I have a dell XPS 400 with Windows XP Media Center Edition Service Pack 2 (build 2600).
Norton Internet Security all up to date.
I am defragged.
I have several non-essential programs, not norton, turned off for startup.
Lately my computer is taking about 7 - 10 minutes to free up before I can start launching programs or doing anyting on a daily basis. If I restart it takes about 3 - 4 minutes. Also from a cold boot on the same day it takes 3 - 4 minutes.
Process explorer shows that norton .exe files are using resources and until the norton icon appears in the systray my system is pretty much locked down with the hard drive light staying on and running, after that it flies like the wind.
I do not have automatic updates turned on for norton, I do it manually.
I have scanned for all kinds of viruses, trojans, spyware, etc but found nothing.
I have a laptop with vista and it does not have problems at startup
Does anyone know how to fix this or also has this problem?
I'm assuming you have NIS 2009 -- if not please say so.
Just a thought -- do you have Early Load set to ON?
Computer / Settings on the front page and scroll down to Real Time Protection -- is Early Load on or off? If ON slide to OFF and OK your way out. Then restart and see what happens.
If it boots up OK does Norton flag any dangers? Run Quickscan?
I suggest you download Malwarebytes and Superantispyware free editions, install and update them and then run them (one at a time) and see if you have any infections that Norton was trying to deal with during Early Load.
Tks for the reply and help, I know it was 2006 that came on the system, however I can't find a version date on it anywhere and I am assuming that my yearly upgrades would have taken care of any new versions to the software. If you know where I can find the version date let me know
I cannot find anything specifically that says "early load" but here is what it says under the real time protection:
General settings:
checked= turn on suspicious activity monitoring
unchecked = scan removable media for boot virus when inserted
unchecked = turn on scanning for microsoft office docs
Autoprotect:
checked = turn on auto protect
3 submenus - unchecked = load auto protect at startup / checked = turn on bloodhound hueristics / checked = turn on caching
then it has 2 more under the real time protection menu which are email and instant messenger
When it boots everything works fine shortly after and there is nothing in the logs that looks suspicious
I installed and ran those two programs and its finding nothing.
<< I know it was 2006 that came on the system, however I can't find a version date on it anywhere and I am assuming that my yearly upgrades would have taken care of any new versions to the software. >>
Actually people have been complaining that it does not and nor do they get an email or other message from Norton saying there is a new major upgrade that is free to use until your subscription expires. There are now indications that Norton is telling people about the free upgrades but my guess is that you still have 2006 with a current subscription.
You can find the version ID in Help / About-- It looks like nn.nn.nn.nn and if you give that number we can tell what major version you have.
I gave the wording for NIS 2009 so since you see:
unchecked = load auto protect at startup
I would imagine you definitely have an earlier version.
Tks, it shows version 15.5.0.23, I wonder if with the newer updates and an old version, it is causing a problem for startup.
I think I found the year after searching the version number, looks like 2008.
Btw, I recall about a year or so ago, I think while I was subscribing for the year, they asked if I wanted to upgrade for free to the newer version, I am remembering now they sent me to a link for a newer version, downloaded it and installed it, so I am pretty sure thats how I ended up getting 2008, my memory slips as we get older, lol
Yes, you are using NIS 2008. With a valid subscription you qualify for a FREE update to NIS 2009.
You will find NIS 2009 to be lighter on system resources and has some very intuitive new features. If you would like to try the "newer" model, I have provided instructions and links below.
Many users have had good success with either of these methods.
1) Install NIS 2009 "overtop" of your previous version. The NIS 2009 installer will automatically uninstall your previous product.
This method will retain your settings such as anti-spam and is quite simple.
For this, download the NIS 2009 package to your desktop or location of your choice. Once downloaded, unplug from the internet and double click on the icon to run it. (Vista users may have to right click and choose "Run as Administrator") Although this method should pick up you current activation key, be sure to have a copy handy in case it is needed. You can also create a Norton Account which will store your activation key.
Please Note: This method may take quite some time to uninstall your previous Norton product. Do not be tempted to terminate the process; let it run. Once the uninstall is complete, NIS 2009 should install rather quickly. Near the end of the install you will be prompted to activate the product. It is safe to plug back in now.
After NIS 2009 has installed, perform a manual "Run Live Update". You may have to do this a few times until you get the message that no more updates are available.
This last step should be performed ONLY if you do not have any other Norton Productson your computer which require LiveUpdate and you intend to use in conjunction with NIS 2009:
Using Windows Add-Remove Programs, uninstall Symantec Live Update and Symantec Live Update Notifier (if present); these are not required for NIS 2009, however they may be required for other Norton Products. Be sure to perform a restart after removing these entries.
2) The "clean install" method involves manually uninstalling your previous Norton product.
This method will NOT save your anti-spam or other settings, however some folks prefer this approach.
Be sure you have a copy of your activation key in a safe place and / or create a Norton Account which will store your activation key.
Download and save the NIS 2009 package to your desktop or location of your choice.
Download and save the Norton Removal Tool to your desktop or location of your choice.
Unplug from the internet.
Uninstall Norton Internet Security using Windows Add-Remove Programs.You should be prompted for a restart - please do so.
This next 2 steps should be performed ONLY if you do not have any other Norton Productson your computer which require LiveUpdate and you intend to use in conjunction with NIS 2009:
After the restart, again using Windows Add-Remove Programs, uninstall Symantec Live Update and Symantec Live Update Notifier (if present); these are not required for NIS 2009, however they may be required for other Norton Products.
Run the Norton Removal Tool.
Perform another restart.
Double click on the NIS 2009 package and the installation will begin. (Vista users may have to right click and choose "Run as Administrator")
To complete the installation, NIS 2009 will prompt for a connection to the internet - it is safe to plug back in now.
The activation process should automatically recognize your activation key; if not, you can enter your key manually.
After NIS 2009 has installed, perform a manual "Run Live Update". You may have to do this a few times until you get the message that no more updates are available.
Tks, it shows version 15.5.0.23, I wonder if with the newer updates and an old version, it is causing a problem for startup.
You have NIS 2008. The current one as huwyngr noted is 2009 (16.2.0.7). You can download it from here. Before you install NIS 2009, remove the previous version from Add/Rem programs.
EDIT:You can also read Phil_D's post, we replied at the same time :) And, one more advice: after you remove Norton 2008, reboot and see if your PC will load faster (I mean 1-2 minutes, and not 4 or 5 or more).
I am going to start the process right now, tks for the detailed instructions, I will do the clean install, and will also check to see how fast it boots up without anything installed. It did it again this morning took about 11 minutes to load before I was able to access anything.
I will be back as soon as I have it all updated and installed and let ya'll know.
I am on my laptop now, just uninstalled and my system booted in about 60 seconds.
Also I have always felt better about clean installs because I always had problems over the top, and in fact I am now remembering when I installed 2008 onto the Xp machine it was over the top of 2006, however on this Vista laptop it was a clean install and it boots real fast
Ok, I went to add remove programs to remove Live Update and notifier, notifier uninstalled fine, but live update gave me a symantec error 1316, a network error occurred while attempting to read from the file C:\WINDOWS\Installer\WLUEX.MSI
Ok, I went to add remove programs to remove Live Update and notifier, notifier uninstalled fine, but live update gave me a symantec error 1316, a network error occurred while attempting to read from the file C:\WINDOWS\Installer\WLUEX.MSI
You should unistall the actual NIS 2008 program first (if you have not already done so). If still having a problem, try running the Norton Removal Tool, restart and then try to uninstall Live Update.
If you still have a problem, you can refer to this link.
Yes I did, then I restarted, and went to add remove to take out, I will try to run the uninstaller and thanks for the link I just thumb drove the microsoft uninstall untility to the XP machine, btw there is also a Symantec Technical Support Web Controls in the add/remove list, should I uninstall this too?
It looks like that did it, I got it booted in less than 3 minutes, thanks for all the help, now I will install it on my laptop, the interface looks alot cleaner too.
copotay wrote: It looks like that did it, I got it booted in less than 3 minutes, thanks for all the help, now I will install it on my laptop, the interface looks alot cleaner too.
3 minutes is still too much, if you don't have additional software installed on your PC that loads on startup. My PC is old but Windows loads for 40 seconds with NIS 2009 installed. Probably you should optimize your OS, manually, or with a special programs. You can also try the new Norton Utilities for free, to do a serious "cleanup" :)
tks, I will check into the utilities, anything that might help, I used to use norton utilities a long time ago, just was not sure how they are now.
BTW, I have glad they made a Norton forum for everyone to share they situations, problems, etc, and glad that there are alot of helpful people like ya'll in here, before you had to try googling for answers that could take forever browsing all kinds of other forums to get your answer.
Just tried the utilities and looks like it did a good job expecially on IE, just a question I was wondering why it uses windows defragger instead of having its own.
I like the services startup option, but I was accessing it prior with services.msc to turn off some un-needed stuff, of course I have a home network so I have to watch what I turn off, I cant seem to find a good list of suggested services settings with good explanations for what each service does and what will result from stopping it from auto starting or completely disabling it. I had found one last year but cant remember where it was.
I shaved about 30 seconds off of boot up with it so far
It’s good that you turn off some services, I also advice you to check msconfig and disable any unneeded programs. Even turning off Windows sounds for startup and shut down can boost system startup and shutdown. System startup also depends from your internet connection and it’s configuration. What type of connection you are using?