Internet problems with Norton Family

Archive
41

I have been using Norton family for quite some time and was quite pleased with it. However, a few weeks ago I started to have a problem in that my Internet Explorer was clearly much slower. In addition after a few minutes, it would completely stop working. The exact same thing happened with google Chrome. I could get to the 1st one or 2 websites but within a few minutes, they would both completely freeze. When going to a new page, the IE screens would be blank, mo URL, but there would be no hourglass or sign of any activity. Of note, my e-mail stopped connecting as well. However I could ping Google without any problems.

 

Well, I can't tell you how many hundreds of hours I spent on this problem over the next two weeks. I downloaded every single malware program and ran it several times; did several complete Norton 360 scans.  Eventually, I replaced my Ethernet card, and then my router to no avail.  Disabled all start up programs, and services:  no improvement.  Opened IE with add-ins: no improvement. Went to every message boards and tried a variety of fixes, including changing the register and network adapter settings.

 

Only thing that worked was rebooting, then it would only work for a few minutes.

I was extremely close to spending $ 1,500 dollars to buy a new computer (my present computer is 1 year old, and the top of the new dell 8500, Windows 7).

 

Last resort, went into safe mode, and looked at the event viewer.  Under some of the Warnings, I found:

 

Faulting application name: NF.exe, version: 12.10.0.42, time stamp: 0x5202e8a2

Faulting module name: unknown, version: 0.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x00000000

Exception code: 0xc0000005

Fault offset: 0x00000001

Faulting process id: 0x9dc

Faulting application start time: 0x01cebef89b30c3d8

Faulting application path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Norton Family\Engine\2.9.0.21\NF.exe

Faulting module path: unknown

Report Id: f6b7a4f3-2aeb

 

So, since it had Norton Family in it, I deleted Norton Family from my computer – and everything was back to normal.

I am only writing to you because the experience was so horrendous.  It nearly crimpled my home consulting business for 2 weeks. For such a benign program to behave like the worse possible malware is really unacceptable.  I personally can’t image using Norton Family in the future regardless. I have been a Norton customer for decades, but need to re-evaluate.

42

Hi DPreston,

 

Thanks for the valuable feedback.  I've sent you a private message in the forum.  Please check it when you get a chance.

 

 

Thanks,

Katie

43

Hi,

 

The Norton Family team has released an update 2.9.5.9 via Automatic LiveUpdate.  We believe we have corrected the internet connectivity issue.  You will be asked to reboot your machine when the update is available to your machine via the LiveUpdate.  Please retest and let us know if you are still experiencing the issue.

 

 

 

Thanks for your patience,

 

The Norton Family Team

 

44

DPreston,

I'm really sorry you had to go through all this.

Symantec, if you are listening, there are some serious quality control issues with the Norton Family development team. The development team needs to stop using your customer's computers for their beta testing. The time for beta testing is before the software is released, not after. DPreston's bad experience shows what happens when you fail to heed this.

 

The problems with this past release were so blatant, so obvious, so immediately apparent, that I don't think the development team spent 5 minutes testing it. DPreston said he's been using the software for awhile, and so have I. The difference is, he only had his own PC to use as a benchmark, and look at all the trouble he had to go through!! I have 40 PC's running NF, so when I saw just a few going haywire at the same time, I knew immediately it was Norton Family's fault.

 

There's no excuse for this. Management needs to have a chat with the development team NOW. Please don't let this happen again.

Thank you.

45
KatieQ wrote:

Hi,

 

The Norton Family team has released an update 2.9.5.9 via Automatic LiveUpdate.  We believe we have corrected the internet connectivity issue.  You will be asked to reboot your machine when the update is available to your machine via the LiveUpdate.  Please retest and let us know if you are still experiencing the issue.

 


 

Katie,

 

This needs to be posted as a sticky at the top of the forum.

 

An apology from yg for this latest debacle would also be nice....

 

.... but I won't be holding my breath.

46

Specifically this problem: from an Admin non-monitored account, IE process does not go away when closed, and Internet access hangs afterward: the problem is fixed. Other issues, haven't tested thoroughly yet, and update hasn't come in on all PC's yet. But so far, so good.

 

But as usual, I'm having trouble getting the update to come in when I want it to. It has a mind of its own. It comes in when it feels like it. When you say Liveupdate, I would expect it to some in with Start > All Programs> Norton Internet Security > Liveupdate. But it doesn't. I don't know if I have to stand on my head, say the magic words, or what??!?!

 

What do I have to do to force update this thing?

 

xyzzy *poof*

 

now that dates me....

 

 

47

Hi dbdan22,

 

Have your PCs get updated to the latest version 2.9.5.9?   The LiveUpdate sends the update to computers automatically. 

 

For Norton Family Liveupdates, it is not located at Start > All Programs> Norton Internet Security > Liveupdate

 

 

Thanks,

Katie

48

Oh dear.

I don't think we're out of the woods yet......

 

Whilst the original problem of the whole internet connection hanging forever has disappeard, it seems that NF is stil slowing my connection down drastically......and this is on my unmonitored account.

 

When trying to access apges it sits there for a while......a very long while iin some instances.....before displaying the page. At least it does display the page......eventually.

 

I know it is NF as when I get a hang if I end the NF*.exe process the page loads immendiately.

 

I'll be interested in seeing other people's experiences with 2.9.5.9. I hope I'm wrong.

49

I've had the exact same issue, on the unmonitored account too.

 

This is such a shame, I installed Norton Family today after reading a glowing review in PC Pro magazine.

50

Hi MikeC1964 & cbridge,

 

I'll be glad to setup a remote session with you if you are on the latest Norton Family 2.9.5.9.  Please let me know by private message if you are interested in having one with me.

 

 

Thanks,

Katie

51

Hi Katie,

 

Thanks for the offer but I already uninstalled. I might try it again in future.

 

I've noticed you've helped out quite a few people on this forum, but you fail to say what the cause/solution was, if you document the cause/solution wont the rest of us be able to see it and help ourselves? 

52

I have had it with Norton Family.  I have had to uninstall it completely from my son's computer as he couldn't do his school work with it loaded.  He only had to go to google, type an innocent search e.g. "plant", and then click on the "images" options, the screen would go blank.  As per other peoples' report ClubPengion would not work either.  Uninstalled Norton Family and all the problems went away.

53

Also wanted to add that I kept getting emails "Norton Family Notification : Browser Plugin Disabled" when my son had only just opened Internet Explorer.  I was looking over his should so I know there were no issues with what he was doing.

54

Katie,

 

The problems continue, even with 2.9.5.9.

 

Browsing is still slow as molasses. All you have to do is go into task manager and kill the nf.exe process, and it speeds up immediately.

 

We still need a fix for this!!

 

55

I'm seeing the same thing too.

MikeC1964 wrote:

Oh dear.

I don't think we're out of the woods yet......

 

Whilst the original problem of the whole internet connection hanging forever has disappeard, it seems that NF is stil slowing my connection down drastically......and this is on my unmonitored account.

 

When trying to access apges it sits there for a while......a very long while iin some instances.....before displaying the page. At least it does display the page......eventually.

 

I know it is NF as when I get a hang if I end the NF*.exe process the page loads immendiately.

 

I'll be interested in seeing other people's experiences with 2.9.5.9. I hope I'm wrong.

 

56

I second that.

 

If there's a solution, then tell us all. Stop with this private session nonsense already. We're all having the problem, we all need a solution.

 

cbridge wrote:

Hi Katie,

 

Thanks for the offer but I already uninstalled. I might try it again in future.

 

I've noticed you've helped out quite a few people on this forum, but you fail to say what the cause/solution was, if you document the cause/solution wont the rest of us be able to see it and help ourselves? 

 

57

Hi cbridge,

 

I'll be glad to setup a remote session with you to check the issue further.  I have set up several remote sessions with users who are experiencing the issue, but none of them has been able to reproduce the issue during the session (The issue occurs inconsistently).  If you are able to show me the issue that would be great, so we can work on the issue further.

 

 

Thanks,

Katie

58

Katie,

 

Yes, the problem is inconsistent. We've figured that out already. How about giving us a clue about what to look for?

 

On the PC that was acting up today, I removed NF with Control Panel, then did a SYMNRT, deleted the C:\users\public\norton folders, and did a reinstall of everything. It worked. But I don't have the time to do a 30 minute operation on 40 PC's. I have other things to do.

 

Any suggestions?

 

 

59

Katie,

 

I'm still having problems so I ran the trace you left me with during our remote session a while ago. I did eventually start getting a hang towards the end of the trace, although initially the problem semd to go way as soonn as I started running the trace as Admin (as it did during our session).

 

You are welcome to have the logs if you wish. I ended the two NF*.exe processes at the end of the session and lo and behold the hanging isue went away.

 

Mike

60

Hi MikeC1964,

 

Thank you very much for the help.   Can you please send the logs to me at Katie_Qiu@symantec.com.

 

The logs locate at .....\wpp\Logs (Ex: C:\Temp\wpp\Logs).  The file is called SymTraceSession

 

If you want me to setup a remote session to grab the logs, please let me know.

 

 

Thanks,

Katie