SP 3 problem...?

[Jim C]

SP 3 introduced a new "security" feature - when
programmatic access is attempted, a warning box pops up
asking if you want to approve the action. Example: Norton
Anti-spam will move e-mail from your in-tray to a spam
folder when you press a button on their integrated
toolbar. Prior to SP3, this worked fine. With SP3, the
new message pops up from Outlook; if you approve,
AntiSpam moves the message as normal, but after the
action is completed, none of the menu options in Outlook
work - they are frozen. You can read e-mails in your in-
tray, move to other folders, but you cannot click
on "File..", "new" or any of the other icons in any of
the toolbars. Even the "close" option (the "X") doesn't
work - you have to kill Outlook via Task Manager. Has
anyone else seen this yet?

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

SP3 adds several more properties to the long list of those that trigger
security prompts, but an application should be able to handle the user's
response more gracefully than what you describe. What version and build
number of NAS do you have installed? You might want to see if they have a
slightly later update.

 

[carabalda]

I have the EXACT same issue, and Sue's suggestion to
check for "a slightly later update" does not help. I was
on the phone with Symantec Tech Support - at a cost of
$30, thank you very much - for over two hours trying
various things. The last of which was to completely
uninstall Norton Internet Security (I have NIS Pro 2004
on a WINXP Pro machine) and then reinstall it and run
Live Update. This did nothing; the problem remains. The
only thing I can do is turn off the Anti-Spam toolbar in
Outlook XP so I don't accidentally hit one of those
buttons that I use ALL DAY EVERY DAY like "This is Spam"
or "This is Not Spam". Symantec tech support has bumped
this up to a higher level of developers to look into a
resolution, which they said they'd inform me about. I
hope they do, because I'm really annoyed right now. My
call to them yesterday was the first they'd heard about
the issue, as the Office XP SP3 was only released
yesterday.


-----Original Message-----
SP 3 introduced a new "security" feature - when
programmatic access is attempted, a warning box pops up
asking if you want to approve the action. Example: Norton
Anti-spam will move e-mail from your in-tray to a spam
folder when you press a button on their integrated
toolbar. Prior to SP3, this worked fine. With SP3, the
new message pops up from Outlook; if you approve,
AntiSpam moves the message as normal, but after the
action is completed, none of the menu options in Outlook
work - they are frozen. You can read e-mails in your in-
tray, move to other folders, but you cannot click
on "File..", "new" or any of the other icons in any of
the toolbars. Even the "close" option (the "X") doesn't
work - you have to kill Outlook via Task Manager. Has
anyone else seen this yet?
..

 

[Jim C]

Thanks Sue for the prompt response. Like Carabalda, I
have Norton's latest and greatest - I've got Norton
Internet Security 2004, which includes their Anti-Spam
product. After reading Carabalda's post about
reinstalling Norton to no avail, I think it's pretty
obvious that it's an Outlook problem. And it is Outlook
that freezes up, not Norton. Norton continues to work
fine as far as i can see. It is Outlook where all of the
menu bar items become locked out/frozen, and the exit
button doesn't work either, meaning that you have to kill
Outlook via Task Manager. And please remember that
Outlook and Norton Anti-Spam worked together just fine
prior to SP3.

Since SP 3 is new, we are probably the first to run into
this. I used to work in software, and I should know
better than to be the first one on the block ito install
a new patch. I just learned again

And thanks Carabalda for contacting Norton - I was about
to, but you saved me that $30 phone call. I guess I owe
you a cup of coffee.

 

[Gerald Fay]

I have the EXACT SAME PROBLEM.

"This is Spam" leads to Outlook lockup.

Terrible.Another.Microsoft.downgrade. err Service Pack.

What Service at that.

Did anyone test Outlook with Norton Antispam??...nah that would be
asking too much. To attempt to try software in the real world.

MicroSoft should pay you the $30. In fact MicroSoft should reward you
for reporting this first.

Now of course they will say it is not their problem, but the way Norton
Implements AnitSpam.

Don't expect resolution for at least a month.

 

[carabalda]

You're welcome, Jim, for the $30 savings! I'll take the
coffee <g>... but I'd rather have the update from
Symantec/Norton. No word from them as yet. :-(

carabalda

 

[carabalda]

"Don't expect resolution for at least a month"... really?
God I hope you're wrong about that, Gerald. But the way
things go, you're probably right. Hope springs eternal, I
guess, especially for those of us foolish enough to
install an MS Service Pack without waiting a bit to see
what the fallout might be. Fool me once, shame on you...
fool me twice, shame on me. As Jim C says elsewhere in
this thread: "I just learned again".

Ugh...!

 

[Tom]

I have the EXACT SAME PROBLEM.

"This is Spam" leads to Outlook lockup.

Terrible.Another.Microsoft.downgrade. err Service Pack.

What Service at that.

Did anyone test Outlook with Norton Antispam??...nah that would be
asking too much. To attempt to try software in the real world.

MicroSoft should pay you the $30. In fact MicroSoft should reward you
for reporting this first.

Now of course they will say it is not their problem, but the way Norton
Implements AnitSpam.

Don't expect resolution for at least a month.

If misery loves company, add me to the list. I have exactly the same
issues with SP3 and its effect on Outlook 2002 when using the NIS 2004
spam filter. Unbelievable Symantec would charge for this sort of
support let alone MS providing no work around other than doing a
restore to get rid of sp3. Must be another undocumented enhancement?

 

[Robert]

I am experiencing the same problem. So it seems to be a easy to
reproduce the problem.

Robert

 

[Jim C]

Sorry about the $30. There's another post dated 3/12
stating the same thing, so hopefully this will get some
visibility form someone. And if it is a Norton fix,
hopefully it will come via LiveUpdate - trying to find
anything on their site is a joke.

 

[carabalda]

From my contact at Symantec tech support:

"We have a document now about it [this problem], and but
there is no workaround currently. Our team has created a
patch that they are testing (making sure it doesn't cause
any other problems). Once that passes it'll be available
through LU. I'm guessing by middle of next week at the
latest. Sorry about this taking so long."

So hang in there, kids...

carabalda

 

[Jim C]

Thanks Carabalda for letting us know what's up...

 

[carabalda]

Although a Symantec LiveUpdate arrived today that
included core updates to Norton Anti-Spam, the issue of
NAS freezing Outlook's toolbar buttons after the
installation of SP3 still remains as first reported. It's
mind-biggling that Symantec is taking so long to fix this
problem... but all we can do is continue to wait.

carabalda

 

[Gerald Fay]

I've been through this with Symantec in the past. They operate at their
own pace. Slow....

 

[Jack McKenzie]

I have found a work around for the problem with Norton antispam go into
configure and delete all the entry's in the allowed list you will find that
the program will work and not lock up.
Jack

SP 3 introduced a new "security" feature - when
programmatic access is attempted, a warning box pops up
asking if you want to approve the action. Example: Norton
Anti-spam will move e-mail from your in-tray to a spam
folder when you press a button on their integrated
toolbar. Prior to SP3, this worked fine. With SP3, the
new message pops up from Outlook; if you approve,
AntiSpam moves the message as normal, but after the
action is completed, none of the menu options in Outlook
work - they are frozen. You can read e-mails in your in-
tray, move to other folders, but you cannot click
on "File..", "new" or any of the other icons in any of
the toolbars. Even the "close" option (the "X") doesn't
work - you have to kill Outlook via Task Manager. Has
anyone else seen this yet?

 

[carabalda]

Finally heard back from the tech support contact I've
been dealing with, but the news is not good:

"The patch has been delayed due to technical
difficulties, it should be available by mid of next week.
We're sorry about the delay."

Unbelieveable!

 

[carabalda]

Jack,

After deleting the entries in my Allowed List (a lot of
them, which had to be individually selected because the
usual Windows trick of holding Shift key and selecting
first and last in a series didn't seem to work)... am I
just left with NO ONE "allowed"? What happens if we
re-import allowed names from our Contacts List? Does
NAS "break" again?

I haven't received a message that I want to test
the "This is Spam"/"This is Not Spam" buttons on yet,
after having tried your workaround

cb

 

[carabalda]

Sorry Jack, but my experience after trying your
workaround is that the exact same problem happens when
using either of the NAS integrated buttons "This is Spam"
and "This is Not Spam"... the Office warning message
appears again, and after either allowing or denying the
action, all of Outlook's toolbar buttons and the close X
are non-functioning. I must use Task Manager to close
Outlook.

And I've double-checked... there are still no entires
at all in Anti-Spam's Allowed list... so this workaround
does NOT solve the problem for me... I still have to wait
till Symantec gets their act together and comes up with a
patch... and according to them, that's not for about
another week.

Very, very bad...

 

[carabalda]

I ran LiveUpdate today on my installation of Norton
Internet Security, and the only thing that had an
updated element was Norton Anti-Spam. After a reboot
of the computer, I did a test of the "This is Spam"
and "This is Not Spam" NAS toolbar buttons integrated
into Outlook XP and guess what? IT FINALLY WORKS!!

That is to say, the annoying new "warning" message by
Outlook still appears and asks me if I want to allow
the program to access my email addresses - and I have
to click "Yes" THREE TIMES to get it to shut up...

But after that, Norton Anti-Spam does its thing, moves
the message to the Allowed list or the Blocked list -
whatever I've asked it to do - and happily after that,
the Outlook toolbars remain functional, and I can use
the X in the upper right corner to close Outlook.

So, it appears that after about 10 days, Symantec has
FINALLY fixed this issue created by SP3 for Office.
Shame on both Symantec and Microsoft for this terrible
snafu.

carabalda