Free Antivirus / Internet Security Software

October 25th, 2006 | Antivirus Software

Category: Software / Anti-virus & Internet Security

Free After Rebate! Thru Oct 31, 2006
Good for up to 3 PC’s…

I am always really happy when I can find a tech deal that ends up costing nothing. (Of course, these deals are always “after rebate” freebies, so if you don’t like rebates, don’t trust rebates, or if rebates are too much of a hassle, this deal isn’t for you.)

When I was writing yesterday’s tech deal about the $4.99 1GB Memorex flash drive, I noticed that the CA Internet Security Suite was bundled with several different products on TigerDirect, as well as being offered separately for a net price of $0.00. Computer Associates is really serious about breaking into the Home & Home Office software market, so through the end of October 2006 they are offering to rebate the entire price of their CA Internet Security Suite if you upgrade from a previous version or switch over from a competitor’s product.

Although I haven’t personally used this suite, I am very familiar with CA software. In my ol’ mainframe days, we relied on Computer Associates’ software to give us access and control with utilities that IBM didn’t supply (or didn’t build as well). High-quality software has always been CA’s mainstay.

The Computer Associates Internet Security Suite is a direct competitor to Symantec’s Norton Internet Security as well as McAfee’s products. It offers Anti-virus, Anti-spyware, a personal Firewall, and Parental Controls, just like the more popular Symantec products. The CA product, however, is a 3-user license; you can be legal for 3 PC’s with one package. The Internet Security Suite also has a unique guarantee from Computer Associates: With this product, CA is covering you for up to $1500 of damage caused by any virus that this program did not protect against, and up to $5000 of identity theft losses (related to addressing and cleaning up the identity theft) even if the loss was not caused by accessing personal information on your computer. (Jurisdictional restrictions apply… sorry New Yorkers. See the details on the product page.)

In the interest of full disclosure (and to prevent you from wasting time, if this isn’t a good match for you), please note the following:

• You can get the full rebate only if you upgrade from a previous version or switch over from a competitor’s product (See rebate terms for the details.)
• The product isn’t absolutely free. (That is, it’s not quite as good a deal as a five-finger discount.) Ground shipping will cost approximately $7.00 within the U.S.
• Florida, Illinois and North Carolina residents will have to pay state sales tax

Phillip Dale

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