Re: Internet Security 2012 has wiped my hard drive clean

Manx · ‎02-07-2012

Hi Hugh

Thanks for all your help I have yet to install 2012 will do it later on today hope all goes well fingers crossed

huwyngr · ‎04-13-2008

Did you maek that image yet? "Just in case" you should do it before trying NIS again ....

The big difference it makes is that you can get back to your original hard drive as you ended up setting it up but before NIS in a few minutes. Typically it takes me under 20 minutes to make the initial image and only 8 minutes to restore from it -- just reinstalling Windows can take 45 minutes upwards and then you may need to run Windows Update.

Make sure you have run all the Windows Updates needed before you make the image or try NIS again.

Hugh

Guntackle · ‎03-30-2012

I have just experienced the same problem. NIS informed me of a bad problem and suggested that I click the link to the repair tool which I did. I carried out the instruction to set user account to default and then rebooted. When I did there were only a few basic programs having appeared to have deleted all my major programs. I managed to do a system restore but messages kept appearing telling me that the registry was damaged and I would have to re-install the programs. I am now trying to do a system restore to an earlier time since my system restore discs do not appear to work either. I also note that both NIS and NU15 had both disappeared along with all the other programs.

Erased · ‎04-11-2012

I have tried installing Internet Security 2011, on a disk. It too removed all my programs.... I was watching it, and for a while it said either "deleting program" or "removing" can't quite remember exact wording.....

Last night, my brother installed the program on his computer just fine. We have the same model and operating system, WINDOWS 7, but when I installed, it DIDNT INSTALL! yet is still deleted my programs, and it wont let me install it.......

I had the demo of this several months ago, yet it expired. My computer crashed, and I lost my camara and mike *unrelated* so I restored it to try to fix this, yet it didnt. It somehow kept my Norton 30 day demo, which became inactive, and was just a blank toolbar that popped up.

I am confused about this, and cannot open any programs including Internet Explorer, which is GONE! yet the shortcuts are still there. I tried redownloading IE, but the startup is blocked. this makes me wonder if it is working.

peteraust · ‎05-26-2012

The same thing has happened to me. Norton stopped working and gave an error code. Norton online support recommended me to reinstall norton. After the reinstall (from the CD), a reboot was requested, and after that none of the programs I had installed on the laptop worked anymore (including MS office and internet explorer). It's as if they have been wiped, from the laptop. Shortcuts to the software are all broken. Some basic programs like notepad and windows explorer still work.

The reinstall of norton was quite fast, and therefore I doubt that all MS office software has actually been deleted, but perhaps just hidden(?)

My personal documents are still there and I have copied them to a usb stick.

Norton internet security had been working on the laptop, so we assume this is not a virus. Does anyone know if this is a virus, or a bug in the Norton installer? If a virus, is it something targetted specifically at Norton?

Any suggestions before I go ahead and revert to factory settings? (I shall try running the unhide.exe suggested in one of the threads on this topic witha cool head in the morning).

peteraust · ‎05-26-2012

Update: system restore to a recent date didn't work, though internet explorer mysteriously started working again, as experienced by another user on one of these threads. So I have reverted the laptop to factory settings and reinstalled MS office and Norton and all seems fine.

Even so, if anyone has worked out what is happening, I'd be immensely grateful to hear.

Thanks all

huwyngr · ‎04-13-2008

peteraust wrote:
Update: system restore to a recent date didn't work, though internet explorer mysteriously started working again, as experienced by another user on one of these threads. So I have reverted the laptop to factory settings and reinstalled MS office and Norton and all seems fine.

Even so, if anyone has worked out what is happening, I'd be immensely grateful to hear.

Thanks all

System Restore in itself can upset security programs -- not just Norton -- since the system ends up with a mixed batch of file characteristics where the security program expects them all to be as they were since it wasn't told by system restore what had changed ..... You can usually avoid this by disabling the security program monitoring, eg in Norton the AutoProtect.

When it does happens the usual remedy is reinstalling.

When reverting to factory settings the gotcha to watch for is that usually installs a trial version of a security program and if it's not the same as what you then install you need to uninstall it and clean up afterwards. What was your trial security program and how did you remove it before reinstalling Norton?

Hugh

peteraust · ‎05-26-2012

Hello, many thanks indeed for your reply. Yes McAlfee was installed and I had to uninstall it before reinstalling Norton. But all of that seems to have gone fine and everything is working (touch wood).

Peter

huwyngr · ‎04-13-2008

If you wanted to make assurance doubly sure then McAfee has a tool to clean up, like most makers do.

http://mcafee-removal-tool.com/

butif Norton seems to be working OK then you might just leave it unless someone here with more knowledge thinks it best.

Hugh

terryk88 · ‎05-30-2012

I had a similar experience. I had 360 installed on a PC with WinXP and a laptop running Vista. The PC upgraded fine from 360 to Internet Security 2012. The laptop failed upon reboot during the install. I also let the program complete updating on the laptop before rebooting but interrupted it on the PC. The DVD driver was corrupt on reboot and wouldn't repair or reinstall. I was able to bet use of the DVD by doing a system restore. Upon successful completion of the NIS 2012 install, all shortcuts and program files are GONE! Control Panel, Admin tools, programs, menu's are empty. I did a search for iexplore.exe.......gone.

Symantec needs to fix this. I won't install it on my 3rd machine and won't recommend it to anyone. On the contrary I will warn my friends, relatives, anyone and everyone I talk to. Don't use this product.