Norton Password Manager 2004 1.0 Complete package > Reviews (1)

A good concept poorly executed...

It is designed to mind your IDs and passwords for various websites (which is does reasonably well) and also for various desktopapplications, though since it does not handle Word or Excel, there are some major shortcomings here.

The file of ID/Password data can be copied off to disk and readily plugged into any other PC running Password Manager; however, there is no provision to print a hard copy of your own confidential info for your protection or in case you ever need to access your Internet Accounts on a machine where Password Manager is NOT installed.

Symantec Tech support characterizes this lack as a "feature designed to enhance security", but it seems intended to lock you into using the Password Manager on every machine you might ever need to access.

Although it defines what constitutes a "secure password" in terms of length and content, it lacks the ability to generate random passwords that would embody its own stated definitions of "secure".

Remember to write down whatever passwords you enter into Password Manager, because that is the last time you will ever see them!

Should your file of ID and Password data become corrupted, there is no built-in recovery procedures. It is up to you to keep a backup copy on removable media, and since the password file data is itself encrypted, recovery is literally impossible.

Again, Symantec has advised that, if the password data file becomes unuseable OR if you forget you main password, there is nothing they can do to help, so caveat emptor!

Under Windows XP pro, Password Manager requires a minimum 18M Ram, which is a significant amount of overhead expressed as a percentage of total memory installed on the average system.

In Summary:
I had hoped for a high-quality, easy to use product (given that it comes under the Norton name) but was disappointed.

While easy to use, the number of shortcomings in terms of features and what I regard as base-level functionality prevents me from any recommendation other than to avoid this product.

If you want a product that provides most of this functionality at a better price and with more features, then I suggest you consider looking for something else, there are others out there - Norton Password Manager, however, would not be my choice.

Approx cost: £20-£30