Norton 2005

Donna, we always used to have problems with Norton. My son sells and repairs computers, and troubleshoots, and he always tells people to NOT use Norton. We have had our best success with Panda Anti-Virus. It is a great program, always lets you know immediately when you have a virus coming in on an e-mail, and does daily updates automatically.
Just my two cents worth!!
If you are interested in scanning your computer, Panda has an online scanner that is free and works great. Check it out here:

http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/com/activescan_principal.htm

We eventually just bought the Titanium Panda Anti Virus Program so we have a permanent installation.

Glenda

This message was edited Jan 25, 2005 9:49 AM

Thanks, Glenda. I checked out the link and did the free scan. No virus detected. Whew..

Looks like a good program. I'll show it to the DH when he gets home. I appreciate the info about Norton. I guess we were just lucky with our past experiences. An expensive lesson to learn.

:Donna

Donna, I think some people are very lucky and have no problems with Norton. Others just have a terrible time with it. I guess we all just have to go with what works. Thank goodness I have a computer oriented family!!

Glenda

Oh yes, you are very lucky.

Donna, how frustrating! I had no idea about these problems with Norton - it seems like they are the biggest name in software, so I was all set to buy something of theirs almost on brand recognition alone....boy, I'm an advertiser's dream sometimes...lol

This is good to know. Please let us know if you ever do hear from them, Donna. Could be one for the Better Business Bureau, if you don't.

Shannon

Donna, there is also a good antivirus program, totaly free, from www.grisoft.com it's free for home personal use. They've done a lot of improvemnts over the years, and are noted to be one of the better programs out there. My dad and many others swear by it. I am still a Norton girl, I've never had trouble with Norton, or with my computer, but I run a whole bucket of antivirus, spyware, trojan blockers etc. that I'm sure is over kill, but makes me feel better.

Linda

Have you installed Norton AntiVirus 2005 yet, Linda? We never had any problem with Norton until now.

no Donna. I'm still using 2004, and my subscription is good until Aug 05. I get regular updates, weekly

Donna, sorry to hear about your Norton problems. I am a die-hard Norton user & haven't had any problems so far but I always stay one year behind. Don't want to have the newest where there always seems to be bugs. I'm using SystemWorks 2004 right now. I have read a lot of people have had problems with the 2005. Have you checked out these forums:

http://forum.gladiator-antivirus.com/index.php?s=8102429d170797d34155f604d2a91895&showforum=43

http://www.mcse.ms/forum182.html

There are probably other forums also that you could check. Did you try Symantec's knowledge base? I wish you luck in solving your problem.

I use Norton also and have never had a problem. I usually pay and then upgrade online. Then every few years the say I have to buy the new program. Last year I had to buy the 2004 version so I don't expect to have to buy the whole new program this year. I wonder if I'll have problems with the downloaded 2005 version. Which one did you get Donna? My subscription or whatever you call it doesn't run out until June 19th. Maybe they'll have the bugs worked out by then. They're so popular and I was under the impression they had a good reputation so I'm sure they'll get back to you and help you out Donna. Let us know how you make out.

Thanks Linda and Sandy. Maybe you have the right idea, Linda. Wait until all the Bugs are ironed out before installing. I did read a few forums yesterday regarding the 2005 version. That's when I realized there was definitely a software problem. I thought I had done something wrong. The most frustrating thing is that you can't reach anyone for help. I sent a message for technical help on Sunday, and still haven't heard anything and doubt I will. DH says we can't get a refund from our Credit Card, but that we would report to them that we did not receive the promised and paid for product. Sandy, it was the 2005 version and I bought it online from Symantec which is were we had gotten each new year's downloadable versions in the past and the regular live udates. So, I just don't know what's going on. :D Happily, Linda from Victoria posted a link to AVG AntiVirus, a free downloadable program with regular updates and all. I downloaded it last night and it's working like a charm. It 's so good to see the little box pop up and scan each of incoming messages. Relief! I feel so much better now.

There's a lot of potential anxiety to be had around computers - at least for someone like me who's naturally prone anyway...lol. I mean, we entrust so many important (to us) things to this machine whose workings most of us don't understand, and whose vulnerability to scary-sounding, catastrophic things like viruses seems always looming unless we pay a monthly protection fee. I feel like I'm at the mercy of my machine, my internet connection and some as-yet-unknown techie-person whose high-priced 24-hr number I'll have to call when I'm in the middle of a work assignment and the thing freezes up.

I wonder if this is how some people felt about cars when they became commonplace and then a necessity for most.

Donna did you buy the full 2005 a/v program & uninstall the old one before trying to install the new one or did you just upgrade from 2004 to 2005 or did you just get another year's subscription to the definition files? Did you scan for spyware, scandisk & defrag before you tried installing 2005? Did you dump your cache & clean out your temp files? I know it probably doesn't have anything to do with it but I always do that & restart if I have been having a problem installing a program. Do you have a firewall installed? Do you get any kind of error message or does it just not finish installing the program?

AVG is supposed to be a good program. When you check out a lot of the computer forums it is amazing the number of people that have been having problems with the NAV 2005.

Linda, just like the previous years, I purchased the 2005 upgrade from 2004. My 2004 version ran out on the same day. It had done its scheduled weekly scan the night before and I had done a defrag and scan the weekend before. I didn't dump or clean out anything as I hadn't needed to when we upgraded the years before. I did restart the computer after it supposedly had installed the new version. Don't have a firewall installed. Didn't get any error message or anything, it just installed to a certain point and then...quit. When I didn't get the "dialog box" asking if I wanted to do a scan or setup schedules etc. or the "You have successfully installed Norton AntiVirus 2005" message...just nothing. As I mentioned, when checking my programs in "My Computers", it is listed there, but no icons or enablers anywhere.

Yes, AVG seems to be working fine, and puts our minds a rest at least. After reading all of the forums on the problems with NAV 2005, I would be very surprised If I ever hear back from the Norton Client Service Technicians. Ce la vie!

Donna, have you done any more with your NOrton?? I had an e-mail from my brother today, and he is having trouble installing his too. It keeps saying he isn't hooked up to the internet and there is no proxy server. Just thought I'd check with you and see if you had done anything, or if those were the similar type things that had happened to you.
My brother is very computer illiterate, although he IS learning. He has been off work for several years-anxiety attacks,panic attacks, depression, etc. and his wife thought a computer might be good. I think it is, but for a 60 year old newbie, it is very frustrating for him too!!

Glenda

poor guy - a new computer is guaranteed to give one anxiety attacks

I feel for your brother, Glenda. I am certainly not new to computers, but even so, I find them exasperating at times. No, I have never heard from Norton Technical Client Services and have done nothing with it. I have chalked it up to a lesson well learned. I didn't have the very same effects from the installation as your brother has. In my case, at some point in the insatllation, before completion...the program would go off to cyber space some where...hhhhheeellllllllloooo. nothing there! My AVG program is working well though.

Sometimes it's worth the $45.00 (or whatever) service charge to have a technician do it for you. Especially if you've collected a number of viruses, worms etc and need them cleared as well.

However if it installing is the only problem I would go with AVAST or AVG.....I've used both before and had no problems installing them. My Norton will be finished next December and I'll be downloading one of them then.





This message was edited Jan 31, 2005 10:27 PM

I was willing to pay Norton if they would have just contacted me. You mean a local tech, then? Pam, Even though I'll admit I am no computer genius, I really think ( and so do many others on the different forums) that it's a BUM program. With my luck, I'd get somebody out from Shaw or where ever, and that 's what they'd tell me too and then charge me on top of what I've spent already. :-(

Thanks guys. I will maybe just get him to downlaod the AVG stuff until he can get it sorted out. I will tell him what all of you said and he can go from there!

THANKS A BUNCH!

Glenda

I am not up for renewal yet. With the problem I had installing NAV 2004, I don't rely want to upgrade, as long as I am getting my live updates, I am happy. I did, after a lot of hassel and having to pay, got to talk to a norton tech last year. Seems as if, even tho I unistalled 04, something was still there that had to be removed. It was a very frustating experience. With what I have heard about 2005, I think I will stay a year behind. I also have webroot spyware, which works great