Norton Update... and desktop icons problem

Norton Security | Norton Internet Security
1

Hi all,

This afternoon (December 31 of all dates!) Norton Internet Security performed an update and asked for a shutdown of the system. I duly complied... but when the system restarted  (XP Prof. Service Pack 3) all desktop icons had rearranged themselves to the left of the screen (and there are plenty of them),

I checked (right-click on the desktop), and the automatic layout is NOT marked,

I manually restored all icons to their original positions (my preferences) and re-started the computer... to no avail. Icons keep rearranging themselves to a 'default' position everytime I reboot or restart.

This had not happened previously,   

Any suggestions?

2
Thersites wrote:

Hi all,

This afternoon (December 31 of all dates!) Norton Internet Security performed an update and asked for a shutdown of the system. I duly complied... but when the system restarted  (XP Prof. Service Pack 3) all desktop icons had rearranged themselves to the left of the screen (and there are plenty of them),

I checked (right-click on the desktop), and the automatic layout is NOT marked,

I manually restored all icons to their original positions (my preferences) and re-started the computer... to no avail. Icons keep rearranging themselves to a 'default' position everytime I reboot or restart.

This had not happened previously,   

Any suggestions?

Hi Thersites,

 

What version of NIS are you running. Check Support > About at the upper right of the user interface. If starting with 19.9, that would be NIS 2012, if starting with 20.2, it would be NIS 2013.

 

When you say you were asked for a shutdown of the system, do you mean you were prompted to Restart the computer?

 

As far as the XP desktop icons, when you say the Automatic Layout is not marked, do you mean Auto Arrange is not marked? Instead of using Auto Arrange on the desktop, have you tried Align to Grid that is in the menu. That is what I use with great success. You can drag the icons wherever you wish and arrange them in the order you like and they Snap into place and stay. I have never had restarts or anything else move them out of place, until I drag them myself.

 

Also if you have any web items on the desktop, you can lock them in place by selecting Lock Web Items on Desktop from the menu.

 

Additionally, run Norton Autofix to check your Norton installation to see if anything is amiss. Click - Support > Get Support to run the scan.

 

 

 

Ed

3

You may have an infection but I first suggest the following:

 

The autoarrange is stored in the registry at

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\1\Desktop]

AutoArrange off,Align to Grid off: "FFlags"=dword:00000220 
 AutoArrange on: "FFlags"=dword:00000221 
 AutoArrange off - align to GridOn: "FFlags"=dword:00000224 
 AutoArange on,Align to Grid on: "FFlags"=dword:00000225 
 HideDesktopIcons: "FFlags"=dword:00001220 
 Sortby name: "Sort"=dword:00000000 
 Sortby size: "Sort"=dword:00000001 
 Sortby type: "Sort"=dword:00000002 
 SortbyModified: "Sort"=dword:00000003


so check your fflags status. If it is not 221 or 225 this could explain why they are not auto arranged.

Change the flag to say 221 and reboot, but F8 and select safe mode.

Check the registry in safe mode and does it remain as 221?

If so reboot to normal mode and check and advise again.

 

4

Sorry about the imprecise terms. My WIndows XP is not in English, and English is not my native language

What I meant is:

-Yesterday Norton Security 2012 asked me to restart my computer to finish an update.

-I have my own custom arrangement of icons in the desktop, using drag&aligning to grid.

-So, by using right-click on the desktop  'Align to grid ' is marked, while 'Auto arrange' is off.

-BUT after restart, WIndows has moved and grouped together all icons to the left part of the screen.

-I thus manually  dragged the desktop icons back into the position I want them to be, but each time I restart the computer, they again are automatically arranged by WIndows... a hopeless mess. 

-This had not happened to me before, It was just after this most recent update by Norton that my icons auto-arrange themselves when I restart the computer.

-This is a mess, having all icons are grouped together by Wndows in complete disorder (altough they are aligned to grid).

-So it seems that after NIS last update, something has become corrupted somewhere in WIndows, so that everytime I start the PC all icons are re-arranged by the system.  

-So, I do not want any 'Auto Arrange' by Windows, this is why that option is not marked. I need my own arrangement to be kept by the system after restarting it.

-Even more, if I start the computer, drag an icon  into a different place, either using 'Align to grid' or not, and then right-click on 'Refresh', the icon automatically moves back to its original position, This does not happen in other computers with WP or Windows 7 I have access to.

 

I'll much  appreciate any help.

5

Hi Thersites,

 

Did you run Norton Autofix to check your installation after the last restart that you refer to? If so, did it find or fix anything?

 

 

 

Ed

6

Not yet. I' ll try later (I'm using a laptop,  not at home). I'll check and report  

7
Thersites wrote:

Not yet. I' ll try later (I'm using a laptop,  not at home). I'll check and report  

I run NIS 2012 like you and was also running liveupdate yesterday December 31. I didn't have any major update(s) that required a restart. Just the usual day to day updates. Did you check the View Summary link, to see what update(s) were installed that required a restart, before you did the restart?

 

Were you already updated to version 19.9.0.9, or did this update you to the latest version of NIS 2012, which is the version I just listed.

 

Did you run a full system scan? Additionally, you could download the Free version of Malwarebytes Free Scanner.

 

http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free/

 

It's completely compatible with your Norton product because the free version doesn't have a realtime component. Place it on the desktop and update the database before running a Full Scan. Most of the time a quick scan is all that is needed from Malwarebytes, but this is to see if you have picked up something along the way. Not with your Norton updates, but maybe before without knowing it.

 

Try these suggestions and let us know the results.

 

 

 

Ed

8

Check the registry setting and advise what it is set to. Can you do this?

9

Well, apparently my version of NIS is 2013: 20.2.0.19. Sorry about that (perhaps the update yesterday was an upgrade?)

Tried Autofix. Reported no problems.

Something a sage told me long ago: do not tamper with Windows Registry if you do not really know what you are doing. Not even using Regedit. So Im sorry I can't tell you the registry settings.

 

So, I disabled NIS for the time being, run Windows in Safe Mode, performed a System Restore to a restoration point dated 28th December., just two days before the problem appeared.. and it finally worked.

 

My icons are now back in place, so I'm pretty sure it was Norton update that created the problem....  but of course coincidences happen.

I'm now going to start a complete Full Scan to see what happens. I'll report ASAP. Thank you very much for your interest and your kindness to a very worried newby in New Year

 

10

I have a complex desktop, have for years, and I used to use a free utility called IconRestore but the programmer never updated it and more recently I have been using a newer one called IconRestorer

 

http://fsl.sytes.net/iconrestorer.html 

 

It works pretty well but not perfectly on my Windows 7 desktop; worth trying on your XP ?

11
Thersites wrote:

Well, apparently my version of NIS is 2013: 20.2.0.19. Sorry about that (perhaps the update yesterday was an upgrade?)

Tried Autofix. Reported no problems.

Something a sage told me long ago: do not tamper with Windows Registry if you do not really know what you are doing. Not even using Regedit. So Im sorry I can't tell you the registry settings.

 

So, I disabled NIS for the time being, run Windows in Safe Mode, performed a System Restore to a restoration point dated 28th December., just two days before the problem appeared.. and it finally worked.

 

My icons are now back in place, so I'm pretty sure it was Norton update that created the problem....  but of course coincidences happen.

I'm now going to start a complete Full Scan to see what happens. I'll report ASAP. Thank you very much for your interest and your kindness to a very worried newby in New Year

 

Ah well. Its always your choice, I can only give you advice. System restore is something I rarely recommend and almost never use. Most people do not understand System Restore what it does and what it does not do. So In my view its more dangerous to use System Restore than to enquire upon an entry in the registry.

Good luck.

 

12

You are most probablty right. Fact is, however, I could understand the mechanics of performing a System Restore (the procedure, that is, not the innards). But I simply did not know where to begin scanning in the Registry, and I wouldn't dare to ask here for a step-by-step guidance, which is whatIi would have needed. This is why, I didn't want to bother you too much...

13

You are always welcome to ask. Thats how we all learn. If its a question related to a Norton issue I consider that you are welcome to ask anything.

 

The steps vary my operating system but basically its like this.

 

Click Start button

click run or otherwise open command prompt (command/cmd)

In the open box type "regedit"

The Registry Editor will open

 

at the top level you have

HKEY_classes_root

HKEY_current_user

HKEY_local_machine

HKEY_users

HKEY_current_config

 

AS you expand the left hand side you get all the entris under each of the top banners

 

You can view entries and when finished click red X or file close.

 

 

This website might help http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/learn-how-use-windows-registry-editor-regedit-one-easy-lesson.htm

 

 

14

I'd just add to what CGoldman says about accessing the Registry that it would be prudent the moment you open it in Regedit and before you access anything to Export a copy to a safe place.

 

I noted that the OP did disable Norton before doing System Restore which can avoid one problem -- that Norton gets out of step with reality when system changes are made other than normally.