clubman15 wrote:
Hi, i just started to get this error 3039,1 message in the last few days. I have the Norton AntiVirus 2004 cd and i have since upgraded online to the 2008 and now 2009. Version 16.0.0.125. I have tried everything from the "Fix Now" button, to the one click help and running the free version of Malwarebytes antivirus and PC Tools Spyware Doctor and i have also done a complete uninstall and reinstall of the Norton AntiVirus. Here is my logfile from the GMER i just ran. Hope someone can help and i really don't want to do a hard drive format. Thanks,
brian
There are too many posts here for me to read back over all of them and figure out what has been tried by each poster here. So if I suggest something you have already tried, I apologize in advance.
First, your installation environment.
This means everything on your computer at the moment you install a product.
As far as NIS is concerned, you should have no other active security software. You should be using Windows Defender. You shouldn't have alternative AV or Firewall producs. You shouldn't be running versions of Adaware or Spybot Search & Destroy. For some of these products, it is enough that they not be enabled. For other products, they shouldn't even be installed on your machine even if you have disabled them (for example, other security suites like McAfee). For some products, you need to be careful you have disabled all components of that product (for example, Teatimer of Spybot Search & Destroy). And for some products, there are folders and registry entries that are left behind when you uninstall the product (this is true for the majority of security suites).
It also is important that you run the most up-to-date version of that product. Out-of-date and no-longer-supported products can be doing unseen damage to your computer. Not only might it be the cause of a poor installation, it might also be causing poor system performance in general, causing frequent or occasional crashes, and opening a route for malware infestation!
To improve your installation environment, there are some specific and general advice.
Specific: For each particular product you have uninstalled, check their website and see if they offer a clean-up tool for that product. If they do, download it and run it.
General: Visit www.secunia.com and download their free personal software inspector. It will scan your software and tell you what is out-of-date and what is no longer supported. For most products, it will direct you to the manufacturer's update links and/or it will help you get the replacement product. Secunia is non-invasive and will do nothing to your system. You can run it yourself or you can set it to run regularly in the background. It is one of the best computer maintenance tools out there.
If you are comfortable using registry cleaners, visit www.ccleaner.com and download their free computer cleaner, ccleaner. The product is a fairly conservative cleaner that requires almost no interaction from the user. Make sure you allow it to make back-ups when it runs and it will perform a humdinger of a cleanup. If you are concerned about registry cleaners, an even more conservative product is Symantec's Systemwork's component, Windoctor. If you are experienced problems with installing new products, or computer crashes, it is probably the best bet for improving things after updating all computer products. It is also the best bet for cleaning up after uninstalling a product that doesn't uninstall well.
Second, your method of installation.
It is always best to do a clean install. This usually means a perfect uninstallation of a product's previous installation. Sometimes, the process is built into the new version's installation process. Unfortunately, this uninstallation depends a lot on how well the previous product was installed. If the previous product was mis-installed, it may end up being mis-uninstalled!. So with something like Norton products, it's good to use their free removal tool available from their website. This is an aggressive application that removes almost every registry entry and link and file and folder related to Norton products. You do need to be aware that if you use this,it will remove all Norton products, not just NIS or NAV. There is a third level of cleanup: Doing a deep search (system and hidden files), find and remove all Norton folders that you have admin rights to.
NIS can have hiccups during installation. Usually these hiccups take the form of long, invisible background behavior (this will be minimalized if you follow the advice in the previous paragraph) and doesn't indicate any problems -- but it does require patience on the part of the user. For my part, when an installation appears to be locked up, I just walk away, have a snack or read a chapter or do a Sudoku, and come back much later to see if progress has been made. Patience is the secret here; forcing an issue (by shutting down in midstream, rebooting, starting over, even launching other applications) can produce a major installation flaw.
Reboots fix a lot, even when you are not asked to do so. In fact, it's even good to reboot right before you initialize an installation (there might be a MS update lurking in the wings waiting for that reboot to finish its own installation). After installing NIS or NAV, reboot at least once. If the reboot is a required one by the installer, then wait a long time after getting back to the desktop for the installation to complete -- again, patience is key. Required reboots mean that you can expect program notifications from the product you have installed, notifications about status and anything you might need to do next.
After installation completion, if you get warning notices, the best first response is to choose the most conservative response, which is usually one of ignoring the warning (if that is an option) or just continuing. Stay away from the FIX ME options on the first round -- instead, at the first sensible opportunity, reboot and see if that has fixed things.
Third, avoid tinkering.
If after installation, a product does not work right, the best next step is to simply uninstall and reinstall following suggestions about this routine above. Sometimes, it takes two shots at an installation after a misbehaving product has been uninstalled. But do not tinker with the settings or the registry or your computer. This simply creates a more complicated system environment; and makes it harder for other people to help you.
If none of the above solves your problem, it's time to ask for help from others. Start with customer service or these boards, but stay away from well-meaning people who you have no other reason to trust (like your significant other's cousin who was good at gaming on computers back in jurnior high school).
Good luck.