Norton AntiVirus help

by galaxy02 Aug 1, 2004 6:22PM PDT

I've noticed that since I renewed my subscription to Norton AV 2001 a few months ago that it never fixes infected files. Ever. All it does is quarantine them, claiming my subscription has either ended or not up to date. I know for a fact that this is not the case because I have it set for automatic updates and I manually check it a few times a week just to make sure it's doing its job. Anyone know if my program is faulty? Or does Norton just plain suck?

Melissa

Don't know if this is relative or not, but I'm running WinME.

Discussion is locked

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Cleaning infected files.

by r. proffitt Forum moderator Aug 1, 2004 11:12PM PDT

Today's virus and malware doesn't bother to just hijack a file by tacking on bytes to the file. Today's malware writer doesn't care to be stealthy and the file is simply replaced in whole by the bugs.

As such, no repair is possible because the file content is gone.

BUT YOU BRING UP THE REAL PROBLEM. What are you doing to allow these virus/trojans onto your machine?

Some were using P2P sharing and hoping the AntiVirus will clean up without deletion. Today, this behaviour is just wishful thinking.

Bob

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Re: Cleaning infected files.

by galaxy02 Aug 2, 2004 1:44AM PDT

Nothing like P2P. I could just be on the internet checking the weather or doing research for school and these random (though I suppose they aren't really random) dialog boxes pop up saying I've got malicious content in my temp internet folder.

I really don't care that the files are being deleted or quarantined. I guess I assumed that my AV software would "cure" infected files. My real beef is that programs that I've paid for (like Norton and Spyware Doctor) have free counterparts that work better. I'm just a tad bit salty.

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Can't clean if there is nothing of the original file intact.

by r. proffitt Forum moderator Aug 2, 2004 3:12AM PDT

Again, the issue can be that "Norton" is not enough today.

To wit, PARASITES are not dealt with by Norton since "it's not a virus." Some expected better and more coverage from Norton.

Here's my brew.

1. An Anti-Parasite Suite.

Adaware, Spybot, Cwshredder and Housecall get a weekly run.

2. Move out of the line of fire.

Malware writers use IE as target practice. You take the hits. Try Firefox.

Bob

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Re: Can't clean if there is nothing of the original file int

by chuckieu Aug 2, 2004 7:14AM PDT

Since I use Mozilla, I don't get these pop-ups. But I do see them as ads. Thats what a lot of them are, generic ads, seeing if you'll bite. Otherwise, I'm guessing they are parasites, as such Norton might see them, not deal with them. Use Adaware and Spybot for these. Good luck. chuck

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Re: Can't clean if there is nothing of the original file int

by galaxy02 Aug 2, 2004 9:28AM PDT

Thanks for all the help. I do have adaware and spybot, both of which I love. I've tried to switch browsers several times, but it never seems to work. The download and install run just fine, but I get error messages when I try to use them. I can't remember the message, but it seemed to me like the browser wasn't connecting to my server. Not sure. But I will try Firefox. Thanks for the tip!

Melissa

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Re: Cleaning infected files.

by Kees Bakker Aug 2, 2004 8:00AM PDT

Well then, clear the Temporary Internet Files, and see if the message disappears. If not, it might be a fake message. What's the title bar, and what is the exact text?

Kees

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Re: Norton AntiVirus help

by jo_dahl Aug 2, 2004 11:41AM PDT

i suggest getting Norton AV 2003, which in my opinion is their best one yet. I havent used 2004 realy myself, but ive heard its got alot of bugs, but that was when it first came out, sooooo.... but maybe getting a new version would help

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