anti virus woes

[J.J.]

for the last two weeks for some reason and intermittently my computer will
not load windows without doing a start up repair. I then get a message that
norton's auto protect has failed and am directed to their tech. Obviously
there is a problem between norton and vista, if I switch over to the avast or
the other suggested free anti virus programs will this nonsense go away? I
waited for 5 years for vista to appear, I've had it for a year now and think
perhaps I should have waited 5 more. The only program that made me crazier
was ME.

 

[Malke]

for the last two weeks for some reason and intermittently my computer will
not load windows without doing a start up repair. I then get a message
that
norton's auto protect has failed and am directed to their tech. Obviously
there is a problem between norton and vista, if I switch over to the avast
or
the other suggested free anti virus programs will this nonsense go away?
I waited for 5 years for vista to appear, I've had it for a year now and
think
perhaps I should have waited 5 more. The only program that made me
crazier was ME.

There really is no way for people just reading about your travails to give
you a definitive answer. Your issue certainly could be caused by software -
drivers, startup programs, Norton, etc. But it could also be caused by
hardware.

1. Do clean-boot troubleshooting to see if something you've got starting
with Windows is the culprit.

How to troubleshoot a problem by performing a clean boot in Windows Vista -
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;929135

1a. While I think all Norton products are Spawn of Satan, it really would be
better to be more systematic in your troubleshooting. But naturally if you
don't want to take the time, uninstall Norton while disconnected from the
Internet and see how things run. If all is well, you have your answer. I
like NOD32 or Avast if you want a free AV.

2. Another nice trick is to boot with a rescue system such as a Linux live
CD (Knoppix, Ubuntu) or a Bart's PE. If the computer runs well under Linux,
then you know that the issue is caused by software. If the computer doesn't
run well under Linux, then you know the problem lies with hardware.

3. Unfortunately, you've waited two weeks to troubleshoot and that makes
answering The First Question of Troubleshooting difficult: what changed
between the time things worked and the time they didn't? But give it a go
anyway - add any new hardware or software, drivers, etc.?

4. http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Hardware_Tshoot

Malke

 

[J.J.]

I've installed no new software in the last two weeks the only downloads I
have made are the Ms update KB938371 and an optional CXT Network for PCI soft
data fax, I can't believe that either of those would cause this problem. We
did, however, move up to high speed but that was a month and a half ago. The
only thing I've noticed is that after installing SP1 for vista my preformance
dropped to 1/2-that made me a bit unhappy. I am still going to dump Norton,
it used to be a good program but its gotten a bit top heavy these days. I'll
try your suggestions and see what happens. Thanks.