Comcast has been partnering with Norton for several years now to provide its customers with complimentary internet security, which is designed to protect computers from viruses, malware, phishing scams, Trojans, spam and so on. Norton is one of the leaders in internet security software, with an outstanding track record for quickly releasing fixes for new and devastating viruses. Comcast users who have access to a free download and registration for Norton Security Suite should definitely take advantage of it as it is available for both Windows and Mac. Norton Security Suite is an extremely valuable tool for protecting your computer against malicious software.
Unlike most software types, which typically update once a year or so to accommodate improving technology, virus protection programs like Norton have to develop at a breakneck pace. New viruses are being invented and released onto the Internet literally every day. It only takes one virus slipping through Norton’s net to render the whole protection system virtually useless. Because of the sheer speed at which Norton has to develop patches, updates and up-to-the-minute virus definitions, minor bugs and glitches are quite common occurrences. Usually these bugs are patched extremely quickly, but they can be very inconvenient in the short term, and may leave your computer vulnerable to viruses and other malware. Here are some of the most common problems that occur with Norton Security Suite, and simple ways to fix them, where possible.
There have been instances when people have downloaded the Norton Security Suite from Comcast and their computer experience problems. A few users reported their PC locked up repeatedly after installing the software. Others have complained it slowed their systems down drastically. These are problems that can be corrected with the help of an experienced IT professional.
Norton will not run alongside other virus blockers
In the case of virus protection, it’s very easy to think that more is more, like using two different methods of birth control to prevent an accidental pregnancy. If one firewall is supposed to block 99% of harmful material, and another claims to block 98%, then by using them both together your computer must be virtually impervious to every online hazard there is, right?
Trying to run two different firewalls at the same time is much more likely to make your computer slow, sluggish, and quite useless at even browsing the internet, much less recognizing dangerous downloads. Unless both firewalls are operating on exactly the same protocols and definitions, it is very likely that they will flag each other as malware: antivirus programs usually work by testing incoming information with small packets of code, which, since they aren’t part of a computer’s normal operations, are exactly the kind of thing that alerts another antivirus program. If you’re a Comcast user getting Norton Security Suite for free, you’re already using the leading antivirus software, so there is no need to complicate things with a second firewall. Combining two programs that are supposed to handle the same tasks can do more damage than good.
Norton flags ordinary software as malware
First of all, if Norton flags a piece of software you have downloaded from the internet as malware, it is always a good idea to pay attention. Even highly reputable websites can be subject to hacking and malware, so it is a good idea to check online forums to see whether anyone else is experiencing the same problems before opening any software that Norton has flagged. It’s very easy to make the mistake of thinking that a big software company cannot possibly let you download corrupted software, but if you’re wrong it could lead to devastating data loss. Just don’t assume that Norton is wrong, check first to make sure you make the proper decision.
Of course, there have been instances in which Norton Security Suite genuinely flags a perfectly good piece of software as a virus. There have been instances when Microsoft documents or images have been flagged and they were perfectly normal, users have reported. This is usually a result of either a problem with Norton’s virus definitions, or something unusual in the particular program’s code that causes a match with one of Norton’s virus definitions. For example, in 2010 an update to Norton caused Spotify to be labeled as malware and disabled on hundreds of user computers. If this happens, it is possible to go into Norton Security Suite and manually remove the program in question from its virus definitions, but you should be very careful doing this in case you alter any other settings. If the program that has been disabled is non-essential, it might be a better idea to leave it alone until Norton releases a patch for the error, which it usually does very quickly.
Norton also occasionally will flag its own code as malware. When the program sends out its small packets of code to test incoming information, that code is tagged with a signifier that tells Norton Security Suite that it is harmless. In one or two updates, a mistake caused Norton to send out that code without its signifier, which caused the code to be flagged. If this happens, contact customer support to alert Norton that it needs to send out a patch.
Norton refuses to uninstall completely
One of the most consistent frustrations people have with Norton Security Suite is that it does not uninstall completely if you try to get rid of it. Even with as good as Norton is, there are plenty of reasons to want to uninstall it – you may want to try another firewall; you might want to clear it so that you can reformat your hard drive; sometimes the best way to fix an existing bug is to uninstall the current version completely before installing the update. Whatever your reason, if you try to uninstall Norton Security Suite you are very likely to find that a number of files are left behind. Some of these files are subscription files, which are designed to store your information so that you cannot install multiple trial copies – of course, if you have a complimentary registration through Comcast, trial copies are not an issue. Other files seem to be left behind at random, including an updater that continues to check for updates to Norton products even if you have uninstalled the software. These random files can take up space on your hard drive, and can cause corruption if they try to run without the software to support them. Symantec has developed a downloadable tool to remove Norton Security Suite called Norton Removal Tool, which will remove everything except for your subscription data; you can also ask a professional to remove the random files – including the subscription data – manually, so that no trace of the software remains on your computer.
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