Hi,
NPE is a powerful tool to use without a very good reason. For second opinion scans I usually use
http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free
or
They do things a bit differently than Norton
Keep us posted
Have you tried checking your Windows file system by using sfc /scannow via Command Prompt with adminsistrator privileges, to see if it picks up any corrupted files and attempts to repair them.
It may also be worth running chkdsk, to see if IT finds anything.
I ran NPE and got rid of a registry entry "Hideicons" for "Explorer," probably Windows Explorer, not IE. I did a chkdsk of all four HDs and all are clean and OK. I ran sfc /scannow and my system is clean. I downloaded and installed both the Malwarebytes and SuperAntiSpyware offerings and ran them.
The Malwarebytes scanner did find some remanants of an incident where something I downloaded tried to hijack the search engine on IE ("Conduit" which I disabled manually with some difficulty) and also a bunch of files and registry entries apparently connected with SyncCell, my cell phone address book and calendar synchrnizer, which apparently still works OK, and a few other things. I quarantined everything it flagged. However, nothing that it found seems to be actually executing or operating anything, AFAIK. FYI, I normally use Firefox but keep IE for an occasional web site that insists on IE, an increasingly rare event. I saved the log if you want to see it.
The SuperAntiSpyware offering was familiar. I used it on a University computer when they temporarily gave me an office with a 286 computer with a worm on it. SuperAnitSpyware removed a bunch of new stuff rom 180 Solutions every morning, and I eventually got rid of the back door and cleaned up that slow old dog. On my current computer, it found 9 tracking cookies that were below the threshold of Norton 360 and I removed them.
The bottom line is that checks by NPE, chkdsk, and sfc all were good. Its possible but seems unlikely that the Malwarebytes scanner found something.
Hi, motorfingers. Having eliminated most of the other possible causes, it seems to me that we may be back to the system clock situation, and the problems synching the correct time.
Other than that, I can't hink of any other possibilities.
Maybe someone else will jump in, here.
Normally a clean install of Norton should fix those errors, which is what makes me think it's not a Norton bug.
That occurred to me too. I'll manually re-synch with time-b.nist.gov every morning and if that does it, I will contact the motherboard manufacturer. I just did a manual re-synch and the correction was -8.41 seconds, a bit high for one day but I would think OK for a computer clock.
Another thing I can do is to change the motherboard battery. I don't think that the battery does anything so long as the power supply is on, even if the computer is shut down, but I suppose that it could be shorted or some such. I have a sack of CR2032's for car remote fobs and lots of small appliances around.
There is one data point that we haven't discussed: a reboot with no other actions always resets the condition that causes the 3038,104. I don't believe that this changes the system clock or synchs it with Windows.
I've been cleaning out many traces of "Conduit" from my system and registry. There are many Java and registry files referring to conduit.com and related web pages that *probably* aren't being executed but they are there to support well-known adware/malware. A lot of them are under folders and registry entries for SyncCell, which has no functionality related to the conduit.com taskbars or search engines. I beileve that I got it orignally by clicking on the wrong icon when trying to install CPUID from their web site, so it must have picked SyncCell randomly as an application which it hid under. For example, there are folders and registry entries like ...\SyncCell\taskbar... and SyncCell is a very simple application that does not use the browser and has no taskbar.
Malwarebytes and SuperAntiSpyware pick up lots of pieces of Conduit.com software and registry entries but not all. Norton 360 has been ignoring them, apparently because they are harmless once the links are gone.
Given that you've had problems with Conduit which can be a pain to remove, a full MalwareBytes scan is always worth running to pick up any remnants of PUPS or PUAS.
Unless you're totally sure you've got rid of all these nuisances, a visit to one of the free malware forums we recommend, might be a consideration.
They are very good at cleaning systems up.
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com
http://forums.whatthetech.com/
http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/
http://www.cybertechhelp.com/forums/
My brush with Conduit was very brief about six monts ago. I was getting CPUID but their web site has a bunch of flaky ads with misleading download buttons and I accidentally downloades something that had Conduit on it. I instantly noticed that it hijacked the search engine in IE and was popping up gratuitous ads and stripped it out of IE. I didn't see it in Firefox. The files have been dormant since then, but the malware utilities have been finding them with their scans.
I have not had problems with malware on this computer, other than that brief brush with Conduit, which lasted perhaps ten minutes. I hurried because I was afraid that it would download more stuff. I have never had a virus or worm on this computer.
Norton 360 has never found anything on this coputer except tracking cookies, but I run QuickScan often to keep those down.
NPE has never found anything except false alarms for a PowerDesk DLL and aag.exe, the Ascii Art Generator program. This last time, this week, it found a regsitry entry for Explorer called "HideIcon" that I let it quarantine.
But, once, while doing part-time teaching at a nearby University, a Professor Emeritus came in and bumped me from the usual office and they gave me an old vacant office to use while he was there - and it had an old 286 computer that was eaten up with adware, mostly from 180 Solutions. I used Malwarebytes free downloads and other stuff then. It was like a video game, cleaning that stuff out every morning. You guys are pretty well versed in adware; I just now refreshed myself with Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/180_Solutions.
But I do find it interesting how many places that conduit.com put stuff, the fact that uninstall failed - apparently by design, that there were several exe files laying around that probably would have re-installed it, and that it picked out a random applicaiton that has nothing to do with search or toolbars, SynchCell, to mingle its files with.
Adjusted the clock by -0.8 seconds this morning. Usually morning corrections are several seconds, disturbingly high. I'll keep re-synching with time-b.nist.gov every morning to see if that stops the 3038,104 errors.
Only -1.71 seconds this morning.
Hi All,
Just wanted to pop in and say I am having the exact same problem. I have even tried re-formating windows to no avail. If i leave the computer on without shutting down, after 2-3 days norton 360 is unable to scan and gives me these errors. Upon restarting the computer norton 360 scans work.
Today the clock correction was -6.766 seconds, a tad high but not out-of-line with this motherboard. Downloading a new map for my wife's Garmin, doing e-mail, and browsing, and QuickScan still working OK. Last 3038,104 was May 14, so we can declare vicotry.
I've done two things: switched my clock synchroniztion from time.microsoft.com to time-b.nist.gov, and separatly synched my clock every morning with time-b.nist.gov. I'll stop synching my clock every morning and see if it comes back. If it does, then we know to look at clock drift.
But, I do belive that this will turn out to be a system configuration issue. Another user, dendrite, has just chimed in, and I have turned up a number of others that have the same problem.
For dendrite: One of the people helping me here suggested a couple of malware scanners and one of them, by Malwarebytes, is one I used to combat adware on a loaner computer at a University a few years ago, and decided to buy. It found and cleaned off a bunch of fragments of a browser search engine hijacker and adware from Conduit.com that I had trouble with for about ten minutes last year. On the off chance that this affected Norton, I suggest that you get a free trial. The links are in a message from a Norton pro about a week back.
motorfingers11 wrote:For dendrite: One of the people helping me here suggested a couple of malware scanners and one of them, by Malwarebytes, is one I used to combat adware on a loaner computer at a University a few years ago, and decided to buy. It found and cleaned off a bunch of fragments of a browser search engine hijacker and adware from Conduit.com that I had trouble with for about ten minutes last year. On the off chance that this affected Norton, I suggest that you get a free trial. The links are in a message from a Norton pro about a week back.
They are in this post/Message #21.
Be careful to download the free version, and remember to update it before running any scans.
Thanks motor for the tip. I have been using both malwarebytes and superantispyware free versions for quite some time and I routinely run scans and they have never found anything. Also, I have reformatted as well and it did not help. I am now trying to change the sync time from microsoft to time-b.nist.gov and I will see if that helps.
I ran into a couple of things looking into time servers. One is a way to get Windows to use NTP:
http://www.pool.ntp.org/en/use.html
I have no ideal what this procedure does. Perhaps the Norton gurus can tell me what this does with the Microsoft operating system's use of NTP. I thought that it already uses NTP, with the default to synch with time.windows.com once a week. I haven't found a system utilty that will let me see the time synch schedule or change it.
The other is an old utility that manually updates your computer clock, nistime-32bit.exe:
http://www.nist.gov/pml/div688/grp40/its.cfm
You must run this in Administrative mode for Vista and later because the system clock is protected. You use this utility by first selecting a server - be sure and check the "Use NTP" box because non-NTP links are no longer supported, then select Query Server - > Now. The amount that the system clock was corrected is shown in a pop-up, and you click OK to adjust the systme clock.
Whoops, got an error 8920,208 running LiveUpdate. I ran Intelligent Update and it seemed to run fine. I then ran LiveUpdate again and got a 217 mB download of x64 virus definitiosn, which failed to install. I ran the same Intelligent Update download and tried Live Update again, and LU said that I was up to date.
Then, I ran QuickScan and got a 3038,104 error. I checked my system clock against time-b.nist.gov and it was 1.77 sedonds off.
Just got the error again. I had created a task to synchronize time with the nist every hour so it is not due incorrect time. In addition to moto it seems another user just posted with the same issue.
Norton 360 Premier Edition
21.3.0.12
Error: 3038, 104
Windows 8.1
9600.17085.amd64fre.winblue_gdr.140330-1035
Norton Autofix Results: 0 item(s)
Hi. There has been a problem in the last day or so with updates. I had a176 mb definition dpwnload, and today part of the update failed. An hour or so later, all is ok again.
It's not always necessary to use the Intelligent Updater, as the problem is often resolved fairly quickly.
Correct synching seems to be critical for successful updating, and I use time.nist.gov, as it seems to be more accurate than time.windows.com.
dendrite, not sure if you've seen the Norton help page related to your error.
https://support.norton.com/sp/en/us/home/current/solutions/v63797269_EndUserProfile_en_us
Since May 21:
May 21, 2014
May 23, 2014
Clock 12 seconds off; did not correct.
May 26, 2014
Clock 9 seconds slow; did not correct.
May 28, 2014
Got a 8920,208 and downloaded Instant Update and used it.
Live Update worked OK after that, but got a new 3038,104.
Clock 15 seconds slow; did not correct.
So, I get a 3038,104 every two days or so. Things that have been done but which do not affect this include, but are not limited to:
- User account control as per Norton page on 3038,104
- Re-installation.
- NPE
- NRT and download fresh installation software
- Revise Windows clock synch to use time-b.nist.gov
- Update clock to time-b.nist.gov every morning
None of these measures has had any discernable effect on the problem. I am unclear as to exactly what a 3038,104 error is, and product security may prevent Norton/Symantec from disclosing any details that may help.
I looked at the Windows Event Log and there is one entry that may be useful here:
Session "Microsoft Security Client OOBE" stopped due to the following error: 0xC000000D
This is a memory trap and usually the result of an application crash. IAW posts on Microsoft's web site, I deleted two copies of EppOobe.etl and will see what happens.
Left to do:
- Change the computer battery.
- Try the Norton support that allows a technician into my computer to look around and fix things.
Forcing me to accept loss of security or to reboot every couple of days compromises the ability of this computer to perform the task for which it exists: to do heavy number crunching runs that last for days, weeks, or even a few months.
At this point I'm at my wits end. After 20 years, I may give up Norton and find another virus protection. Any ideas or suggestions are welcome.