As of several days ago, I've been waking up to the same message on my computer every morning:
X Error Applying Patch
We were unable to apply a patch because we could not shut down all drivers. As a result, your Norton product is not running. To ensure protection, please restart your computer, which will apply the patch and restart your Norton product.
Every time, I restart my computer as requested, and every time, I get the same message the next day.
Two possible causes stand out as likely. One is that Norton has published a bad LiveUpdate, or one not compatible with my system (HP ProBook 4540s running Windows 7). The other is that it was triggered by my attempt to get Windows 10.
About a week ago, I finally decided to take the plunge and go for the OS upgrade. I clicked the icon in my toolbar and was told that I'd receive a system notification when Windows 10 was ready for me to install. I'm about 80 percent sure that my Norton problems started happening the next day.
The first thing that happened is that my computer spontaneously shut down overnight, which it's never done before. When I tried to restart it, it got stuck at some point in the startup sequence. When I tried to restart it a second time, I got a serious error message ("A recent hardware or software change might be the cause") and had to run a System Repair -- which failed, according to Windows, and yet the next time I tried to reboot, Windows loaded fine, to a system restore point a day or two old. With one difference: Norton was broken. Kaputt. I had to reinstall it. The "Error Applying Patch" messages have been appearing ever since.
I hope this is enough information for someone to identify the source of the problem and potential solution(s).
(Incidentally, I never have gotten the notification that Windows 10 is ready to install. Five or six days seems like a long time. I thought it'd be ready the next day, maybe in two or three.)