Norton 360 v 2 - More problems - Disable the Network Address Check

Disable the Network Address Check
I use the hosts file to re-direct certain addresses, and therefor provide additional protection. Norton removes all that protection at a stroke.

Every time I re-install I have to remember how to do it, so here it is:

1: Run the check - and have it fix the 'problem'
'Tasks' ... 'Run Scans' ... 'Let me choose' ... click GO
deselect everything except Network Address Check
When the check has finished click 'More Info ...' it should say
Network Address Vulnerabilities Found : 1
Network Address Vulnerabilities Fixed : 1


2: Disable it
Now go to 'Settings' ... 'Security Inspector' and select the Network Address Tab. The hosts file should be in the 'Undo List'
Highlight it and click 'Restore Item to System'.
Repeat the scan above and get the messages:
Network Address Vulnerabilities Found : 1
Network Address Vulnerabilities Fixed : 0

Prevention is better than cure.

To get this added PROTECTION go to google and enter "mikes host file", or get Spybot Search & Destroy. In fact, get it anyway, its less trouble than Norton, and its only doing one job.

More Problems
The Norton Support person left Live Update running but unable to move forward. Eventually Windows complained that Norton was out of date, and the latest downloads were the very day he hadn't fixed the problem.
The error messages indicated a re-install. It is hardly worth looking really, that seems to be where all the error messages end up.
So I downloaded the Norton (partial) removal tool, ran it and re-installed. I think I have later virus definitions (it isn't easy to be sure), but live update doesn't apply all the updates.

Having adjusted the settings so I can see whats happening, running LUALL gives a list of updates to install. The offending Norton 360 Security updates can be deselected and the definitions applied.

LU1812: A program that was part of this update failed when it ran. This update was not applied. Click here for more information on this error.

The link loads into Firefox, my default browser, but the upload of the error won't work there. Symantec only know about IE. So I copy the URL into IE and let it do the upload. It then goes and gets all that the support guys think they need, and fails to upload it. Or that's what happened last time.

The search string they suggest ( "360 2.0 keeps giving same liveupdate error") doesn't provide any hits!

So looking at the forum, there are some things to try:
1) Tamper update off

2)There is an updater available.

http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/norton360.nsf/0/4065bc926ae628226525736a0070b3e9?OpenDocument

This downloads a program called PIUpdate.exe. After this the LULALL takes alittle longer, but the result is the same.

- still fails

3) http://service1.symantec.com/Support/sharedtech.nsf/docid/2005072716150213
There is an updater for Vista, this is what the support guy said he did last time. The document does not refer to Norton 360. I have run the updater for Vista anyway.

- still fails
I tried the re-register anyway - it succeeded.

For each of the above processes the start run for luall must be done twice. The first time always reports that another Live Update is in progress.
- still fails
and the failure is getting messier - the failure occurs quickly, but now live update goes on dioing something. IO occurs and the progress bar grows.

... ands further down the forums:

https://www-secure.symantec.com/norton/support/special/sa/frm/_result.jsp?said=lu_patch&productstyle=&prodid=

which gives:

LiveUpdate Failed Patch Identification

Identify failed LiveUpdate patches

Automated Task Completed Successfully.

LuComServer version : 3.4.1.238 Patch error(s) found : 1 Failing patch(es):1223330807jtun_gear0304.x00.full.zip.

It doesn't say it's fixed anything, and indeed it hasn't!
- still fails

5) So to http://www.symantec.com/norton/support/kb/web_view.jsp?wv_type=public_web&docurl=20071203070434EN the description and process I've seen and done. That leads to this http://www.symantec.com/norton/support/kb/web_view.jsp?wv_type=public_web&docurl=20071130124653EN the instructions to re-install Norton 360 v2. NOT HELPFUL.

So it is posted on the community, and we will see what happens http://community.norton.com/norton/board/message?board.id=Norton_360&message.id=7093

Norton 360 v2 - Live Update Error

At last the free upgrade, and it installed faultlessly on all three machines, now only a couple of weeks later the problems start again:

LU1812: A program that was part of this update failed when it ran. This update was not applied.
Installation failed, error summary...
LU1806: LiveUpdate downloaded all of the updates you requested, but all of them failed to install. Please try to get the updates at a later time.

and on attempting to 'chat' (why? - its what caused all the IE problems before)

An error occured processing your request please contact the administrator or try again. Parameter invalid: Kernel::Kernel::sik_short_desc. Error Description:Input is too long.

Now its all in transit to Norton, who only work in IE, so as a FireFox user, I have to cut and paste the URLs as well.

It's rubbish - still.

Norton 360 (2)

So I followed up the attempt to get Norton 360 fixed with a visit to the on-line support, via chat.

Take 1 of this was just a first line guy, who wanted me to change the clock on my machine - which I wasn't really happy to do, but Norton recovered, I don't think he had done anything.

On Take 2, the call was escalated to a second level guy who took over my machine and played with the permissions in the registry for the user the doesn't work properly. After much messing around, and still being unable to get this to work he decided that it was time to re-install IE. He downloaded IE7, and ran the installer. All apparently OK. Now NONE of my limited accounts can initialize IE. Is this because of the install? Is this something Norton is doing? I cannot tell. IE is not very important to me - except to Microsoft Update, which has to be run from an Admin anyway. My system is very important, I use it a lot, so this is as far as I go - for now.

Now when he found that IE didn't work, he decided to do a system restore. The restore he chose did not work. In all my years in IT I've only known it work ONCE. What it did do was remove all the information from the system about how to connect back into the level2 organisation at Symantec. By then I'd given up anyway. He was clearly prepared to risk things on my system that I would think twice before trying.

So 2 protection products that do harm:
Bullguard, that I replaced because the system kept running out of memory when I copied lots of files form other machines
Norton 360, for the reasons above.

Norton 360

Technical Support [Incident: 071110-001695]
When my Norton Internet 2007 subscription ran out, I decided to take the deal that Symantec were offering and upgrade to Norton 360. I have 3 machines, and now almost 700 days left on my subscription. I downloaded the package without problems and set about installing it. All OK, until I logged on to mt personal (Win XP limited user) account. Norton reported:

Runtime Error! Program: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccApp.exe

The application had requested the Runtime to terminate it in an unusual way  Please contact the applications support team for more information.

After some considerable looking around, I reported the problem to Symantec.

Then one morning after a powercut had taken the machine down, Norton 360 insisted on being re-installed. After the re-install, the error did not occur, but the IE tool bar still reported "Engine Error". I don't use IE, so was not too bothered.

Yesterday I received a standard reply from Symantec.

As you could not find the file, then this issue can occur due to some corrupted files or due to improper installation of Norton 360. In order to resolve this issue we need to perform the below given steps.
1. Download and run Norton Removal Tool
2. Remove Remnant Symantec folders
3. Run Windows Installer Cleanup Utility.
4. Perform clean boot
5. Reinstall Norton 360.

Note: Follow the steps with utmost care.

To do so, I suggest you to follow the below given steps.

Step 1. Download and Run Norton Removal Tool.

Norton Removal Tool will remove any 2003 and later Norton programs installed on your computer. To download Norton Removal Tool, please click on the link given below. Clicking on this link will ask you to Save or Run the file. Please click on Save and save it on Desktop.

Title: 'Download and run the Norton Removal Tool'
Document ID: 2005033108162039
Web URL:
http://service1.symantec.com/Support/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039

Once you have downloaded Norton Removal Tool, please double click the tool and follow on-screen prompts.

After running Norton uninstall tool, you will have to remove the left over Symantec folders (Common Shared folders). Follow the steps as mentioned:

Step 2. Remove remnant Symantec folders

-- Configure Windows to show all files:

1. Click the Start button, and then click Computer.
2. On the Organize menu, click Folder and Search Options.
3. Click the View tab.
4. Locate and uncheck Hide file extensions for known file types.
5. Locate and uncheck Hide protected operating system files (Recommended).
6. Locate and click Show hidden files and folders.
7. Click Apply > OK.

-- Now search for and delete the following folders, if they exist:

Note: If you are unable to delete the following folders, please boot your system in Safe Mode and try to delete those folders. To do, please follow the link provided bellow:

Title: 'Starting your computer in Safe mode'
Document ID: 2001052409420406
Web URL:
http://service1.symantec.com/Support/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2001052409420406

C:\Program Files\Symantec
C:\Program Files\Norton 360
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Symantec
 in this directory there is a folder that even in safe mode I can't access

Step 3. Run Windows Installer Cleanup Utility.

Running the Cleanup Utility will clear any suspended and corrupt installations from the MSI. Please refer the document provided below for assistance in using Microsoft cleanup utility:

When using the Windows Install Cleanup Utility, remove any item that refers to "NIS", "NAV", "Norton", "Symantec", "CC", "Sym", and "MSRedist", without quotes.

Title: 'Obtaining the Microsoft Windows Installer CleanUp Utility'
Document ID: 2001091412490807
Web URL:
http://service1.symantec.com/support/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2001091412490807
The Norton page refers to http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=889482fc-5f56-4a38-b838-de776fd4138c&DisplayLang=en
but I think it should be
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301


Step 4. Perform clean boot

A clean boot is a restart of Windows with no applications running and as few extra drivers loading as possible. To help you in clean booting your computer, I am providing you with a document from our Online Knowledge Base. This document has steps to clean boot your computer and revert back to original settings. Please follow the Clean Boot steps first, then reinstall Norton 360, and revert back to original settings.

Please click on the link given below to see steps to clean boot your computer and revert back to normal settings:

Title:Configuring Windows XP to clean boot

Document ID:2001053014402339
web URL
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2001053014402339

Step 5. Install Norton 360.

After clean booting your computer, please refer to the document linked below for installation instructions:

Title: 'Installing Norton 360'
Document ID: 2007022203353275
Web URL:
http://service1.symantec.com/support/norton360.nsf/docid/2007022203353275
After booting in "Clean boot mode" the msconfig issues a reset warning message, if the config is not reset Norton activation fails!

We thank you for your patience and co-operation in this regard.

Please let us know if we can be of any further assistance to you in using the Symantec product.

Regards,

I have followed these instructions, not that they are strictly correct. most notably the Installer clean up tool page refers to the wrong Microsoft Article. I am back to square one. I am now hoping that they will treat the problem seriously.

I used to be a BIG fan of Symantec, but the problems I have experienced with Internet Security 2005, Internet Security 2007, and now Norton 360, I'm beginning to wonder.

Look out for more interesting installments in the saga.