Problem with Norton and Win ME

[drdan]

I have an OEM version of Win ME on a 566i2 emachines. I have Norton SystemWorks 2000 professional version installed. On 5/24/01 Norton started a live update without warning when I logged on to the internet. I didn't notice it at first and was doing a bunch of other stuff including printing a big users manual off the internet. Since then my computer has had all sorts of weird problems. It freezes up doing things it never had a problem with before, my internet speed went to about 1/3 when logging on or changing pages, Norton real time virus scan always shows as being disabled and when I try to turn it on it says it's not there reinstall it. I tried to use system restore to reset things to before this update and I can't restore to any time before that update. I tried uninstalling Norton and that didn't help. I reinstalled Norton and used the utility Norton Windoctor to find and fix problems. It located and fixed about 80 problems and my internet speed went back to normal but all the other problems remain.

Any ideas what happened or how to fix it? If I start over and reinstall Win ME from the OEM restore disc that came with computer how do I save programs, utilities, tax spreadsheets, documents, and pictures that I currently have on my computer? Is there some easy way to list current programs and the links to redownload them if I got them off internet. I like a lot of them but would like to reload them one at a time to see which are causing problems. The OEM version of Win ME that I have does not have the backup utility (emachines confirmed this).

[This message has been edited by drdan (edited 06-03-2001).]

[mjc]

I'd start preparing for the worst, and start backing up your data files to floppies, also all of your downloaded programs should have the info you are seeking in the "Help" or "About" options, also check your hard drive many of them may still be there zipped and ready to install (the package you downloaded to begin with), some of which may be able to fit on a floppy.

As far as the Norton problem when you uninstalled it was any part of it running?

Make sure that it is completely off before you try to uninstall it. You may also want to try to download and install the update manually, the problems may be from an incomplete or partial update.

------------------
mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/highrise/11/index.htm)

Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.

[tjaymadison]

Welcome, drdan! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

Without the ME backup, looks you have to make some difficult choices.

Are any of your data files too big to copy to floppies with Explorer?
If so, you could try compressing them with WinZip, and see if they'll fit then.

Or you could consider a CD-RW drive, either internal IDE or external USB.

If the downloaded programs have been installed in Windows, you would
have to re-install them after you re-loaded from the restore CD.

Or you could investigate something like Xdrive, which is a web storage
site that lets you treat it like a hard drive that's a part of your system.

There may be shareware programs to do a backup, but of course you're
at a loss if they don't work quite right when it's time to restore.


------------------
"I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question."
-- Charles Babbage, mathematician, computer pioneer, analytical engine designer (1791-1871)
-- (Question: 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?')

"Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand."
-- Homer Simpson

[This message has been edited by tjaymadison (edited 06-03-2001).]

[hiredgoonz]

A friend of mine had a similar problem and found a patch from Norton...try their tech support site...

------------------
When all else fails, read the instructions.

[skhips]

Norton Utilities 2000 does not support ME, so when it tries to fix your O/S it thinks you have win 98 and repairs accrodingly.

I do not know if this is the same with System Works 2000 I would of thought so.

http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

[drdan]

Actually I found part of the problem was a stupid oversite on my part. I actually had Systemworks 2001 on my computer but had a copy of 2000 in my CD tray. For some reason 2001 said the antivirus part needed to reinstalled about a month ago. I grabbed the CD and reinstalled the antivirus portion but I'm pretty sure (from their positions in my holder) that I installed 2000 antvirus into 2001 systemworks and then got an auto update for 2001 and Kaboom! Even I can see that might cause problems. I'm doing much better since uninstalling and reinstalling 2001 but still have a few problems. About 2/3 of my emails now come back as undeliverable. Some get through and some don't. I went to online help and got the correct settings. I set everything as they told me and my email wouldn't work at all. I restored to before the changes and now have it working about 1/2 the time. I really want to wipe everything off my computer, reinstall ME and just add back in the few programs I still regularly use. I can use Norton clean sweep to backup programs and documents and move my pictures to photo point. Some programs have several files associated with them and I don't know which to backup. Some programs seem to have associated files that are not apparent from the name. Also the OEM version of ME that came with my emachine has a lot of crap I don't want such as free AOL 5 point something and emachines network and an emachines tray and compuserve and Xdrive etc, etc. What can I safely delete (or not install) and how?

[mjc]

With the emachines restore disk there isn't really an option not to install something...everything that was on the computer as it came from the factory will be reinstalled. The disk is really just a drive image of the way it was set up fresh from the factory. This also means that you have physically uninstall any additonal hardware that you installed.

You can go into the add/remove programs in the control panel and remove any thing there that you don't want/use, then find the folders fro the things like AOL and just delete them...there is nothing that is really installed in them just the setup program, then use the properties/options for the background programs and disable them...if you can find them on the add/remove list diasable them before you try to uninstall them.

I also believe that most of the newer eMachines with ME come with StarOffice...it is a pretty good office application suite...consider keepng it, most of the rest is just not needed, if you don't use the extra keys then you can even get rid of the keyboard manager with no ill efects (other than the extra keys not working, but if you don't use them...).

After you are done with your "housecleaning" I think that you will notice an increase in your free resources, overall system response and stability.


------------------
mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/highrise/11/index.htm)

Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.