Should Norton Internet stop all virus?

[Shenan Stanley]

goodknees wrote:
> You seem to be responding to my first question, not my follow-on
> question of 'Why doesn't a full scan with the Norton take care of
> the virus?' It seems that the virus I have would be known by
> Norton by now and my Norton Updates would be up to date enough (not
> forever, I know) to take care of the 'old' virus.

You never said 'what virus' - so how can you assume that whatever virus you
have is old?
You could have gotten a 0-day virus. Those exist. Someone is likely
putting out a virus right now.

> One last thing, most users are like me when they buy that pretty
> yellow or red antivirus box...they feel it's a perfect product that
> will stay perfect with the update procedure, especially with
> browsers saying they don't detect a virus and Microsoft's automatic
> Windows update service.

Really? I don't believe that. You are saying that most people buy
something and expect it to last forever. No product is like that and if
there are people who believe that out there - they must be closed off from
the world completely... Somehow shieled from the weather, the bad influences
and change (in a time bubble maybe?) Change is inevitable - I don't believe
there is anyone who is fully cognative of their surroundings that believes
otherwise.

Also - just simple logic. Why would products be put out periodically to
replace old products if the first one was perfect?

Norton puts the year in their home products to designate versions. Norton
AntiVirus 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007. If the product *was*
perfect - it would be just "Norton AntiVirus" and that would be it.

> No need to respond I got your thread. And you probably have heard
> my thread often. Hopefully others like me will read our threads
> and understand and benefit from one of our threads. Thanks for
> your time.

No - I have not heard a thread like yours very often.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

 

[Ian]

Look it is a Bot laiden internet, Norton will not stop them at all unless you
buy the new Bot product. But Norton is not considered an Advanced secutiry
toll. Kaspersky is, as are a few others, non of those are Norton McAfee, CA,
PC cillin, etc.
you need to either buy the bot protection module from norton, or switch to
Kaspersky or ZoneLabs, there are only three others that are "Advanced" but
Kaspersky has free tech support, and has a tool that will snap shot your
system, and they will examine it in their labs to find and fix the problem
for free if you have a licensed copy!!!!!

"goodknees" wrote:

> Thanks for the input. Too much for me. I'm sure someone will use it. I'll
> just cut back on the internet and not download any attachments. Thanks for
> the help.
>
> "Shenan Stanley" wrote:
>
> > goodknees wrote:
> > > My Norton Internet 2007 did not stop a virus. Shouldn't it stop
> > > all viruses? Also, why doesn't a full scan with the Norton take
> > > care of the virus?
> >
> > As your question should have been answered many times over (NO PRODUCT IS
> > PERFECT) then I suggest if you want to learn more about your computer and
> > the care/maintenance you should perform to make sure it stays 'your
> > computer' and as fast and healthy as possible... you go through this list
> > carefully. Print it, follow it through - take as much time as you need and
> > come back and ask all the questions you want. You'll never learn any
> > younger than you are now.
> >
> > Microsoft has these suggestions for Protecting your computer from the
> > various things that could happen to you/it:
> >
> > Protect your PC
> > http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/
> >
> > Outfitting a new computer for the Net
> > http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/update/newcomputer.mspx
> >
> > Getting started with a new PC
> > http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/yournewpc.mspx
> >
> > Although those tips are fantastic, there are many things you should
> > know above and beyond that. Below I have detailed out many tips
> > that can not only help you clean-up a problem PC but keep it clean,
> > secure and running at its best.
> >
> > I know this text can seem intimidating - it is quite long and a lot
> > to take in for a novice - however I can assure you that one trip
> > through this list and you will understand your computer and the
> > options available to you for protecting your data much better -
> > and that the next time you go through these steps, the time it
> > takes will be greatly reduced.
> >
> > Let's take the cleanup of your computer step-by-step.
> > Yes, it will take up some of your time - but consider what you use
> > your computer for and how much you would dislike it if all of your
> > stuff on your computer went away because you did not "feel like"
> > performing some simple maintenance tasks - think of it like taking
> > out your garbage, collecting and sorting your postal mail, paying
> > your bills on time, etc.
> >
> > I'll mainly work around Windows XP, as that is what the bulk of this
> > document is about however, here is some places for you poor souls
> > still stuck in Windows 98/ME where you can get information on
> > maintaining your system:
> >
> > Windows 98 and 'Maintaining Your Computer':
> > http://www.microsoft.com/windows98/usingwindows/maintaining/
> >
> > Windows ME Computer Health:
> > http://www.microsoft.com/windowsME/using/computerhealth/articles/
> >
> > Pay close attention to the sections:
> > (in order)
> > - Clean up your hard disk
> > - Check for errors by running ScanDisk
> > - Defragment your hard disk
> > - Roll back the clock with System Restore
> >
> >
> > Also - now is a good time to point you to one of the easiest ways to find
> > information on problems you may be having and solutions others have found:
> >
> > Search using Google!
> > http://www.google.com/
> > (How-to: http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/basics.html )
> >
> >
> > Now, let's go through some maintenance first that should only have to be
> > done once (mostly):
> >
> > Tip (1):
> > Locate all of the software you have installed on your computer.
> > (the installation media - CDs, downloaded files, etc)
> > Collect these CDs and files together in a central and safe
> > place along with their CD keys and such. Make backups of these
> > installation media sets using your favorite copying method (CD/DVD Burner
> > and application, Disk copier, etc.) You'll be glad to know that if you
> > have a CD/DVD burner, you may be able to use a free application to make a
> > duplicate copy of your CDs. One such application is ISORecorder:
> >
> > ISORecorder page (with general instructions on use):
> > http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm
> >
> > More full function applications (free) for CD/DVD burning would be:
> >
> > CDBurnerXP Pro
> > http://www.cdburnerxp.se/
> >
> > DeepBurner Free
> > http://www.deepburner.com/
> >
> > ImgBurn (burn ISO images)
> > http://www.imgburn.com/
> >
> > Final Burner
> > http://www.protectedsoft.com/products.php
> >
> > Another Option would be to search the web with Pricewatch.com or
> > Dealsites.net and find deals on Products like Ahead Nero and/or Roxio.
> >
> > Ahead Nero
> > http://www.nero.com/
> >
> > Roxio Easy Media Creator
> > http://www.roxio.com/
> >
> > Tip (2):
> > Empty your Temporary Internet Files and shrink the size it stores to a
> > size between 128MB and 512MB..
> >
> > - Open ONE copy of Internet Explorer.
> > - Select TOOLS -> Internet Options.
> > - Under the General tab in the "Temporary Internet Files" section, do the
> > following:
> > - Click on "Delete Cookies" (click OK)
> > - Click on "Settings" and change the "Amount of disk space to use:" to
> > something between 128MB and 512MB. (Betting it is MUCH larger right
> > now.)
> > - Click OK.
> > - Click on "Delete Files" and select to "Delete all offline contents"
> > (the checkbox) and click OK. (If you had a LOT, this could take 2-10
> > minutes or more.)
> > - Once it is done, click OK, close Internet Explorer, re-open Internet
> > Explorer.
> >
> > Tip (3):
> > If things are running a bit sluggish and/or you have an older system
> > (1.5GHz or less and 256MB RAM or less) then you may want to look into
> > tweaking the performance by turning off some of the 'resource hogging'
> > Windows XP "prettifications". The fastest method is:
> >
> > Control Panel --> System --> Advanced tab --> Performance section,
> > Settings button. Then choose "adjust for best performance" and you
> > now have a Windows 2000/98 look which turned off most of the annoying
> > "prettifications" in one swift action. You can play with the last
> > three checkboxes to get more of an XP look without many of the
> > other annoyances. You could also grab and install/use one
> > (or more) of the Microsoft Powertoys - TweakUI in particular:
> >
> > http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
> >
> > Another viable (decently inexpensive) option is to increase the amount
> > of memory (RAM) your computer has. You can get an idea of what you
> > need by visiting:
> >
> > Crucial Memory AdvisorT Tool
> > http://www.crucial.com/
> >
> > Then either buy direct from there or write down the specs you get and
> > visit: http://www.pricewatch.com/ and locate the best price on what you
> > need. 512MB up to 1GB total memory should be more than enough for
> > the normal home user.
> >
> > Tip (4):
> > Understanding what a good password might be is vital to your
> > personal and system security. You may think you do not need to password
> > your home computer, as you may have it in a locked area (your home) where
> > no one else has access to it. Remember, however, you aren't always
> > "in that locked area" when using your computer online - meaning you likely
> > have usernames and passwords associated with web sites and the likes that
> > you would prefer other people do not discover/use. This is why you should
> > understand and utilize good passwords.
> >
> > Good passwords are those that meet these general rules
> > (mileage may vary):
> >
> > Passwords should contain at least six characters, and the character
> > string should contain at least three of these four character types:
> > - uppercase letters
> > - lowercase letters
> > - numerals
> > - nonalphanumeric characters (e.g., *, %, &, !,
> >
> > Passwords should not contain your name/username.
> > Passwords should be unique to you and easy to remember.
> >
> > One method many people are using today is to make up a phrase that
> > describes a point in their life and then turning that phrase into their
> > password by using only certain letters out of each word in that phrase.
> > It's much better than using your birthday month/year or your anniversary
> > in a pure sense. For example, let's say my phrase is:
> > 'Great new job in November 2006'
> > I could come up with this password from that:
> > 'Gr8n3wj0bNOV2006'
> >
> > The password tip is in the one time section, but I highly
> > recommend you periodically change your passwords. The suggested time
> > varies, but I will throw out a 'once in every 3 to 6 months for
> > every account you have.'
> >
> > Also - many people complain that they just cannot remember the passwords
> > for all the sites they have - so they choose one password and use it for
> > everything. Not a good idea. A much better method would be to use a
> > Password Management tool - so you only have to remember one password,
> > but it opens an application that stores your username/passwords for
> > everything else - plus other valuable information. One that I can
> > recommend:
> >
> > KeePass Password Safe
> > http://keepass.sourceforge.net/
> >
> > It can even generate passwords for you.
> >
> >
> > Tip (5):
> > This tip is also 'questionable' in the one time section however -
> > if properly setup - this one can be pretty well ignored for most people
> > after the initial 'fiddle-with' time.
> >
> > Why you should use a computer firewall..
> > http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/viruses/fwbenefits.mspx
> >
> > You should, in some way, use a firewall. Hardware (like a nice
> > Cable Modem/DSL router) or software is up to you. Many use both of
> > these. The simplest one to use is the hardware one, as most people
> > don't do anything that they will need to configure their NAT device
> > for and those who do certainly will not mind fiddling with the equipment
> > to make things work for them. Next in the line of simplicity would
> > have to be the built-in Windows Firewall of Windows XP. In SP2 it
> > is turned on by default. It is not difficult to turn on in any
> > case, however:
> >
> > More information on the Internet Connection Firewall (Pre-SP2):
> > http://support.microsoft.com/kb/320855
> >
> > Post-SP2 Windows Firewall Information/guidance:
> > http://snipurl.com/atal
> >
> > The trouble with the Windows Firewall is that it only keeps things
> > out. For most people who maintain their system in other ways, this is
> > MORE than sufficient. You may feel otherwise. If you want to
> > know when one of your applications is trying to obtain access to the
> > outside world so you can stop it, then you will have to install a
> > third-party application and configure/maintain it. I have compiled a
> > list with links of some of the better known/free firewalls you can choose
> > from:
> >
> > BlackICE PC Protection (~$39.95 and up)
> > http://blackice.iss.net/
> >
> > Comodo Free Fireall (Free)
> > http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/
> >
> > Jetico Personal Firewall (Free)
> > http://www.jetico.com/index.htm#/jpfirewall.htm
> >
> > Outpost Firewall from Agnitum (Free and up)
> > http://www.agnitum.com/products/outpostfree/
> >
> > Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall (KPF) (Free and up)
> > http://www.kerio.com/kpf_download.html
> >
> > Symantec's Norton Personal Firewall (~$49.95 and up)
> > http://www.symantec.com/sabu/nis/npf/
> >
> > ZoneAlarm (Free and up)
> > http://www.zonelabs.com/
> >
> > You should find the right firewall for your situation in that
> > list and set it up if you feel the Windows XP firewall is
> > insufficient.
> >
> > Every firewall WILL require some maintenance. Essentially checking for
> > patches or upgrades (this goes for hardware and software solutions) is
> > the extent of this maintenance - you may also have to configure your
> > firewall to allow some traffic depending on your needs.
> >
> > ** Don't stack the software firewalls! Running more than one software
> > firewall will not make you safer - it would possibly negate some
> > protection you gleamed from one or the other firewall you run. It is
> > fine (and in many ways better) to have the software firewall as well
> > as a NAT router.
> >
> >
> > Now that you have some of the more basic things down..
> > Let's go through some of the steps you should take periodically to
> > maintain a healthy and stable windows computer. If you have not
> > done some of these things in the past, they may seem tedious - however,
> > they will become routine and some can even be scheduled.
> >
> >
> > Tip (6):
> > The system restore feature is only a useful feature if you keep it
> > maintained and use it to your advantage. Remember that the system
> > restore pretty much tells you in the name what it protects which is
> > 'system' files. Your documents, your pictures, your stuff is NOT
> > system files - so you should also look into some backup solution.
> >
> > Whenever you think about it (after doing a once-over on your machine

 

[PA Bear]

How do you know you had a virus?

goodknees wrote:
> I don't know enough to say what virus. I figured Norton sorted out what
> virus or whatever and would keep me running. Thanks for the help. It has
> been helpful. Take care.
>
> "PA Bear" wrote:
>
>> A1. If all is well, NAV's AutoProtect will stop all viruses /in its
>> database/. This database does not necessarily include all known viruses,
>> and most Home/Small Office versions of NAV will neither detect nor stop
>> most hijackware and Trojanware.
>>
>> A2. What virus?
>>
>> Protect Your PC!
>> http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/computer/default.mspx
>>
>> Learn how to protect your PC by taking three simple steps
>> http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=3AD23728-4973-4DA5-9836-602954130D38
>> --
>> ~PA Bear
>>
>> goodknees wrote:
>>> Please expand on your response. I don't see its connection to my two
>>> questions:
>>>
>>> 1. Shouldn't it stop all viruses?
>>> 2. Why doesn't a full scan with the Norton take care of the virus?
>>>
>>> Thanks for the help.
>>>
>>> "PA Bear" wrote:
>>
>>>> As if!
>>>>
>>>> goodknees wrote:
>>>>> My Norton Internet 2007 did not stop a virus. Shouldn't it stop all
>>>>> viruses? Also, why doesn't a full scan with the Norton take care of
>>>>> the
>>>>> virus?