Hi UlteriorModem:
Not sure if this will help or not, buy my neighbor had the same problem. To correct it, he uninstalled Zone Alarm Pro. Then he downloaded the Norton Removal Tool and ran it. Then he reinstalled NIS 2009 and everything works fine. He was having a conflict with the ZAP and NIS.
Here is a link to the Norton Removal Tool:
http://service1.symantec.com/Support/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039
Hope this helps. I am new here myself and just saw your post.
sOulbAit