Norton Family

[dbdan22]

Hi,

Would some kind soul please explain how to get Norton Online Family to recognize a new user account that was added by Windows 7 Control Panel / User accounts after NOF was installed?

The old Parental Controls never had a problem with this. I've used it for over 5 years. You'd go into User Accounts, add the user, and boom, Parental Controls would recognize it right away.

Why does this have to be an exercise in frustration with Norton Online Family???? Multiple removals, attempts to reinstall, and finally a complete SYMNRT and reinstall of the whole Norton Internet Security - just to get it to recognize a new user?

I'm sorry, but this part of NOF was not very well thought out. Please improve it.

Thanks.

[KatieQ]

Hi dbdan22,

Please check out the Get Started Help file to see if it helps.

http://us.norton.com/support/kb/web_view.jsp?wv_type=public_web&docurl=20090505112039EN

If you have any further questions, please let us know.

Thanks,

Katie

[dbdan22]

Hi,

No, the article you quoted does NOT help.

This is because

Creating a login account for the child is the first step:

STEP 1: Setting up your child's computer

Installing safety minder is the last step:

STEP 9: Downloading and installing Norton Safety Minder

The problem I described to you is,

What if you want to create another Windows account at some point AFTER SAFETY MINDER HAS ALREADY BEEN INSTALLED?!?!?!

Did you not read my question?

The only foolproof way that I have been able to do this is essentially remove Norton Internet Security completely and in effect go back to step 1 (create another user account) and repeat the whole procedure through step 9 (reinstalling Norton Online Family).

Do you not realize that someone might want to add another user account and "import" it into Norton Online Family AFTER NORTON ONLINE FAMILY HAS ALREADY BEEN INSTALLED????

Did you provide a way to do this, other than a complete removal and reinstallation?

If so, it's not in the article you quoted me.

Please enlighten me.

Thanks in advance.

[KatieQ]

Hi dbdan22,

Please check out the links below on how to add a child profile online, add a Windows account and associate the profile with the Window account.  If you have any further questions, please let us know.

https://onlinefamily.norton.com/familysafety/help.fs?action=addChild

https://onlinefamily.norton.com/familysafety/help.fs?action=createWindowsUserAccounts

https://onlinefamily.norton.com/familysafety/help.fs?action=associatingWindowsAccount

Thanks,

Katie

[dbdan22]

OK, you posted 3 links. Let's look at each one of them.

https://onlinefamily.norton.com/familysafety/help.fs?action=addChild

Adding a child to Norton Online Family. I already know how to do this, and it doesn't answer my question.

https://onlinefamily.norton.com/familysafety/help.fs?action=createWindowsUserAccounts

Creating user accounts.  I already know how to do this, and it doesn't answer my question.

https://onlinefamily.norton.com/familysafety/help.fs?action=associatingWindowsAccount

Assigning a Windows user account for your child. 

OK, now we're getting a little warmer. But it still does not answer my question.

The problem is that this procedure works only when the user accounts are created prior to or during Safety Minder installation.

My question is, What if you want to create another Windows account at some point AFTER SAFETY MINDER HAS ALREADY BEEN INSTALLED?!?!?!

Because neither this step nor this step pick up user accounts that were added after safety minder has already been installed. The new accounts are just not listed.

And even the part that says, "To create a new Windows user account and assign it for your child" only works during Safety Minder installation.

I have not been able to figure out a way to get back to this step after Safety Minder installation has been completed, other than to do a complete removal and reinstall of Norton Internet Security. I've found that if I only remove Safety Minder, the reinstall often does not work, and I have to do a complete Norton Removal and start all over again.

And all this to do something that Parental Controls used to do in 30 seconds flat. Can you see why I'm a little frustrated?

And I can probably guess what the problem is. The Safety Minder installation is a downloaded program that runs on the computer, and is able to scan for and create new user accounts. But when you click on Parental Controls in Norton Internet Security, that is a link to the Norton Online Family Web site, which cannot scan for new user accounts unless the developers wrote an ActiveX control or Jave applet to do so. And they probably didn't. The developers need to decide what parts of NOF should be Web based and what parts PC based. Personally, I think it's a mistake for the Parental Controls link to go straight to the Web. I think it should do some housekeeping on the computer first - such as, oh, maybe scan for new user accounts? - and then pass that info on to the Web site.

So are we clear what my question is now? Because I would really appreciate an answer. Which would probably have to come from the developers.

Thanks.

[KatieQ]

dbdan22,

I just tested what you described and I was able to create a new Windows account and a new profile online, then associate the Windows account and the new profile after Norton Safety Minder has already been installed.

I didn't have to restart the PC to make the account available, but can you please try to see if it helps?  Besides using steps described from link# 3, you can also try to associate the profile and the Windows account online at Settings -> Profile (of course, you have to be able to see the new added account first).

If you have any questions, please let us know. 

Thanks,

Katie

[dbdan22]

HOW did you crate a new user account?

With Windows Control Panel / User Accounts?

---

KatieQ wrote:

I was able to create a new Windows account and a new profile online,

[KatieQ]

Hi dbdan22,

Correct.  I added a new Windows account at Control Panel/User Accounts.  For details, please check the link below.

https://onlinefamily.norton.com/familysafety/help.fs?action=createWindowsUserAccounts

Thanks,

Katie

[dbdan22]

I'm sorry, but I am still not able to create a Windows account and associate it with Norton Online Family after Norton Safety Minder has already been installed.

This is exactly what I did.

I went into Windows Control Panel / User Accounts and created a user NOFTEST.

I then opened up Norton Internet Security 2011

and clicked on Settings, then Parental Controls.

It says, Norton Online Family is installed, click here to configure

When I click on it, the browser opens up to

https://onlinefamily.norton.com/familysafety/.... [ followed by what looks like an account number ]

I sign in to my account

Click on Settings

Click on the + to create a new child, NOFTEST

How NOFTEST Connects to the Internet

We’ve detected 1 computer running Norton Safety Minder. On each computer, please select which account(s) NOFTEST uses.

... and the new user account that I just created is not listed.

As I already explained to you:

Since clicking on Settings / Parental Controls immediately brings up the browser, there is no way that the browser, not having access to the registry, would know that a new Windows user account had been created, unless the developers had written an ActiveX control or Java applet to go and look for new Windows accounts. Or have the code in Norton Internet Security do some housekeeping before opening the browser.

Again, the predecessor to Online Family - Parental Controls, which I have 5 years experience with - had no problem in this exact same situation because it was completely PC based, not browser based, and was able to scan the registry looking for new accounts.

Apparently the developers didn't think of this situation when they decided to make Norton Online Family browser based. Hey, we all make mistakes. 

But I am getting a little frustrated when you send me links telling me things that I already know, and you tell me that things work when they obviously do not.

Would you kindly ask a developer to take a quick look at this thread?

Thanks!

Postscript...

Someone PM'd me (thank you) saying that the way to do this is to click on the Norton Safety Minder icon on the taskbar and click on Edit Accounts. I have not had a chance to try it. But if it does work, then the developers should consider importing that code into Norton Online Security / Parental controls section so that it is all in one place.

[dbdan22 · Accepted solution]

Yes, clicking on the Norton Safety Minder icon on the taskbar and selecting Edit Accounts does work. It is able to locate an account created with Control Panel and associate a child with it. Would you kindly ask the developers to consider merging this code with the Parental Controls section of Norton Online Security, so people don't have to look all over to do this task? Thanks.