Norton Internet Security wakes computer from Screensaver

Norton Security | Norton Internet Security
81

I have wired connection. I have no background scans set to run or no idle scans. I manually control my scans.

 

However, I still have the screensaver issue and have had for a couple weeks.

 

Turning Silent mode on for 24 hrs makes the problem go away. After the 24 hrs are up, the problem does not occur for about a day, but then starts again. And its the little pop up notification in lower right corner that  states Norton is running background taks which causes the screen saver to go away. This is intersting, b/c  Like I said, all my scans are done manually. When I check the norton log of tasks that were completed nothing is listed to coincide with the same time as the pop up notification telling me background taks were going on.

82

Does anyone know if Symantec has acknowledged that this is a problem?  If so, when is their expected fix going to be rolled out? For me, the problem did not start until I ran a live update a while back. I can not believe that they have not addressed this yet.

83

Hi ddave17331,

 

Yes - we're researching this issue and have received logs from this issue to better help the research. We can't give an ETA on the fix yet, since we're still researching it. 

 

Thank you for your patience while we look in to this. 

84

The cause of this for me is the Idle Time Scan. The system tray popup shows up and says Norton is performing an Idle Time Scan and my screensaver goes away. But after 10 mins my screensaver comes back on. Then when the Idle Time Scan is complete the screensaver disappears again because of the system tray popup. The screensaver returns in 10 mins and the monitor shuts off in 15 mins.

 

Just what I have experienced.

85
Tim wrote:

 

Thank you for your patience while we look in to this. 

It is surprising that in the new release of the latest version of Norton 360v4.0.0.127 same problem and the error is not corrected!  :smileysad:

86

What we need is a anti- Norton virus protection , they are the 3rd worse thing that has happened to my system so far . Norton has become THE infection . Once they were the cause of my eMails failing . Twice they were eaten by infections and rendered unusable . Now they are the enemy .

87

Hey, Hey, Hey.  Same problem as everyone else.  Waiting for a fix.  I'm not going to send any logs because several folks have done that.  Obviously, there is a common problem.

88

I was also having this problem, and have found the workaround suggested by JeffLeites (setting the Idle Time Out setting to less than the screen saver  setting) has resolved it.

 

I am running WinXP SP3, with a wired keyboard and mouse.

89

Update: there has been further investigation on this issue. Based upon this investigation and a little additional research I have been able to reproduce the problem, what I did:

 

  • In Norton Tasks, set the Idle Timeout to 2 minutes
  • In Windows screensaver, set the "Windows XP" screensaver to wait 1 minute with no password protection
  • Set the task bar to auto-hide
  • Wait 1 minute for the screen to blank
  • Wait 1 more minute and the screen unblanks and a toaster briefly pops up

 

The key factor, I believe is setting the task bar to auto-hide. Does everybody that is experiencing this problem have the task bar set to auto-hide? Is so, does disabling this make the problem go away?

 

P.S. I've had others here try this and the problem still didn't reproduce for them so there must be some other factor, but we have at least reproduced this in-house now.

In Norton Tasks, set the Idle Timeout to 2 minutes
In Windows screensaver, set the "Windows XP" screensaver to wait 1 minute with
no password protection
Set the task bar to auto-hide

After 1 minute the screen blanks
After 2 minutes the screen unblanks and a toaster briefly appears
90

Hello,

 

My task bar DOES NOT auto hide, and the problem still occurs.

Thanks.

91

Hi Reese Anschultz!

Thank you for your attention!

Unfortunately does not work:

1-In Norton Tasks, set the Idle Timeout to 2 minutes
2-In Windows screensaver, set the "Windows 7" screensaver to wait 1 minute with no password protection
3-Set the task bar to auto-hide
4-Set the Monitor turn-off to 3 minutes
5-Set the Windows 7 Sleep mode to 5 minutes
•Wait 1 minute for the screen to blank
•Wait 1 more minute and the screen unblanks and a toaster briefly pops up
-Wait  more 5 minutes and the screen occurs again and all repeats in a circle
-Wait and Windows 7 does not sleep

This only works for in screensaver. But the computer not hibernation and screen occurs again and repeats indefinitely.

92

Following JeffLeites suggestion, I set Idle Time Out for 4 min. and screen saver for 7 min. and screen saver has been running as it should for 9 1/2 whole days.  On Saturday - my full system scan even ran automatically after a week, for the first time since this problem started.

 

Yesterday, I tried the Idle timeout set to10min, and problem regurgitated itself, so back to 4 min and ss running properly again.

93

 

use wrote:

Hi Reese Anschultz!

Thank you for your attention!

Unfortunately does not work:

1-In Norton Tasks, set the Idle Timeout to 2 minutes
2-In Windows screensaver, set the "Windows 7" screensaver to wait 1 minute with no password protection
3-Set the task bar to auto-hide
4-Set the Monitor turn-off to 3 minutes
5-Set the Windows 7 Sleep mode to 5 minutes
•Wait 1 minute for the screen to blank
•Wait 1 more minute and the screen unblanks and a toaster briefly pops up
-Wait  more 5 minutes and the screen occurs again and all repeats in a circle
-Wait and Windows 7 does not sleep

This only works for in screensaver. But the computer not hibernation and screen occurs again and repeats indefinitely.

 

Yes, your steps for reproducing the problem closely match my steps for reproducing the problem. If you disable auto-hide does the problem go away? Somebody else has already said that this doesn't fix the problem but I'd like more than one answer to rule that out as part of the contributing factors.

 

94

As the poster suggested I reset the Norton time out , was 10 min , reset to 3 min . I left my SS at 5 min . 24 hours now and so far no RUDE Norton interruptions in the SS , just the backgrounds , and the scans which I accept as normal . Time will tell if the exceptions I typed in will be ignored as a problem  with further updates from Norton .

95

I've been following this thread as I also have a manifestation of this problem.

 

Specifically, I have a Dell desktop running Windows XP SP3 with Norton Security Suite (from Comcast) installed, Norton backups disabled.  Norton scheduling is set to run automatically with 10 minute idle timeout and 10 minute delay.  Windows screensaver is set to Blank, 15 minute wait, and on resume, display Welcome screen (i.e., require user to provide password to return to desktop).  Power settings turn off monitor after 20 minutes but nothing else.  Hibernation is enabled (I have a UPS which requires this) but the system never goes into hibernation unless it's initiated by the UPS.

 

My task bar is always present (not auto-hide) and all taskbar tray icons are displayed.

 

This is what happens:  After 15 minutes, the monitor goes into blank screensave, as it should, and requires login at welcome screen to return to desktop.  However, if the computer is left alone, some time later (say, in the middle of the night), the screensaver stops, displays the desktop and permits computer use without entry of proper login credentials.  It then stays this way, wide open, desktop displayed without screensave, without returning to its blank, protected state.

 

So the problem for me isn't merely that the screensaver isn't allowed to protect the screen or permit its power to be reduced when idle.  The more serious problem is the system is left unprotected for anyone use once without presenting proper credentials.  This is a hell of a way for a system to be protected!

 

This problem only began after I changed from Comcast's former McAfee Security (which never gave me this headache) to Norton Security Suite a week ago.  If this matter cannot be addressed promptly, I'll have no choice but to remove Norton and go with another solution that doesn't create this headache.

 

Let me know if you need more information.

 

- pogo

 

96

I'm having the same problem with NIS2010 waking my screensaver, but I've never had my taskbar autohide; I don't think that's the issue.  Didn't have this happen with NIS 2009.

97

Update:  I found my problem and it was NOT Norton Security Suite!  My apologies!!

 

It turned out a startup application to do back-ups, RetroExpress HD 2.5, was the culprit.  More on this below.  I isolated this in the following way:

 

First, I disconnected my PC from the internet and removed Norton Security Suite entirely.  That did not solve the problem.  The screensaver still did not function properly without Norton.  That got them off the hook!

 

Next, using msconfig, I disabled all non-Microsoft processes and all startup programs.  Problem went away!  Then I restored all processes and the problem still went away.  That cast the suspicion on the startups.

 

I then systematically disallowed startup programs.  The last one to go was RetroExpress and when it was disallowed, the problem vanished.  Then I re-enabled all startups except RetroExpress and the problem remained solved.

 

I shouldn't have been so quick to blame Norton but it was a recently added application.  My mistake was not realizing I had also recently upgraded RetroExpress.

 

Checking on the Retrospect site, it turns out this is a KNOWN problem which EMC attributes to bugs in the Microsoft .NET framework that it uses that are manifest on some PC installations.  Another symptom on some sysmtes is that the RetroExpress application seizes scren focus.  EMC has no solution!  So, today, I'm writing Microsoft Backup scripts.  Bye-bye Retrospect!

 

It was strange:  The blank screensaver would work for waits of, say, 1 minute but not for 10 or 15 minutes.

 

Again, my apologies for the red herring.

 

Norton Security Suite is much faster and less intrusive than McAfee.  I also like the controls I have over its operation.

 

Thanks again to this valuable community feedback service.

 

- Pogo

 

 

98

 

Reese,

 

I have the same problem as the rest, idle-time tasks cause my screen saver to clost and monitor to power back on.  I have not changed any of my Notron settings like idle timeout.  I have Windows XP and my screen saver comes on after 5 minutes and monitor sleeps after 10.  My taskbar is not set to auto-hide.

 

 

Mike

99

 

MikeOrlando02 wrote:

 

Reese,

 

I have the same problem as the rest, idle-time tasks cause my screen saver to clost and monitor to power back on.  I have not changed any of my Notron settings like idle timeout.  I have Windows XP and my screen saver comes on after 5 minutes and monitor sleeps after 10.  My taskbar is not set to auto-hide.

 

 

Mike

 

Thanks Mike and others for your responses. So it sounds like auto-hide was probably a red herring. Hopefully my own machine along with the logs that have already been submitted will be enough to figure out the problem.

 

100

I have just also seen the idle time, background tasks message and Norton bring the PC out of the screensaver etc.

 

Quads