Help with anti-virus

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 8 Oct 2008 1:51 am

Having tried to expunge all of Yahoo/Windows Computers Associates anti-virus, I get a prompt that says AVG or Zone Labs won't install because I already have anti-virus.
I can't find any of that in programs to delete.
There are traces of Semantec listed in Program Files.
Any ideas what to do to completely rid the artifacts?

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 8 Oct 2008 6:13 am

The Norton/Symantic is probably the culprit as it can be hard (and sometimes impossible) to completely get rid of Norton. Norton does have a utility program that is supposed to get rid of all the files and registry files. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. If it doesn't there are two options, a complete reinstall (including reformatting the hard drive) or trying to manually delete all the Norton/Symantic registry entries (and hoping you don't delete something that corrupts the registry).

Norton Removal Tool

It may be something else but usually it's Norton that is causing the problem. I had that on my system one time (I had dumped Norton and was going to install a different Security Suite but it wouldn't install because of left over framents of Norton).

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 8 Oct 2008 6:42 am

Thanks Jack. I'll give it a try, but I don't have the product code anymore; we dumped Norton a good while back. I believe I'll delete manually the remaining files, .dll and .txt.

Computer Associates seems to be the culprit, what comes with Yahoo. May try to reload the whole browser.
I'm learning a lot by getting this computer in shape.

There seem to be a lot of leftover things in program files. Is it all right to delete whatever is no longer in use?

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 8 Oct 2008 9:08 am

Just deleteing files usually will not do anything and you have to be careful there to not delete something that you still need.

The problem is usually Registry entries. And as noted you have to be careful if you manually edit the registry. If decide to do that, backup the Registry first in case you corrupt the registry, it can be restored if the "last known good configuration" won't allow Windows to start.

Norton used to have a cleanup program that did not require a Norton Product Code. Maybe you can find that old program with a google search.

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 8 Oct 2008 12:38 pm

I set a restore point and eliminated tahe last few files, and have found a pretty good anti-virus/adware setup for now.
Registry is what I'll need to learn about next.
Thanks for the help, Jack.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 10 Oct 2008 6:52 pm

Since I am having problems that might have been caused by Norton, and have had nothing but bad luck with McAfee products, what is the best anti-virus, computer protection suite available?

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 10 Oct 2008 10:49 pm

Richard Sinkler wrote:Since I am having problems that might have been caused by Norton, and have had nothing but bad luck with McAfee products, what is the best anti-virus, computer protection suite available?

Richard;
See my recent SGF posting about the benefits of Trend Micro Internet Security 2009. There are links if you are interested in trying it free for 30 days.

Bruce Atkinson · Post by **Bruce Atkinson** » 11 Oct 2008 1:28 am

I'm suspicious of Norton myself, these days. I've been a loyal Norton user for over 20 years! I go -way- back to Norton Utilities 1.1 (on a 5.25" 'flippy' diskette! - I still have it filed away somewhere!!).

Lately, however, Norton Internet Security has been going wild on my computer simultaneously spawning 20-30 copies of some routines. Most recent was LUCALLBACKPROXY.EXE. I had no choice but to disable the Live Update to 'get my machine back'.

I've been thinking of making the jump to McAfee, but in years past, I've had problems with them on other peoples computers.

So, is Trend Micro the way to go? Is it as robust as the other two in protecting me? In all the years I've had Norton Internet Security, I've NEVER been bitten with a virus! It also interfaces beautifully with MS Outlook and splits off 90% or so of the spam I get into the Spam folder. It also allows me to put 'good' email into the Spam folder...eg, advertisers I do business with. Does Trend Micro have similar interfaces with Outlook? I'm getting VERY interested....

And, oh yes, I know the troubles trying to get rid of Norton...almost as hard as getting rid of AOL on friends computers!

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 11 Oct 2008 4:48 am

Trend Micro, looks good, but it says I've got to have 128 Meg of RAM, and I've got that.

How easy/cheap is adding memory?
I'll ask the board.... Seems I'm spending more time in computers lately....

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 11 Oct 2008 9:21 am

For Trend Micro Internet Security (PC-cillin) 2009 - I recommend a fast CPU with at least 1 Gb DDR RAM. I have an AMD processor running at 2200 Mhz and 1 Gb Crucial DDR RAM. When I browse web pages or emails that require a vertical slider, the motion becomes a bit choppy on my machine. I believe this is caused by the checking up of the links on each page or in each email. So, for a computer with those specs there is a slight hit in the usual response time of scrolling, or new pages opening. This is for our protection, but comes with a cost.

I think that if your computers are newer and clock faster than mine and have say 2 to 4 Gb of DDR-2 Dual Channel RAM, you won't even notice this web threat protection in action. If your computer has a CPU clocking at or less than 2200 Mhz, and you only have 512 MB RAM, this may not be the right product for you. That is why Trend now offers a 30 free trial, fully functional. My web page about PC-cillin 2009 has a direct link to the trial downloads of both PC-cillin and Trend Micro Internet Security Pro.

As a sidebar, just about all of the combined security suites are very intensive on older computers. Most are designed with new Vista computers in mind, with super fast CPUs and lots of RAM.

Bruce Atkinson · Post by **Bruce Atkinson** » 11 Oct 2008 10:38 am

I'll give it a shot. Norton keeps hogging more and more of my CPU. Even though I'm running an AMD XP 3200 CPU w/2.5 gig RAM, sometimes I see the HD just 'running wild' when I go from one screen to the next on the web.

Adios, Symantec!

Many thanks for the info, Wiz!

Jon Light · Post by **Jon Light** » 11 Oct 2008 10:57 am

Here's a related question that sort of bucks the trend (no pun intended). My newish machine came with a trial Norton that is about to expire. I have had NO problems with it and it has alerted me more than once about dangerous potential downloads. I have no issues with it and if it is a bloated resource hog I can't say I've noticed or been bothered.
Considering this, I'm inclined to want to simply renew/subscribe (for $49.) My interest is in the simplest course of action. I'm not looking for the best. Status quo and 'good enough' suits me fine.
So...if it ain't broke, any reason not to go ahead and re-up with Norton?

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 11 Oct 2008 12:34 pm

Jon Light wrote:Here's a related question that sort of bucks the trend (no pun intended). My newish machine came with a trial Norton that is about to expire. I have had NO problems with it and it has alerted me more than once about dangerous potential downloads. I have no issues with it and if it is a bloated resource hog I can't say I've noticed or been bothered.
Considering this, I'm inclined to want to simply renew/subscribe (for $49.) My interest is in the simplest course of action. I'm not looking for the best. Status quo and 'good enough' suits me fine.
So...if it ain't broke, any reason not to go ahead and re-up with Norton?

Jon;
There is absolutely no reason to not pay to subscribe if you are happy with the existing product and intend to keep it, such as it is. However, most virus protection has been updated to new 2009 flavors, including all Symantec products. You might be better off contacting them about upgrading at the same time you renew for a year.

Be forewarned, Symantec's billing system renewals are Opt-Out, not Opt-in. Once you pay with a credit or debit card they will automatically attempt to renew your subscription, as the old one is expiring. If you had deleted a Symantec product and forgot about this you would be alarmed when you discovered the recurring charges on your statement.

Opting-out of Symantec auto-renewals may actually take a phone call to accomplish, unless things have changed over the last 12 months.

Bruce Atkinson · Post by **Bruce Atkinson** » 11 Oct 2008 2:34 pm

Well, I bit the bullet...Norton Anti-Virus is now gone and Trend Micro Internet Security Pro is up and running!

First impressions...
1. My computer is running NOTICABLY 'snappier'...from boot up, to program load-up time, to internet activity.
2. Configuring the automatic virus scans is far, far easier than doing it with Norton! It used to take me 2-3 minutes to even FIND how to schedule a weekly scan with Norton...it's clear, easy to understand, and has multiple levels of what gets scanned and when.
3. Ditto on automatic updates. Norton's Live Update mechanism is quite cumbersome, requires manual intervention, and in comparison, slow.
4. I like the configurable levels of anti-spam protection now available in Outlook!

Wiz, many thanks for steering me to this product! I never knew it existed!

And yes, this probably sounds like a commercial, but the product works and works well!

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 11 Oct 2008 3:21 pm

Come to think of it, Norton keeps sending me messages to upgrade to a new version and I put it off until the other day. I started the download and installation, but it won't complete the install. I still get the messages to upgrade. I think I will try Trend's product and dump Norton.

Jon Light · Post by **Jon Light** » 11 Oct 2008 3:39 pm

I went ahead and re-upped my Norton just before Bruces last post. Reading it made me wonder if I made the wrong call. But again, I'm satisfied with current performance and don't feel like chasing after possibilities of greener grass.
Wiz--your account of the opt-in/opt-out thing did give me pause. I've chosen a path of least resistance at the moment but here's hoping that it doesn't end up being far more nuisance down the line than changing AV providers now would have been.

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 11 Oct 2008 5:26 pm

We bought Norton years ago and let it lapse.
I have sheafs of paper (now scrap for re-use; I mean a ton of printouts) from Symantec about fixes. We got fed up.

Jon Light · Post by **Jon Light** » 12 Oct 2008 6:51 am

When I renewed my Norton yesterday, included in my confirmation note was the pat on the back for joining their auto-renewal-'til-the-day-I-die program.
After congratulating myself profusely I set out to find out how to undo this nonsense. Lord, they sure make it difficult to find, follow and implement. After several dead-end trails I found an unlikely link. I had to watch a movie

about how all smart people opt in (Gallant) and only bad evildoers want to opt out (Goofus). Well, I made up some of the story line...I do that when I'm bored.....but they made it clear that if my computer is hijacked by al-qaida or unitarians next year it is my own fault.
Anyway, I jumped thru serious hoops but it would appear that I have successfully opted for reminders and manual renewal next year.

And as naive as this sounds---I'm neither the sharpest nor the dullest tack in the computer drawer. Plenty of easy stuff eludes me. But there's no way this was my dimness.
They clearly made it difficult and hoped that someone like me would give up and let it ride. (I'm shocked! Shocked!) I am now well warned that this company is hostile to consumers. Next year I will hopefully be less lazy and will ditch them.

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 12 Oct 2008 10:13 am

I guess that Norton/Symantec isn't the Lone Ranger when it comes to forced automatic renewals, but they are among the hardest to unsubscribe from. Many security products now have auto-renewal, unless you cancel before the renewal date. They do this to ensure a probable/predictable cash flow for the next fiscal year. Most, unlike Symantec, make it easier to find the link to opt-out of further auto-renewals.

As regards Trend Micro, thank you to those who have downloaded a trial copy (recommended) or bought a subscription (after testing it for a few days). If you are unhappy with your current anti-virus/spyware protection and want to try PC-cillin or Internet Security Pro, here is a link to my page describing the two products. There are discount codes there for both products, should you decide to buy into them.

Jon;
If you don't mind, would you go back to the Norton auto renewal page and copy the link to opt-out, then paste it into this thread

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 12 Oct 2008 11:26 am

To try Trends product, I have to uninstall Norton, right?

If you have trouble unsubscribing to Norton or any other service, you can contact your bank or credit card company to stop paying them. Have done this a couple of times including McAfee.

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 12 Oct 2008 12:43 pm

Good idea, Richard. Just say no.
They'll be shocked!

Norton is as hard to get rid of as AOL.
Still have some residue from both.

For my purposes, getting a rack load of memory and taking advantage of what Yahoo provides makes the most sense.
Thank you Wiz and all.

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 12 Oct 2008 12:58 pm

Richard Sinkler wrote:To try Trends product, I have to uninstall Norton, right?

Correct! You should not even try to run two anti virus programs at the same time. Trend Micro will inform you about this as you install it, plus any other conflicting security programs. Spybot must go also,

but SUPERAntiSpyware can stay.

If you are going to give PC-cillin a fair trial, uninstall all conflicting programs and install the whole ball of wax. If it works out, great. If not, uninstall it and reinstall the other stuff.

Jon Light · Post by **Jon Light** » 12 Oct 2008 1:36 pm

Hey Wiz---remarkably, I'm quite confused (gee, there's a new sensation) because with all the crap I crawled through to get from there to here, it would seem that all I had to do was hit the link in my renewal confirmation email that opened this page:

https://lcwer.symantec.com/OngoingProte ... ancel.aspx

My confusion stems from the fact that I was getting odd windows opening when I tried to deal with subscriptions through my Norton program---in fact it still is giving me conflicting subscription status info vs. checking my Norton account online. The email gives me a step-by-step procedure to update my program but the menu option I'm supposed to get is different from what comes up and it wants my 'renewal code' which I can't seem to find. So my onboard program tells me I have two days left and my online account tells me I have a year and two days......I will be pissed if it shuts itself down in two days.
But anyway, the above link appears to be all it takes to opt out. I guess? I can't even figure out where I stumbled upon that movie. Wait, did I go out last night? Maybe I got drunk and saw Goofus and Gallant's Excellent Adventure.....

-----just for closure----I think I found what I needed and now have everything up to date and in synch.