jc836

Many have ranted about Norton and probably with good reason. As both a System Engineer and tech I install it without any problems. How one sets it up and then UPDATES is the most important part of having it or any AV program. Even the "anti...." programs require diligence in updating to make them work properly. I for one will NEVER use or recommend McAfee products. This is based on something in the DOS and early Windows days after the company was sold. On the opposite end, Norton could have kept his company but merged. He also did a huge deal with Microsoft (check the system tools) and also notice that AV is nearly required in XP SP2. I do agree that the annual renewal pricing is very high. However, one can get DAILY updates from the website and they are out there every day so it seems. To the writer that started this with his 573-that is simply your own fault for NOT updating the program and running it at least once a week. No anti-virus program is any better than another one if it is NOT updated and used. Will I switch after my subscription runs out-probably and to AVG. Why, because Norton now has a hook in its installers that will not allow you to reinstall certain parts of the Utilities and AV programs if you have a crash. It is also true that the "freeware" and low cost AV programs are not bloated like the big commercial ones. How do these commercial programs get you-just as described on NEW computers from Dell, Gateway, etc. Be vewry careful when you go to remove and/or format the hard drive of your brand new machine-have ALL of the drivers, etc ready to reinstall. These manufacturers have a deal with MS that can make things interesting-but this is a different subject. Good luck to those that do NOT have a hardware firewall-my Linksys works great, btw. If you have a wireless network, make sure to use maximum encryption capability too. BTW<we only recommend Ad-Aware as a supplement to Norton along with Crap Cleaner.

Yes, I too remember that event As I said-I am patient and am sure it will be worth the wait.

Thanks for the prompt reply. I would think MrG would have told us the other versions were not ready-but I am patient and can wait .

We thought the new release would come in several flavors. The CC internal site does NOT offer this option for the release (1.28.277). Instead the SLIM version is still 1.27. What are we to do at this juncture, given that so many have requested that the toolbar and language packs be made purely optional or "tick" items during install?

I know this is stupid-but did you make sure the unit is "unlocked". There may be a slide tab that you need to move underneath or on the back. I have used many different HP scanners and have NEVER had a problem with the hardware functioning. All of my issues have been with the software package and in the case of our 4570-a haze on the underside3 of the glass. I make the suggestion I do because you mention a "clamp" that should not appear anywhere. BTW: I have used Hp scanners in DOS 6.22 up thru WIN XP Pro. The best one in my opinion was a parallel port unit some years back. If you want an all-in-one have fun deciding. They too can be a pain as to the software and drivers; regardless of brand. For those wondering about the bundled software, it has few updates and little additional support. I found that thge copy function of the 4570 did not work properly. So I installed Nico Cuppen's Photocopier and it works better than any bundled product that I have tried.

There is always the possibility that you will need to manually remove ALL traces of Ghost. This is not as difficult as it first appears and will NOT remove the rest of your Norton package. For those wondering why I am making this suggestion-Symantec has instituted a policy about the number of installs you can do without having to purchase a new license (program package) for the most recent versions of their software. Now to the removal. Go into My Computer and delete the folders containing the Ghost program and its associated files and only those files. Then "Run" Regedit and go thru the entire tree looking for Ghost specific references and delete them. THis should clear the program out. You can then run Ccleaner to delete what it finds as to Ghost. Finally run Norton WinDoctor. This should do what is needed. Sadly, there are programs that are persistent in their desire to stay on your machine. The reasons are either poor coding or an attempt to insure that the number of installs is not exceeded, by putting a key in the Registry. Before you do any of the above: BACK UP your machine including creating a real Restore Point. I will not be responsible for anything that happens. Good luck

Installers can be terrible at times. You can do a manual uninstall-IF-you are willing to go thru ALL of the directories and find ALL of the program entries for the I-pod/I-Tunes. The get ready to look in the Registry for Every instance of I-Tunes ONLY and delete them. Doing ALL of this with great care (take your time) will generally remove the offending items. If the player and program are within the last 2 weeks you can also try doing a Restore. This too can clear up any problems. Lastly, make sure that ALL Anti-virus programs are completely DISABLED when attempting to either install or uninstall any software. THis has been a major headache for many over the past few years.

F8 will put you in SAFE mode. Do this before the Windows splash screen appears during the boot process and you should get there.

FREE--CD Ripper-works like a charm. (The author is French and you can find it at www.koyotstar.free.fr/indexEN.html) What I like about it is its ease of use a couple of clicks and the program even gets the tags from FreeDB.

DL, installed and it works as it should (SLIM version). I approve of the idea that the program should have the option of being both DL'd and installed with user configuration abilities. If NORTON can do it then anyone can implement it. I also like the idea that we no longer HAVE TO include language packs that will never be used. I am in the USA and will probably never have any need for a langauge other than English. If need be I will download the version that offers alternate languages. Now to the issue of Hotfix Uninstallers. MOST users will NEVER try to remove them and thus bloat their hard drives. Here we have a method that is safe and effective. I do agree that it should have its own line and TICK box to insure that users who may be concerned can block this particular wipe. Microsoft in its zeal to control everything PC will continue to haunt us with patches. This will be the case with Vista too. The fact is that once a Hotfix has been applied the chances of it ever having to be removed is essentially NIL. Thanks MrG for including this tool. As for the toolbar-I personally consider them to be an invasion of my computers and NEVER allow them to be installed. There are no exceptions as virtually ALL of the software I run has no need for them. Even Corel tried to sneak one in with WordPerfect until the users group complained-just enough-and it is now optional. Should all of this hinge on money for the developer/website then I think it incumbent on them to say so. A small donation is not inappropriate and I will make one in due time if the program remains at the quality and performance level we now have.

The current version of Media Monkey is fully user friendly and does not have any real memory or processor usage problems. I switched to it from MusicMatch because the latter is no longer supported as it once was (Say Yahoo). I will not use WinAmp for a similar reason-AOL controls its functionality in the end. Did I mention that it does everything you are asking about

Why would you want this when Windows does it from time to time anyway. If you are doing a lot of install/uninstalls you would be better served to reload Windows from time to time. You will also find that manually cleaning the Registry-VERY carefully-will be of benefit. Just a thought-I always set a Restore point prior to testing a new program for up to 14 days. I also log what I did in the meantime if I changed something (no new install/unstall operations).

Sitting here with both on this XP Pro machine and NO problems with them onboard. The Anti-virus component of SystemWorks can be installed stand-alone if one wants it that way. As to issues between the programs-my finding is that they DO NOT conflict rather they support each other very well in removing undesired remnants. You will find that Norton will report NO cache or cookies if you allow CCleaner to do its job. Critical to any Anti-virus program is the definition file. You pay and pray sometimes depending on who's you use and how you set it up. So far Norton has shown me that my machines are fine. Then again I do not download anything that is in any way questionable, even from close friends. If you are looking for a very good Registry cleaner-you have found it here. Very intuitive and easy to work with. Much safer than Regedit for the uninitiated user too. So far this is the ONLY program that is Freeware that I will recommend for this purpose. However, I strongly warn users to be very very careful with it. Just my many years at this speaking/opinion