Norton Internet Security / Norton AntiVirus

[wds90]

A few days ago I noticed that the IdentitySafe feature was not working for me. Then I noticed that the Norton Toolbar was blank.  When I tried to turn it off and then back on, the space shows up but it is still blank.  I have tried opening the NIS program but it doesn't ever open up.  What do I have to do next?

[Venkat]

Hi wds90,

Welcome to Norton Community!

What is the browser you are using? Does NIS icon is shown in the Toolbar? Reboot your machine and then open the browser , ensure that the Identity Safe options is turned on. Also check that the Norton Toolbar is enabled in your browsers.

Regards,

S.Venkat

[wds90]

Hi Venkat,

Thank You for the welcome.

I am using Internet Explorer .

I have rebooted several times, no change.

How do I ensure that  the Identity Safe option is turned on?

Is there something else to do other than going to the Tools dropdown , Toolbar, Norton  on the browser window?

[Venkat]

Hi wds90,

You can turn on Identiy safe from NIS main UI. Ensure from Internet Explorer >Tools>Manage Add-ons that the Norton Toolbar is enabled ,also right click near the Address bar and make sure you have not hidden the Norton Toolbar.

Regards,

S.Venkat

[wds90]

Hi Venkat,

Therin lies the problem, I can't seem to get to the NIS main UI.  Double clicking the shortcut>Open doesn't open it..  Windows> All programs>Norton Internet Security>Open doesn't work, ...>Run as Administrater doesn't work.  Not sure what to do next (short of reinstall).

Regards,

Bill

[AllenM Norton Fighter]

Hi Bill,

Welcome to the Norton Community.

What OS do you have and is it 32 or 64 bit? How long as NIS been installed and working before this issue started? What is your exact version of NIS? Actually you may not be able to get that since you can't open the UI. Is it NIS 2010, 2009 or what?

Do you have any other security software (anti-virus, etc) installed on your computer besides NIS? What was your previous security software before NIS and how was it uninstalled?

Did you notice any other problems besides with NIS? Things such as unexpected pop-ups in your browser, being redirected to the wrong website, etc? Also please check if you can browse to security websites such as symantec.com, security.symantec.com and mcafee.com.

Thanks very much.

Allen

[wds90]

Hi Alan,

I am running Windows Vista, 32 bit.  I have had NIS and Norton Systemworks installed and working on this machine since April 2009ish.  NIS has been reactivated?, renewed once, so it must be a 20009version but it might be a 2008 version as I also have had it installed on another machine a bit longer.  There have not been any issues with it until now,

It is a Dell Inspiron 15 and I bought it new, I think it came with a version of MacAfee and I uninstalled it using the uninstall software from the control panel.  A version of Microsoft Security Essentials showed up recently from one of the Microsoft updates.

I haven't noticed any other problems other than getting a few mailerdemon  failed to deliver email notices to addresses that I don't recognize or compose and send.  I went into Norton Systemworks and ran the Find and fix and that has stopped.

I just tried all three of the websites you mentioned and it pulled them up without any issues.

Thank you for your help,

Bill

[AllenM Norton Fighter]

Hi Bill,

Thanks for the update. Which version of Norton Systemworks do you have? Basic, standard, premier? Systemworks Standard and higher also comes with anti-virus protection which you should choose not to install with it since you also have NIS. Since both are Symantec products, installing NIS should have effectively disabled the AV component of Systemworks but I usually like to be explicit and uncheck that option when installing Systemworks to make sure. I think are you OK on this one.

Microsoft Security Essentials is a different matter however. If you are going to use this you need to make sure and disable the real time component of this software or you will likely have conflicts and problems between it and NIS. If you cannot disable the real time component of Security Essentials then you should remove it.

Your issue does not appear to be related to any sort of malware but as a precaution, I would recommend to go ahead and download and run the free version of MalwareBytes and run a full scan. Please click on the spoiler tag below to view the procedure. The free version is an on-demand scanner only and will not interefere with NIS.

Spoiler

Please download, install, update and run the free version of MalwareBytes following the procedure outlined below.

Please go to www.malwarebytes.org

1. Download Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware (mbam-setup.exe) free version and save it on your Desktop.
2. After downloading, double-click on mbam-setup.exe to install the application.
3. Follow the prompts and install as “default” only
4. Before the installation completes, check on the following prompts:
- Update Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware
- Launch Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware
5. Click “Finish.” The program will run automatically and you will be prompt to update the program before doing a scan. Please update.
6. Scan your computer thoroughly choosing a "full scan".
7. When scanning is finished click on “Show Results”
8. Make sure that all detected threats are marked with a check mark, click on "Remove Selected".
9. Restart your computer.

Please post the logs back to this thread using "add attchments" at the bottom.

Note: Sometimes the main site is blocked from attempts to download MalwareBytes. If this occurs please try to download from:
http://www.filehippo.com/download_malwarebytes_anti_malware/
Please do not download the Spyware Doctor which you will see on this page!

After disabling the realtime component of MS Security Essentials or removing it I would recommend running the Norton Removal tool to clean up the NIS installation.

Please note that the removal tool will remove ALL Norton/Symantec products so be sure you have all of your product keys as you may need them to reinstall the software.

First, please download the Norton removal tool and save it to your desktop or some other convenient location but don't run it just yet.

Then download and save the full version of NIS 2010 from here. Your current product key will work to activate NIS 2010 and it is a free update for current subscriptions.

Let me know if you do not have the installation CD or download installer file for Systemworks and I'll find a link for you to download it.

Then please log into your Norton Account and make note of your NIS product key and any other product keys as you might need them to reinstall the software later.

Finally if you use Identity Safe with NIS, please back this up first following the procedure here.

After this, please disconnect from the Internet for your protection. Do a conventional uninstall of Systemworks and NIS 2010 along with any other Norton/Symantec products.

Then please run the Norton Removal tool twice with a reboot in between each run.

After the final reboot, please reinstall Systemworks if desired and if this is the standard or higher version, please uncheck the Anti-virus option so that it is not intalled.

Then please install NIS 2010 using the software you downloaded earlier. If asked for product key at the end supply the product key you got from your Norton Account earlier. Most likely your product key will be picked up automatically.

After NIS 2010 is installed, please connect back to the Internet and run Live Update repeatedly (rebooting as requested) until it reports no more updates are found.

You can then restore Identity Safe using the backup you performed earlier.

Install any other Norton/Symantec software.

Finnally, you should check that the number of remaining activations for NIS 2010 is correct. This can be checked from your Norton Account. If it is not correct, you can contact Customer Service and they will adjust it for you.

Please let us know how things goes and if this resolves the problem with NIS.

Thanks

Allen

[wds90]

AllenM,

I finally got back in town and got back to this thing.

I did all that you had outlined and things seem to be operating well.  The Norton toolbar is back and nothing seems to have disappeared from the Identity Safe files.

Thank you for such well written and easy to follow instructions as to how to tale care of this issue I had.  You were right, there wasn't any malware detected.

However, there is something in the machine that is kicking out all kinds of crap from my email without my knowledge or approval.  I have run the Live update and have attempted to run full scans.  I do not see any evidence of it actually running a scan though.  What should I do next?

The other thing is thtat I can't seem to find any Systemworks.

[AllenM Norton Fighter]

Hi Bill,

Thanks for the update. I had to review again to refresh my memory on this one. Its been a while.

Which version of Systemworks did you have? Basic, standard, etc.

Can you give more detail on what kind of issues you see with outgoing email? What email client do you use?

What happens when you try to run a full scan with NIS? Please be as specific as you can.

Thanks very much.

Allen