Anyway, so as usual every year I bought my Norton and installed AND
registered it
online in January.
In February I changed my internet provider from Cablecom to Swisscom.
(I'm a Brit living in Switzerland)

Already in January this worm called Driveclean kept popping up and
telling me that the "sex-pages" (like Shakespeare websites) I was
loking at would leave traces on my PC, and should it scan, etc.

Then a few days ago a window popped up saying User32.exe had been
illegally transferred and was occupying another address, and my system
wouldn't work, etc.

All this time, my Norton Liveupdates were blithely telling me that my
PC
was absolutely healthy.

(See how they lie to us - they lie!)

So I googled and then got onto the Microsoft page which suplied a
download patch to solve the User32.exe (which happens to be a Trojan)
problem, downloaded it....

and now my Norton has shut down and told me my subscription had
expired!

So I deleted it from my PC and re-installed it yesterday, and it told
me
I had another 299 days to go...

And today my PC was slow to start, had to re-start about 8 times, etc.
and my Norton told me my subscription had expired completely.

So I removed it and installed a different, free anti-virus programme
and
on Tuesday I'm going to take the Norton package back to the shop and
I'd like to find those Symantic guys and fling the whole thing into
their
ugly faces.

But of course they have no mail address and their telephone number
apparently doesn't even work. And costs 16 Euros, the cheeky buggers!

Instead of Easter-holidaying, I've spent a total of 8 hours trying to
fix my PC.



But otherwise, I'm fine.

RT

Anything of Norton sucks. I had problems with Norton Antivirus 2004 then I
started checking around for another solution. I found others that are
better, don't screw up your PC, slow your system down, etc... I advise
anyone to RUN- Don't walk from any Norton or McAfee product. Keep those
away from your PC.

You can use AVAST or AVG FREE, or even Active Virus Shield on your machine
and be much happier and protected.

I Run Active Virus Shield on my XP box, don't know if it runs on Vista yet,
but on my Vista PC, I am running Avast. No viruses, and the virus
definitions get updated more frequently than Norton or McAfee.

Hope that helps a bit.


"Roundtable" <lancelotinlove@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1176050520.646030.307820@l77g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
> Anyway, so as usual every year I bought my Norton and installed AND
> registered it
> online in January.
> In February I changed my internet provider from Cablecom to Swisscom.
> (I'm a Brit living in Switzerland)
>
> Already in January this worm called Driveclean kept popping up and
> telling me that the "sex-pages" (like Shakespeare websites) I was
> loking at would leave traces on my PC, and should it scan, etc.
>
> Then a few days ago a window popped up saying User32.exe had been
> illegally transferred and was occupying another address, and my system
> wouldn't work, etc.
>
> All this time, my Norton Liveupdates were blithely telling me that my
> PC
> was absolutely healthy.
>
> (See how they lie to us - they lie!)
>
> So I googled and then got onto the Microsoft page which suplied a
> download patch to solve the User32.exe (which happens to be a Trojan)
> problem, downloaded it....
>
> and now my Norton has shut down and told me my subscription had
> expired!
>
> So I deleted it from my PC and re-installed it yesterday, and it told
> me
> I had another 299 days to go...
>
> And today my PC was slow to start, had to re-start about 8 times, etc.
> and my Norton told me my subscription had expired completely.
>
> So I removed it and installed a different, free anti-virus programme
> and
> on Tuesday I'm going to take the Norton package back to the shop and
> I'd like to find those Symantic guys and fling the whole thing into
> their
> ugly faces.
>
> But of course they have no mail address and their telephone number
> apparently doesn't even work. And costs 16 Euros, the cheeky buggers!
>
> Instead of Easter-holidaying, I've spent a total of 8 hours trying to
> fix my PC.
>
> But otherwise, I'm fine.
>
> RT
>

"Roundtable" <lancelotinlove@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1176050520.646030.307820@l77g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
> Anyway, so as usual every year I bought my Norton and installed AND
> registered it
> online in January.
> In February I changed my internet provider from Cablecom to Swisscom.
> (I'm a Brit living in Switzerland)
>
> Already in January this worm called Driveclean kept popping up and
> telling me that the "sex-pages" (like Shakespeare websites) I was
> loking at would leave traces on my PC, and should it scan, etc.
>
> Then a few days ago a window popped up saying User32.exe had been
> illegally transferred and was occupying another address, and my system
> wouldn't work, etc.
>
> All this time, my Norton Liveupdates were blithely telling me that my
> PC
> was absolutely healthy.
>
> (See how they lie to us - they lie!)
>
> So I googled and then got onto the Microsoft page which suplied a
> download patch to solve the User32.exe (which happens to be a Trojan)
> problem, downloaded it....
>
> and now my Norton has shut down and told me my subscription had
> expired!
>
> So I deleted it from my PC and re-installed it yesterday, and it told
> me
> I had another 299 days to go...
>
> And today my PC was slow to start, had to re-start about 8 times, etc.
> and my Norton told me my subscription had expired completely.
>
> So I removed it and installed a different, free anti-virus programme
> and
> on Tuesday I'm going to take the Norton package back to the shop and
> I'd like to find those Symantic guys and fling the whole thing into
> their
> ugly faces.
>
> But of course they have no mail address and their telephone number
> apparently doesn't even work. And costs 16 Euros, the cheeky buggers!
>
> Instead of Easter-holidaying, I've spent a total of 8 hours trying to
> fix my PC.
>
> But otherwise, I'm fine.
>
> RT
>
As a member of our Computer Club's house call group, I generally remove
Norton or McAfee from the club member's computers on set up. I install the
free AVG Anti-virus. Symantec and McAfee have gotten on to this and now have
convinced Dell, HP and Gateway to offer their wares with 1-year paid
subscriptions or an upgrade to 2-year, 3-year and 4-year options. Once a
member has paid for those options, I will leave them on the system.

Symantec World Headquarters
Symantec Corporation
World Headquarters
20330 Stevens Creek Boulevard
Cupertino, CA 95014-2132 Directions
Key Sites
Singapore
6 Battery Road
#22-01/02/03 049909
Singapore

Dublin, Ireland
Ballycoolin Business Park
Blanchardstown
Dublin 15
Ireland
Tokyo, Japan
Akasaka Intercity 9F
1-11-44 Akasaka
Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052
Japan
Phone: + 81 3 5114 4000
Fax: + 81 3 5114 4040

"Spanky deMonkey" <Spanky@yadayadayada.net> wrote in message
news:%23HNQ9BgeHHA.5044@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> Anything of Norton sucks. I had problems with Norton Antivirus 2004 then
> I started checking around for another solution. I found others that are
> better, don't screw up your PC, slow your system down, etc... I advise
> anyone to RUN- Don't walk from any Norton or McAfee product. Keep those
> away from your PC.
>
> You can use AVAST or AVG FREE, or even Active Virus Shield on your machine
> and be much happier and protected.
>
> I Run Active Virus Shield on my XP box, don't know if it runs on Vista
> yet, but on my Vista PC, I am running Avast. No viruses, and the virus
> definitions get updated more frequently than Norton or McAfee.
>
> Hope that helps a bit.
>
AVG updates every-single-night on my computer. Free too.

"Slap" <slap@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:K1aSh.45348$DE1.33037@pd7urf2no...

> AVG updates every-single-night on my computer.

Yes indeed - mine too.

> Free too.

I have the SoHo edition because I need 64-bit support - worth every penny...

Get NOD32

On 8 Apr 2007 09:42:00 -0700, "Roundtable"
<lancelotinlove@hotmail.com> wrote:

- - - snipped - - -
>So I removed it and installed a different, free anti-virus programme
>and on Tuesday I'm going to take the Norton package back to the shop and
>I'd like to find those Symantic guys and fling the whole thing into
>their ugly faces.
>
>But of course they have no mail address and their telephone number
>apparently doesn't even work. And costs 16 Euros, the cheeky buggers!
>
>Instead of Easter-holidaying, I've spent a total of 8 hours trying to
>fix my PC.
>
>But otherwise, I'm fine.
>
>RT

A view from the "other side"...

FWIW, I installed NORTON 360 on my Windows Vista Business based system
and it has not caused me any grief. I have had it on this system since
it was released. I am also a registered user of AVG Pro 7.5 (now on my
wife's system) and I tried ZoneAlarm Security Suite (was on my XP Pro
box, but had to dump it when I went to Vista as they "still" do not
have a Vista compatible suite), McAffee and Microsoft OneCare suites
on this system.

NORTON 360 is Vista compatible and it has been the most stable and
unobtrusive "suite" (up to now). By the way, I am an on-line gamer and
NORTON 360 has not caused me any problems... which is good!

Now I do not deny that NORTON, McAffee and others have become bloated
packages and that they can cause problems on some computers. However,
we should remember that it is not generally the case. If it was, then
those companies would have went bankrupt quite a while ago!

______________________

The Traveller
Oceanside, California

On 8 Apr 2007 09:42:00 -0700, "Roundtable"

>Anyway, so as usual every year I bought my Norton and installed AND
>registered it online in January.

Not a fast learner, eh? (sorry, couldn't resist <g> )

>In February I changed my internet provider from Cablecom to Swisscom.
>(I'm a Brit living in Switzerland)

OK...

>Already in January this worm called Driveclean kept popping up and
>telling me that the "sex-pages" (like Shakespeare websites) I was
>loking at would leave traces on my PC, and should it scan, etc.

Antivirus software such as "Norton" (in reality, post-Norton Symantec)
are weak on commercial malware, and it sounds like you got click-happy
when some web site popped up a fake "system error dialog".

Write this in flaming letters: NO AV WILL PROTECT YOU SO WELL THAT YOU
CAN GET CLICK WHATEVER YOU LIKE WITH IMPUNITY. That's not just for
Roundtable, but for everyone who says "In Norton We Trust".

>Then a few days ago a window popped up saying User32.exe had been
>illegally transferred and was occupying another address, and my system
>wouldn't work, etc.

That, OTOH, sounds like a known issue that arises if you:
- have Reaktek audio control installed (sound driver foistware)
- apply a recent patch against the ANI exploit

If so, this is not a malware effect. Let me find you the hotfix URL:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...playlang=en&tm

(Thanks, Susan Bradley!)

>All this time, my Norton Liveupdates were blithely telling me that my
>PC was absolutely healthy.

Yup. Once malware goes resident, the av is pretty much out of the
trust loop. If you came home to find your club doorman standing
firmly at his post while a gang of misfits ran amok inside, would you
trust him when he says "all's well, squire"?

>(See how they lie to us - they lie!)

A resident av is running in the same infected OS as the malware, so
it's a fight among "equals" (best-case). It's as if there was a
burglar deep in the bowels of your darkened house, with his gun drawn
and pointing at the illuminated doorway through which you will appear
asking "hello, is anyone there?" I know where I'd place my bets.

>So I googled and then got onto the Microsoft page which suplied a
>download patch to solve the User32.exe (which happens to be a Trojan)
>problem, downloaded it....

>and now my Norton has shut down and told me my subscription had
>expired!

Norton AV will do that, and if you know a bit more about it, you can
(as I do) guess why this is.

Norton AV is feeware (i.e. you pay for it, that's why it dies every
year so that you're encouraged to pay again).

Not only that, but Symantec are a vandor who embed commercial malware
within the product; something like Windows Product Activation to fuss
about whether you're "properly licensed" or not, whether it's still on
the "same PC" or is now on a "different PC".

This means you have hidden, undocumented code from Symantec that is
operating against your interests for their commercial reasons (hence
described as "commercial malware").

This makes the av more brittle; any changes may make it "think"you're
breaking your license terms, and so (being a vandor, i.e. VANdal +
venDOR) the program logic deliberately stops working. Nice, eh?

In the context of malware, one often has to go bare-knuckles looking
for hidden code etc. but in this case, you also have to ask; is this
part of "Norton"'s stealth licening crap, or is it the malware I'm
after? If I kill this, am I cleaning my system, or hobbling my
defenses so that I can be more easily overrun? Do I feel lucky?

As you can guess, my answer is to simply use a product that sucks
less, from a vendor that isn't aiming to stab me in the back with one
hand even as he takes my money with the other.

>And today my PC was slow to start, had to re-start about 8 times, etc.
>and my Norton told me my subscription had expired completely.

>So I removed it and installed a different, free anti-virus programme
>and on Tuesday I'm going to take the Norton package back to
>the shop and I'd like to find those Symantic guys and fling the
>whole thing into their ugly faces.

Ah, the enlightenment begins ;-)



>-------------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -
Running Windows-based av to kill active malware is like striking
a match to see if what you are standing in is water or petrol.
>-------------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -

"Roundtable" <lancelotinlove@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1176050520.646030.307820@l77g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
> Anyway, so as usual every year I bought my Norton and installed AND
> registered it
> online in January.

NOD32.

http://www.eset.com/



-Michael

Norton Internet Security Has Sucked A** For Years, Just FYI.

Kevin John Panzke (MSDN Operationg Systems Level Subscriber).

P.S. Try Using Avast 4.7 (Free For Home Edition Users, Pro Edition Is Only
$49.99 USA Dollars A Year For A 1 Year Subscription, Discounts Apply For A 2
Or 3 Year Subscription), Also Just FYI.

"Roundtable" <lancelotinlove@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1176050520.646030.307820@l77g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
> Anyway, so as usual every year I bought my Norton and installed AND
> registered it
> online in January.
> In February I changed my internet provider from Cablecom to Swisscom.
> (I'm a Brit living in Switzerland)
>
> Already in January this worm called Driveclean kept popping up and
> telling me that the "sex-pages" (like Shakespeare websites) I was
> loking at would leave traces on my PC, and should it scan, etc.
>
> Then a few days ago a window popped up saying User32.exe had been
> illegally transferred and was occupying another address, and my system
> wouldn't work, etc.
>
> All this time, my Norton Liveupdates were blithely telling me that my
> PC
> was absolutely healthy.
>
> (See how they lie to us - they lie!)
>
> So I googled and then got onto the Microsoft page which suplied a
> download patch to solve the User32.exe (which happens to be a Trojan)
> problem, downloaded it....
>
> and now my Norton has shut down and told me my subscription had
> expired!
>
> So I deleted it from my PC and re-installed it yesterday, and it told
> me
> I had another 299 days to go...
>
> And today my PC was slow to start, had to re-start about 8 times, etc.
> and my Norton told me my subscription had expired completely.
>
> So I removed it and installed a different, free anti-virus programme
> and
> on Tuesday I'm going to take the Norton package back to the shop and
> I'd like to find those Symantic guys and fling the whole thing into
> their
> ugly faces.
>
> But of course they have no mail address and their telephone number
> apparently doesn't even work. And costs 16 Euros, the cheeky buggers!
>
> Instead of Easter-holidaying, I've spent a total of 8 hours trying to
> fix my PC.
>
> But otherwise, I'm fine.
>
> RT
>