B
Bill Drake
OK, I have been battling this one for several weeks now - I've
finally gotten to the bottom of the problem.
I have a Client running Windows 2000-SP4. He runs both Norton
Internet Security 2005 and Norton SystemWorks 2005 Premier
(which has Ghost 2005 bundled with it). This installation is about
6 months old and ran fine up until recently.
Starting just after September's Patch Tuesday - his machine would
spontaneously lose its Activation for Norton Internet Security 2005.
Attempting to Re-Activate would fail - requesting that the user contact
Symantec Customer Support.
Restoring the Client's Ghost Image from the day before Patch Tuesday,
then completely updating Norton Internet Security and SystemWorks
and then reinstalling the Microsoft Patches would solve the problem for
24 hours. However - regardless of the successful repair of the problem
by the use of Ghost - Norton Internet Security Activation would be lost
the next time Symantec Live Update brought down and installed new
Virus Definitions on the Client's machine.
Symantec Customer Support recommended a complete uninstall and
reinstall of both Norton Internet Security and Norton SystemWorks
Premier as a possible solution to the problem. After doing as requested,
I found this did not work - as the problem recurred exactly as it had with
the use of Ghost as detailed above.
Symantec Customer Support then tried to tell me this problem was
related to the installation of Roxio EZ-CD Creator software. They
told me this problem occurred with all versions and that the only
solution was to remove EZ-CD Creator, install the Norton Software
and then reinstall EZ-CD Creator.
At this point I ran out of patience. I re-explained (for the 8th time)
that this installation HAD RUN SUCCESSFULLY FOR 6 MONTHS
and had spontaneously deactivated. I insisted that they check the
Activation database count for this Client's Product Keys for both
Norton Internet Security and Norton SystemWorks. The products
(which had only been installed on this Client's System) showed
multiple installations. I insisted that the Activation database counts
be reset. Product Support accepted my request and the fresh reinstall
of the product - done at Symantec's request - which up to that point
had stubbornly refused to Activate - magically activated.
Now *here* is where it gets interesting:
After successfully Activating the product, the usual round of Live
Updates is required to bring the product up-to-date. However,
unlike installations done previous to the install of Microsoft's
September updates - this *new* install promptly failed its
activation immediately after the install of the *next* set of
Symantec Updates.
It was necessary to re-activate the product a *second* time,
immediately after the second round of Symantec Live Update
installation procedures. Because the Activation database
count had been reset - this time the *second* activation was
successful and the update installed correctly.
From the above, I suspect that something in the September
Microsoft Updates interacts with the information Symantec's
Live-Update uses for Symantec's own Product Activation Key
reporting.
This data shows up *differently* between the Product
Activation that occurs when using the original CD-ROM
and the information returned to Symantec after the first
time Live-Update is used. Because of the interaction,
the Symantec Server interprets the changed info as a
*new installation* even though the product installation is
an existing installation that has not changed at all. As
a result, a *second* activation process is required.
The crucial factor here is that if the user has had to
reinstall the product for any *other* reason (such as
a virus infection or any one of the other reasons that
Symantec requests the user reinstall the product)
then the install-count kept on the Symantec Server
for that product key will exceed the number that
Symantec considers abuse of the product - and the
user will be branded a pirate. As a result, that
*second* activation will be refused and the user is
stuck in activation hell until they call Symantec and
get the install-count reset on the Symantec Server
so their update can proceed to completion correctly.
So - from what I can make out - what *looks* like a
Symantec problem is actually a changed response
for Symantec's Product Activation routines that occurs
as a consequence of a MICROSOFT update.
Therefore, please be aware that as a result of the
security updates released by Microsoft on Patch
Tuesdays - your Product Activation on other
software may be SPONTANEOUSLY REVOKED
and you will have to contact that software
manufacturer's technical support and have them
manually clean up the mess before your previously
working installations of non-microsoft products will
work properly again.
Needless to say, I am underwhelmed by the shoddy
industry-cross-cooperation the above debacle implies.
Once again, Microsoft's quality-control is shown to be
sorely lacking or non-existent. This is unacceptable.
Best I can do for now. <tm>
Bill
finally gotten to the bottom of the problem.
I have a Client running Windows 2000-SP4. He runs both Norton
Internet Security 2005 and Norton SystemWorks 2005 Premier
(which has Ghost 2005 bundled with it). This installation is about
6 months old and ran fine up until recently.
Starting just after September's Patch Tuesday - his machine would
spontaneously lose its Activation for Norton Internet Security 2005.
Attempting to Re-Activate would fail - requesting that the user contact
Symantec Customer Support.
Restoring the Client's Ghost Image from the day before Patch Tuesday,
then completely updating Norton Internet Security and SystemWorks
and then reinstalling the Microsoft Patches would solve the problem for
24 hours. However - regardless of the successful repair of the problem
by the use of Ghost - Norton Internet Security Activation would be lost
the next time Symantec Live Update brought down and installed new
Virus Definitions on the Client's machine.
Symantec Customer Support recommended a complete uninstall and
reinstall of both Norton Internet Security and Norton SystemWorks
Premier as a possible solution to the problem. After doing as requested,
I found this did not work - as the problem recurred exactly as it had with
the use of Ghost as detailed above.
Symantec Customer Support then tried to tell me this problem was
related to the installation of Roxio EZ-CD Creator software. They
told me this problem occurred with all versions and that the only
solution was to remove EZ-CD Creator, install the Norton Software
and then reinstall EZ-CD Creator.
At this point I ran out of patience. I re-explained (for the 8th time)
that this installation HAD RUN SUCCESSFULLY FOR 6 MONTHS
and had spontaneously deactivated. I insisted that they check the
Activation database count for this Client's Product Keys for both
Norton Internet Security and Norton SystemWorks. The products
(which had only been installed on this Client's System) showed
multiple installations. I insisted that the Activation database counts
be reset. Product Support accepted my request and the fresh reinstall
of the product - done at Symantec's request - which up to that point
had stubbornly refused to Activate - magically activated.
Now *here* is where it gets interesting:
After successfully Activating the product, the usual round of Live
Updates is required to bring the product up-to-date. However,
unlike installations done previous to the install of Microsoft's
September updates - this *new* install promptly failed its
activation immediately after the install of the *next* set of
Symantec Updates.
It was necessary to re-activate the product a *second* time,
immediately after the second round of Symantec Live Update
installation procedures. Because the Activation database
count had been reset - this time the *second* activation was
successful and the update installed correctly.
From the above, I suspect that something in the September
Microsoft Updates interacts with the information Symantec's
Live-Update uses for Symantec's own Product Activation Key
reporting.
This data shows up *differently* between the Product
Activation that occurs when using the original CD-ROM
and the information returned to Symantec after the first
time Live-Update is used. Because of the interaction,
the Symantec Server interprets the changed info as a
*new installation* even though the product installation is
an existing installation that has not changed at all. As
a result, a *second* activation process is required.
The crucial factor here is that if the user has had to
reinstall the product for any *other* reason (such as
a virus infection or any one of the other reasons that
Symantec requests the user reinstall the product)
then the install-count kept on the Symantec Server
for that product key will exceed the number that
Symantec considers abuse of the product - and the
user will be branded a pirate. As a result, that
*second* activation will be refused and the user is
stuck in activation hell until they call Symantec and
get the install-count reset on the Symantec Server
so their update can proceed to completion correctly.
So - from what I can make out - what *looks* like a
Symantec problem is actually a changed response
for Symantec's Product Activation routines that occurs
as a consequence of a MICROSOFT update.
Therefore, please be aware that as a result of the
security updates released by Microsoft on Patch
Tuesdays - your Product Activation on other
software may be SPONTANEOUSLY REVOKED
and you will have to contact that software
manufacturer's technical support and have them
manually clean up the mess before your previously
working installations of non-microsoft products will
work properly again.
Needless to say, I am underwhelmed by the shoddy
industry-cross-cooperation the above debacle implies.
Once again, Microsoft's quality-control is shown to be
sorely lacking or non-existent. This is unacceptable.
Best I can do for now. <tm>
Bill