Norton Security Suite 20.2.0.19 will not perform automatic local backups

Norton Security | Norton Internet Security
1

I was performing automatic backup for a long time with the prior Comcast/Xfinity version of NSS. Though I only had 1 backup set, sometimes it did go insane and filled the drive rather than simply updating with incremental changes. In such cases I had to delete the backup and start over. But at least it ran automatically, and often - almost always starting up when I was idle, and cancelling itself if I became active again before it completed.

 

I recently updated to the current NSS from Xfinity (without Constant Guard). Since then, automatic backup STOPPED completely. I can only make manual backups. Sometimes these manual backups seem to be full rather than incremental, for no reason. Other times, they are at least incremental. Regardless - they never schedule themselves to run.

 

I have "Automatic" selected, which I thought meant once per day.

 

Initially I installed the newer NSS on top of my older version. I recently uninstalled it (but preserved my settings), ran the Norton Removal Tool, and reinstalled from scratch. When I restarted, my old backup choices had been preserved, but a custom set of firewall rules were lost and had to be recreated.

 

No change - still never does automatic backup. This version of NSS is more responsive (menus open more quickly), but less informative. I rarely get messages from it except for Performance Alerts - and the main point is, it simply never does backup.

 

At Comcast, the features they list are confusing - they have unmarked automatic backup as a feature, because they've replaced "it" with their own online backup storage product. But I am not talking about online backup! I'm just talking about the regular local backup built in to NSS.

 

Did Norton accidentally or intentionally eliminate automatic scheduling of local backup when removing online backup for Xfinitity?

 

Thank you.

2

I was performing automatic backup for a long time with the prior Comcast/Xfinity version of NSS. Though I only had 1 backup set, sometimes it did go insane and filled the drive rather than simply updating with incremental changes. In such cases I had to delete the backup and start over. But at least it ran automatically, and often - almost always starting up when I was idle, and cancelling itself if I became active again before it completed.

 

I recently updated to the current NSS from Xfinity (without Constant Guard). Since then, automatic backup STOPPED completely. I can only make manual backups. Sometimes these manual backups seem to be full rather than incremental, for no reason. Other times, they are at least incremental. Regardless - they never schedule themselves to run.

 

I have "Automatic" selected, which I thought meant once per day.

 

Initially I installed the newer NSS on top of my older version. I recently uninstalled it (but preserved my settings), ran the Norton Removal Tool, and reinstalled from scratch. When I restarted, my old backup choices had been preserved, but a custom set of firewall rules were lost and had to be recreated.

 

No change - still never does automatic backup. This version of NSS is more responsive (menus open more quickly), but less informative. I rarely get messages from it except for Performance Alerts - and the main point is, it simply never does backup.

 

At Comcast, the features they list are confusing - they have unmarked automatic backup as a feature, because they've replaced "it" with their own online backup storage product. But I am not talking about online backup! I'm just talking about the regular local backup built in to NSS.

 

Did Norton accidentally or intentionally eliminate automatic scheduling of local backup when removing online backup for Xfinitity?

 

Thank you.

3
nssidf wrote:
No info about this?

 

 

 

how about you wait your turn  has other user here are helping  other  right now they will get too you   but you will need too wait your turn this like evere one else

4

I did not mean to try to get ahead of anyone. The forum message list displays the time of last post, the time of first post in a new thread, so it is difficult to see at first glance what is happening… But checking inside many posts, I do see many questions asked after mine but which received many responses already. Threads are not being responded to in the order you suggest they are. My assumption was based on what I typically see, that questions unanswered in community forums after a day or so eventually off the first page and remain unanswered, and are forgotten without a bump by the original poster. I am sorry my bump bothered you.

5

Hi nssidf,

 

Please excuse DT88's post - it is not the normal response from folks posting on here.  There in fact is no pecking order for posts to be responded to (at least I do not use one).  I browse over the topics and the ones I may have some knowledge of I open, read, decide if I can add anything useful to the thread and then either post - or move on to the next topic that I may know something about. 

 

I actually saw your post shortly after it was posted, but since I do not use the backup function of NSS, I was hoping someone else would respond who did use that function.  But since no one responded, I will do my best.

 

I was under the impression that the backup settings as well as the firewall settings were not retained when Option 1 (retain settings) was used - but you said the backup settings were retained.

 

Only thing I can suggest is form the main page of NSS select Settings > Backup Settings and click on the Question Mark.png opposite the Backup heading.  This will provide you with info on backup and at the bottom are multiple links including one for About Solutions to backup problems.

 

Sorry I could be more help.

6

Thanks for jumping in with the effort, I appreciate it. Yeah, I've read everything Norton has to say about Backup on their web help/KB/articles. Their information is generally a bit too over-simplified and spare, and doesn't help with this problem.

 

Ultimately I'll probably stop using Norton backup as I'm running 3 other redudant backup systems.

 

If I care to get to the bottom of this, I guess I'll have to try to get real Norton support (is that even possible?) or Comcast support.

 

Otherwise at least the recent Comcast update is much, much snappier than the version 5 I used to be on, and at least all the main automatic processes continue to run in the background as expected (Pulse, Insight, Insight Optimizer, QuickScan, and automatic LiveUpdate).

 

I suspect Comcast had Norton rip out automatic backup to cripple it and force people to their own new paid online backup solution, but it might have been an accidental side-effect of removing Norton online backup for Comcast customers. We'll see!

 

Thanks again. I'll leave this unsolved but if I can figure out how, send you a kudo for pitching in!

7

Hi nssidf,

 

I have been working with Comcast Norton Security Suite since it first replaced McAfee years ago and to the best of my knowledge, the only thing different between NSS and N 360 (retail version) is that the Online (Cloud) storage is not available.

 

Being curous, I have just looked at the comparison chart under Features & Benefits provided by Comcast here.  There is a mistake on it - showing 25 GB of online storage available for NSS - I know it is not capable of online storage throughy NSS.  I will contact Norton and inform them of the error in hope they can convince Comcast to change the information.  That link also show that the Automatic backup is not available - I thought it was in the past as you said - I have also asked Norton about this, if I hear back I'll post what I find out.


Sorry I couldn't be more help.

8

Thanks for looking further into it. Please do post back if you learn more from either source.

 

I had seen that same Comcast comparison list, and I made a reference to it in my original posting above, after I saw that they marked automatic backup with that "**".

 

I didn't notice the 25 GB error, and that makes their whole backup comparison section even less comprehensible.

 

The problem perhaps is that Comcast is trying to compare three products in two columns (N360, NSS, and Secure Backup and Restore).

 

For instance: there is not nor do I think there was ever a feature in N360 to "back up automatically on events." You can back up manually, or on a schedule like weekly or monthly, or choose "automatic" (which turned out to mean approximately daily when you were idle, though Norton has never documented what automatic actually means).

 

Perhaps Comcast's Secure Backup and Share product supports some kind of "automatic backup on events" and that's why they put the asterisks.

 

But as for why NSS doesn't back up locally automatically anymore - it could be due to a bug or a misunderstanding at Symantec regarding what Comcast wanted them to rip out of the program. Comcast wanted to keep Norton online backup out... did they want "automatic" local backup out as well? Was the logic so entwined Symantec had no choice but to throw it out?

 

I wonder if weekly or monthly work or if only manual works at this point? I've never tried those infrequent schedules and don't have a couple of weeks to devote to an experiment.

 

Or, maybe removing automatic backup was deliberate - it could be Comcast's way of effectively destroying the built-in backup to drive people towards Secure Backup and Share. It has a free 2GB option, or paid 50 GB and 200 GB options.

 

The reality is that N360 backup is a poor feature - it's both slow and buggy. Comcast is not stupid if they wanted to replace it with something better, though Secure Backup and Restore is only useful at the paid levels.

9

Hi nssidf,

 

Without getting in too deep - food for thought.  Thinks about this, rather than Comcast wanting to push their online storage, it may be by Norton's design.

 

NSS does not have a Norton Account as the retail product does in order to track the license (paid 1 year subscription).  The NSS license is tracked by Comcast and vaild as long as you are a customer and periodically verified by Comcast.

 

The retail coopy of N 360 does in fact have an Online Vault for ID Safe - which you have to be signedinto your Norton Account in order to be able to use it.  NSS odes not have an Online vault - no Norton Account.  NSS does have a Local Vault which is available with a bit of manipulation when upgrading to a 2013 retail product.

 

I do believe the N 360 online backup is also tied to the Norton Account as a means of getting "on the cloud" in order to use the Online storage.

 

The more I think about this, since I don't use NSS backup, it could have changed awhile ago.  I believe it was with the Norton 2012 products (NSS version 6) that they did away with the scheduling of tasks via the Windows Task Scheduler and incorporated the scheduling into the Norton products.  I know I had a Custom Scan scheduled via Task Scheduler and had to change it over to the Norton user interface.  That could be when it was removed - so if you had version 5 of NSS prior to upgrade - that may be the reason.

 

Personally, I have the Backup disabled in NSS anduse the native Windows 7 Backup - which suits my needs.  It may not be for everyone, but it meets my needs.