On Wed, 9 Jul 2008 00:58:00 -0700, duchovlet wrote:

> I tried installing Norton SystemWorks Premier 2007 onto my new laptop which
> is running Windows XP SP3 Home Edition. The installation SEEMED to go ok but
> then when I tried doing the initial LiveUpdate I ran into a host of problems.
> I will explain all below and hopefully someone can point me in the right
> direction. FYI: this is my very first post to the MS Community discussion
> groups so bare with me and give me any explanation in layman terms, please.
>
> Prior to NSW install the laptop worked fine and NO viruses or threats were
> found when I did both the free online virus and security scans from
> Symantec's website AND the virus scan that runs as part of (and prior to) the
> install. Also, my Windows Security Center was also working fine prior to the
> install. My windows firewall was turned on and automatic updates were set to
> download and let me install them.
>
> During the NSW 2007 install I ran into these problems:
>
> 1) I received a PROGRAM ALERT message saying "Miscrosoft Generic Host
> Process for win32 services is attempting to listen for connections for other
> computers. - PROGRAM: sychost.exe - PATH: C:\Windows\system32 - LOCAL
> ADDRESS: all local network adaptors:2869." NO IDEA what this means but from
> later troubles think it may have something to do with DEP stuff. (Not to sure
> what DEP is either.)
>
> 2) LiveUpdate got most of the current updates except a few which it would
> NOT get no matter how many times I tried to download them again. I even tried
> installing the current LiveUpdate version and follow the troubleshooting
> articles at Symantec but nothing worked. (FYI: the error codes were LU200,
> LU9002, and LU115).
>
> 3) The main window of NSW did not show my product as being activated despite
> me having entered my product key during installation. I know my subscription
> is valid and has not expired. I clicked to activate the product, which it
> did, but then it promptyly DIDN'T REMEMBER it a few minutes later. It was a
> long process of activating, things seeming ok, then not, then re-activating,
> over and over and over again.
>
> 4) No matter what I tried, the Save & Restore (formerly Ghost) part of NSW
> kept showing as a trial version with an expired subscription. This kept
> occuring even when I entered a product key and tried activating it. Since my
> subscription to NSW overall has not expired, and Save & Restore is bundled as
> part of NSW, this confused me beyong belilef. I found not help when trying to
> troubleshoot.
>
> 5) I got some error message about recommending that I exclude
> "LUCallBackProxy.exe" from my DEP list. NO IDEA what all that means.
>
> 6) NSW install somehow disabled my Windows Security Center. I did talk to
> Microsoft over the phone and found a knowledge base article that seemed to
> fix this. (At least for the moment - I have yet to try reinstalling NSW so it
> could all get disabled again.) SEE: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/919291
> (this is the exact error message I received myself in my own Security Center.)
>
> 7) I did an online chat with Symantec about all my problems and they
> basically directed me to the download for the latest NSW Premier version
> which they said was version 2008. They mentioned something about LiveUpdate
> being corrupted but did not really go into specifics. Symantec just said to
> use their Norton Removal Tool to completely remove NSW and all Symantec
> components and then try installing the NSW Premier 2008 version I downloaded
> online.
>
> 8) I have UNinstalled NSW Premier 2007 but I have NOT tried re-installing it
> or the 2008 version. Reading some discusson group posts and things at both
> Microsoft and Symantec it appears as if several people have had some of my
> same troubles. (I've yet to see anyone have ALL of mine.)
>
> 9) This article:
> http://technologyexpert.blogspot.com...n-windows.html
> seems to indicate some sort of registery and/or compatability issues with
> Windows XP SP3 (which I'm running) and Symantec products (which I want to
> install).
>
> 10) However .. I have yet to see what I am to do since I already have XP SP3
> installed and am wanting to install Norton SystemWorks. CAN ANYONE HELP ME?
> Like I said before, my computer was fine before I tried NSW installation. It
> was up-to-date with Windows Update, no virus or threats.
>
> -- Do I need to disable Windows Security Center before trying to install NSW
> -- Is it safe to even try to install Norton SystemWorks again? If so, should
> I use my 2007 CD or the 2008 online download?
> -- What caused everything to go haywire in the first place? And how do I
> avoid it from happening again.
>
> ** All I want is a system than runs OK and some virus and other protectiion.
> **
> (Like being able to make a recovery/disk image disc via Ghost/Save &
> Restore.) I'm not a computer guru so I liked NSW before since it was pretty
> easy to follow and handled most everythng in one place.
>
> ANYONE OUT THERE WANT TO HELP ME OUT and tell me what I should or shouldn't
> do next? Any help is appreciated. If possible, email me privately if that is
> do-able here at the MS discussion groups. THANKS!

A number of experts agree that the retail AV version of McAfee, Norton and
Trend Micro has become cumbersome and bloated for the average user.

The major Norton criticisms are related to stability and footprint, the
most common problem being slow-downs because of the massive system
resources Norton hogs. There are products on the market with equal or
better test results than Symantec's products, consuming less resources at a
lower price (even free ones).

The retail version of Norton can play havoc with your pc. Uninstall it
using Norton's own uninstall tool:
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT...05033108162039

If you've done this already keep Norton uninstalled and try to get a
refund.

Alternatives:

Real-time AV applications - for viral malware.
Do not utilize more than one (1) real-time anti-virus scanning engine!
Disable the e-mail scanning function during installation (Custom
Installation on some AV apps.) as it provides no additional protection.

Avira AntiVir® Personal - FREE Antivirus
http://www.free-av.com/
You may wish to consider removing the 'AntiVir Nagscreen'
http://www.elitekiller.com/files/dis...ntivir_nag.htm
or
Free antivirus - avast! 4 Home Edition
It includes ANTI-SPYWARE protection, certified by the West Coast Labs
Checkmark process, and ANTI-ROOTKIT DETECTION based on the best-in class
GMER technology.
http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html
(Choose Custom Installation and under Resident
Protection, uncheck: Internet Mail and Outlook/Exchange.)
or
AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition
http://free.grisoft.com/
(Choose custom install and untick the email scanner plugin.)
or
ESET NOD32 Antivirus - Not Free
http://www.eset.com/
or
Kaspersky® Anti-Virus 7.0 - Not Free
http://www.kaspersky.com/homeuser

Why You Don't Need Your Anti-Virus Program to Scan Your E-Mail
http://thundercloud.net/infoave/tuto...ning/index.htm
Viral Irony: The Most Common Cause of Corruption.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE/...orruption.mspx

And (optional but highly recommendable)

On-demand AV applications.
(add them to your arsenal and use them as a "second opinion" av scanner).
David H. Lipman's MULTI_AV Tool
http://www.pctipp.ch/ds/28400/28470/Multi_AV.exe
http://www.pctipp.ch/downloads/dl/35905.asp
English:
http://www.raymond.cc/blog/archives/...irus-for-free/
Additional Instructions:
http://pcdid.com/Multi_AV.htm
and/or
BitDefender10 Free Edition
http://www.bitdefender.com/PRODUCT-1...e-Edition.html
and/or
Kaspersky's AVPTool
http://downloads5.kaspersky-labs.com/devbuilds/AVPTool/
There's no updating involved since the scanning engine is updated
several times a day and you simply download the updated scanner whenever
you want to do a scan.
and/or
Dr.Web CureIt!® Utility - FREE
http://www.freedrweb.com/cureit/
and/or
Malwarebytes© Corporation - Anti-Malware
http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam/program/mbam-setup.exe
Note: It is Free for private use. Just download (do NOT buy) and install.

A-S applications - for non-viral malware.
The effectiveness of an individual A-S scanners can be wide-ranging and
oftentimes a collection of scanners is best. There isn't one software that
cleans and immunizes you against everything. That's why you need multiple
products to do the job i.e. overlap their coverage - one may catch what
another may miss, (grab'em all).

SuperAntispyware - Free
http://www.superantispyware.com/supe...freevspro.html
and
Ad-Aware 2007 - Free
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad_aware_free.php
http://www.download.com/3000-2144-10045910.html
and
Spybot Search & Destroy - Free
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html
and
Windows Defender - Free
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/secu...e/default.mspx
WD monitors the start-registry and hooks registers/files to prevent spyware
and worms to install to the OS.
Interesting reading:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136195/article.html
"...Windows Defender did excel in behavior-based protection, which detects
changes to key areas of the system without having to know anything about
the actual threat."

For the average homeuser, the Windows Firewall in XP does a fantastic job
at its core mission and is really all you need if you have an 'real-time'
anti-virus program, [another firewall on your router or] other edge
protection like SeconfigXP and practise safe-hex.

The windows firewall deals with inbound protection and therefore does not
give you a false sense of security. Best of all, it doesn't implement lots
of nonsense like pretending that outbound traffic needs to be monitored.

Activate and utilize the Win XP built-in Firewall; Uncheck *all* Programs
and Services under the Exception tab.
Read through:

Understanding Windows Firewall.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/u...2_wfintro.mspx

Using Windows Firewall.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/u...nfirewall.mspx

How to Configure Windows Firewall on a Single Computer.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sec.../cfgfwall.mspx

PFW Criticism.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persona...all#Criticisms

At Least This Snake Oil Is Free.
http://msinfluentials.com/blogs/jesp...l-is-free.aspx

Deconstructing Common Security Myths.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/tec...s/default.aspx
Scroll down to:
"Myth: Host-Based Firewalls Must Filter Outbound Traffic to be Safe."

Exploring the windows Firewall.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/tec...l/default.aspx
"Outbound protection is security theater—it’s a gimmick that only gives the
impression of improving your security without doing anything that actually
does improve your security."

In conjunction with WinXP SP2 Firewall use:
Seconfig XP 1.0
http://seconfig.sytes.net/
(http://www.softpedia.com/progDownloa...oad-39707.html)
Seconfig XP is able configure Windows not to use TCP/IP as transport
protocol for NetBIOS, SMB and RPC, thus leaving TCP/UDP ports 135, 137-139
and 445 (the most exploited Windows networking weak point) closed.

Powerful backup that is easy to do!
http://www.acronis.com.sg/homecomputing/

Casper™ Backup Solution for Windows
http://www.fssdev.com/

Norton Ghost™
http://www.symantec.com/norton/produ...r&pvid=ghost12

How to install and use the Recovery Console in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=307654

Ultimate Boot CD for Windows
http://www.ubcd4win.com/

For day-to-day usage consider using a Limited User Account.

Good luck