at home and at work, and casual users who are Office 2003 savvy don't take kindly when this new 2007 interface pops up. Worst still, almost unforgivable even, is that a Professional version of Office 2007 Student is no longer offered, when even secondary school kids need Access and Publisher as part of the GSCE in IT. Plus no Outlook either. So, great software as Excel, Word and PowerPoint is, this loses Office Student two stars in my book. Another downside is that many schools are likely to stay with 2003, making it hard for the kids to adapt to two interfaces and file formats at home and school [for similar reasons all our new Vista PCs have been reformatted back to XP Pro].

However if you have a schoolkid/student in the house and their academic institution [i.e. School or College] is on the participating list, and most will be, you can pick up the full Office Professional 2007 for them for just £45 [incl postage] via any Microsoft educational software partner. With Office Pro you get Access/Publisher/Outlook as well, for about the price of this cut-down Office Home & Student. If the kids might need OneNote as well then go for top of the range Office Enterprise 2007 for just £55 [there's even Wacom 'educational use' graphics stylus/tablets on offer]. Try for instance Microsoft Partner www.Software4Students.co.uk: you just select the school and input your kids name [who must be on the role-call and live at the delivery address], buy the software and the bare CD/wallet appears in the post. The rather natty CD/DVD is emblazoned with Microsoft holograms and the text 'Licensed by student and facility only'. Likewise you can buy your kids the superb Encarta Premium enhanced Student 2009 for just £14 [retail price £49] - it integrates into Office and gives superb homework help [Encarta encyclopaedia, Maths equations, languages and English literature]. Well now children that even makes Office 2007 seem desirable. For the rest of though I'd save the pennies and stick with Office 2003 for the time being, assuming you're lucky enough to own it.

KASPERSKY INTERNET SECURITY 2009

There's no point fixing something that ain't broken!, 07 Nov 2008
I don't enjoy using Office 2007. Millions of people around the world got use to the original Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Excel etc. and then they decided to change the layout of everything.

After a while, you end up getting use to it and I quite like the way you switch from one tab to the next on Word. In other words, I quite like the way you switch from "file, edit, view... (although it's now called Home, Insert, Page layout...)".

There are little things though, which are really annoying. First, I don't like the fact that there are no permanent margins around the page on Word - it makes it harder to quickly adjust the layout of headings etc.

I can't stand the way it automatically double spaces, every time you press enter. Sometimes you don't want it to do that - it is difficult to change this.

Finally, I don't like the way it saves every file in the .docx format. You can change this to .doc and it will save all your work fine - so why bother even introducing .docx in the first place? It just means that if you forget to change the format to .doc when you save documents at work/university - you can't open the file at home unless you have already purchased Office 2007 on your PC at home.

It Wasn't Broken - It Is Now!, 02 Nov 2008
If you have Office 2003 (unlike me!) then avoid upgrading to this this ridiculous product. It provides nothing that you couldn't do, often more easily, with the old menus and toolbars of Office 2003.

On offer is the prominent "ribbon" interface that provides quick access to many features that in all reality will be fairly redundant for many users. In Word, any takers for Styles, Symbols, Themes, Citations & Bibliography, Captions, Table of Authorities? Thought not!

Conversely, many commonly used features are less accessible than before.

However, many of the old dialogue boxes are still lurking beneath the surface, which just goes to show that ugliness too can be only skin deep.

Think twice before buying this product it is a con!!!, 01 Nov 2008
Think twice before buying this product. I bought a new laptop that had office 2007 etc loaded as a trial. I bought Office Home Student 2007 as a Amazon special offer along with the laptop. Office Home Student 2007 does NOT include Outlook 2007 so the 60d trial runs out and the only way you can get Outllok 2007 is to pay a further £78.78 for Outlook from Microsoft. After the 60 days you just cannot get any more e-mail without buying the product unless you revert back to an alternative e-mail programme.- Why buy the office suite without Outlook?? It is not made clear when you buy Home & Student 2007 with Amazon.

Overall 0/10 Amazon & Microsoft - A true con.

Happy customer, 01 Nov 2008
I'm not big user of office and mainly use it for typing letters and reading documents from work. However compared to office 2003 i find it more user friendly and visually looks a lot better. It does the job and am happy which is why 5/5 -

I don't understand why the low marks that outlook 2007 is not included when if you have windows vista it comes built in windows mail ( which is same as outlook express ) and far better email client then outlook 2007.

Before buying from amazon i search the web to see if i could find better price and by far amazon is lowest by at least 20-30pounds. Super-save delivery took about 4days -

Also had registry issues due to previous office causing problems after uninstall. Microsoft technical support was first class and resolved the issue within minutes.



I dislike Office 2007 and will stick with Office 2003 - but schoolkids can get Office 2007 Enterprise for just over £50, 29 Oct 2008
I work at Oxford university and get Office 2007/2003/XP etc.. free via educational licences, but I choose to stay with Office 2003 Professional. As mentioned by other reviewers Office 2007 is a bit of a pain in the positrons compared to just about all other versions of MS Office that keep to the same basic menu and file format. It takes you 5 minutes just to work out how to load a word document with the new interface. I run many networked PCs at home and at work, and casual users who are Office 2003 savvy don't take kindly when this new 2007 interface pops up. Worst still, almost unforgivable even, is that a Professional version of Office 2007 Student is no longer offered, when even secondary school kids need Access and Publisher as part of the GSCE in IT. Plus no Outlook either. So, great software as Excel, Word and PowerPoint is, this loses Office Student two stars in my book. Another downside is that many schools are likely to stay with 2003, making it hard for the kids to adapt to two interfaces and file formats at home and school [for similar reasons all our new Vista PCs have been reformatted back to XP Pro].

However if you have a schoolkid/student in the house and their academic institution [i.e. School or College] is on the participating list, and most will be, you can pick up the full Office Professional 2007 for them for just £45 [incl postage] via any Microsoft educational software partner. With Office Pro you get Access/Publisher/Outlook as well, for about the price of this cut-down Office Home & Student. If the kids might need OneNote as well then go for top of the range Office Enterprise 2007 for just £55 [there's even Wacom 'educational use' graphics stylus/tablets on offer]. Try for instance Microsoft Partner www.Software4Students.co.uk: you just select the school and input your kids name [who must be on the role-call and live at the delivery address], buy the software and the bare CD/wallet appears in the post. The rather natty CD/DVD is emblazoned with Microsoft holograms and the text 'Licensed by student and facility only'. Likewise you can buy your kids the superb Encarta Premium enhanced Student 2009 for just £14 [retail price £49] - it integrates into Office and gives superb homework help [Encarta encyclopaedia, Maths equations, languages and English literature]. Well now children that even makes Office 2007 seem desirable. For the rest of though I'd save the pennies and stick with Office 2003 for the time being, assuming you're lucky enough to own it.

Excellent security solution, 10 Nov 2008
I recently purchased IS9 having done some pretty comprehensive research and running of different makes of trial software on a spare laptop. I was originally using Zone alarm but when they updated the software to new version it was a disaster with crashes/slowdowns/poor booting etc and the forum was full of unhappy bunnies. I watched and waited and although the next release was better it was still not good. I started researching.
After many trials I settled on Kaspersky Internet Security 9.0. I had used a previous version so had a degree of familiarity. I bought the three user version and the installation and set up on my XP (SP3) machine was totally smooth and has been running well ever since. However the installation on Vista (32bit SP1) was a little problematic and at the first attempt would not install properly (no antivirus) and I could not activate it so I put on my thinking hat. I had read somewhere that it did not sit well with some other "real time" malware programs so I started to diagnose and the long and short of it was that Windows Defender when running was conflicting so I disabled it totally and attempted a new clean install. This went perfectly and now it runs well alongside the free version of Lavasoft Adaware which I run manually.
On both systems scanning is fast, updates regular (installing in the background) support as always is excellent
Am I happy with it....definitely , but I would say that it can be a little daunting for the novice though you can install it in a virtually automatic mode. Fortunately I had a printed manual for Version 7.0 as the guide for 9.0 is (in my opinion) next to useless. You do have to find your way around and if you want to tweak some of the settings you will need a reasonably level of knowledge as you could easily compromise your security if you do not understand what you are doing. Don't let me put you off as it is very capable program but if you buy it download the Version 7.0 User guide plus the Version 9.0 and and use them together .....but be advised the new software version has changed you will have to interpolate between the two.
I have given it 5 stars but the User Guide is awful............ Having said that I like it and it does the job well, which after all is what we all want.


Let Down!!!!, 05 Nov 2008
I purcased this from Amazon and as always great service.But when I came to load this on to the second computer OH MY GOD what a pain in the arse.It froze the computer (this was running Vista). After trying all the usuall things I had to start the computer in safe mode and put it back a day. I then tried to email customer services and 7 days later still did not get a reply.So I emailed again Still no reply.In my honest opinion I am one for two with this product but am very disapointed at the lack at customer services.
I gues that if it loads ok on your computer you haven't got a probleme but if you have a probleme with it then all I can say is good luck.

N Martindale

Product support team....oh dear !, 04 Nov 2008
Firstly can I say that the 1 star rating is nothing to do with Amazon service or the quality of the software (still to be loaded).

While waiting for delivery from AMAZON I decided to take the opportunity of the 60 day software free trail offer. The software downloaded OK and was informed that an activation code would shortly follow. After 4 days, 3 Emails to technical support, and 2 telephone calls, this is still awaited. Needless to say that I have lost all confidence in the technical support ability...(technical support did not even know that this was on offer !!) promised the world and nothing happens....If you are buying this product on the understanding that the FREE technical support is available from KASPERSKY, I would suggest to think again. At the time of writing technical support still has to respond to my initial query.

AMAZON service 5 star as usual !!

The software now loaded looks OK.....but has been only 1 day. It appears to be faster then NORTON 2008, which I became too frustrated with, after many years it is now far too slow. Not much point in having security when your machine is running so slow you cannot use it!!.

Hope KASPERSKY techical support gets better !!....

Annoying, 24 Oct 2008
Very disappointing. Sends pop ups stating that the database is updating and then when finished updating it requests that you restart the computer!!!. Went through the complex menu to change the updating to weekly which I manged to do. Now it sends a popup every day saying the database is out of date. This is boring, boring, boring and very annoying. I think the free version is better than the premium version.

the best virus protection on the market, 23 Oct 2008
This high quality virus protection software really is the best available to buy at the minute. It is much better than the likes of Norton, mcafee etc which seem to be more widelly available. I purchased this product on amazon for approx £30 with a 3person license usage, therefore costing £10 per pc, however its available on ebuyer.com for £20 at the minute.

There's no point fixing something that ain't broken!, 07 Nov 2008
I don't enjoy using Office 2007. Millions of people around the world got use to the original Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Excel etc. and then they decided to change the layout of everything.

After a while, you end up getting use to it and I quite like the way you switch from one tab to the next on Word. In other words, I quite like the way you switch from "file, edit, view... (although it's now called Home, Insert, Page layout...)".

There are little things though, which are really annoying. First, I don't like the fact that there are no permanent margins around the page on Word - it makes it harder to quickly adjust the layout of headings etc.

I can't stand the way it automatically double spaces, every time you press enter. Sometimes you don't want it to do that - it is difficult to change this.

Finally, I don't like the way it saves every file in the .docx format. You can change this to .doc and it will save all your work fine - so why bother even introducing .docx in the first place? It just means that if you forget to change the format to .doc when you save documents at work/university - you can't open the file at home unless you have already purchased Office 2007 on your PC at home.

It Wasn't Broken - It Is Now!, 02 Nov 2008
If you have Office 2003 (unlike me!) then avoid upgrading to this this ridiculous product. It provides nothing that you couldn't do, often more easily, with the old menus and toolbars of Office 2003.

On offer is the prominent "ribbon" interface that provides quick access to many features that in all reality will be fairly redundant for many users. In Word, any takers for Styles, Symbols, Themes, Citations & Bibliography, Captions, Table of Authorities? Thought not!

Conversely, many commonly used features are less accessible than before.

However, many of the old dialogue boxes are still lurking beneath the surface, which just goes to show that ugliness too can be only skin deep.

Think twice before buying this product it is a con!!!, 01 Nov 2008
Think twice before buying this product. I bought a new laptop that had office 2007 etc loaded as a trial. I bought Office Home Student 2007 as a Amazon special offer along with the laptop. Office Home Student 2007 does NOT include Outlook 2007 so the 60d trial runs out and the only way you can get Outllok 2007 is to pay a further £78.78 for Outlook from Microsoft. After the 60 days you just cannot get any more e-mail without buying the product unless you revert back to an alternative e-mail programme.- Why buy the office suite without Outlook?? It is not made clear when you buy Home & Student 2007 with Amazon.

Overall 0/10 Amazon & Microsoft - A true con.

Happy customer, 01 Nov 2008
I'm not big user of office and mainly use it for typing letters and reading documents from work. However compared to office 2003 i find it more user friendly and visually looks a lot better. It does the job and am happy which is why 5/5 -

I don't understand why the low marks that outlook 2007 is not included when if you have windows vista it comes built in windows mail ( which is same as outlook express ) and far better email client then outlook 2007.

Before buying from amazon i search the web to see if i could find better price and by far amazon is lowest by at least 20-30pounds. Super-save delivery took about 4days -

Also had registry issues due to previous office causing problems after uninstall. Microsoft technical support was first class and resolved the issue within minutes.



I dislike Office 2007 and will stick with Office 2003 - but schoolkids can get Office 2007 Enterprise for just over £50, 29 Oct 2008
I work at Oxford university and get Office 2007/2003/XP etc.. free via educational licences, but I choose to stay with Office 2003 Professional. As mentioned by other reviewers Office 2007 is a bit of a pain in the positrons compared to just about all other versions of MS Office that keep to the same basic menu and file format. It takes you 5 minutes just to work out how to load a word document with the new interface. I run many networked PCs at home and at work, and casual users who are Office 2003 savvy don't take kindly when this new 2007 interface pops up. Worst still, almost unforgivable even, is that a Professional version of Office 2007 Student is no longer offered, when even secondary school kids need Access and Publisher as part of the GSCE in IT. Plus no Outlook either. So, great software as Excel, Word and PowerPoint is, this loses Office Student two stars in my book. Another downside is that many schools are likely to stay with 2003, making it hard for the kids to adapt to two interfaces and file formats at home and school [for similar reasons all our new Vista PCs have been reformatted back to XP Pro].

However if you have a schoolkid/student in the house and their academic institution [i.e. School or College] is on the participating list, and most will be, you can pick up the full Office Professional 2007 for them for just £45 [incl postage] via any Microsoft educational software partner. With Office Pro you get Access/Publisher/Outlook as well, for about the price of this cut-down Office Home & Student. If the kids might need OneNote as well then go for top of the range Office Enterprise 2007 for just £55 [there's even Wacom 'educational use' graphics stylus/tablets on offer]. Try for instance Microsoft Partner www.Software4Students.co.uk: you just select the school and input your kids name [who must be on the role-call and live at the delivery address], buy the software and the bare CD/wallet appears in the post. The rather natty CD/DVD is emblazoned with Microsoft holograms and the text 'Licensed by student and facility only'. Likewise you can buy your kids the superb Encarta Premium enhanced Student 2009 for just £14 [retail price £49] - it integrates into Office and gives superb homework help [Encarta encyclopaedia, Maths equations, languages and English literature]. Well now children that even makes Office 2007 seem desirable. For the rest of though I'd save the pennies and stick with Office 2003 for the time being, assuming you're lucky enough to own it.

Excellent security solution, 10 Nov 2008
I recently purchased IS9 having done some pretty comprehensive research and running of different makes of trial software on a spare laptop. I was originally using Zone alarm but when they updated the software to new version it was a disaster with crashes/slowdowns/poor booting etc and the forum was full of unhappy bunnies. I watched and waited and although the next release was better it was still not good. I started researching.
After many trials I settled on Kaspersky Internet Security 9.0. I had used a previous version so had a degree of familiarity. I bought the three user version and the installation and set up on my XP (SP3) machine was totally smooth and has been running well ever since. However the installation on Vista (32bit SP1) was a little problematic and at the first attempt would not install properly (no antivirus) and I could not activate it so I put on my thinking hat. I had read somewhere that it did not sit well with some other "real time" malware programs so I started to diagnose and the long and short of it was that Windows Defender when running was conflicting so I disabled it totally and attempted a new clean install. This went perfectly and now it runs well alongside the free version of Lavasoft Adaware which I run manually.
On both systems scanning is fast, updates regular (installing in the background) support as always is excellent
Am I happy with it....definitely , but I would say that it can be a little daunting for the novice though you can install it in a virtually automatic mode. Fortunately I had a printed manual for Version 7.0 as the guide for 9.0 is (in my opinion) next to useless. You do have to find your way around and if you want to tweak some of the settings you will need a reasonably level of knowledge as you could easily compromise your security if you do not understand what you are doing. Don't let me put you off as it is very capable program but if you buy it download the Version 7.0 User guide plus the Version 9.0 and and use them together .....but be advised the new software version has changed you will have to interpolate between the two.
I have given it 5 stars but the User Guide is awful............ Having said that I like it and it does the job well, which after all is what we all want.


Let Down!!!!, 05 Nov 2008
I purcased this from Amazon and as always great service.But when I came to load this on to the second computer OH MY GOD what a pain in the arse.It froze the computer (this was running Vista). After trying all the usuall things I had to start the computer in safe mode and put it back a day. I then tried to email customer services and 7 days later still did not get a reply.So I emailed again Still no reply.In my honest opinion I am one for two with this product but am very disapointed at the lack at customer services.
I gues that if it loads ok on your computer you haven't got a probleme but if you have a probleme with it then all I can say is good luck.

N Martindale

Product support team....oh dear !, 04 Nov 2008
Firstly can I say that the 1 star rating is nothing to do with Amazon service or the quality of the software (still to be loaded).

While waiting for delivery from AMAZON I decided to take the opportunity of the 60 day software free trail offer. The software downloaded OK and was informed that an activation code would shortly follow. After 4 days, 3 Emails to technical support, and 2 telephone calls, this is still awaited. Needless to say that I have lost all confidence in the technical support ability...(technical support did not even know that this was on offer !!) promised the world and nothing happens....If you are buying this product on the understanding that the FREE technical support is available from KASPERSKY, I would suggest to think again. At the time of writing technical support still has to respond to my initial query.

AMAZON service 5 star as usual !!

The software now loaded looks OK.....but has been only 1 day. It appears to be faster then NORTON 2008, which I became too frustrated with, after many years it is now far too slow. Not much point in having security when your machine is running so slow you cannot use it!!.

Hope KASPERSKY techical support gets better !!....

Annoying, 24 Oct 2008
Very disappointing. Sends pop ups stating that the database is updating and then when finished updating it requests that you restart the computer!!!. Went through the complex menu to change the updating to weekly which I manged to do. Now it sends a popup every day saying the database is out of date. This is boring, boring, boring and very annoying. I think the free version is better than the premium version.

the best virus protection on the market, 23 Oct 2008
This high quality virus protection software really is the best available to buy at the minute. It is much better than the likes of Norton, mcafee etc which seem to be more widelly available. I purchased this product on amazon for approx £30 with a 3person license usage, therefore costing £10 per pc, however its available on ebuyer.com for £20 at the minute.

Norton, 20 Nov 2008
Another year and another Norton Internet Security package.

This was installed on a PC which had come with a 90 day trial of Norton Internet Security that was about to end. The installation and registration process was quick and straightforward and the update scan and download was likewise. The software appears to run quietly in the background - Norton claims that the software is "fast and light". This probably has more to do with most modern PCs having at least 1GB of RAM than the software being any faster or lighter than previously. The software can be used on 3 PCs per household and lasts 12 months. There is full, free and unlimited chat and phone support for one year from the initial installation of the software. I have not used this support and therefore I'm unable to comment on how effective it is.

This is a decent security package - all threats are covered under one umbrella, so there is plenty of appeal for the novice PC user. However, there is plenty of free software which covers most of the bases here that will appeal to the more experienced user.

Awful Software, 17 Nov 2008
This has got to be the worst software ever created. I have experienced it twice now and both times removed it and replaced it with far superior free software. It is intrusive and slow down your system. My first experience was preinstalled on a new laptop. it would not let me connect to a wifi connection. Removed Norton all ok. Second experience was on a computer that was running v.slow. Removed Norton all ok! Ran a virus check using free software and found several worms and trojans that Norton had let through. Even if Norton were giving this away with a 100 pound note in the box i still wouldn't install it on any of my computers!

Norton Internet Security - Fine until it goes wrong!, 16 Nov 2008
I always liked Norton, and had a couple of trouble free years using the product.

Based upon my recent experiences however, I would strongly advise against buying. After they offered me a free upgrade, I have had numerous problems, and the support (or lack of) is shocking. You can try a lovely premium rate number, or you can use their "chat" service that does not work. I have wasted so much time just trying to get someone to help.

Norton Internet Security 2009, 12 Nov 2008
Billed as delivering a faster and more streamlined edition of Norton's acclaimed protection platform, Internet Security 2009 (NIS 09) had a lot to live up to given that my previous 'general user' experiences with Norton products had been distinctly user-unfriendly and not all that impressive in terms of performance and efficiency.

First impressions were fairly good, with NIS 09 installing considerably quicker than I was expecting, taking around three to four minutes without the hassle of ploughing through layers of advanced setting options. Once officially registered, the software's (customisable) main interface appears, offering a dashboard of easy to peruse controls and also access to a handy and in-depth help portfolio covering the entire program.

Already feeling a little more well laid out and user-friendly than prior Norton offerings, it's not difficult to get to grips with NIS 09's three core sections: Computer, Internet and Identity, which in turn offer up the likes of scan history, system scan options, live updates, quarantined files, firewall options, e-mail scanning, anti-phishing and more.

As the product's title suggests, Norton's package attempts to cover pretty much all the bases when it comes to malicious attacks capable of infecting or grabbing control of your system, bombarding you with spam, or even stealing your personal details. But how does it perform when push comes to shove?

A big plus point for this reviewer was the immediate improved speed of NIS 09's scanning, which ran through the whole computer in a matter of minutes (of course, speed will differ per user based on the amount of files that require scanning). However, it remains to be seen whether that efficiency is maintained over time, which is something that blighted my last encounter with Norton-branded protection.

In terms of scanning for all types of malware (worms, Trojans, and the like), NIS 09 seemed to perform well in general but struggled a little when attempting to scan through password-protected files. And, when tasked with blocking known malicious Web sites, it caught most but surprisingly turned a blind eye to one or two such destinations well known for being dangerous to unwitting computer systems.

Thanks to its user-implemented spam detection and filtration feature, NIS 09 is able to monitor a user's e-mail account for any unwanted activity, and Norton's latest package certainly seems more than capable of assisting in rooting out unwanted and potentially harmful inbox fluff. As a bonus layer of protection, an additional instant messaging scan is also available, which scrutinises any files downloaded through IM clients such as AIM, Yahoo, and MSN Messenger.

Ultimately, as with any mainstream system protection software, Norton Internet Security 2009 - 1 User 3 Computers (PC) provides relatively solid performance that works hard to block the Net's myriad of threats and improve the overall stability of the user's experience. Granted, it won't deflect everything that nefarious Web criminals throw at it, but there isn't a product available that guarantees such performance and NIS 09 is a marked improvement over its Norton predecessors.

Easy to use. Offers more layered scanning and security than previous Norton solutions. Regular live updating keeps protection sharp edged. Provides a convincingly comprehensive blanket for typical home users. Mainstream protection at an affordable mainstream price. Norton finally appears to be shaking its reputation for being fiddly and a little underwhelming. I'm almost converted.

avoid treat with extreme caution, 11 Nov 2008
see full review in upgrade 5 users. we had enormous problems and returned to 2008. Its caused us untold hassle. I am avoiding it.

7.0/ englisch/ Vollversion/ Box/ WIN

There's no point fixing something that ain't broken!, 07 Nov 2008
I don't enjoy using Office 2007. Millions of people around the world got use to the original Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Excel etc. and then they decided to change the layout of everything.

After a while, you end up getting use to it and I quite like the way you switch from one tab to the next on Word. In other words, I quite like the way you switch from "file, edit, view... (although it's now called Home, Insert, Page layout...)".

There are little things though, which are really annoying. First, I don't like the fact that there are no permanent margins around the page on Word - it makes it harder to quickly adjust the layout of headings etc.

I can't stand the way it automatically double spaces, every time you press enter. Sometimes you don't want it to do that - it is difficult to change this.

Finally, I don't like the way it saves every file in the .docx format. You can change this to .doc and it will save all your work fine - so why bother even introducing .docx in the first place? It just means that if you forget to change the format to .doc when you save documents at work/university - you can't open the file at home unless you have already purchased Office 2007 on your PC at home.

It Wasn't Broken - It Is Now!, 02 Nov 2008
If you have Office 2003 (unlike me!) then avoid upgrading to this this ridiculous product. It provides nothing that you couldn't do, often more easily, with the old menus and toolbars of Office 2003.

On offer is the prominent "ribbon" interface that provides quick access to many features that in all reality will be fairly redundant for many users. In Word, any takers for Styles, Symbols, Themes, Citations & Bibliography, Captions, Table of Authorities? Thought not!

Conversely, many commonly used features are less accessible than before.

However, many of the old dialogue boxes are still lurking beneath the surface, which just goes to show that ugliness too can be only skin deep.

Think twice before buying this product it is a con!!!, 01 Nov 2008
Think twice before buying this product. I bought a new laptop that had office 2007 etc loaded as a trial. I bought Office Home Student 2007 as a Amazon special offer along with the laptop. Office Home Student 2007 does NOT include Outlook 2007 so the 60d trial runs out and the only way you can get Outllok 2007 is to pay a further £78.78 for Outlook from Microsoft. After the 60 days you just cannot get any more e-mail without buying the product unless you revert back to an alternative e-mail programme.- Why buy the office suite without Outlook?? It is not made clear when you buy Home & Student 2007 with Amazon.

Overall 0/10 Amazon & Microsoft - A true con.

Happy customer, 01 Nov 2008
I'm not big user of office and mainly use it for typing letters and reading documents from work. However compared to office 2003 i find it more user friendly and visually looks a lot better. It does the job and am happy which is why 5/5 -

I don't understand why the low marks that outlook 2007 is not included when if you have windows vista it comes built in windows mail ( which is same as outlook express ) and far better email client then outlook 2007.

Before buying from amazon i search the web to see if i could find better price and by far amazon is lowest by at least 20-30pounds. Super-save delivery took about 4days -

Also had registry issues due to previous office causing problems after uninstall. Microsoft technical support was first class and resolved the issue within minutes.



I dislike Office 2007 and will stick with Office 2003 - but schoolkids can get Office 2007 Enterprise for just over £50, 29 Oct 2008
I work at Oxford university and get Office 2007/2003/XP etc.. free via educational licences, but I choose to stay with Office 2003 Professional. As mentioned by other reviewers Office 2007 is a bit of a pain in the positrons compared to just about all other versions of MS Office that keep to the same basic menu and file format. It takes you 5 minutes just to work out how to load a word document with the new interface. I run many networked PCs at home and at work, and casual users who are Office 2003 savvy don't take kindly when this new 2007 interface pops up. Worst still, almost unforgivable even, is that a Professional version of Office 2007 Student is no longer offered, when even secondary school kids need Access and Publisher as part of the GSCE in IT. Plus no Outlook either. So, great software as Excel, Word and PowerPoint is, this loses Office Student two stars in my book. Another downside is that many schools are likely to stay with 2003, making it hard for the kids to adapt to two interfaces and file formats at home and school [for similar reasons all our new Vista PCs have been reformatted back to XP Pro].

However if you have a schoolkid/student in the house and their academic institution [i.e. School or College] is on the participating list, and most will be, you can pick up the full Office Professional 2007 for them for just £45 [incl postage] via any Microsoft educational software partner. With Office Pro you get Access/Publisher/Outlook as well, for about the price of this cut-down Office Home & Student. If the kids might need OneNote as well then go for top of the range Office Enterprise 2007 for just £55 [there's even Wacom 'educational use' graphics stylus/tablets on offer]. Try for instance Microsoft Partner www.Software4Students.co.uk: you just select the school and input your kids name [who must be on the role-call and live at the delivery address], buy the software and the bare CD/wallet appears in the post. The rather natty CD/DVD is emblazoned with Microsoft holograms and the text 'Licensed by student and facility only'. Likewise you can buy your kids the superb Encarta Premium enhanced Student 2009 for just £14 [retail price £49] - it integrates into Office and gives superb homework help [Encarta encyclopaedia, Maths equations, languages and English literature]. Well now children that even makes Office 2007 seem desirable. For the rest of though I'd save the pennies and stick with Office 2003 for the time being, assuming you're lucky enough to own it.

Excellent security solution, 10 Nov 2008
I recently purchased IS9 having done some pretty comprehensive research and running of different makes of trial software on a spare laptop. I was originally using Zone alarm but when they updated the software to new version it was a disaster with crashes/slowdowns/poor booting etc and the forum was full of unhappy bunnies. I watched and waited and although the next release was better it was still not good. I started researching.
After many trials I settled on Kaspersky Internet Security 9.0. I had used a previous version so had a degree of familiarity. I bought the three user version and the installation and set up on my XP (SP3) machine was totally smooth and has been running well ever since. However the installation on Vista (32bit SP1) was a little problematic and at the first attempt would not install properly (no antivirus) and I could not activate it so I put on my thinking hat. I had read somewhere that it did not sit well with some other "real time" malware programs so I started to diagnose and the long and short of it was that Windows Defender when running was conflicting so I disabled it totally and attempted a new clean install. This went perfectly and now it runs well alongside the free version of Lavasoft Adaware which I run manually.
On both systems scanning is fast, updates regular (installing in the background) support as always is excellent
Am I happy with it....definitely , but I would say that it can be a little daunting for the novice though you can install it in a virtually automatic mode. Fortunately I had a printed manual for Version 7.0 as the guide for 9.0 is (in my opinion) next to useless. You do have to find your way around and if you want to tweak some of the settings you will need a reasonably level of knowledge as you could easily compromise your security if you do not understand what you are doing. Don't let me put you off as it is very capable program but if you buy it download the Version 7.0 User guide plus the Version 9.0 and and use them together .....but be advised the new software version has changed you will have to interpolate between the two.
I have given it 5 stars but the User Guide is awful............ Having said that I like it and it does the job well, which after all is what we all want.


Let Down!!!!, 05 Nov 2008
I purcased this from Amazon and as always great service.But when I came to load this on to the second computer OH MY GOD what a pain in the arse.It froze the computer (this was running Vista). After trying all the usuall things I had to start the computer in safe mode and put it back a day. I then tried to email customer services and 7 days later still did not get a reply.So I emailed again Still no reply.In my honest opinion I am one for two with this product but am very disapointed at the lack at customer services.
I gues that if it loads ok on your computer you haven't got a probleme but if you have a probleme with it then all I can say is good luck.

N Martindale

Product support team....oh dear !, 04 Nov 2008
Firstly can I say that the 1 star rating is nothing to do with Amazon service or the quality of the software (still to be loaded).

While waiting for delivery from AMAZON I decided to take the opportunity of the 60 day software free trail offer. The software downloaded OK and was informed that an activation code would shortly follow. After 4 days, 3 Emails to technical support, and 2 telephone calls, this is still awaited. Needless to say that I have lost all confidence in the technical support ability...(technical support did not even know that this was on offer !!) promised the world and nothing happens....If you are buying this product on the understanding that the FREE technical support is available from KASPERSKY, I would suggest to think again. At the time of writing technical support still has to respond to my initial query.

AMAZON service 5 star as usual !!

The software now loaded looks OK.....but has been only 1 day. It appears to be faster then NORTON 2008, which I became too frustrated with, after many years it is now far too slow. Not much point in having security when your machine is running so slow you cannot use it!!.

Hope KASPERSKY techical support gets better !!....

Annoying, 24 Oct 2008
Very disappointing. Sends pop ups stating that the database is updating and then when finished updating it requests that you restart the computer!!!. Went through the complex menu to change the updating to weekly which I manged to do. Now it sends a popup every day saying the database is out of date. This is boring, boring, boring and very annoying. I think the free version is better than the premium version.

the best virus protection on the market, 23 Oct 2008
This high quality virus protection software really is the best available to buy at the minute. It is much better than the likes of Norton, mcafee etc which seem to be more widelly available. I purchased this product on amazon for approx £30 with a 3person license usage, therefore costing £10 per pc, however its available on ebuyer.com for £20 at the minute.

Norton, 20 Nov 2008
Another year and another Norton Internet Security package.

This was installed on a PC which had come with a 90 day trial of Norton Internet Security that was about to end. The installation and registration process was quick and straightforward and the update scan and download was likewise. The software appears to run quietly in the background - Norton claims that the software is "fast and light". This probably has more to do with most modern PCs having at least 1GB of RAM than the software being any faster or lighter than previously. The software can be used on 3 PCs per household and lasts 12 months. There is full, free and unlimited chat and phone support for one year from the initial installation of the software. I have not used this support and therefore I'm unable to comment on how effective it is.

This is a decent security package - all threats are covered under one umbrella, so there is plenty of appeal for the novice PC user. However, there is plenty of free software which covers most of the bases here that will appeal to the more experienced user.

Awful Software, 17 Nov 2008
This has got to be the worst software ever created. I have experienced it twice now and both times removed it and replaced it with far superior free software. It is intrusive and slow down your system. My first experience was preinstalled on a new laptop. it would not let me connect to a wifi connection. Removed Norton all ok. Second experience was on a computer that was running v.slow. Removed Norton all ok! Ran a virus check using free software and found several worms and trojans that Norton had let through. Even if Norton were giving this away with a 100 pound note in the box i still wouldn't install it on any of my computers!

Norton Internet Security - Fine until it goes wrong!, 16 Nov 2008
I always liked Norton, and had a couple of trouble free years using the product.

Based upon my recent experiences however, I would strongly advise against buying. After they offered me a free upgrade, I have had numerous problems, and the support (or lack of) is shocking. You can try a lovely premium rate number, or you can use their "chat" service that does not work. I have wasted so much time just trying to get someone to help.

Norton Internet Security 2009, 12 Nov 2008
Billed as delivering a faster and more streamlined edition of Norton's acclaimed protection platform, Internet Security 2009 (NIS 09) had a lot to live up to given that my previous 'general user' experiences with Norton products had been distinctly user-unfriendly and not all that impressive in terms of performance and efficiency.

First impressions were fairly good, with NIS 09 installing considerably quicker than I was expecting, taking around three to four minutes without the hassle of ploughing through layers of advanced setting options. Once officially registered, the software's (customisable) main interface appears, offering a dashboard of easy to peruse controls and also access to a handy and in-depth help portfolio covering the entire program.

Already feeling a little more well laid out and user-friendly than prior Norton offerings, it's not difficult to get to grips with NIS 09's three core sections: Computer, Internet and Identity, which in turn offer up the likes of scan history, system scan options, live updates, quarantined files, firewall options, e-mail scanning, anti-phishing and more.

As the product's title suggests, Norton's package attempts to cover pretty much all the bases when it comes to malicious attacks capable of infecting or grabbing control of your system, bombarding you with spam, or even stealing your personal details. But how does it perform when push comes to shove?

A big plus point for this reviewer was the immediate improved speed of NIS 09's scanning, which ran through the whole computer in a matter of minutes (of course, speed will differ per user based on the amount of files that require scanning). However, it remains to be seen whether that efficiency is maintained over time, which is something that blighted my last encounter with Norton-branded protection.

In terms of scanning for all types of malware (worms, Trojans, and the like), NIS 09 seemed to perform well in general but struggled a little when attempting to scan through password-protected files. And, when tasked with blocking known malicious Web sites, it caught most but surprisingly turned a blind eye to one or two such destinations well known for being dangerous to unwitting computer systems.

Thanks to its user-implemented spam detection and filtration feature, NIS 09 is able to monitor a user's e-mail account for any unwanted activity, and Norton's latest package certainly seems more than capable of assisting in rooting out unwanted and potentially harmful inbox fluff. As a bonus layer of protection, an additional instant messaging scan is also available, which scrutinises any files downloaded through IM clients such as AIM, Yahoo, and MSN Messenger.

Ultimately, as with any mainstream system protection software, Norton Internet Security 2009 - 1 User 3 Computers (PC) provides relatively solid performance that works hard to block the Net's myriad of threats and improve the overall stability of the user's experience. Granted, it won't deflect everything that nefarious Web criminals throw at it, but there isn't a product available that guarantees such performance and NIS 09 is a marked improvement over its Norton predecessors.

Easy to use. Offers more layered scanning and security than previous Norton solutions. Regular live updating keeps protection sharp edged. Provides a convincingly comprehensive blanket for typical home users. Mainstream protection at an affordable mainstream price. Norton finally appears to be shaking its reputation for being fiddly and a little underwhelming. I'm almost converted.

avoid treat with extreme caution, 11 Nov 2008
see full review in upgrade 5 users. we had enormous problems and returned to 2008. Its caused us untold hassle. I am avoiding it.

A great photo editing package for home users, 06 Sep 2008
Presently on PcPro's `A-List', Adobe Elements is a cut down version of Adobe's £500+ Photoshop/Photoshop Extended CS4, and costs considerably less while still having a lot of useful photo editing capabilities. Photoshop CS4 has a steep learning curve, but Photoshop elements is far more home-user friendly. A lot of the program is geared towards image storage and management of the photos on your hard drive, helping with emailing, web output and scrapbooks of your images. The program can auto-downloads your images from the camera to folders, set up using the date, and can even process the images, say automatically removing red-eye, while it does it. Using stacks you can set up image databases [smart albums] using keywords like names, places, events, etc.., and you can even search using visual tags within the image. That said, I shun the image database options offered by Photoshop Elements and Extended, preferring the simplicity of logical folder names instead. Also, like PhotoShop, the image database side isn't seamlessly integrated into the image editing side [to the point where it's actually annoying].

New to Elements 7 is a new Quick Fix tool to soften surfaces while keeping the edge and detail sharp - i.e. a blur tool, which can help to remove unwanted image noise. Plus there's a new Scene Cleaner tool that can brush away undesirable objects from a photo [so you can ditch that car or tourists from the view] and there's now a Smart Brush which lets you instantly apply effects to a selected area of the image. Plus Element's 7 sports a new single step `whiten teeth', 'make grass greener' and `make the sky blue' tool - but this is little more than streamlining tools within Quick Select and Adjustment Layer Presets that were available on Elements 6. Besides Adobe's suggestion of using the tool to whiten teeth and add a suntan to say Aunt Doris's face may make her look a little ridiculous. Also new in Element's 7 will be a free subscription to Photoshop.com, a special service Adobe has devised to bring friends together by providing quick access to on-line backup, storage, and sharing capabilities. You get 2GB of on-line storage, `enough for up to 1,500 photos', so you can view your photos from virtually anywhere. Thus Photoshop Elements goes `Facebook', allowing you to share your photos `in fun, interactive ways via invitation-only'. For these `Online Albums' you will get new [quite fun] animated templates delivered to Elements on a regular basis. There will also be a Photoshop.com ` Plus' membership offering 20 Gb [15,000 photos] of on-line photo storage, but that will require you paying an annual fee. The first year's 20 Gb subscription is included in Adobe's `Elements 7 Plus' [but not this standard version].

And all the old Element 6's tools are there as well. For editing you have a set of 'quickfix' options or you can load the full image editor for greater manual control: such as adjust sharpness, correct camera distortion, levels, hue and skin colour. Naturally you have standard tools like crop and adjust image size (pixels) as well. Plus there are step-through guides [guided edit] to help you get there. The software will also integrate with scanners twain interfaces if you are into scanning film, and the Fill Light [shadow/highlight] tool is pretty essential for bringing out detail in shadows from any slide/negative scan. Plus Elements can handle RAW camera images, although I use TIFF/jpg (Elements can save in any common image format).

System requirements are quite high: CD drive, 1Gb system RAM, XP or Vista, 2GHz processor, and a Direct-X 9 graphics card [and Adobe installers can reject systems that don't meet the minimum spec]. Elements 7 perhaps isn't a crucial upgrade from Elements 6 or even 5, but for new home users, or those with older versions, it's very powerful photo editing and image database software from the market leaders. The new 'Scene Cleaner' tool should have been the 'killer app' for those considering upgrading, but it is little more than Elements 6's old PhotoMerge Group application and it requires a series of photos where one has the background free to copy across [and it sometimes gets the exposure wrong making the added bit look rather obvious].

Adobe Elements 7 has only two real competitors at the price: Paint Shop Pro X2 and Serif PhotoPlus X2. Both these programs are also excellent and worthy of consideration, with PhotoPlus's strength being it's about as powerful but rather cheaper to buy and upgrade. Likewise Corel Paint Shop pro X2 occasionally offers a bit more than Elements [layer masks, and curves], is also cheaper and a tad easier to use, although it can be buggy [not Adobe's strong point on first version release either - so install those patches]. Professional users and some SLR enthusiasts will still head towards Adobe's semi-automated PhotoShop Darkroom 2.0 and the fantastically expensive Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended, although even at work we have Adobe Elements on a few imaging workstations for casual users, where the high cost of PhotoShop CS4 Extended simply isn't justified. That said experienced Photoshop CS4 users will rapidly find Elements 7 lacking in a few key features they are used to.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 is also available to buy as a cheaper double pack with the new Adobe Premiere Elements 7 video editing software, which should be even better value than this upgrade. Plus this double pack qualifies for a large educational discount for non-commercial use if you, or a child in the house, are in full time education [from primary school to college]. Similar large educational discounts apply to much of Adobes software. Those buying for College/School department use will save even more.

"

The UK's BEST SELLING Driving Test Software*

Essential training software to help you pass first time

"The best and most comprehensive learner driver product on the market." Approved Driving Instructor News

NEW THEORY TEST

Contains the complete NEW OFFICIAL DSA Theory Test question bank for all tests taken from the 1st September 2008 onwards.
For learner car drivers, motorcyclists and ADIs in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Sit unlimited mock tests under realistic exam conditions.
Detailed progress monitor to see if you're ready for the real test.
Focus on your weakest questions and improve your skills.

HAZARD PERCEPTION TEST

Hundreds of interactive video clips to practice and review as many times as you like.
Review each clip to improve your skills.
Sit unlimited mock tests simulating exam conditions.
Includes the 10 OFFICIAL DSA Hazard Perception sample video clips and OFFICIAL introduction video.
Detailed progress monitor.

PRACTICAL TEST

Over 60 high quality video tutorials covering everything you may be asked to perform in your Practical Driving Test.
Expert driving instructors teach you how to perform essential manoeuvres using multiple camera angles.

Are you a safe driver?
It's important to remember that learning to drive is not just about passing the test; it's also about the safety of you, your passengers and other road users. Take the Safe Driver Test and discover the importance of introducing responsible driving habits early on in your driving career, making you more likely to pass your test and enjoy a lifetime of safe driving.

Official Highway Code
Read, search and print the latest edition of The OFFICIAL Highway Code.

Show Me, Tell Me
Contains the 13 OFFICIAL DSA test questions plus 16 step-by-step video tutorials.

Mock Driving Test
Watch a full length mock Practical Driving Test and find out what the examiner is looking for.

Road Signs Test
Test your knowledge of every road sign that you may come across in your theory exam.

Learn on the Go
Practice OFFICIAL DSA Theory Test questions using your iPod or other portable media player.

Theory Test Book
Printable Theory Test book to revise the OFFICIAL question bank away from your PC.

Advice Centre
Essential information about all three tests and how to ensure you pass first time!

Learn the way that suits you.
Short of time? Always on the go? Revise anywhere with printable Theory Test and Highway Code books, or Learn on the Go using our audio Theory Test for your MP3 compatible mobile device. No matter where you are, ALL TESTS fits in with your busy lifestyle.

Pass Your Theory Test - For all learner car drivers and motorcyclists!
Practice every OFFICIAL DSA Theory Test question, valid for tests taken from 1st September 2008 onwards. Revising with ALL TESTS is just like taking the real test. In fact we're so confident that it will help you pass your Theory Test that we offer a money back PASS GUARANTEE†!

Safe Driving for Life - Are you a safe driver, or a risk to others?
Discover the importance of introducing responsible driving habits early on in your driving career, making you more likely to pass your test and enjoy a lifetime of safe, accident-free driving.

Safe Driver Test - which of your own individual attitudes and behaviours make you more likely to take risks and cause an accident? Take the test and find out hoe to become a safer driver.
Commentary Driving - sit alongside a fully qualified traffic police driver as he demonstrates the gold standard of observation, awareness and hazard perception.
New Licence Holder's Survival Guide - how to survive your first year as a licence holder with your life and no-claims bonus intact!

FACT Did you know?
Official statistics show you are more likely to have an accident in the first two years of passing your driving test, than at any other time in your life.

Also includes discount vouchers worth over £300

Discount vouchers from leading companies
Low cost car insurance from Endsleigh for new drivers

THEORY FEATURES

Contains EVERY question and answer from the entire OFFICIAL DSA Theory Test Question Bank, with over 1,200 questions for learner car drivers and motorcyclists.
Sit UNLIMITED mock tests with different questions every time.
Essential advice and detailed video tutorial for the Theory Test.
View hints for each question and detailed explanations of every answer.
Monitor your progress to make sure you've covered all questions.
Customise your questions from 17 OFFICIAL DSA categories.
Practice questions based on their level of difficulty.
Over 20 carefully designed mock theory tests.
Practice a mock test focusing on your weakest questions.
Printable exam papers allow you to revise away from the computer.††
Professional voiceover for all questions and answers.
Practice OFFICIAL toad sign questions.
Download OFFICIAL DSA Theory Test audio questions and answers, complete with professional voiceover, onto your iPod® or other portable media player.
Printable Theory Test question book to revise away from the computer.
The latest OFFICIAL DSA Theory Test Question Bank for ADIs, plus progress monitor for ALL pupils.

Pass Your Hazard Perception Test - Improve your skills and pass with confidence!
Get the best possible practice for the Hazard Perception part of your Theory test using hundreds of interactive video clips that accurately simulate the test. ALL TESTS teaches you how to recognise potential dangers in a wide variety of different hazard situations, giving you invaluable "road sense."

Learn how to spot developing hazards on our roads
Review each Hazard Perception clip to improve your skills

HAZARD FEATURES

Hundreds of interactive video clips shot from outside the car just like the real test.
Watch the 10 OFFICIAL DSA sample clips and test introduction video.
70 bonus video clips shot from inside the car, to prepare you for actual driving with real distractions.
Review each video clip to see where the hazard began and where the maximum score could have been achieved.
Create virtually unlimited mock tests to prepare you for the exam.
15 carefully designed pre-set mock test simulations.
Exam Hints and Tips to maximise your chance of passing the test.
Monitor your progress to see if you are ready for your exam.

Pass Your Practical Test - Safely revise essential driving skills and manoeuvres!
With over 60 video lessons you can revise and refresh the essential driving skills taught to you by your Approved Driving Instructor, before and after lessons. Includes Practical Driving Test routes for every test centre in the UK?!

Plus! Mock Practical Test shows you what to expect on the big day!

Watch over 60 video lessons with multiple camera angles
16 video tutorials for the Show Me, Tell Me part of the test

Practical Features:

Pre-drive safety checks.
MSM and POM routines.
Use of mirrors.
Moving off at different angles.
Stopping safely.
Roundabouts, crossroads, junctions and one-way streets.
Responding to road signs and markings.
Four reverse manoeuvres.
Controlled emergency stop.
Encountering various hazards and pedestrian crossings.
Driving in poor weather conditions.
Joining and exiting dual-carriageways.
Motorway driving.
Applying the Two Second Rule.
Printable forms for ADIs, including Progress Record, Diary, Mock test and Show Me, Tell Me forms. "

There's no point fixing something that ain't broken!, 07 Nov 2008
I don't enjoy using Office 2007. Millions of people around the world got use to the original Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Excel etc. and then they decided to change the layout of everything.

After a while, you end up getting use to it and I quite like the way you switch from one tab to the next on Word. In other words, I quite like the way you switch from "file, edit, view... (although it's now called Home, Insert, Page layout...)".

There are little things though, which are really annoying. First, I don't like the fact that there are no permanent margins around the page on Word - it makes it harder to quickly adjust the layout of headings etc.

I can't stand the way it automatically double spaces, every time you press enter. Sometimes you don't want it to do that - it is difficult to change this.

Finally, I don't like the way it saves every file in the .docx format. You can change this to .doc and it will save all your work fine - so why bother even introducing .docx in the first place? It just means that if you forget to change the format to .doc when you save documents at work/university - you can't open the file at home unless you have already purchased Office 2007 on your PC at home.

It Wasn't Broken - It Is Now!, 02 Nov 2008
If you have Office 2003 (unlike me!) then avoid upgrading to this this ridiculous product. It provides nothing that you couldn't do, often more easily, with the old menus and toolbars of Office 2003.

On offer is the prominent "ribbon" interface that provides quick access to many features that in all reality will be fairly redundant for many users. In Word, any takers for Styles, Symbols, Themes, Citations & Bibliography, Captions, Table of Authorities? Thought not!

Conversely, many commonly used features are less accessible than before.

However, many of the old dialogue boxes are still lurking beneath the surface, which just goes to show that ugliness too can be only skin deep.

Think twice before buying this product it is a con!!!, 01 Nov 2008
Think twice before buying this product. I bought a new laptop that had office 2007 etc loaded as a trial. I bought Office Home Student 2007 as a Amazon special offer along with the laptop. Office Home Student 2007 does NOT include Outlook 2007 so the 60d trial runs out and the only way you can get Outllok 2007 is to pay a further £78.78 for Outlook from Microsoft. After the 60 days you just cannot get any more e-mail without buying the product unless you revert back to an alternative e-mail programme.- Why buy the office suite without Outlook?? It is not made clear when you buy Home & Student 2007 with Amazon.

Overall 0/10 Amazon & Microsoft - A true con.

Happy customer, 01 Nov 2008
I'm not big user of office and mainly use it for typing letters and reading documents from work. However compared to office 2003 i find it more user friendly and visually looks a lot better. It does the job and am happy which is why 5/5 -

I don't understand why the low marks that outlook 2007 is not included when if you have windows vista it comes built in windows mail ( which is same as outlook express ) and far better email client then outlook 2007.

Before buying from amazon i search the web to see if i could find better price and by far amazon is lowest by at least 20-30pounds. Super-save delivery took about 4days -

Also had registry issues due to previous office causing problems after uninstall. Microsoft technical support was first class and resolved the issue within minutes.



I dislike Office 2007 and will stick with Office 2003 - but schoolkids can get Office 2007 Enterprise for just over £50, 29 Oct 2008
I work at Oxford university and get Office 2007/2003/XP etc.. free via educational licences, but I choose to stay with Office 2003 Professional. As mentioned by other reviewers Office 2007 is a bit of a pain in the positrons compared to just about all other versions of MS Office that keep to the same basic menu and file format. It takes you 5 minutes just to work out how to load a word document with the new interface. I run many networked PCs at home and at work, and casual users who are Office 2003 savvy don't take kindly when this new 2007 interface pops up. Worst still, almost unforgivable even, is that a Professional version of Office 2007 Student is no longer offered, when even secondary school kids need Access and Publisher as part of the GSCE in IT. Plus no Outlook either. So, great software as Excel, Word and PowerPoint is, this loses Office Student two stars in my book. Another downside is that many schools are likely to stay with 2003, making it hard for the kids to adapt to two interfaces and file formats at home and school [for similar reasons all our new Vista PCs have been reformatted back to XP Pro].

However if you have a schoolkid/student in the house and their academic institution [i.e. School or College] is on the participating list, and most will be, you can pick up the full Office Professional 2007 for them for just £45 [incl postage] via any Microsoft educational software partner. With Office Pro you get Access/Publisher/Outlook as well, for about the price of this cut-down Office Home & Student. If the kids might need OneNote as well then go for top of the range Office Enterprise 2007 for just £55 [there's even Wacom 'educational use' graphics stylus/tablets on offer]. Try for instance Microsoft Partner www.Software4Students.co.uk: you just select the school and input your kids name [who must be on the role-call and live at the delivery address], buy the software and the bare CD/wallet appears in the post. The rather natty CD/DVD is emblazoned with Microsoft holograms and the text 'Licensed by student and facility only'. Likewise you can buy your kids the superb Encarta Premium enhanced Student 2009 for just £14 [retail price £49] - it integrates into Office and gives superb homework help [Encarta encyclopaedia, Maths equations, languages and English literature]. Well now children that even makes Office 2007 seem desirable. For the rest of though I'd save the pennies and stick with Office 2003 for the time being, assuming you're lucky enough to own it.

Excellent security solution, 10 Nov 2008
I recently purchased IS9 having done some pretty comprehensive research and running of different makes of trial software on a spare laptop. I was originally using Zone alarm but when they updated the software to new version it was a disaster with crashes/slowdowns/poor booting etc and the forum was full of unhappy bunnies. I watched and waited and although the next release was better it was still not good. I started researching.
After many trials I settled on Kaspersky Internet Security 9.0. I had used a previous version so had a degree of familiarity. I bought the three user version and the installation and set up on my XP (SP3) machine was totally smooth and has been running well ever since. However the installation on Vista (32bit SP1) was a little problematic and at the first attempt would not install properly (no antivirus) and I could not activate it so I put on my thinking hat. I had read somewhere that it did not sit well with some other "real time" malware programs so I started to diagnose and the long and short of it was that Windows Defender when running was conflicting so I disabled it totally and attempted a new clean install. This went perfectly and now it runs well alongside the free version of Lavasoft Adaware which I run manually.
On both systems scanning is fast, updates regular (installing in the background) support as always is excellent
Am I happy with it....definitely , but I would say that it can be a little daunting for the novice though you can install it in a virtually automatic mode. Fortunately I had a printed manual for Version 7.0 as the guide for 9.0 is (in my opinion) next to useless. You do have to find your way around and if you want to tweak some of the settings you will need a reasonably level of knowledge as you could easily compromise your security if you do not understand what you are doing. Don't let me put you off as it is very capable program but if you buy it download the Version 7.0 User guide plus the Version 9.0 and and use them together .....but be advised the new software version has changed you will have to interpolate between the two.
I have given it 5 stars but the User Guide is awful............ Having said that I like it and it does the job well, which after all is what we all want.


Let Down!!!!, 05 Nov 2008
I purcased this from Amazon and as always great service.But when I came to load this on to the second computer OH MY GOD what a pain in the arse.It froze the computer (this was running Vista). After trying all the usuall things I had to start the computer in safe mode and put it back a day. I then tried to email customer services and 7 days later still did not get a reply.So I emailed again Still no reply.In my honest opinion I am one for two with this product but am very disapointed at the lack at customer services.
I gues that if it loads ok on your computer you haven't got a probleme but if you have a probleme with it then all I can say is good luck.

N Martindale

Product support team....oh dear !, 04 Nov 2008
Firstly can I say that the 1 star rating is nothing to do with Amazon service or the quality of the software (still to be loaded).

While waiting for delivery from AMAZON I decided to take the opportunity of the 60 day software free trail offer. The software downloaded OK and was informed that an activation code would shortly follow. After 4 days, 3 Emails to technical support, and 2 telephone calls, this is still awaited. Needless to say that I have lost all confidence in the technical support ability...(technical support did not even know that this was on offer !!) promised the world and nothing happens....If you are buying this product on the understanding that the FREE technical support is available from KASPERSKY, I would suggest to think again. At the time of writing technical support still has to respond to my initial query.

AMAZON service 5 star as usual !!

The software now loaded looks OK.....but has been only 1 day. It appears to be faster then NORTON 2008, which I became too frustrated with, after many years it is now far too slow. Not much point in having security when your machine is running so slow you cannot use it!!.

Hope KASPERSKY techical support gets better !!....

Annoying, 24 Oct 2008
Very disappointing. Sends pop ups stating that the database is updating and then when finished updating it requests that you restart the computer!!!. Went through the complex menu to change the updating to weekly which I manged to do. Now it sends a popup every day saying the database is out of date. This is boring, boring, boring and very annoying. I think the free version is better than the premium version.

the best virus protection on the market, 23 Oct 2008
This high quality virus protection software really is the best available to buy at the minute. It is much better than the likes of Norton, mcafee etc which seem to be more widelly available. I purchased this product on amazon for approx £30 with a 3person license usage, therefore costing £10 per pc, however its available on ebuyer.com for £20 at the minute.

Norton, 20 Nov 2008
Another year and another Norton Internet Security package.

This was installed on a PC which had come with a 90 day trial of Norton Internet Security that was about to end. The installation and registration process was quick and straightforward and the update scan and download was likewise. The software appears to run quietly in the background - Norton claims that the software is "fast and light". This probably has more to do with most modern PCs having at least 1GB of RAM than the software being any faster or lighter than previously. The software can be used on 3 PCs per household and lasts 12 months. There is full, free and unlimited chat and phone support for one year from the initial installation of the software. I have not used this support and therefore I'm unable to comment on how effective it is.

This is a decent security package - all threats are covered under one umbrella, so there is plenty of appeal for the novice PC user. However, there is plenty of free software which covers most of the bases here that will appeal to the more experienced user.

Awful Software, 17 Nov 2008
This has got to be the worst software ever created. I have experienced it twice now and both times removed it and replaced it with far superior free software. It is intrusive and slow down your system. My first experience was preinstalled on a new laptop. it would not let me connect to a wifi connection. Removed Norton all ok. Second experience was on a computer that was running v.slow. Removed Norton all ok! Ran a virus check using free software and found several worms and trojans that Norton had let through. Even if Norton were giving this away with a 100 pound note in the box i still wouldn't install it on any of my computers!

Norton Internet Security - Fine until it goes wrong!, 16 Nov 2008
I always liked Norton, and had a couple of trouble free years using the product.

Based upon my recent experiences however, I would strongly advise against buying. After they offered me a free upgrade, I have had numerous problems, and the support (or lack of) is shocking. You can try a lovely premium rate number, or you can use their "chat" service that does not work. I have wasted so much time just trying to get someone to help.

Norton Internet Security 2009, 12 Nov 2008
Billed as delivering a faster and more streamlined edition of Norton's acclaimed protection platform, Internet Security 2009 (NIS 09) had a lot to live up to given that my previous 'general user' experiences with Norton products had been distinctly user-unfriendly and not all that impressive in terms of performance and efficiency.

First impressions were fairly good, with NIS 09 installing considerably quicker than I was expecting, taking around three to four minutes without the hassle of ploughing through layers of advanced setting options. Once officially registered, the software's (customisable) main interface appears, offering a dashboard of easy to peruse controls and also access to a handy and in-depth help portfolio covering the entire program.

Already feeling a little more well laid out and user-friendly than prior Norton offerings, it's not difficult to get to grips with NIS 09's three core sections: Computer, Internet and Identity, which in turn offer up the likes of scan history, system scan options, live updates, quarantined files, firewall options, e-mail scanning, anti-phishing and more.

As the product's title suggests, Norton's package attempts to cover pretty much all the bases when it comes to malicious attacks capable of infecting or grabbing control of your system, bombarding you with spam, or even stealing your personal details. But how does it perform when push comes to shove?

A big plus point for this reviewer was the immediate improved speed of NIS 09's scanning, which ran through the whole computer in a matter of minutes (of course, speed will differ per user based on the amount of files that require scanning). However, it remains to be seen whether that efficiency is maintained over time, which is something that blighted my last encounter with Norton-branded protection.

In terms of scanning for all types of malware (worms, Trojans, and the like), NIS 09 seemed to perform well in general but struggled a little when attempting to scan through password-protected files. And, when tasked with blocking known malicious Web sites, it caught most but surprisingly turned a blind eye to one or two such destinations well known for being dangerous to unwitting computer systems.

Thanks to its user-implemented spam detection and filtration feature, NIS 09 is able to monitor a user's e-mail account for any unwanted activity, and Norton's latest package certainly seems more than capable of assisting in rooting out unwanted and potentially harmful inbox fluff. As a bonus layer of protection, an additional instant messaging scan is also available, which scrutinises any files downloaded through IM clients such as AIM, Yahoo, and MSN Messenger.

Ultimately, as with any mainstream system protection software, Norton Internet Security 2009 - 1 User 3 Computers (PC) provides relatively solid performance that works hard to block the Net's myriad of threats and improve the overall stability of the user's experience. Granted, it won't deflect everything that nefarious Web criminals throw at it, but there isn't a product available that guarantees such performance and NIS 09 is a marked improvement over its Norton predecessors.

Easy to use. Offers more layered scanning and security than previous Norton solutions. Regular live updating keeps protection sharp edged. Provides a convincingly comprehensive blanket for typical home users. Mainstream protection at an affordable mainstream price. Norton finally appears to be shaking its reputation for being fiddly and a little underwhelming. I'm almost converted.

avoid treat with extreme caution, 11 Nov 2008
see full review in upgrade 5 users. we had enormous problems and returned to 2008. Its caused us untold hassle. I am avoiding it.

A great photo editing package for home users, 06 Sep 2008
Presently on PcPro's `A-List', Adobe Elements is a cut down version of Adobe's £500+ Photoshop/Photoshop Extended CS4, and costs considerably less while still having a lot of useful photo editing capabilities. Photoshop CS4 has a steep learning curve, but Photoshop elements is far more home-user friendly. A lot of the program is geared towards image storage and management of the photos on your hard drive, helping with emailing, web output and scrapbooks of your images. The program can auto-downloads your images from the camera to folders, set up using the date, and can even process the images, say automatically removing red-eye, while it does it. Using stacks you can set up image databases [smart albums] using keywords like names, places, events, etc.., and you can even search using visual tags within the image. That said, I shun the image database options offered by Photoshop Elements and Extended, preferring the simplicity of logical folder names instead. Also, like PhotoShop, the image database side isn't seamlessly integrated into the image editing side [to the point where it's actually annoying].

New to Elements 7 is a new Quick Fix tool to soften surfaces while keeping the edge and detail sharp - i.e. a blur tool, which can help to remove unwanted image noise. Plus there's a new Scene Cleaner tool that can brush away undesirable objects from a photo [so you can ditch that car or tourists from the view] and there's now a Smart Brush which lets you instantly apply effects to a selected area of the image. Plus Element's 7 sports a new single step `whiten teeth', 'make grass greener' and `make the sky blue' tool - but this is little more than streamlining tools within Quick Select and Adjustment Layer Presets that were available on Elements 6. Besides Adobe's suggestion of using the tool to whiten teeth and add a suntan to say Aunt Doris's face may make her look a little ridiculous. Also new in Element's 7 will be a free subscription to Photoshop.com, a special service Adobe has devised to bring friends together by providing quick access to on-line backup, storage, and sharing capabilities. You get 2GB of on-line storage, `enough for up to 1,500 photos', so you can view your photos from virtually anywhere. Thus Photoshop Elements goes `Facebook', allowing you to share your photos `in fun, interactive ways via invitation-only'. For these `Online Albums' you will get new [quite fun] animated templates delivered to Elements on a regular basis. There will also be a Photoshop.com ` Plus' membership offering 20 Gb [15,000 photos] of on-line photo storage, but that will require you paying an annual fee. The first year's 20 Gb subscription is included in Adobe's `Elements 7 Plus' [but not this standard version].

And all the old Element 6's tools are there as well. For editing you have a set of 'quickfix' options or you can load the full image editor for greater manual control: such as adjust sharpness, correct camera distortion, levels, hue and skin colour. Naturally you have standard tools like crop and adjust image size (pixels) as well. Plus there are step-through guides [guided edit] to help you get there. The software will also integrate with scanners twain interfaces if you are into scanning film, and the Fill Light [shadow/highlight] tool is pretty essential for bringing out detail in shadows from any slide/negative scan. Plus Elements can handle RAW camera images, although I use TIFF/jpg (Elements can save in any common image format).

System requirements are quite high: CD drive, 1Gb system RAM, XP or Vista, 2GHz processor, and a Direct-X 9 graphics card [and Adobe installers can reject systems that don't meet the minimum spec]. Elements 7 perhaps isn't a crucial upgrade from Elements 6 or even 5, but for new home users, or those with older versions, it's very powerful photo editing and image database software from the market leaders. The new 'Scene Cleaner' tool should have been the 'killer app' for those considering upgrading, but it is little more than Elements 6's old PhotoMerge Group application and it requires a series of photos where one has the background free to copy across [and it sometimes gets the exposure wrong making the added bit look rather obvious].

Adobe Elements 7 has only two real competitors at the price: Paint Shop Pro X2 and Serif PhotoPlus X2. Both these programs are also excellent and worthy of consideration, with PhotoPlus's strength being it's about as powerful but rather cheaper to buy and upgrade. Likewise Corel Paint Shop pro X2 occasionally offers a bit more than Elements [layer masks, and curves], is also cheaper and a tad easier to use, although it can be buggy [not Adobe's strong point on first version release either - so install those patches]. Professional users and some SLR enthusiasts will still head towards Adobe's semi-automated PhotoShop Darkroom 2.0 and the fantastically expensive Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended, although even at work we have Adobe Elements on a few imaging workstations for casual users, where the high cost of PhotoShop CS4 Extended simply isn't justified. That said experienced Photoshop CS4 users will rapidly find Elements 7 lacking in a few key features they are used to.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 is also available to buy as a cheaper double pack with the new Adobe Premiere Elements 7 video editing software, which should be even better value than this upgrade. Plus this double pack qualifies for a large educational discount for non-commercial use if you, or a child in the house, are in full time education [from primary school to college]. Similar large educational discounts apply to much of Adobes software. Those buying for College/School department use will save even more.

quick dispatch, 15 Nov 2008
I ordered this software on Wednesday, and now I have it on Saturday, thanks. Anyway this product looks professional, but I just start to use it.

Really useful, 09 Nov 2008
This is a great product, I particularly like both the hazard tests and the huge database of DVLA questions - the perfect way to prepare for the Theory test.

Fun !!, 17 Oct 2008
This brilliant dvd-rom makes it fun to learn about driving. It gives actual videos of scenarios where you have to pick our the hazards, it gives a real life feeling of a theory test, it tells you where your strengths and weaknesses are. I recommend ift for anyone who wants to learn about driving in a fun way. I get bored very easily but with this, I sat there for a few hours engrossed in trying to better myself. Get it !!

Perfect, 15 Oct 2008

As my daughter is the one who's learning to drive, I thought it made more sense for her to write this review, so here it is...


The DVD is really easy to use and provides a lot of useful tools.

One thing I particularly noticed which I'm sure wasn't on the previous version was the help with the practical test too. This is particularly beneficial for me as I'm not able to do driving lessons now but it's helping to prepare me for the kind of things I will be learning about and the final test also - I'm sure this section will become even more relevant in the run up to the practical test.

Back to theory - the tests have to be the best part in my opinion. It's so easy to go through them again and again and are a useful learning tool; it helps me affirm what I know, what I kind of understand, and what I'm just guessing about so that I can actually have an aim with my studying of the highway code rather than trying to learn it in one go.

I have always been daunted by the highway code, but now I combine the tests with the code to break it down into more manageable pieces. I'm learning much quicker too!

Also the hazard perception test is good; I'm not always sure what a hazard is and sometimes think a post box is but the huge lorry approaching isn't. So, this part is of particular help because it teaches me about recognising hazards when driving (which I would like to be able to do!). However it would be a bonus (for me, at least) if there could be two possibilities with the hazard perception test - the straightforward test, and then a more learning-as-you-go option, so for example if I signal a hazard when there isn't necessarily one, a little box could appear saying, "This isn't necessarily a hazard", or if it is then, "Yes, that's a hazard". I find it easier to relate if I get this kind of feedback during the test rather than at the end, and then I would be able to prepare myself more so that when I start practising for the test I could turn off this feature and do it without instant feedback. If this already exists, please tell me!

Overall I would highly recommend using the DVD for people learning to drive, and I hear it's good for those recapping too. It's easier to manage than the printed highway code in my opinion, not daunting, easy to use and I feel one can learn a lot faster with this interactive style as opposed to reading it all in black and white.

It's also preparation for the real thing not just in learning and doing practice tests but in that it is electronic, just as is the exam (to my knowledge), which means you become comfortable with that format and can recall information quickly in that setting, as opposed to trying to translate pages and pages of knowledge.

All in all, highly recommended.


Does what it says on the cover - and it's still relevant if you have passed your test, 28 Sep 2008
This is the new 2008/9 edition. The program says it was 'last updated May 2008' and the content talks of 2007, but it's likely the information is really up to date, as laws change relatively slowly - besides the software can update itself via the internet anyway. Put in the DVD and the program installs quickly and runs perfectly on our Vista & XP gaming PCs, plus there are a few video options that can be set to ensure it all runs smoothly [useful as the training is very video based].

Start it up, and there's a great intro video outlining the reasons to drive safely: 95% of accidents are caused by human factors, seventeen under 25s die every week on the roads in the UK, a learner driver is 7x more likely to have an accident in his first 250 miles on the road. This video mentions research on why under 25s are so at risk, it's because they rely on their good reaction skills too heavily so that they become more aggressive in their attitude. This coupled with their inexperience on the road [hazard perception] is the cause of their notorious high accident rates [particularly among young males]. Whether any young man running this software will take much note of this is debateable, but at least the software might give them a few hazard perception skills and it will certainly help them pass the theory test [this is 'guaranteed' for users of this program] and the main driving test. For older 'safer' experienced drivers there's still much to gain from playing with this software, with it's prime message that "having the right attitude is the key to safe driving". As you would expect, it is very UK orientated, even the English voice-overs.

Once past the important intro, there's Theory test help [for the new DSA test], with training and then mock exams. You get similar help with the hazard perception test [which is the main cause of failure prior to the actual driving test]. The hazard perception test includes ten official sample clips [and many more of the same standard]. And finally there's the practical driving test, where you can view 60 video lessons, and there's show me/tell me questions plus a full mock driving test. Even more helpfully there's a lot of text/pictures that includes a Theory test book, all the roads signs you might be asked about, the official highway code, and 'safe driving for life'. There are options for learning when you are on the go, with things like printing out info and putting test/answers on your portable music player. The only downside is that the hazard perception videos are a bit blocky to the point that a distant hazard can be very tricky to perceive - not that you are marked down for it though provided you notice it as it comes nearer [click on it].

All for under a tenner, this is important software for any driver, and pretty essential viewing if your teenage kid is learning to drive. It will be well worth viewing this software yourself if you are teaching your kids to drive [so that you can ram home those safety points]. Great software.

1 YEAR DVD. IN