Norton AntiVirus: Symantec confirms the problem; SafeZone most likely culprit
Norton AntiVirus: Symantec confirms the problem; SafeZone most likely culprit
Information from Symantec John Harrison (of Symantec) replies:
"We have currently become aware of an issue regarding Mac OS 8.1 and Norton AntiVirus. The problem appears to be connected with Norton AntiVirus Auto-Protect and SafeZone scanning on Mac OS 8.1 systems only. We have not seen this issue on any earlier version of the Mac OS. The problem also appears to be intermittent in nature.We are currently investigating the situation to determine where the problem resides. We will provide a solution to all of our customers as soon as possible. In the meantime, users that are running Mac OS 8.1 and Norton AntiVirus Auto- Protect should temporarily disable SafeZone scanning via the preferences inside of the application to resolve the issue.
We recommend that users that experience this issue or other issues contact our technical support staff on-line or via the phone at 541-984- 7730 (from 7AM-4PM Pacific Standard Time)."
This implies that previously suggested theories - that the problem is related to using PC Exchange or the June Definitions - are not correct. Indeed, several readers have reported disk corruption even when not using these components.
While we have gotten a few reports that suggest that problems may persist even with SafeZone off or even when running Mac OS 8.0, there is a consensus emerging that agrees with the Symantec statement. The SafeZone issue appears to be the key. Note: Symantec's Tech Support may also post updates on this matter.
HFS only Several more readers confirmed that the problem does not seem to affect HFS Plus formatted volumes.
Enough for now The warning is out, Symantec has replied, andvarious promising theories and work-arounds have been suggested. Rather than continuing to speculate on the remaining uncertainties, we hope to refrain from further postings on this issue until more definitive information is available.