Re: Real Player installs Norton Security

I avoid the registry like COVID-19 ......

I use Macrium Reflect for system backups plus System Restore points plus cloud storage/alternate PC backup for personal files.

Re: Real Player installs Norton Security

I used Norton back in the Windows 95 - 98 days and it seemed to touch just about everything in the system. Even back then though, I was never afraid to try anything. To get rid of it, I just formatted the disk and reinstalled the system. This was so much easier than spending hours tracking down this 'n' that and trying to delete it. Once gone, I didn't give it a second thought and didn't develop the dislike for it everyone else has.

I know nobody will believe me ..but Norton became on a par with other security programs in 2009 after it was completely rewritten. I used it for a number of years without issue and only stopped doing so when they withdrew from the AV-Comparatives tests. I never understood why because they actually were going well in them. They are being tested again now.

I haven't tried Norton recently and wouldn't know how it performs but it seems to do OK in tests. However, so many people remember it from being the Norton of old that the sale of barge-poles to keep it at bay will be brisk into the foreseeable future. Those who have never tried it, would never do so because of what others say.

https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/ (AV-Test)

https://www.av-comparatives.org/test...uary-may-2020/ (AV-Comparatives - scroll right down the page for the summary graph)

Re: Real Player installs Norton Security

Thanks for the information on the link Omah, a useful read. It's not that I am complacent about what's happening on both Macs and Windows platforms, I am very aware of being careful about apps. and downloads, always using approved websites to do this etc. In addition to a MacBook Pro laptop and an iPhone I have a 27" iMac which was used, before retirement, for my business of graphic design and printing, that has the capability of both the Mac OS and Windows platforms. I chose not to utilise that to also use Windows, due to known problems. What I did instead was to buy a very cheap (discounted) laptop that had Vista as the OS, mainly to open files sent to me that I couldn't open on the Mac, that was without spending out more on Mac software than that laptop cost me with the software required already installed.

Without downloading anything other than files I had to open, the Windows laptop's hard drive was eventually so full that it took hours to start up. That, I was advised by a professional computer company, was due to Microsoft updates filling up the hard drive. Generally all the hassle was not worth it, even to sort it out myself would have been very troublesome as I didn't, and still don't know, much about Windows.

The Windows / Mac likes and dislikes still rages today, I know that. All I can go by is my own experiences with using Macs since around 1980, plus recently also as six immediate family members have gone over to Macs, after having Windows machines for years, finding Macs far easier to use and without the updates from Microsoft causing the problems they are known to. Their use ranges from the usual social and internet use to those using them for serious education, so a varied range of general use.

Personally I set my Macs with the option of no automatic downloading of updates, this allows me to make the choice after finding out what the update concerns. Others set that to automatic, which they prefer. There has been the odd occasion when Apple has been notified of a problem within a download, very rarely I have to say, and an update has been provided in just a couple of days.

Yourself and others on OFF are obvously clever in your knowledge of Microsoft and getting round problems that occur. The way Microsoft seems to try and force things on users and their updates causing problems would be something that would drive me round the twist, hence my comment about where the computer would finish up.

I only post this in answer to your post, 'everyone to their own' is how I mostly always view things.

Re: Real Player installs Norton Security

You cannot delete the file because it is being held open by windows boot process and as you know, any file that is in use cannot be removed/deleted.

What you need to do is first run a program called MSCONFIG (just do a search in google on 'how to use msconfig', many will be able to help you)

Once you've got msconfig open, you need to click on the 'services' tab which will display a list of all the things that are currently running on your computer. Scroll down the list and see if any have the word Norton, if they do click on the box with the tick in it to remove the tick, then click the 'Apply' button. Once your happy you've found everything with the word Norton in it, click on the tab that says 'Startup', it should then ask you to 'Open Task Manager'

A new window will appear showing you what programs and processes are currently active right now.Click on the tab that says 'Processes' and scroll down the list for anything that says 'Norton'. If you find any, right click on the file and select 'End Task'. Everything to do with Norton should now have been stopped and you should now be able to delete that file you been wanting to delete.

Also, word of caution to those installing software downloaded from the internet. Many companies want you to install their software, the two biggest are Norton and Google. They pay software companies to include install options for their programs. So take Real Player, when you went to install it, somewhere in small writing at the very bottom of the install window would be a tiny tick box asking if you want to install Norton. The tiny tick will be on by default which means if you click away at all the OK buttons, the real player install program will believe you want norton installed and go ahead and install it for you.

As for mp4 video player, has to be VLC but beware of the above when installing VLC. I have been using VLC for years, close to when it first came out and in my opinion it's the best free video player out there, nothing else that is free can beat it.

Re: Real Player installs Norton Security

I think I have Macrium Reflect on my laptop - actually, I've just checked, and yes I do.

Do you consider it to be superior to Windows File History and, if so, in what way?

I have always used File History, but unfortunately, can only use it with one of my two external hard discs.

Re: Real Player installs Norton Security

True.

Re: Real Player installs Norton Security

That is one of my bugbears as well.

Personally, I have found Windows 10 to be quite reliable and has, at least recently, caused me no problems.

I do, however, usually avoid Windows Updates, by claiming that I am on a metered connection and need to work at all times between 9am and 2am (I think). This has worked pretty well so far, though I don't know how long Microsoft will put up with it!

Re: Real Player installs Norton Security

Thanks for this additional information.

I'm not going to bother about the pf file, as it isn't causing any problems.

As for software downloads sneaking in unwanted rubbish, Google I can live with, though I'll keep and eye out for it (and other things) in future, and certainly I'll not fall for Norton's blackmail (are we still allowed to say blackmail?) again.

Re: Real Player installs Norton Security

Actually, I tried it as a replacement for Windows 7 Backup and File History, when they proved troublesome, a few years ago. I liked the free version so much that I bought the full version. Technically, I suppose it's no better than some but much better than others - however it's easy to use, reliable and I've got used to it .....

If File History is working for you then I might resurrect it on my laptop - IIRC, retrieving previous versions of files was easy .....

Re: Real Player installs Norton Security

Perhaps, as I mentioned, I might try to use Macrium for regular backups to my other (non-File History) external hard disc.

The good thing with File History is that periodically I can just plug in the hard disc and click FH on. It then backs up anything new.

I have been copying new files to the other hard disc by using drag and drop, which is a bit of a bind. Perhaps Macrium might do backups regularly just like File History does.