After LiveUpdate received an Auto-Protect Error

Norton Security | Norton Internet Security
61

So that's it...

 

Bummer.. I don't think symantec is thinking about the supporter that must run old os's and limited rigs.. In my case, my clients run cnc software that costs 10's of thousands of dollars.. to update/upgrade will cost several thousands of dollars. There is no need because the old software runs just fine.

 

Very disappointing.. The updates broke with one update (05/11/10). Absolutely no reason it can't be fixed. Unfortunately, I just spent a ton updating subscriptions with 360 + nav 200x (several clients) in the last 90 days. There is a question.. How many users spent money to renew the sub's and now they have to buy new software cuz.. Just cuz.. What happens to those sub's?

 

That won't happen again..

 

Lots of alternatives to choose from.

 

May the force be with you.

62

The thread "Older Versions of NAV/NIS Suddenly Inoperable" that came out today mentions folks still using Win 9x OS's as the problem. What about those of us using Win XP?

Bottom line - the longer they drag their feet on this issue, the more likely they are to have those of us affected jump ship to McAfee or some other AV prgm, rather than be blackmailed into upgrading to the 2010 version.

63

 hi everyone seems norton is abandoning us to me?

   i have a 2002 dell with xp home and the norton antiviruse that came with the comp. i find it way better than mcaffy though i still own a old neowatch firewall that was bought out by mcaffy.

  if symantec refuses to update they're older versions i understand that it is old but for them to disable it to force us to buy a new vertion well i can only say i'll find any kind of help that isn't symantec as they have lost my respect if this is deliberate,,,,,,,

  my system worked earlyer this month no problem and if they go back to that and say sorry no more upgrades for your old systems thats understandable and almost respectable, but if they shut it off as they have and im stuck now with a non protected system as some of you are i'll have to go somewhere else even if they arn't as good!!!! to force us to buy new because they want more money when all they need to do is stop any updates beyond the last working one i would still be ok with that and would understand and figure on upgrading when i buy a new computer but thats not gona be tommorow or next month or maybe even till next year.

  i want to belive this isn't something they did on porpose and that they will at most go back to a working vetion if not fix it completly, if this doesn't happen shortly i will be forced to buy new and norton even though its the best i know of isn't gona be what i buy. this is a betrail to us who have it but if this is still something they plan to fix then i will keep them as i like the safety i feel knowing its running and that my computer is totaly useless now and has been reformated to erase the information i am afraid to lose.

  please help us out we can't just be discarded as useless people because we don't buy new every month, some of us can't aford it even though as a corporation it is a smooth move for the ponzy scheamers that only want to get more money and not be a respectable and reliable corporation....

  i'm sorry if my frustration is so bad that all i can do is **bleep** but this hurts me and makes my computer worthless at the moment as im afraid to use it like i use'd to.. the repair is simple all they need do is go back to 4/10 update and it will function if this is to much then i think its time to go to someone else for help as they are not worthy of paying for they're service.....

  if they told you that your car was 8 years old and you had to replace it by law you'd outright scream your head off and thats what i feel like now.

  again sorry for my bad complaints i still want this fixed it is the best i've seen and know and i'm not a computer pro (geek) and to buy a new computer or buy a windows 7 cd to reinstall a new running system is beyond me now  if symantec would like to give a coupon for $750 off on a brand new computer i'd do that but if not all i can do is go somewhere else.

        thanks for your time reading this LOL............

    Paul

64

I am sorry, but I find this whole situation abhorrent. No warning was given as far as I am aware and if I am correct, those persons with this problem are now no longer protected against the latest threats. This is totally unacceptable.

 

I have elderly parents who are always concerned about using the Internet as they hear so much negative feedback about viruses etc. They rely on my assurance that they have some form of protection by having Norton. As soon as they got the error message, they contacted me, but unfortunately I live some 12,000 miles away so was unable to assist them. They were so deeply concerned and worried, that they spent money on a Technician to come to the house to help resolve the problem. To no avail of course. They are now so frightened, that they will only log onto the Internet to send me an email.

 

I am furious at the way they have been treated and would hope that common sense will prevail and the situation be resolved. When I mean resolved, I do not mean having to spend more money.

 

Some words of wisdom: "Bad news travels 10 times faster than good news"

65

  well i was shocked to see a 74 meg definition update rather than the 80meg+ that broke things but im back to where i was before, didn't help at all... i reinstaled and left definitions off but i cant keep shuting off my intenet even if i formated all the private info i was scared to have lost or stolen.

   dave i would like to thank you for at least trying to stay in contact with us about our problem even if the info seems bad still, i still have hopes of a fix or downgrade to at least a resonable working version, a install with 0 upgrades is worth nothing right now. please make sure your boss's or co-workers know we arn't happy. i had to erase a entire paragraph as i didnt want to badmouth anyone as it isn't good if i want to get something done and i do to insult or downtalk someone who has done well till this last 10 days. i'm just very disapointed and need to let someone know it sorry.

  tarby i understand how you feel it's bad but as long as we keep complaining more and more someone will do something or like you say   "Bad news travels 10 times faster than good news"  so complaining is our only option and not just to this website....

  dino i agree with you if they shut down the older stuff who says they dont make you buy norton 2011 as soon as jan 1 when you use 2010, they are making moves hoping that the few won't cost them future customers and we all know they will still sell they're product to a lot (they have been best i seen even useing others on the side)....

66

 

 

 

If you are affected, please register to show your support that a permanent fix be developed.

 

 

To summarize ...... to save people reading the entire Topic:

(If the following is correct, could a moderator please add to the first post?)

 

 

 

 

Problem description:

 

Def'n 20100511.003 and later:
- auto-protect can't be enabled - when trying to turn it on, a script error is received
- scan won't run

- options unavailable

- on PC startup, I receive an error - "memory could not be read ...... navapsvc.exe"

 

Def'n 20100510.002
- auto-protect can't be enabled - when trying to turn on, a script error is received
- scan will run

Def'n 20100509.002 - did work, but now won't work for me either - NAV uninstalled

 

 

Workaround (temporary fix):

 

1. download archived updates / definitions (defs) from ftp://ftp.metu.edu.tr/virus-updates/symantec/

2. go to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\VirusDefs
    - edit definfo.dat
        - change current def to 20100509.002
        - change previous def to 20100508.003
3. Run the 20100510.002 def installer
    - you may need to delete or rename other defs to get the installer to run correctly

 

Could whatever was changed in the def files for 20100510.002 onward that was different to 20100509.002 be reversed please?

 

 

67

Dave, thanks for the update, albeit in the negative, and for your efforts.  But, instead of sorry, please try to help your old trusted customers to stay with Norton-Symantec.  I think what LanaK (= Symantec) just pulled is not good!  In fact, I think it's very short sighted .. and you may well shoot yourself in the foot!  People stay with older AV and other programs for whatever reasons, just read the threads.  Normal people (like me) and IT professionals alike.  For (business) reference purposes, I even have to run some DOS programs .. all of which run quite well under XP Pro/Sp3.  So, for God's sake, why not continue supporting your old AV programs too.  If you do, the way I see it, you would create a win-win .. instead of a lose-lose situation.  Best...

68

I support 4 m/c's all running Norton Systemworks 2003 on XP-SP3

They have all *PAID* in advance for Virus Definition updates with subsriptions that still have upto a year to run.

If Symantec are prepared to take money for a years subscription for updates, then surely they have a duty to supply updates that work (and without demanding extra money for other upgrades)

 

It is disgusting that Symantec should break so many peoples computers, fail to identify correctly which O/Ss are affected, and refused to do anything about it

 

I urge everyone to register and complain

69

I agree with Nortoff...  These "lookie loos" are interested enough to read the posts but wont say a word about this Norton BM...mooove along little doggies and upgrade your boxes so you can upgrade your NAV to 2010.  Its a herd mentality.  If these people dont speak up no one can hear them.  The glitch may not have been intentional, but the resulting refusal to fix it is.. I have room for my two rigs on my NIS 2010 subscription  so this wont cost me any bucks (just a lot of frustration).   When my 2 subscriptions (I have 3 rigs running NIS 2007 too) expire this fall I will be buying some other Internet Security suite--just  NOT a symantec product.  We are done with them.  So, just to recap for LanaK and Reese the helpful Norton people that took 8 days to get back to us...if youre keeping score you just lost one longtime symantec customer with his 2 annual subscriptions but you gained another disgruntled exNorton user. 

70

To the Norton employees out there:

Seriously, folks, this looks Really Bad(tm). In the course of nine days we have firmly established that the problem manifests itself on OS'es as new as XP SP3, and that it at least partially involves accessing invalid memory locations (null pointers, no less, one of the easiest kinds of bugs to track down). We've firmly established a hard date for the introduction or uncovering of the bug, and before-and-after images are readily available. To suggest that this is a 9x architectural issue simply does not pass the laugh test. Somewhere you broke something, either by introducing a new bug or uncovering a latent one. It should not take this long to diff 5/10 and 5/11 code bases to find the cause.

As I said, this looks bad, and this is only the Norton Community speaking. I can't imagine the reaction when sooner or later it leaks to the likes of el Reg or /. Please, just put an engineer on it and fix the bug.

71

The threat landscape continues to grow and change every day. Accordingly, the virus definitions continue to evolve to accommodate this girth and diversity. The recent definitions update incorporated some of these changes. Unfortunately these changes couldn't work within the constraints of the 2002 product environment causing a variety of unexpected and undesirable effects. As LanaK indicated in her post, we are continuing to research ways to handle this situation more elegantly. We are also aware that some 2003 product customers with current subscriptions have been affected by this update and are researching ways to address their concerns as well.

72

Reese--I am one of those 2003 product users with an active subscription.  It has been 9 days since my virus definitions stopped (which I paid for) and 9 days since my auto-protect and virus scanner stopped  (which I paid for).  I received NO useable help from tech support as to how I could fix this.  I was left alone and vulnerable in the dark and dangerous "threat landscape" with NO HELP from Uncle Norton.  It was here in the forums with my fellow sufferers that I learned how to revert to the previous "good" virus definitions update and reactivate my auto-protect.  Could you please answer some questions for me?  1.  Why didnt tech support tell us how to revert to previous "good" update and remove "bad 5/11" one so we could have some virus scan/protection capabilities?  2.  Why did it take 8 days for you to even acknowledge a problem with the 5/11 update via LanaK when this is SO critical to so many?  Really...eight days??  and then tell us to upgrade as the fix?   and 3.  How can ANY of the customers who know of this and have been affected by it trust Norton and buy another subscription ever?  I have already purchased a McAfee  product to replace my 2003 Norton because I couldnt wait any longer in limbo, but my Norton subscription started 1/20/10 and I feel cheated.  Please explain to me why I shouldn't.   

73

There are contractual obligations being broken here.  Do we need some help?! 

 

If anyone is interested, here's the link to the Better Business Bureau:

 

https://odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/getstarted.aspx.

 

We are qualified since we have already made an attempt to resolve the issue directly with the company.

 

 

 

74
RedMachine1972 wrote:

Running NAV 2003 on a XP SP3 set up that could benifit from an upgrade to at least Vista, but saving money for a complete rebuild up to a new 64 bit system with 7 on it. Autoprotect was shut off and today when it was supposed to scan said critical error cannot scan. tried uninstal and reinstall, updates to current definitions and same thing. Hope they get this fixed soon, cannot really afford to get new AV software right now and I don't trust the free ones out there.

Just as an aside -- don't bother to go to VISTA -- XP will run much better on your machine until you can upgrade to WIN 7.

 

If you do go to WIN 7 64 bit (or any 64 bit system) be aware that if you have older hardware, like printers, scanners etc,  you must have the appropriate signed 64 bit drivers for them to work with 64 bit systems and many manufacturers of older hardware are not supplying these drivers.

 

This is a gotcha for many buying new computers since so many are being delivered with 64 bit WIndows 7 and 32 bit is hard to find unless you get a Business orientated model.

 

I doubt you will notice much difference between 32 bit and 64 bit Windows unless you have to have more than 3+GB RAM or do very complicated work like photo image adjustment with modern software.

 

FWIW

75

I think if Symantec broke it, they should fix it.  Asking any user of Norton to upgrade their system Operating System then purchasing another product from Symantec is just a hoot.  I will not be upgrading my OS, but I may be purchasing another Virus scanner and you better believe it will not be a Symantec product.   If this coding issue is on purpose, I would beleive there would be a liability issue at hand.  Symantec should offer a workaround for this.  I am sure they know what the problem....I am hoping it is just an error on their side.  As an IT administrator this saddens me greatly.  I am one of those people, that when a good product is out there, I freely recommend it to others.  This may have to change.  I will bite my tongue for now and see how Symantec deals with it.  I hope they do the right thing.

76
I was sent the below e-mail.

 

I replied with "This is scrupulous business practices; I wont be upgrading. I will be purchasing Trend!!!"

 

 

Older Versions of NAV/NIS Suddenly Inoperable
To: mavwolf
on 05-20-2010 03:23 PM

Lana asked me to send you the following message: 

 

Thank you for being a valued Norton customer.
I see that you have been impacted by the recent product issue affecting older products that received the latest LiveUpdate definition set.
Continued efforts remain underway in attempting to address the problem, but in the meantime, we are pleased to offer you a $50 Norton product coupon for use in the online store. I understand that your current operating system may not support the 2010 products, but do know that when you are ready to upgrade that Norton will be there for you. 
In order to provide you with that coupon, please reply with a confirmation of your email address, country of origin, operating system, and your installed Norton product version.   Note: We need the country in order to specify which online store coupon to provide you.
Thanks again for being a valued Norton customer.  I look forward to keeping you as part of our Norton community.  
Regards
Norton Product Management

Hello:


Thank you for being a valued Norton customer.


I see that you have been impacted by the recent product issue affecting older products that received the latest LiveUpdate definition set.


Continued efforts remain underway in attempting to address the problem, but in the meantime, we are pleased to offer you a $50 Norton product coupon for use in the online store. I understand that your current operating system may not support the 2010 products, but do know that when you are ready to upgrade that Norton will be there for you. 


In order to provide you with that coupon, please reply with a confirmation of your email address, country of origin, operating system, and your installed Norton product version.   Note: We need the country in order to specify which online store coupon to provide you.


Thanks again for being a valued Norton customer.  I look forward to keeping you as part of our Norton community.


Regards,

Norton Product Management

77

mavwolf: You're a fool. Look-up what the word scrupulous means.

 

They didn't know they were breaking old products. I think what Norton is doing in this situation is honorable. Of course, no one affected can use the 2010 product because it isn't compatible with Windows98. But still, a $50 COUPON is nothing to shy away from.

78

Hello Reese:

 

I thank you for your honest reply. And again everyone still waiting patiently for a solution regarding the 'defunct LiveUpdate' (May 11).  Today is May 20, 2010 so Symantec cannot say after 8 years finally realized their LiveUpdate 'program code) cannot accomodate 2002/2003 product when users are using WIN/XPP SP3 o/s, and using Memory Management issue as an excuse.  Even the giant like Microsoft Mr. Gates had admitted making mistakes whenever facing court challenges, so SYmantec who is only a fraction of MS please graciously provide 'fix' to our problem.  THank you in advance.

79

Wow! Norton is actually trying to 'BUY' votes here with $50, anyone agreeing to that would mean accepting defeat and letting the Corporation to walk over the I.T. community.  SO here's the deal, you own the product, but developer comes along realizing your have not been upgrading (they make no money from you), so they purposely (unintentionally so they say) download the 'defunct' LiveUpdate to mess up NAV/NIS 2002-2003 product... anyone affected will be forced to upgrade - yeah - Norton won... more profit!  So if you can be bought for $50 then you are being silenced for doing the wrong thing. Stand up for your right to refuse the $50 and tell Norton to DO THE RIGHT THING please!!

80
TylerDurden wrote:

They didn't know they were breaking old products. I think what Norton is doing in this situation is honorable. Of course, no one affected can use the 2010 product because it isn't compatible with Windows98. But still, a $50 COUPON is nothing to shy away from.

I agree and i also have to say that to post a private email or pm in public like this is bad manners. No matter what you think about the $50 coupon offer you simply don't post private emails in public like this. That's normal behavior.