Curse of Norton strikes again

[Mountain Goat]

Having given some recent smug advice on LMH about getting rid of Norton from a PC, I've wasted half a day with a related problem.

Using a Toshiba Satellite Pro, running XP Pro, Firefox and IE6, ADSL 2-6Mb. About a year ago, used Toshiba Tech Support to remove several Norton Applications, including Internet Security, from this machine (it was preloaded when bought).

The day after aforementioned smug post, machine was booted up normally, but besides LMH/Gmail and one or two other sites, the machine's browsers are restricted from opening any other website due to Norton Parental Control. Any attempt to over-ride this control or remove the program and I am presented with a message like:


Norton Internet Security 2005 has blocked access to this restricted site.

Site: http://www.holiday-rentals.com/snowchalet

Blocked categories: Travel

If you think this web site is incorrectly categorized, visit the Symantec Internet Security Center to report it.


You have insufficient privileges to perform this operation

A Norton Internet Security 2005 account with Supervisor access must be logged in to remove this program.


All categories are blocked. I'm in control (or I thought I was) of all passwords on this machine.

I can see the irony of the situation, but my anger knows no bounds thinking of the hours wasted worldwide trying to get rid of this evil, stupid, moronic bit of software and/or its siblings.

Rant over.

Can anyone help? Could be a virus, but running AVG Pro and AdAware. Was thinking of using some uninstall software like ezTech

MG

[A-two]

Did you try a system restore to a date when you didn't have this problem?

[Big Sis..]

Hi MG

due to Norton Parental Control.

Have you thought of asking your Parents to remove it..

Ynow........ DaddyGoat & MummyGoat[or even Nanny Goat!]... after all they wouldnt want their KIDS to watch any of those naughty .....
Goatie films Eh!!!!


{im Sowwwy just couldnt resist...hope you get it sorted soooon }

[Mountain Goat]

Joanna, thanks, simple but effective, and I've held it at bay until I can get rid of this rubbish completely.

I feel in combative mood - anyone want to sing Norton's praises? I'm openminded about this software. Not.

MG

Ros -

[la vache!]

I got rid of Norton 6 months ago as it caused so many problems with other software I used, AVG free has worked fine for me ever since and is a lot less intrusive!

[Alan Knighting]

MG,

I used to use Norton Anti-Virus 2001 but stopped doing so; I much prefer AVG. I uninstalled Norton Anti-Virus, Norton LiveUpdate and Norton LiveReg without problem. Norton Anti-Virus 2001 did not include Norton Parental Control so I’ve never used it and I was quite unaware that there was any problem in getting rid of it.

I’ve just done a Google search on “removing Norton Parental Control� and am amazed to find that there an industry producing software specifically for this purpose, for instance:-

uninstall-norton.com/?gclid=CK7ii-qnhYoCFRBEZwodPC_86g

There’s also a number of chat rooms on the subject. One guy said the only real answer is to remove your hard drive and throw it away as far as you can – drastic but effective.

Fluffy

[Big Sis..]

.

No just the Hard Drive MG

There’s also a number of chat rooms on the subject. One guy said the only real answer is to remove your hard drive and throw it away as far as you can – drastic but effective.

[Hells Bells]

It is installed on the PC I am using at work, awful, caused me no end of problems when I had it on my home computers. TOld the boss, but he still registered, and we have problems with auto updates from our software provider.

[AndyLucia]

I feel in combative mood - anyone want to sing Norton's praises? I'm openminded about this software. Not.

MG

Ros -

The only thing I can say in it's favour is that even Norton is not as intrusive as McAfee!!!

Like most here I've used both at various points, and used Panda Titanium for a while, but now I'm firmly wedded to AVG and either Zone Alarm or Comodo firewalls.

[Mountain Goat]

Struggling to find something in their favour, and to see how they would defend their stranglehold on a PC, maybe their intrusiveness is a measure of their effectiveness against virus attack?

MG

[Alan Knighting]

As someone who once had to manually remove a virus from a PC I am the last person to minimise the potential effects of a virus attack. On the other hand, as one of the world’s sceptics I wonder about the massive publicity given to viruses.

Norton and MacAfee will tell you that simply linking to the Internet makes you subject to the most monstrous attacks from the most dreadful viruses which might even threaten your life but, is it true or are they just trying to sell their products by means of panicking their customers?

I am on broadband so I have a permanent connection; I’m physically using the Internet for many hours a day; I’m constantly receiving e-mails, real and spam. I should be an obvious target and a natural recipient of viruses but in reality, am I?

It’s now 14 months since I last received a virus and it was immediately identified and put into the “Virus Vault� by AGV.

I sometimes get a “round robin� e-mail from a friend warning me of the most disastrous and unidentifiable virus. If such things existed then every anti-virus supplier would issue a warning notice but none of them ever has. Why is that? It’s because they don’t exist and the “round robins� are themselves designed to panic users.

Am I complacent? No. I am gullible? No.

Fluffy

[vrooje]

Well said, Fluffy.

MG, it's been a long time since I used Norton, but I think I recall that logging on as a supervisor or administrator is something you can do from within the Norton control panel, rather than something overall that you do with the machine. That could be an older version of NIS, though...

[Mountain Goat]

Having taken Joanna's advice, and restored the machine back a week, it showed I had regained admin priviledges over Norton. So (PC running XPPro) Control Panel / Add Remove Progs. and zapped Norton once and for all.

MG

[Sue Dyer]

I find Norton more of a bloody bother than viruses.... It is like a summer cold, impossible to get rid of. I'm not knacking up another computer by trying to uninstall it. I'm buying another laptop shortly and people complain about Windows pre installed. I've no problem with that but Norton comes installed on Vaios and lurks around if you don't pay up after 6 months like the plague....

[Big Sis..]

Hi Sue ,

It is like a summer cold,..........like the plague

Hope your feeling Ok its just that you went from a 'summer cold'
to 'the plague' quite quickly...I dread to think whats coming next