I have some virus that Norton cannot find on my laptop and I wouldn't mind a fresh start. If I were to do a total system restore (factory settings) would I still be able to get my nis back??? I didn't buy online I brought the disk from tesco's
bearec2003,
I'll answer the main question first. As long as you have the install disk and the product key that came with it, yes, you can reinstall Norton. It's best to sign in to your Norton account and install from there, that way you get the most current version and it will take less time to update and involve fewer re-starts.
Once you finish your full-blown (blast everything out, re-install from scratch), best if you remove any anti-virus trialware (if your computer came with the usual assortment of bloatware) before you get going. For example, if you have a trialware version of Norton, McAfee, or any others then uninstall them from your computer and follow-up by downloading and running the removal tool for whichever product is involved. For example, if it came with a trial version of Norton AV installed, then you can download the removal tool from www.norton.com/nrt It'll require a restart each time you run it, but it will save you some headache in the long run. Then install from the disk, enter the product key when prompted, or (better) sign on to your Norton Account and do it from there.
That said, I'm curious as to why you think you have a virus if Norton scans are coming up clean. Have you run a second opinion scan such as Malwarebytes (in safe mode) to see what might pop up?
Regards,
Kelly
thanks for the fast reply and the info.
well i think i have somthing in my systems 32 folder, i cannot do any windows updates (currently have 15 waiting) and my mobile has to be updated with Zune and i cant do any of that at the moment. i have run a scan (SFC command prompt) it says i have corrupt files in my log folder CBS? i have found the file and it doesnt look unusual but i dont dare delete it incase i need it. i have tried following instructions online but dont get any where there is alot of talk about BITS? ive looked in services and mine is missing.
hope that makes sense
not sure if it helps but i have just run another full scan and as usual it found tracking cookies and said it resolved them. im not sure what they are. i know what cookies are but never heard of tracking cookies.
Tracking cookies are cookies dropped onto your computer when you visit some websites. They "track" the places you visit on the web and report information which isn't attributable to a specific user. In other words, they may track what region you come from and what websites you visit, but the cookie lets your computer report it anonymously and doesn't collect personal information. It's essentially cheap, automated market research It's much like when you check out at some stores and they ask for your phone number, area code first. They don't want your phone number, the end use is to find out demographics; mainly, what area codes and telephone exchanges their customer base comes from in order to target advertising, see if and possible where they should build another store, and so on.
Tracking cookies are usually low risk. I set mine to automatically remove low risk threats just because I don't really want them in there. They'll be back anyway, then you can clean them out again :-)
For help with Windows Update problems, it's best to go to Microsoft's website and use the MS fixit tool. More often than not, that will fix updates that won't run. If you're using Windows 7, try the fixit tool at this link:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Troubleshoot-problems-with-installing-updates
If you're using another version of Windows, let us know and I can point you in the right direction.
Let us know how it's going.
Regards,
Kelly
bearec2003 wrote:i have just run another full scan and as usual it found tracking cookies and said it resolved them. im not sure what they are. i know what cookies are but never heard of tracking cookies.
Hi bearec2003,
Additionally, you can go into your browser(s) settings and configure them to block (3rd party) tracking cookies. Keep 1st party cookies allowed, but block the 3rd party cookies which no one needs. They will not hurt you and are very low risk, but it's a good idea to keep them cleaned out 
Ed
sorry its took so long to reply, my pc completey went down. i have tried all the microsoft fix it things and still no luck :-(