Administrator Account & Norton IS 2004

[Guest]

I did something really dumb when installing Norton Internet Security 2004.
The only Norton account I set up as 'administrator' I assigned to the Windows
XP Home administrator account - the hidden one. The only way (it seems) I
can change the account settings in Norton is when I'm in the Windows
Administrator account. The only way I can get to that account is in safe mode
(ctrl+alt+del twice @ Welcome won't let me log in to it) but... here's the
rub, I'm not able to open NIS in safe mode! Help.. is there any way round
this or am I stuck with these settings for being so stupid!

 

[NightOwl]

I'm not sure how to do so, but I think there's a way to show the
administrator account from the login window - but that may only be in XP
Pro.

I'll have a look around and see what I can find.

Pete

 

[NightOwl]

Ah. You may have a problem after all. Sorry. Take a look at this link...

http://windowsxp.mvps.org/admins.htm

Peter

 

[Guest]

Oh dear....thanks anyway.

Ah. You may have a problem after all. Sorry. Take a look at this link...

http://windowsxp.mvps.org/admins.htm

Peter

 

[Nepatsfan]

You might be able to get around this problem by uninstalling NIS
while in safe mode. Go to Control Panel -> Add/remove programs.
Then reinstall the program. Or you could start the program
installation and see if it lets you change the setup parameters.

Another alternative would be to use System Restore to restore
your computer to a time before you installed NIS. Go to Start ->
All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Restore. On
the calendar look for an entry that mentions NIS. Choose that as
your restore point. Keep in mind that any other programs you
installed since that point in time will also be removed. You
might want to take a look here to familiarize yourself with the
System Restore process:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/helpandsupport/learnmore/systemrestore.mspx

 

[Guest]

In safe mode I am unable to uninstall NIS - I think it says NIS will not run
in safe mode so cannot be uninstalled - or something similar.
I did try using system restore some time ago to get round the problem. I was
able to remove NIS; the problem then was that when I reinstalled it, the old
settings were reinstated and I was not given the chance to change them.

 

[Nepatsfan]

I came across the following article on Symantec's support site:

http://tinyurl.com/4vn3k

It may be possible to run System Restore again and then follow the procedures outlined in the article in the hope that any registry settings or files that contain the old settings would be removed. Reinstall NIS 2004 and see if you can configure it the way you want.

As a last resort, you could try installing the demo version of NIS 2005 and see if during the installation it removes the 2004 version. If successful, you could then make your account an administrator for NIS 2005. Uninstall the 2005 version, reinstall 2004 and see if your account still has administrator status.

Sorry to say this but you may have to break down and pay Symantec's support fee in order to resolve this problem. Or, if you didn't pay a whole lot for this product, you might want to consider this a painful lesson and try another company's software. There are many antivirus and firewall programs available. AVG's antivirus and Zone Alarm firewall are excellent free alternatives.