[HelenW]

A few days ago my pc crashed, following problems accessing web. I am an aol user, but use Firefox to surf the net. Last year I used Norton but changed this year to GData's AVKInternetSecurity. Everything was fine for a few days but then I started having problems with Firefox and kept getting 500 and 404 messages. My PC then crashed - blue screen - but it got going OK after rebooting. I did uninstall Norton but a window popped upd the other day in which I saw mention of Norton Worm protection.... I tried using the Symantec uninstall link but this hasn't made any different and I don't even know if that worked. Meanwhile my pc has got slower and slower and I can no longer used Firefox at all, and even my AOL access is limited (I can get internet access but my I get a "no internet connection" message from AOL with only a partially opened homepage). Have been trying to get through to AOL by phone for days but always busy and I'm getting truly fed up. An AVK virus scan reveals no viruses, so what is going on???!! Can anyone help? It's driving me crazy :cry:

[SpiritWind]

{size:18px}[/size]:D Hi Helen : Being fairly "active" in the antiSPYWARE Community, I had never heard of either "GData" or "AVK Internet Security" prior to your Post; how did you become aware of them ? It seems to be a German product with any "Support" ONLY in German; not wise for an English-speaking person !? When requesting help, ALWAYS start by mentioning the NAME of your Operating System; IF Win XP, which "Service Pack" ? Mentioning the amount of RAM can be helpful !? Generally speaking, "Security Suite(s)" are "resourse-hogs", meaning they use up a lot of a computer's Memory, causing problems such as yours . "Security Suite(s)" usually have an antiSPYWARE "component" as well as an antiVIRUS "component"; did the antiSPYWARE "component" detect anything ? If yes, what and be specific . Having "remnants" of a Prior program, such as the Norton, on a computer can cause problems with a subsequent installed program; you mentioned using "Symantec uninstall link" . Was this their"Symantec/Norton Removal Tool" ? I usually recommend using this "Tool" from www.majorgeeks.com/NortonRemovalToolSymNRTd4749.html . To find out if "It" worked, you should use your computer's "Search > All files and folders", using the Search "term" "Symantec" and later "Norton" and "Delete" all appropiate Entries. IF you find some, that will NOT be "Delete(d)" even AFTER a reboot, let me know and I will make a further recommendation . So you are NOT using any of "suspect" AOL's "Services" !? Knowing this can be helpful in making Recommendations.

[HelenW]

Hi SpiritWind, thanks so much for your long reply.My PC is an 18month old Packard Bell Intel Core 2 Duo 1024 Mo DDR / 250 Go with media center package and Windows XP family version. I hope this helps!I do use the AOL anti-virus as well, and have done so since buying this PC in Oct 2005 without the slightest problem. I will try out your link re uninstalling what's left of Norton, but am not back at home until Monday so can do nothing this weekend.As you say, GData is German, and I bought this package after reading a recommendation (following trials) by a French site called 01Net (similar to PCWorld), as I live in France and live & work in French. My husband is German so he can help out with contacting GData & deciphering their blurb....No, none of my anti-spiware components found anything - I use Spybot as well, and on the advice of a friend of my husband's also downloaded and ran TuneUp. This detected lots of useless matter (ie links to non-existent programmes and old files) which I deleted, and also spent half the night (!) on disk cleanup and repair mode.As a matter of interest, shortly before the crash I downloaded ITunes, and, the same evening foolishly downloaded a Google Toolbar which was advertised on the AOL homepage and which I thought would instal on said homepage (as I found AOL's search engine pretty poor & thought this could be useful in the evening of problems with Firefox, which I had already begun having, in the 2 days before the crash) - and did this despite having Mozilla Firefox which has a Google toobar anyway.... I have since wondered whether this download was corrupted, and wanted to uninstall it but couldn't find out how to! So I have no idea what happened there.I shall try out your link for uninstalling the Norton worm prevention that is left on my hard disk on Monday night, if I don't get back too late, and will report back on progress. I am pretty fed up, though, and have spent every evening and half the night for the last week trying to sort this problem out. Thanks for agreeing to give me a hand, and hopefully your greater experience will help me resolve this problem! (By the way, my husband is no better than me at sorting this sort of thing, so no help there!)

[SpiritWind]

{size:18px}[/size]:D Hi Helen : From what you are saying, there are many POTENTIAL "conflicting" programs that finally MAY have caught up with you. First off, should NEVER have 2 different companies providing antiVIRUS ( "AV" ) coverage, such as AVK and whatever company AOL has bought some other companies "partial" program and put their NAME on it. AOL is "bad news" and should NOT use or have any of "their" "Security" programs on your computer. If at all possible, I recommend you find & use a different ISP; a good place to start would be the ISP Forums at www.freedomlist.com . I do "searches" going to www.google.com, it is a "safer" and would NOT use anybody's search "Toolbar", so I recommend you look in your "Add or Remove Programs" and "uninstall" it. You MAY have a firewall "conflict" !? Not sure if the "Family Version" (called that in Europe) has a "Security Center" listed in your "Control Panel" !? Need that info for proper recommendation . Spybot's quality has fallen recently and some of its "components" MAY be "conflicting" with AVK's antiSPYWARE "component"; based on these 2 factors, I recommend you REMOVE it from your computer. ALL the "Malware" Experts I know consistently recommend using AVG Antispyware from www.ewido.net ; IF you install this program, immediately AFTER doing so, "inactive" its "Resident Shield" so it will NOT conflict with AVK's . Based on what you have told me, I recommend you REMOVE ITunes, at least until it can be determined that it was NOT the cause of the "crash". As far as SAFELY protecting your computer, you most likely would be better off by not using either AVK's "Suite" and definitely NOT by using any "Services" from AOL, but the Good & FREE programs listed at http://members.acces...dieUpdated.html .

[HelenW]

Hi there SpiritWindThank you SO much for your very good advice and help on this thorny issue! I just wanted to le you know that I have followed your advice, and found bits of Norton with the Search tool, and also Itunes and Skype! I failed to get Skype to install properly some time back, and totally forgot about it and have now uninstalled it, and Itunes too.However....!! Having got rid of as much as possible of Itunes and Skype, I cannot get rid of the remaining files found through Search. I get a window saying these files cannot be read and to check the programme or the diskette (all this in French!) (oh, & I have rebooted after every uninstall and delete). I am a bit stuck on this, however - everything is now working much better! For your info, AOL found a suspect "toolbar" and blocked it, and I then found said toolbard (the Google one I stupidly downloaded) through Search & have deleted it. Phew!! I cannot believe just how much junk there was lying around, mostly Norton, Itunes and Skype..... goodness me ! :unsureDo you think I could bother you for one last time (really!) ? You kindlly offered to advise me how to delete any stubborn Norton files after a search, and if you could tell me what the technicque is so that I can finally get rid of the Itunes and Skype leftovers I would be very grateful indeed! Meanwhile, I have learned a very useful lesson from all this, and have kept copies of all your advice for future reference, although I'll try to be more careful from now on!Haven't yet uninstalled Spybot or blocked aol, but that is the next job after this post....Have a very nice evening, don't know know who you are but you have been very generous with your time & I'm very grateful.Best regards,Helen

[SpiritWind]

{size:18px}[/size]:D Hi Helen : You will really like my next piece of advise because it involves the use of a Good & Free program from a FRENCH company, namely "Unlocker" from http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/ . After installation, it puts "unlocker" into your RIGHT-click Menu, and you click on it instead of "Delete" after using your computer's "Search > All files and folders" for those "Items" that are hard to get rid of; I have used it only once, to FINALLY remove "Norton" from my computer . You failed to answer an important question I asked last time, namely "If the Family Version has a 'Security Center' in your 'Control Panel' " ? Your "Family Version" MAY have a firewall that is "conflicting" with the one in your AVK Internet Security !? For "general cleaning", I recommend you use "ATF Cleaner", developed by antiSPYWARE Expert "ATribune" and available from www.atribune.org/content/view/19/2/ ;however, use the "Prefetch" portion only after "cleaning up" from a Malware infestation . The last bit of "cleanup" is usually done by a "Registry Cleaner"; must be very careful when using a program like this . Do you have this kind of program on your computer ?

[HelenW]

Hi there SpiritWind! Woops, you're right, I failed to answer that vital question... so, I've just taken a look, and there is a firewall option, however it is unactivated and I think always has been, as my first introduction to Norton came with the PC and I've not touched that part of the control panel since.... so, all is well there! I've heard of registry cleaners, and perhaps TuneUp incorporates this.... I hope I didn't do any damage when I ran it a few days ago, but, touch wood, things are working again as before so as far as I can see no damage done - but I will remember what you say! Thank you for recommending unlocker and AFT cleaner - again, I will do as you advise, but not tonight as I'm too tired after a long day!Hopefully, from now on, my PC will be a bit more stable; I suspect that it was that Google toolbar, & the Norton worm protection left over on my PC that finally did for it.... since they've gone, thiings have pretty much gone back to normal. Phew! :D Maybe bientot, SpiritWind, and meanwhile THANK YOU !!!! Helen (PS also found some really useful info on PCstats re bluescreen crashes, and I think that if it happens again I'll be better prepared on how to cope!)

[SpiritWind]

{size:18px}[/size]:D Hi Helen : Just finished "re-visiting" the GData website & reading the description of the "Internet Security" ; wisely there is NO mention of providing detection and possible removal of the latest threat to home computers, namely "rootkits" . These should ONLY be "handled" by a program that "specializes" in them and I recommend you install the FREE "RootkitRevealer" from www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/Security/RootkitRevealer.mspx . Microsoft recently purchased the Sysinternals Company, who has been making very good analysis "tools" for years. This program will NOT "remove" WHAT it detects; however, there is a FREE Support Forum there. Have found out that GData is using the Scanning "engines" of the Kaspersky Company and the BitDefender Company for their "product" . I usually recommend the installation of the Good & FREE "SpywareBlaster" from www.javacoolsoftware.com ; this is a "prevent-type" of antiSPYWARE program . There is a "Tutorial" @ www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial49.html .

[HelenW]

Hi again SpiritWind - I take your point about using free good quality virus protection & so on, and when my current year is up I'll try the free downloads you suggest. I've been talking to a friend of my husband's who agrees that there are some very good free downloads, not to be rejected out of hand, but of course not being an old hand at these things it hadn't occured to me to go down that route, although I'm learning fast! Kind regards from here in Paris, and "bonne continuation!" as the French say.Helen