Norton 360

[Chuckt]

We have Norton 360 and somehow some rogue software got installed on our computer. It is the kind that pretends to be a virus scanner and asks you to pay for it. I called Symantic and they told me to run Norton in safe mode. Norton 360 didn't find anything so I'm running Malwarebytes and Malwarebytes found 5 infections and it is still scanning. Norton wants $100 dollars for their Virus Removal Team and I'm basically just going to reset the computer back to its factory setting because there is no point paying a company that can't do its job and I don't need to pay $100 when I can reset Windows myself which is what they are going to do anyway.

[brad]

Yep, it's always about the money!

Maybe they were the ones who wrote the virus in the first place. After all, if there were no virus's then there would be no need for virus checkers!

[sdudley]

Maybe they were the ones who wrote the virus in the first place. After all, if there were no virus's then there would be no need for virus checkers!

That is too funny! I have always believed that this could very well be. We are great conspiracy theorists!


Chuck,

My son recently got the same virus on his computer. I felt it was a good time to just reformat his hard drive anyway (too much junk on it).

That's how I fixed the problem!

Stacy

[Chuckt]

Yep, it's always about the money!

Maybe they were the ones who wrote the virus in the first place. After all, if there were no virus's then there would be no need for virus checkers!

They offered me Norton 4.0 and I said, "Why am I paying for a subscription then if this is supposed to be better?" Why am I paying a lot of money if this is not the best and if they're not going to give me the latest and best?

I downloaded Malwarebytes from Malwarebytes.org and they have a free version as well as a paid version. The free version works almost as well as the paid version except the free version is more reactive instead of proactive and I want something that is proactive. We use them at work. I recommend it. The other thing is that we have an old notebook that should run Norton 360 according to specs but it won't. The old notebook will run Malwarebytes.

[Chuckt]

Chuck,

My son recently got the same virus on his computer. I felt it was a good time to just reformat his hard drive anyway (too much junk on it).Stacy

I have good practices but I'm not the only one who uses this computer and things that pose a security risk get downloaded anyway.

All you need to do is go shopping on the web or mispell a website. I can name you the website that I mispelled and there is a cybersquatter there that will attempt to hijack your computer which Norton did stop to its credit.

The problem becomes having java open as an entry point onto your computer because that is a way some of the crooks get onto your machine.

My other theory is to install Linux because Linux doesn't have a system registry which allows programs to change your computer system.

Symantec wanted $100 for the Virus removal team. Norton didn't detect any malacious programs from safemode. They told me to run Norton from safemode. It took about four hours and didn't find anything. Malwarebytes did it in approximately an hour and a half. I should have just used Malwarebytes. If I only listened to Symantec then I would be reinstalling Windows (reformatting my computer to Window's specification).

[Chuckt]

Yep, it's always about the money!

We procrastinated on the Norton subscription renewal for a small period of time ago and I think that is how we got the first virus. I used Malwarebytes and it killed the virus but when I went to reboot, it wouldn't because the operating system which had become the virus which was deleted so it wouldn't boot.

The moral of the story is, have backups. Don't visit websites you don't know until you backup your system. Disable popups and some entry points to your computer (java and file sharing). You don't want to do stuff that is too irreversable.

You can also find tutorials to backup your email depending on what version or email program you use.

[brad]

I am a big believer in "use whatever works for you" when it comes to computers. I say that because I use a mac and people have a go at me for having a mac. I always say that they should just use whatever works for them.

However, I have used macs for maybe 3 or 4 years and have never had any problems with spyware, virus's or anything like that. I don't have any virus checkers, it just runs nice and smooth.

I also have a virtual environment on my mac with windows xp installed. I use that virtual environment for programming and a few other small tasks. I basically leave all the internet tasks to mac os. It sure runs great that way!