norton antivirus problem

I tried to update symantec antivirus with the intelligent updater today and now my virus software will not work. I can't find any help online ant symantec itself Is anyone else having a problem with the inteligent updater.

my version is norton antivirus (oem) for dell version 7.07.23d

I have live update active but the udate is a week old and I thought I may have a virus.

 

yes, lots of people. it actually started yesterday, bill, with defs dated 2/11/03. here's what i posted yesterday on grc.com, and it helped those who tried it.

*************************************

"like everyone else, i was unable to properly install the 3.5mb def file, but further down the page there is a big 6.5mb def file. i downloaded and installed the big file and it got me out of the jam that the 3.5mb file had put me in.

there is a real problem with nav error messages telling users to uninstall and reinstall when that is not necessary. i ran into the same recommendation from nav when scans would not complete due to supposedly corrupt .zip files, when all i had to do to remedy the situation was to uncheck the scan within compressed files option.

so don't be too quick to uninstall. it doesn't usually fix the issue anyway. "

***************************************

the same thing should work for you today, if you have had this problem with the 2/12/03 defs.

i did NOT have the same prob today, as i downloaded and installed the intelligent updater 3.56mb file, 20030212-004-i32.exe without any difficulties.

hth



mark

 

Norton Woes

I had the same problem. It also corrupted the quarrantine part of NAV so it gave me an error when it went to open it in order to delete a quarrantined file and suggested I reinstall NAV. Sooooo... smart me that's what I did!!!

Well things went from sort of working to not at all. I have Systemworks 2000 installed which NAV is part of. I tried to reinstall NAV, didn't work. Tried to reinstall Systemworks, (setup files are on my HD) didn't work, went to 5% and stopped. Uninstalled all Norton stuff, used symcln & rnav, manually deleted all reg entries, etc. Still no joy.

Actually got NAV working at one point, by installing by itself, but couldn't update the virus def's because I didn't have my "subscription" number so was basically useless as it only had def's from 1999.

End result, Norton is history and for now and I am running AVG as virus protection.

I think my Norton Systemworks install files may be faulty???

Will keep AVG for now as I quite like it and maybe try NSW 2003 some time in the future.

BTW AVG has a big update today (Feb. 12) 5MB +.

BTW, Mark, did you ever get an answer from Norton re the difference between IU & LU or should I send out the poodles to find you?

 

hey john

man, i'm bummed to read that you had such drastic nsw probs. i can relate, as i have been there, my friend.

the one time i got really fouled up with an install/uninstall/install routine with nsw, i restored a previous hd image (i use DriveImage from powerquest) and i was good to go.

i hope you get the symantec situation all straightened out.

yes. here is the excerpted reply....

"The Intelligent Updater files are basically a complete set of Virus definitions. LiveUpdate on the other hand will check the Symantec web site for new updates and download only these updates. The existing definitions on your computer will be appended with these updates.

Hence the Intelligent Updater file is large in size compared to the LiveUpdate files. "



mark

 

John

1st! My advice forget the System Works.

Now for a shock!

Boot to safe mode!

Start-Run

regedit

Click the My Computer at top of regedit to hilite.

The ctrl F to find

type

norton

when it finds an entry hit the del key to delete it, then F3 to continue the search.

You think the uninstall and the symclean and rnav have uninstalled it huh!

After 10-15 minutes of deleteing norton junk. Then go back to the top hilite My Computer again so you are searching from the beginning and do the same all over again with

SYMANTEC

I hope you have already searched the HD for norton*.* and syman*.* and deleted them. If not do that also.

All of this is better done in safe mode.

After this, while still in safe mode run any and all registry cleaners before booting back to full mode.

But also before booting back to full go to Start-Run and type

sfc /scannow

Mike

 

Thanks Mike, I have done the regedit/F3 thing, but from normal mode. Deleted lots of Norton, Symantec, LiveUpdate, etc. entries. Also deleted same names from HD and run Regcleaner.

Havn't run sfc /scannow, what does it do as opposed to just sfc "scan for altered files?

I think I will go back and do from safe mode as you suggest. Will probably find more.

As of now computer is running just fine, actually runs a little faster when loading some app's. now that Norton isn't in the way.


Mark: Norton's answer makes sense I guess, I have called off the poodles.

 

Just a few hours ago I found out that others were having the same problems I did with Intelligent...I, unfortunately, went ahead and did all the procedures mentioned above ...but this was starting from yesterday at 1PM. I finally got a good, clean install of SystemWorks2002 and Firewall2002 at 5PM today!

Only problem I have now...if I leave the Internet and go to my desktop and try to come back...I have to go into Firewall 'installed applications allowed' and re-enter Internet Explorer everytime.

I have cable...no problem there at all...just started with the re-install of the 2 Norton products.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

 

Ok John sounds like you have already done pretty good!

If it is running good probably not nessesary to do the search again.

The only reason I suggested safe mode was less possibility of an open file or registry key that could not be deleted!

Don't think you will find anything else?

Mike

 

Went back and did all as you suggested from Safe Mode, came up with about another 12-15 entries between the registry and cleaning the HD. Also scandisked and defraged so should be OK now. Thanks.

 

I'm not too surprised but this is what safe mode is for!

You should be in good shape now! You did good!

You might want to look at XPantispy (for XP and 2K)

http://www.webattack.com/get/xpantispy.shtml

Select most everything except these 4 items.
1. Don’t show balloon tips
2. Enable fast shutdown
3. Increase MaxConnectionsperServer to 10
4. Disable Task Scheduler service

After the first reboot after you run XPAntiSpy go back to XpAntiSpy and uncheck the clear Pagefile at shutdown, as we only want to clear it once.

Also
NSClean cleanups and exploit fixes


http://www.nsclean.com/freebies.html
http://nsclean.com/dsostop.html
http://nsclean.com/htastop.html
http://nsclean.com/0click.html
http://nsclean.com/socklock.html
http://nsclean.com/sclean.html

XP & 2K Tweaks and services configuration
http://blackviper.com/
http://members.internettrash.com/megapolon/xptweak2.html
http://www.theeldergeek.com/index.htm
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_h.htm
http://www.dougknox.com/
http://tweakxp.com/tweakxp/
http://beemerworld.com/tips/servicesxp.htm
http://www.aumha.org/regfiles.htm
http://win2000tips.home.att.net/Tipstricks.htm#Pagefile

Closing this one

Mike

 

mike, your instructions ruled, man. they were real clear and real helpful. i learned a lot, following along. i never have used safe mode to fully remove remnants of an old program, and i see now how it's done properly.

i thought, for instance, that i had removed all files and entries associated with a canon multifunction peripheral i used to use, but following the routine you outlined (except for safe mode), i found a good dozen reg entries still remaining! i didn't use safe mode cause i was just looking around for now.

i am not experiencing any probs that i am aware of attributable to these left over entries, but just the same, i will boot into safe mode and go after these remnants soon.

thanks for helping john (and others) with that post.



mark

 

Again thanks Mike, and thanks for the tips in your last post, will browse through them when I have time. One last thing: I somehow, in my thrashing about the registry, deleted the registry key for "TypedURLs ". This is the key that stores URLs typed into the browser address bar. I have gone past the scanreg /restore stage, backups now too new besides don't want to put all the norton stuff back, so is there a way to manually replace this key? I think I saw in some other posts using notepad to make a REGEDIT4 something and then merge into the registry. I would need the correct format for the key.

TIA, John.

 

Never mind, fixed it!!!

Fixed the missing registry key by using the IE 5.5 repair tool. It replaced the key!!!

Lesson for today: Check the simple things first!!!!

 

Thanks to all. I am back up and running but I didn't reinstall norton nor did I do the regedit thing. I want to know if I should be conserned about NAV.

After loosing access to NAV I was looking around and found a post from Daisey refering to HOUSECALL on line scanner. It found a file on my computer since December that was infected with the klez.h virus.

I Have had NAV the entire time I have had the computer always used live update to keep up on def. My last full system scan was less than a month ago. How did the file get there and why was it missed?

I used nortons removal tool from safe mode to eliminate the file and don't see any signs of the virus now. I ran live update (this morning) and that brought back the ability to reenable NAV auto protect in my task bar. (It was disabled when I tried the intelligent updater)

Is there something I am missing with NAV 2001?

 

Have you had other Viri. Some are now smart enough to disable some of the more well known virus scanners. And you think it is working.

There has been many that had to completely uninstall and reinstall for this reason.

Usually same as you after finding the virus in other ways as you did with an online scan.

Good idea if you have a virus or suspect to do an online "just to keep you on disk virus scanner honest ".

You have removee Norton (thats a good thing anyway) installed AVG and done an online scan.

SO STOP WORRYING!!!

Mike

 

NAV Problem

You need to delete and reinstall your NAV. That's the only effective solution we've found.

 

NAV pass, AVG fail... consistently

February 2003: Windows NT
November 2002 - Windows 2000
Grisoft (AVG) history Result summary: 1 pass / 19 fails
Symantec (NAV) history Result summary: 19 passes / 6 fails

 

Thanks Mark

I found that interesting. I was surprised though.

Because on ocasion I have used it to find Viri that the big 2 had missed.

On my system at home which is a triple boot my paid registered Scanner is Computer Associates EZtrust (InoculateIT) on my primary logon.

I have found it to be the most effecient with the processor than any other. I found this out after replacing a few hundred Nortons and Mcafee's under my administration. They were replaced because they misssed some and mostly because of the load on the cpu.

On my second log in I use AVG. So at the even suspicion of a Virus I run 1 then log off and run the other. Additionally I keep F-Prot for DOS and will run that also.

Sometimes I will even do an online.

If no problems I cycle the one that I use to do a full scan every 3-4 weeks.

Bottom line I don't have to put all my eggs in one basket, but Norton and Mcafee will be the last i will use.

Mike

 

gee why am i not surprised? <g> i was replying to a post in which you said that removing norton is a good thing!

AVG also isn't showing up on either of West Coast Lab's Checkmark certification ( http://www.westcoast.com/checkmark/ ) lists.

Anti-Virus Checkmark Level 1
For a product to be certified to Anti-Virus Checkmark, Level One the product must be able to detect all those viruses which are "In the Wild ".
http://www.westcoast.com/checkmark/products.html

Anti-Virus Checkmark Level 2
For a product to be certified Anti-Virus Checkmark, Level Two the product must comply with Anti-Virus Checkmark, Level One and, in addition, disinfect all viruses on the "in the wild" list which are capable of disinfection.
http://www.westcoast.com/checkmark/products_av2.html

mainly what i want to do here is present the other side, since you repeatedly post that NAV is bad and AVG is good.



mark

 

Hi Mark

I understand.

But I do not find that to be true in the real world.

Where I have repalced Norton and Mcafee both because of a virus that did get by (rarely but has happend) or mostly because it was dogging the cpu.

I have yet to find out why it does this on some computers and not others. Undoubtly a combo of BIOS and/or other software mix.

But in any case after removing Norton or Mcafee AVG has found Viri that was still there.

I probably should qualify my reccomendation.

My Number one prefrence is EZTrust (formerly InoculateIT) that I use at home and on almost all workstaions at work and my clients over 1000 computers.

This is my reccomendation for anyone who is buying a new virus scanner.

But if they want free then AVG or AntiVir.

Another reason I don't like Norton or Mcafee is how they try to take over the system.

Works OK untill something happens to it. Then you have a problem like Bill had. Then you turn flips getting it uninstalled even to reinstall it!

Mike