it's microsoft vs norton & norton's winning | explorer.exe & msiexec.exe

[babyoh]

i was going to contact norton about this- i was sure it was a norton hiccup- but i'm posting here because it ocurred to me
1, i may be infected, or 2, norton is getting in the way of microsoft updates (which is pretty nasty, if that's what's going on)

** all scans i've done (norton, spybot, mbam) show i'm clean

norton's been "turning on" somewhat regularly in the background, cpu useage climbs Very High- and norton blocks:
explorer.exe
And sometimes
msiexec.exe

See Screenshots-
http://i51.tinypic.com/242e8f9.jpg
http://i55.tinypic.com/2dbqwye.png
http://i53.tinypic.com/1z1wv8n.jpg

- Thoughts?

ps- i have the ms firewall set to off, so there shouldn't be any cross-fire between ms & norton

[Corrine]

Why do you think it is Microsoft updates?  msiexec.exe is the Windows Installer Service.  Do you have an update pending for Java or an Adobe product or have you downloaded any software to install?  http://www.systemlookup.com/search.php?type=filename&client=malwaresearch-ff&search=msiexec.exe

[babyoh]

Thanks for your help, Corrine.

usually (recently) i notice it's just explorer.exe fighting with norton- this is the 1st time i saw msiexec.exe

up until last month, norton kept fighting with .NET over and over. that stopped, suddenly and mysteriously

** as far as i can tell, everything i've updated/downloaded has worked fine- Flash etc.

the only downloaded "update" that hasn't gone through is something Norton downloaded to update itself. i keep gettting alerts about this, but haven't ok'ed it yet. (wanted to check with Norton it won't make problems worse.)
- Could That be causing this?

* the mysterious Norton CPU spikes have been caused by various things.
maybe upgrading norton will fix this one but- despite however i set it, Nort likes to turn itself on & scan (against my wishes).

- is there a way for me to tell what Norton's blocking?

(the Norton bow) -  :thud: :thud: :thud: :thud:

[Corrine]

It is probably this:  http://www.systemlookup.com/Startup/11702-msiexec_exe.html

Yes, you've had you share of Norton issues.  Interestingly, at one of the forums where I participate there is a BSOD analysis forum.  They have found that, at least on Windows 7, Norton is a major source of BSOD's. 

[Temmu]

what symantec (norton) product and what version (year)?

[Corrine]

As of March, it was Norton Nis 2009 AV / Firewall. 

[babyoh]

for the short term, i think i'll un-install norton (run their removal tool etc)- & load up Microsoft Security essentials.
(i'll turn on XP's built-in MS firewall)

are there any 1st-rate firewalls / routers / AV software you'd care to recommend?
(i have a few machines running XP- & will probably get at least 1 new one running MS system 7 & maybe 1 running Ubuntu or some other flavor of Unix.)

it may be time to update my "protection" arsenal:
SpywareBlaster
Spybot S&D
MBAM
Norton

Thanks for the help!

(by the way, Norton's been ignoring my calls & emails. doesn't exactly infuse a customer with confidence.)


The Norton Salute! -  :thud: :thud: :thud: :thud: :thud: :thud:

[MikeW]

If you have spybot's 'tea timer' activated, this may well be causing some of your problems. Spybot and Symantec have never lived well together. I am a long time user of Norton. Using NIS2011 and it is their best yet.

[Corrine]

Hi, babyoh.

You may want to try MikeW's suggestion first and turn off Teatimer and see if Norton can update then.  If that doesn't work, I suggest using http://www.appremover.com/ for cleaning up the Norton left-overs.

For software firewalls, the following are free for personal use.

• Online Armor Free
  -- Setup instructions at http://www.tallemu.com/webhelp3/Welcome.html
  -- Additional assistance at the support forum at http://support.tallemu.com/vbforum/
• Agnitum Outpost Firewall
  -- Guide at http://www.outpostfirewall.com/guide/index.htm for Outpost Free Firewall
  -- Outpost FREE FAQ at the support forum here: Outpost Users Support Forum

[Temmu]

careful about installing software firewalls.
even experienced users can easily become overwhelmed by the firewall's incessant on-screen requests.
then users wonder why this that or the other app no longer works, or updates or whatever.