Norton AV Subscription- Am i still being protected?

[wannabgeek]

Hi
I use Norton AV 2003 which i purchased with my Mesh PC over 2 yrs ago. But i am having trouble understanding the Live update Subsription policy! (Below) Am i right in assuming that it only lasts for 1 year and then you have to pay more Cash to keep the subsription going! If this is true then why does my PC still get Liveupdates and why is the Subscription Service valid until '06 (Not that im bothered)! I do remember the policy coming to its end in '04 but i reinstalled the software and it put another 1 yr on it...(reinstalled twice since)! So in the Future am i going to get charged by Symnatec for the Updates? Or am i not being protected (PC seems fine,no slowdowns)?
Kind regards




"A valid antivirus subscription service is required for you to receive virus definitions from Symantec. Your Symantec product includes a complimentary, limited time subscription for virus definition services. Your subscription status is displayed in the System Status area of the Norton AntiVirus main window."

" If you do not renew your subscription, you can still use LiveUpdate to obtain program updates. However, you cannot obtain protection updates and will not be protected against newly discovered threats."

[iMc]

If you are still getting updates then you are still protected. Must be because of the reinstalls.

[Ruggerbugger]

Reinstallation worked for me a couple of times (can't remember which version I had). Mind you, I dumped Systemworks when it borked my Windows install.

[nvening]

u sound protected, but it dont sound leagle lol

[wannabgeek]

u sound protected, but it dont sound leagle lol

Thanks for your reply's!

Thats what i am worried about! They won't send me a Bill 10 yrs down the line will they?

[Ruggerbugger]

I hope not I should send them a bill for the time I spent cleaning up after Systemworks!

[Insomniac]

It works by adding a date into your Registry when you first install it.

If you remove Norton and try to reinstall it, the date will usually remain the same in the Registry.

It's only when you format and start again is that data erased.

[Ferral]

Just open NAV and on the front screen of it shows subscription service and when it ends near the bottom, if that has run out you have to go onto the Symantec site and download the definitions manually instead of using live update to keep updated.

[wannabgeek]

On the programs 'Subscription service' it is valid until Feb 06!
Re INSOMNIAC: I have reformatted about 4-5 times, and i have recently changed to a new hard drive with no problem,still valid! (Not that i am complaining)!
Its true RugBug, its a very 'Buggy' Prog!... I was thinking of changing to the Free 'AVG' Anti Virus + Auto updates!
But i changed my mind and stayed with Norton, even though its CPU intensive its still been good to me,its caught everything thats come its way..."Touch Wood"!

[ANZAC_ELITE]

On the programs 'Subscription service' it is valid until Feb 06!
Re INSOMNIAC: I have reformatted about 4-5 times, and i have recently changed to a new hard drive with no problem,still valid! (Not that i am complaining)!

That'll do it for you everytime, wiping the registry clears the install date Norton puts there, so every time you format NAV thinks it's a virgin install, ergo 12 more months subscription. You used to be able to achieve this by a simple uninstall / reinstall but Norton modded the registry entry early 2004 (new LiveUpdate) and now a regedit search to remove it (way too much hassle) or format are the only options.

Its true RugBug, its a very 'Buggy' Prog!... I was thinking of changing to the Free 'AVG' Anti Virus + Auto updates!
But i changed my mind and stayed with Norton, even though its CPU intensive its still been good to me,its caught everything thats come its way..."Touch Wood"!

I would suggest you run TrendMicro Housecall [Link] and/or Panda Active Scan [Link] as a backup check once a month or so because Norton is reliably consistent at missing trojans.

Don't worry about a bill from Norton, they have no way of identifying you personally unless you registered it and put in your real details when you installed and even then I'm sure they can't track you.
I ran NAV2003 like that for a while, got two full subscriptions plus a few months that way before I "saw the light" and went to AVG.

(I have a new NAV 2004 here somewhere just didn't install it)

[Insomniac]

Re INSOMNIAC: I have reformatted about 4-5 times, and i have recently changed to a new hard drive with no problem,still valid!

Which is what I stated in my earlier reply.

Format will wipe out the information in the Registry, reinstalling Norton won't.

would suggest you run TrendMicro Housecall and/or Panda Active Scan as a backup check once a month or so because Norton is reliably consistent at missing trojans

Norton 2005 is much better at detecting trojans, but regardless it's an AntiVirus program and no one program does it all, nor does it pretend to.

You will also need a Real Time trojan scanner like Spybot, Adaware, Micro$$oft AntiSpyware and/or Spysweeper regardless of which AntiVirus package you use.

[wannabgeek]

..Thanks for your great reply's! Apart from Norton i also have Spybot, Adaware se, a squared,Spyblaster and CWshredder which i update & run on a regular basis and i do run online scans every month!As these progs are very simular is there any chance they might confict and somehow cancle each other out. And should i stay with Norton or go with the free AVG, which i think has a better layout and is less Buggy,but is it as efficient!

PS Also i am a wee bit concerned Spybot has'nt had a update for a while,or is it me being Paranoid!

[Insomniac]

Both AVG and Norton are fine regardless of which one you choose.

AVG is less resource hungry and easier to uninstall, but again they are both good products.

Don't worry about conflicts, I have Spybot, Norton, Adaware, Micro$$of AntiSpyware, SpySweeper, Pest Patrol and about another 5-6 more!

Spybot isn't updated that frequently, so again I wouldn't worry about it.

Make sure you use the Tea Timer feature of Spybot, it's very good at protecting the Registry in real time.

Assuming you have a decent firewall then it sounds like you are doing a good job with security.

Good luck.

[scotty6435]

My friend had norton 2003 and he still nearly fried his computer with 18 viruses despite regular boot-time scans. I recommend Avast! or AVG antivirus, they're both excellent and the home versions are free!

[Insomniac]

You have to be joking, 18 viruses, it was on auto-protect and updated, and it was Norton's fault! Yeah right.

Funny, Norton wins just about every magazine reviews and tests I read (PC Authority, PC User, APC and PC World), and if it doesn't win, it comes very highly recommended.

The only criticism I would have against Norton is that it can use more resources than other similar programs and can be difficult to uninstall if the correct procedure isn't followed.

Apart from that, it's protection and virus signatures are as good as any and better than most.

AVG and Avast are both very good, but I certainly wouldn't say they are better at stopping viruses than Norton.

Norton is the Micro$$oft of AntiVirus, in other words, it's always Norton's fault regardless, and they are the ones people love to hate.

[wannabgeek]

I have been looking in some old emails and i turns out i DID actually Register my Norton AV prog. So i think i'm gonna uninstall Norton (just in case of any future subscription charges) and then install AVG! What would be the best way to get rid of Norton? As i understand it clings to every corner of the registry and its hard to remove! Should i use a certain kind of prog or just go with Add/Remove progs and search for anything 'Norton/symantec' ?