Migrating Blocked and Allowed eMail lists

Is there a SIMPLE way to move/copy the Blocked and Allowed eMail lists from one PC to another?    I'd hate to have to manually enter all that data.  Are they in a file that can be copied over?  Both PCs are running the same "3-copy" version of NIS2011; the older is running Win XP Pro and the newer is running Win7 Home Premium.

Allen,

 

I ran thru the suggested procedure twice and  neither The Blocked nor the Allowed list data ever showed up in target NIS 2011 (18.5.0.125), although the 6 files from the source Win XP PC DID get to the Win 7 AntiSpam folder.  In fact, the copied over files seem to have blown away the manual entries I made earlier.  Obviously something is amiss.  Both computers have the same NIS 2011 version, as cited above.  Any thoughts?

 

BTW, it would really be nice if NIS finally supported Mozilla Thunderbird so I could import the Allowed list from my addrwess book.

 

George Seaton, "kn2rxy"

 

Is there a SIMPLE way to move/copy the Blocked and Allowed eMail lists from one PC to another?    I'd hate to have to manually enter all that data.  Are they in a file that can be copied over?  Both PCs are running the same "3-copy" version of NIS2011; the older is running Win XP Pro and the newer is running Win7 Home Premium.


kn2rxy wrote:

BTW, it would really be nice if NIS finally supported Mozilla Thunderbird so I could import the Allowed list from my addrwess book.

 

George Seaton, "kn2rxy"

 


Hi George,

Did I miss something here. Just checked and NIS and 360 support FF 5.0x Support for 6.x will be out after the final release hits the ground. Don't have NAV loaded so I can't verify that one. Sorry.

HI kn2rxy,

 

Thanks for the update. You indicated that you wanted to migrate the antispam settings of one into the other. My apologies, I should have been more clear that when you copy those files that it does overwrite what was already there.

 

This absolutely should have worked to get all the blocked and allowed lists imported from the source computer to the target computer.

 

You did disable Norton Product Tamper protection, correct? I believe you must have or you most likely would not have been able to copy those files into the target computer's Antispam directory.

 

Can you go ahead and restart your computer and see if the blocked / allowed lists come up properly?

 

Also I noted that your NIS is outdated. You should be at version 18.6.0.29. Can you check in Settings > Computer Settings and see if Live Update is turned ON?

 

Please let us know how it goes after the restart. After the restart you should run Live Update to get all the latest updates.

 

You can also check History to see when the last live update ran. Click on History from the main NIS window and then select Live Update from the drop down list and you should be able to see when it last ran.

 

Best wishes.

Allen

I usually run LiveUpdate only when NIS 2011 complains; e.g., every 4 or 5 days.  Last run two days ago on Win XP and yesterday on Win 7.  Just ran it again on both and both say they're now at 18.6.0.29. 

 

Interestingly enough, on both machines the AntiSpam folders (the only ones containing the addr.dat and its 5 companions) are still shown under a parent folder labeled NIS_18.5.0.125 (!), the old version.  (NOTE: I have complained before about NIS using release numbers for folder names.  It screwed up the Windows Task Scheduler in the past because the NIS program location "moved."  Is this another instance of folder malfeasance?) 

 

Anyway, Blocked and Allowed lists on the target Win 7 machine remained empty after LiveUpdate and restart.  The ADDR.DAT and .BAK files are 122KB (size from source Win XP) and have today's date.  (And yes, I disabled the Tamper Protection  to overwrite the target system files.)

 

I'll try again in the morning.

 

HI kn2rxy,

 

Thanks again for the update.

 

Can you confirm that Live Update is turned ON or not? It is recommend to leave this turned on so that you will get critical updates on a timely basis.

 

The thing is that version 18.6.0.29 has been out since May 2nd as seen from the following post:

 

http://community.norton.com/t5/Norton-Internet-Security-Norton/Product-Update-18-6-0-29-for-Norton-Internet-Security-2011-and/m-p/445310/message-uid/445310#U445310

 

You might try again (now that you have the latest version) copying the Antispam files again.

 

I tested this very thoroughly on my computer before recommending that you try this and it worked flawlessly.

 

I'll look forward to your next update tomorrow.

 

Best wishes.

Allen

 

Well, I've done quite a few LiveUpdates since May and yesterday seems to have been the first time that the newer version appeared.   Does the fact that the parent folder for AntiSpam et al is NIS_18.0.5.125 mean anything? Also, is there some mutant Win 7 permissions setting that prevents NIS from readin/using the migrated files?  Anyway, I'll try the copy/migrate procedure again.

Hi kn2rxy,

 

The NIS_18.0.5.125 directory name is not a problem. This directory is typically named based on the version number which was installed originally. The directory name is normal. NIS still knows where to find all the files.

 

Yesterday I had originally copied these files on to my test laptop from my desktop and the blocked/allowed lists were properly present which means they had migrated over successfully. (The list was originally empty because I don't use my test laptop for antispam support except for testing purposes)

 

However, today when I tried to do the reverse and move these files from my laptop to my desktop it does NOT work even though like you said the file sizes and dates match the source computer.

 

I did forget to mention that I believe the antispam blocked/allowed list is tied to the username. But I have the same username on both my computers so there must be something besides just that - perhaps something tied to the computer itself as well. I can't explain why this worked last night and now the other direction it does not work.

 

You will probably end up having to fill in the blocked / allowed lists by hand after all. You should be able to restore the previous version of the files in the Antispam directory by first turning Off Tamper Protection as before. Then right click each of the files in turn and select Properties. Then click the Previous Versions tab.

 

These files are backed up as part of system restore so you would just need to pick the most recent backup and restore it.

 

I would also suggest that you post a suggestion in the Product Suggestion board about having a way within the NIS program to backup and restore this data. This capability exists for ID Safe but not for this.

 

My apologies for the confusion.

 

Best wishes.

Allen

Thanks anyway Allen.  By "username" are you referring to the file owner under security/advanced or to the the currently logged in user?  I doubt the latter since the XP files come from the ALL USERS folder.  (You know, I had been using Win XP Pro for 6 years and never had a problem with it.  Win 7 has been a continuous source of annoyance.)

 

I went to the Feedback site and left two suggestions: 1. Support Mozilla Thunderbird already, and 2.  Provide a SIMPLE way to migrate those Blocked and Allowed files.  Unfortunately, the "1000 character" test input box stopped accepting input well short of 1000 character (cause for yet another feedback comment).  What I would add is implement a simple export/import procedure (e.g., to CSV files) for the contents of the lists.  It ain't rocket science.   Why that data is buried in encrypted files is beyond me.

 

Hi kn2rxy,

 

I cannot say for sure but I suspect the blocked/allowed lists are tied to a username. Since there is only one set of files no matter how many users there are and as you said on XP it is in the All Users folder, it could be tagged within the same file. But I could be wrong on this part but I'm having trouble understanding why the data in the file is clearly the same yet NIS rejects it on the other computer. Yet you can add to it and that same file is getting updated.

 

I don't know if the addr.dat file is encrypted but it might be. It is clearly a binary file however. It can be read by a HEX viewer or editor application but without knowing the format it looks pretty much like just gibberish. :smileywink:

 

I don't see these suggestions from you on the Product Suggestion board. Where did you leave them?

 

Best wishes.

Allen

I used the "Feedback" page that you access via the main NIS screen.  (You don't have to sign in for that page.  For giggles, see if you can enter "1000 characters!")

 

Otherwise, this whole topic sounds like a job for a programmer to sort out.  And yes, those AntiSpam files do look like gibberish when viewed with a program like MultiEdit.  Since there's no recognizable text, they must be encoded, if not encrypted.  Some function or routine decodes the contents and spits out the ASCII when the lists are displayed.  A variant could easily spit out the ASCII as a CSV file when an "Export to File"  button control is clicked on.  Reverse it for an "Import from File" control.  Also, why does ADDR.DAT need to be "tamper proof?"  Anyway, for import/export, let the new import DLL knock down the Tamper flag.

 

Well, I did 8 pages worth of Alt-Prnt Scrns to a Word file and had already manually entered the first page.  Now I get to do it all over again...all 8 pages.  Doh!

 

Hi kn2rxy,

 

Hex data isn't the same thing as being ecrypted. It just means that it is a binary file which is in a structured format. Of course if you don't know how the data is formatted it might as well be encrypted since you can't tell with any certainty what the data is. That binary data can also be encrypted which means that even if you did not what the format was, you still would not be able to read it unless you know how to decrypt it.

 

Regarding the "addr.dat" file, did you check for Previous versions via Windows Explorer? If you or Windows created a restore point since you typed in this data, you should be able to restore a previous version of this file.

 

I would suggest that you submit the suggestion to the Product Suggestion board that I mentioned earlier. It is great that you provided feedback through the program but the Product Suggestion board adds much more value since other users can basically vote on your suggestion by giving Kudos to you. This allows Symantec to which suggestions are the most popular ones.

 

Best wishes.

Allen

I'm talking about Mozilla Thunderbird, the email client.  NIS 2011 does not import the address book into the Allowed list as it did with the dearly departed Outlook Express.  (And don't get me started about the Blocked list which appears to non-portable between PCs; for example from my old Win XP desktop to my new Win 7 laptop.  (Allen already spent way too much time on this one, only to come up with no solution.)

Allen,

It would appear that support for Mozilla Thunderbird and easy Blocked/Allowed export/import have already been discussed a lot on the Product Improvement page.  It's time for Symantec/Norton to DO SOMETHING about these called for improvements.  In the meantime, I'll be copying blocked sites to my laptop...one at a time.

 

George Seaton ("kn2rxy")

Scottsdale, AZ

 


kn2rxy wrote:

Allen,

It would appear that support for Mozilla Thunderbird and easy Blocked/Allowed export/import have already been discussed a lot on the Product Improvement page.  It's time for Symantec/Norton to DO SOMETHING about these called for improvements.  In the meantime, I'll be copying blocked sites to my laptop...one at a time.

 

George Seaton ("kn2rxy")

Scottsdale, AZ

 


Hi kn2rxy,

 

Please allow me to clarify. I am talking about the ability to be able to save a backup of the Allowed/blocked lists (export if you will) and to be able restore that backup on a different computer.

 

I was not able to find a suggestion already logged on that. This is one of the things you expressed a desire for, for obvious reasons. :smileywink:

 

Best wishes.

Allen

Search for "Blocked list" and for "Thunderbird" in the Product Improvements forum.  There are about 5 posts on each topic, mostly in the vein of what I mentioned.  One more post from me isn't going to get anything done if it's already been a topic for over a year.  The lack of integrated Thunderbird support is really unacceptable, given  the market share that Mozilla now has.  As for the Blocked/Allowed lists, "backing up" is not the issue; migrating/exporting the lists to another computer is, as evidenced by the comments in the PI forum.

HI kn2rxy,

 

For some reason I had not seen a more general one about backing up and restoring these lists when I searched earlier. I'm not sure why that result did not pop up when I searched the last time.

 

I would suggest that you add your voice of support to the following one and any others you have found regarding Thunderbird specifically. The more users who show active support for a suggestion, the more likely it will be implemented.

 

http://community.norton.com/t5/Product-Suggestions/Manage-AntiSpam-Allowed-and-Blocked-lists-like-a-Identity-Safe/m-p/302508/highlight/true#M1210

 

Symantec does take suggestions seriously but like anything else, they have to see a clear and high demand for it.

 

Best wishes.

Allen