Author Topic: I knew this would happen.....  (Read 3465 times)

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xbeatle

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I knew this would happen.....
« on: February 24, 2010, 05:04:58 AM »
So I hear good things about Avast. I have a basic setup and my Norton Anti Virus subscription ran out recently.

The first sign of trouble for me was getting booted off the Internet towards the later part of the Avast Home Edition(free one) download process.

All of a sudden my gmail notifier indicated that for some reason, I was now logged off the Internet.

Additionally, after downloading Avast, I ended up on a splash page that indicated that I needed to click on the "Fix It" button to get full coverage..so, I clicked on it and a couple of other buttons and alas, nothing happened...now, I knew there was a problem

Also, when clicking on Finish button my computer didn't re-boot like it was supposed to.

Anyway, upon manually re-booting my computer, I observe in horror that I no longer have connectivity to the web.

Something happened when I downloaded Avast....

Thank god for System Restore...

That being said, it's a shame as I'd really like to use this product if I can..not sure about Firewalls(I use Window's firewall) or Ports or any of those other factors which no doubt are the source of my issues.

So, if any brave souls would be willing to guide me through this process, I'd be mighty obliged.

Please note that I'm a quick study who's very efficient...so, it won't be a painful process..it must be that I'm missing a concept or two that could turn out to be relatively simple.

And lastly, I'll send Karma points 'cross the digital divide to the one who volunteers to help  ;D

norel

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Re: I knew this would happen.....
« Reply #1 on: February 24, 2010, 07:19:32 AM »
The first thing I would suspect is Norton. If you haven't uninstalled it or if there are remnants left over that didn't get uninstalled it might cause problems. Norton has an removal tool you can download for free. I would try that first. It might not hurt to run the avast! removal tool as well to make sure all traces of the old install are gone.

I don't know where you downloaded avast! from but it might not hurt to scan the installer it if possible to see if it's infected. If that's not possible download it again from another site. Besides the Alwil website, FileHippo and Major Geeks are pretty safe.


zfactor

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Re: I knew this would happen.....
« Reply #2 on: February 24, 2010, 09:29:40 AM »
go to the web site and download the norton removal tool. actually i suggest renstalling it yes i said that reinstall it first then use the norton removal tool. reboot, download and run ccleaner to scan the registry. i would actually reboot again and then re try the avast install. we carry norton products and this is what is normally recc by them.

Offline Tarq57

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Re: I knew this would happen.....
« Reply #3 on: February 24, 2010, 10:00:30 AM »
Norton Removal Tool available here. (Also available on Symantecs' support site.)
Avast uninstall utilities (for each version) here.
Avast download page.

Download the files you need. (All the above.) (You may need to use another computer and save them to a flash drive, but simply uninstalling Norton might do it.)
Save to desktop.
Go offline.
Uninstall Norton from the control panel, or use the method zfactor uses, since he's a Norton reseller.
Run the removal tool.
Reboot.
Uninstall Avast from the control panel.
Run the Avast uninstall utility.
Reboot, install Avast from the installer file.
Go online.

I'm tempted by the Karma points, but unless I give them away myself, it won't work.
How about a donation to the nearest animal shelter?
Windows 10,Windows Firewall,Firefox w/Adblock.

xbeatle

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Re: I knew this would happen.....
« Reply #4 on: February 24, 2010, 08:21:16 PM »
Thanks everyone..I believe I wasn't as clear as I could have been. Presently, my Virus protection comes from AOL's use of McAffee, which indicates a clean bill of health having run a successful scan yesterday. That being said, I barely utilize AOL anymore as I prefer Firefox these days. So, net net, I'm not really sure if Windows handles my Virus protection or if Firefox does or if I should do something else.

That being said, the Alarm message that popped up after I tried to install Avast, was from "Norton Online Backup" who apparently bought "Backup.com" the service I pay to backup my computer.

So, was wondering if I should still follow the instructions given by you guys to get all Norton and Avast off my system b4 trying to successfully download Avast again.

And to make matters worse, I've discovered from running a Hijackthis scan, that I've got a bunch of malicious code that no doubt is responsible for bullying my Firefox browser to return webpages that I didn't request when doing Google searches on Firefox..and trust, me I'm both pissed and bummed about this. >:(

So, I've uploaded my Hijack log to their forum hoping that someone can give me some guidance on which items to delete..but alas, so far no response from their forum.

So, any help/advice on that would be huge too....

What a week  :(

J.
« Last Edit: February 24, 2010, 08:26:30 PM by xbeatle »

Offline Tarq57

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Re: I knew this would happen.....
« Reply #5 on: February 25, 2010, 12:43:50 AM »
Here is a link to the McAfee removal tool, which should be run after removing McAfee from add/remove programs (and/or browser add-ons.)

I had a hunt around for the tech features of Norton Online Backup, and could find very little info about the application that is installed on the computer.
What' I'd be inclined to do is to remove everything Norton (if present) run the Norton Removal tool, then install Avast, then re-install the Norton Backup software. It sounds like a simple file encryption device that can be set to automatically send large amounts of data to your own online storage vault.

Given that I'm not sure how it all works (but thanks, Symantec for the glitzy info video, that reads like a fragrance ad but provides virtually no actual data) the following caveat applies: I don't know if running the Norton Removal Tool will remove this or not, and if it does, can not guarantee that you will be able to re-install it.

But that's what I'd try if it were mine. (Except that I use Macrium and store data on an external HD. So it's very hypothetical.)
Windows 10,Windows Firewall,Firefox w/Adblock.

zfactor

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Re: I knew this would happen.....
« Reply #6 on: February 25, 2010, 12:53:09 AM »
ahhhhhh mcafee...okay mcafee is sometimes dreadful to remove even with their tool. i will have to recc a program called jv16powertools here or a similar cleaning type program. ccleaner im afraid will not dig deep enough.

i can tell you even after removal of mcafee jv16 will find much of it left that needs removal.

first get rid of everything mcafee, then use the norton removal tool get rid of all norton things. then remove avast.

run jv16 or ccleaner would work fine for this step. to clean the registry.

then reboot

then reinstall avast from there and see how that does for you