Norton Internet Security - WARNING

jabaroon

All,

Just wanted to let you know about my recent experiences with this heap-o-crap piece of software! After weeks of not being able to send/recieve mail with outlook and multiple calls to my ISP, email providers, dell support etc...

it turns out that the problem was Norton Internet Security. It got its kacks in a heap and decided to crap up my internet settings etc. Interestingly, this happened two weeks before my subscription to NIS was due to expire (coincidence?). When I eventually figured out it was Norton, they sent me to their "repair" site. this is a known issue with the junk. So there is this tool that you run from their site that corrects everything. Do you think it worked for me?....correct.....it was junk too and couldn't figure out the problem.

Anyway, uninstalled the resource hogging, bloated junk that is Norton and replaced with AVG Free.

Now everything is working again!

Hopefully this may help others experiencing the same problem. A word to the wise, forget Norton and buy yourself a FREE copy of AVG -- It doesn't cost too much, its FREE!

Jab

Macers

jabaroon wrote:

All,

Just wanted to let you know about my recent experiences with this heap-o-crap piece of software! After weeks of not being able to send/recieve mail with outlook and multiple calls to my ISP, email providers, dell support etc...

it turns out that the problem was Norton Internet Security. It got its kacks in a heap and decided to crap up my internet settings etc. Interestingly, this happened two weeks before my subscription to NIS was due to expire (coincidence?). When I eventually figured out it was Norton, they sent me to their "repair" site. this is a known issue with the junk. So there is this tool that you run from their site that corrects everything. Do you think it worked for me?....correct.....it was junk too and couldn't figure out the problem.

Anyway, uninstalled the resource hogging, bloated junk that is Norton and replaced with AVG Free.

Now everything is working again!

Hopefully this may help others experiencing the same problem. A word to the wise, forget Norton and buy yourself a FREE copy of AVG -- It doesn't cost too much, its FREE!

Jab

I actually disagree with you there. I did have a problem with NIS but was simply corrected with a setting change which I made myself. My problem was with Antispam (maybe you too?) but anyway easily corrected. I personally wouldn't use anything else but hey stick with what you know!

jabaroon

Macers wrote:

I actually disagree with you there. I did have a problem with NIS but was simply corrected with a setting change which I made myself. My problem was with Antispam (maybe you too?) but anyway easily corrected. I personally wouldn't use anything else but hey stick with what you know!

I guess the main point of frustration was that I didn't change anything. There was then a significant investment of my time to diagnose the cause. Then, symantec support were unable to correct the problem either by talking me through it or using their automated correction tool.

Very frustrating and annoying when you consider that its something that I paid for. You can get equivalent functionality for free!

Ruu_Old

jabaroon wrote:

All,

Just wanted to let you know about my recent experiences with this heap-o-crap piece of software! After weeks of not being able to send/recieve mail with outlook and multiple calls to my ISP, email providers, dell support etc...

it turns out that the problem was Norton Internet Security. It got its kacks in a heap and decided to crap up my internet settings etc. Interestingly, this happened two weeks before my subscription to NIS was due to expire (coincidence?). When I eventually figured out it was Norton, they sent me to their "repair" site. this is a known issue with the junk. So there is this tool that you run from their site that corrects everything. Do you think it worked for me?....correct.....it was junk too and couldn't figure out the problem.

Anyway, uninstalled the resource hogging, bloated junk that is Norton and replaced with AVG Free.

Now everything is working again!

Hopefully this may help others experiencing the same problem. A word to the wise, forget Norton and buy yourself a FREE copy of AVG -- It doesn't cost too much, its FREE!

Jab

Exact same thing was happening to a friend of mine, his PC couldnt send or receive emails! I was racking my brain and I disabled some of the settings for norton and it worked for a while but when he updated it, the settings were restored. Think he figured it out a while after that. Pain in the backside though:mad:

the_syco

Likewise. Didn't work for a about a month. Reinstalled it. Works again.

Tom Dunne

Sounds like a problem I saw a while back on a friend's computer.

Norton was blocking port 25 - the SMTP (e-mail) port, so Outlook Express couldn't send/receive mails. I just allowed this port in the firewall settings and the person's problem was sorted.

ethernet

I loate Norton. I had such a nightmare setting up a wireless network at home. My sister's PC [running NIS] couldn't be connected because of that useless firewall. I'd sooner use Windows' one.

It didn't even tell me it was blocking traffic -- I must be spoiled by ZoneAlarm.

JPA

Why people still use an inferior piece of software that they have to pay for when there is a superior FREE Antivirus program out there?

Click this link to IMMEDIATELY start downloading AVG Free AVG Free

Ruu_Old

JPA wrote:

Why people still use an inferior piece of software that they have to pay for when there is a superior FREE Antivirus program out there?

Click this link to IMMEDIATELY start downloading AVG Free AVG Free

Probably because its installed on most of the prebuilt computers, Dells and so on NIS and AV is a joke tbh.

the_syco

ethernet wrote:

I loate Norton. I had such a nightmare setting up a wireless network at home. My sister's PC [running NIS] couldn't be connected because of that useless firewall. I'd sooner use Windows' one.

Rather have a working firewall, than something that'd let anything through.

ChityWest

the_syco wrote:

Rather have a working firewall, than something that'd let anything through.

Same here - plus for doing problem determination on a connectivity problem it cant get much easier than right click - disable (5 mins, 30 mins or until next reboot). Or if your really stuck temporarily uninstall it.

I remember years ago it used to slow pc;s down - like in 96/97 or so. Thesedays if the machine is remotely fast it has no noticable effect. Any AV program constantly running has to use some resources and NIS does not do a bad job of it.

Each to their own I suppose.

Big Red Stick

jabaroon wrote:

I guess the main point of frustration was that I didn't change anything. There was then a significant investment of my time to diagnose the cause. Then, symantec support were unable to correct the problem either by talking me through it or using their automated correction tool.

Very frustrating and annoying when you consider that its something that I paid for. You can get equivalent functionality for free!

Risking boring everyone to death about Norton, I have to share this as a warning. I had the exact problem outlined by jabaroon, loading the 2006 version on Norton, having shelled out over the web for it. It caused my PC to slow to a crawl, mess up Outlook, constant messages etc etc. 3 re-installs later it's still happening. Consulted Boards, bought and loaded NOD 32. What a difference. I'd forgotten how fast the PC could be. NOD32 picked up a shed load of Ad & Spyware - (how did it get through before) - and Norton are re-funding me.

What really bites is that when I hit the Symantec/Norton helpdesk they announced that they knew all of the problems, here's how to fix it (didn't work). They actually went to market with a defective product??? Or at least one that doesn't work properly with my (bog standard Windows XP) set-up?

zilog_jones

Yeah, Norton is generally still more bloated than most other anti-virus/firewall programs.

I've had awful experience with it too - up-to-date corporate Norton AV not finding anything on a PC full of trojans, for example.

TempestSabre

zilog_jones wrote:

Yeah, Norton is generally still more bloated than most other anti-virus/firewall programs.

I've had awful experience with it too - up-to-date corporate Norton AV not finding anything on a PC full of trojans, for example.

Same here. Does nothing except cause problems. First thing I uninstall when fixing a PC.

CrowdedHouse

The clincher for me was when my GF remarked that her PC seemed to be 'doing things faster'

I had unistalled NIS and put on AVG.I didn't prompt her.