Hasn't Norton done enough damage in the Windows world? Do we really want it making a mess of the Mac side of things?

I thought we were safe from spyware, viruses, and companies that use fear and hype to bog down our computers and scare us into paying monthly "update" fees.

It was Comcast that gave it out. I thought I would give it a try. The Firewall part of it acts like Little Snitch, Thats one reason i wanted it. It didn't cost me anything.

"It didn't cost me anything."

Not in initial monetary cost, but it costs you every day in reduced performance of your computer for no tangible benefit. Not to mention that Norton is probably the worst choice in the field.

Sheldon

You are right, but I meant money-wise.

So did he. Time is money. Many times over.

The same thing happened to me when I thought I had fully uninstalled Norton. I had to boot into safe mode and restart from there. It took a few times of this happening before I realized that it was probably Norton at fault. After I ran the wiping tool that came with my Norton package, my computer works fine.

Wait, how did you uninstall Norton Anti-Virus if you couldn't boot up?

I could do a safe boot (go in to safe mode) and used it. Also I had used the norton unstaller that came with it before i installed SL. This script removed the files that the norton unintaller said was "files that were bad to remove for mac os x"

It happened to me after I uninstalled it because there are still some components there that search for the program during startup and when it can't find them, it won't start up.

I hope everyone reads the fine print again. There are components that remain (and are active) *after* uninstall. WTG, Norton.

Same here on a client's Mac. Over the years Norton caused more trouble than it prevents. We decided to wipe it out and everything was fine again. The most ridiculous thing is Symantec's expensive hotline. They're billing you for the trouble they cause.

Using the free ClamXav is perfect. Apple includes this in their server products.

Like I said, my ISP gave it out. I didn't pay for it

Sorry, Apple server is a bit different, but you don't really need anything as an end-user.

THANK YOU kylegeek! This has been driving me nuts for two weeks now, and only by a fluke of random start-up key combos was I able to get my computer to boot. I got so desperate I wouldn't shut down and only put the computer to sleep during my off-hours.

Imagine stumbling across this 'hint,' which I would classify as a lifesaver. I honestly thought my primary HD had s*&% the bed. Had never seen the Intl. symbol for no on startup, and using single-user mode (command+s during startup) said it couldn't find the 'root device.'

I followed your instructions and now it's starting up as my dependable Mac has always done. Norton should be ashamed for releasing such under-baked software. I don't blame Comcast as I'm surprised that they even deemed us Mac users worthy of an Internet security suite. Previously we only got a "sorry," which wasn't very Comcastic.

Interestingly, at least to me, my problems didn't begin until AFTER I removed the software (using the supplied uninstaller that came with Norton Internet Security (NIS)). Didn't put two and two together until I read your post. The terminal command executable, in which you provided a link, was not included with NIS, which would have saved me, and probably countless others bringing their computers into the Apple store, a boatload of time.

So thank you from a user who very much appreciates your taking the time to share your experience, and better yet, a solution. :)

Hey, Its no problem! I think i learn a lesson that day. ;) The thing was that Leopard (10.5) would boot fine, but Snow Leopard wouldn't. All the credit should go to the users in the Apple Support Forums.

Norton itself is a bug, don't install it on your Mac or your PC ! I repair computers and a lot of problems come from this antivirus which is common as a 3-month demo version.

Another classic case of installing software you will never need, only to see it screw up what you do need. Yes, Norton has created enough havoc on lesser OSes. Hope things turn out but please oh please don't use anti-virus on your Mac. Try to get a refund!

Norton's Mac offerings are a profit center to consultants like me. I've not yet seen a Mac with Norton installed that didn't behave badly, and uninstalling solved the problem instantly.

When (if is unlikely) a malware threat appears for Macs, Norton is NOT the answer.

I am an Apple Consultants Network (ACN) member. I agree Norton is terrible for the user, but good for my business. If you or your clients want a decent antivirus that just plain works, Kaspersky released a mac version of their antivirus and I have been using it. It's caught a couple viruses that were thrown on my flash drive by infected PCs I'd worked to clean up. Good thing about it is that it's unobtrusive, and a much more low-key interface. It's CPU-friendly (as all programs like this should be since OS X supports prioritizing of processes). I've used a lot of mac antivirus apps over the years and I haven't found one I can stand on the mac since the OS 8 days.

Sure, not everyone needs antivirus on their mac right now. But my mac runs my business AND a lot of my personal life these days, and being secure is always important. You're most vulnerable to malware when you believe that you're immune and stop taking steps to protect yourself.

You can take your flash drive, plug it into a friends computer and get it infected and never know because it doesn't hurt your machine, but then you'll be a carrier. Every PC you plug that into will pickup that virus.

I am curious to know what version of NAv you installed. I have the 11.1.1(2) and it is working properly on 10.4, 10.5 and 10.6

It is interesting that someone would say Macs don't need anti virus. Unless you are not exchanging files with anyone, connected to internet and not emailing anyone you are spreading the floating crap in the virtual world to your friends, colleagues and clients. Obviously if your mode of operation is "$%^& them" then you are fine, back to grand theft auto or some video game you were playing. Until you get one of those 4 for macs or when a clever ahole writes one for a mac that works well and it can attach itself to a program like your video game, even real costly programs or a photoshop file, movie or font!

ClamXav is a free one. There is no def updates as often as it should be.
As a matter of fact in the FAQ part ClamXav's maker states "... I can not offer anywhere near the same level of user support as the bigger companies. In fact, this is one of the reasons why I'm not charging for ClamXav.

I need to clear up some things.
I DIDN'T buy it. It wasn't NAV it was Norton Internet Security. I just wanted the Firewall part. (it acts like Little Snitch) In the installer, there was no customize button. I got it from Comcast for free. I know I made the STUPID mistake that no mac user should do.

hi--
I'm Mike Romo and I am the product manager for the Mac products here at Symantec. I emailed Kyle to see what kind of machine this happened on to see if we can reproduce the problem.

If any of you are having problems with our current products, I want to know about them. I am at mike_romo@symantec.com.

thanks,
mike

hi --
it's mike romo again. Just talking to our architect about your issue and we're wondering if you could contact me directly at mike_romo@symantec.com -- we're curious to see if there's something about your machine that might have caused this behavior. We have certified the product to work with 10.4.11,10.5 and 10.6 and have not seen this kind of behavior (I know, you'd expect me to say that!).

Again, sorry about the issue but I can tell you plainly that this sounds like something specific to your machine. I checked with support and we have not received any calls (nor have I received any emails (I am easy to find)) about this kind of issue.

thanks,
mike
mike_romo@symantec.com

hi guys--

I just wanted to give you all an update:

1 - I have talked to the original poster of this issue and we have fixed things up; the product is working on his machine

2 - While most users seem to be okay, there are obviously some configurations that are having an issue. if you are having a problem, email me directly at mike_romo@symantec.com and we'll figure it out. I am the product manager for the product, this is my direct email address and I will do what I can to work with you to get this taken care of.

3 - Comcast will be offering a co-branded version of the product soon--they are going be replacing the current installer with a new one--which will basically be the latest installer we make.

Thanks for your patience. Look--I get it. I have been a Mac user since 1985 and I get why people are aggressively skeptical of Internet security software. It is my hope that those of you who do give our products a go, who give our identity protection and other features--which I think are relevant to Mac users--find that product useful.

all my best,
mike

hi guys--
So, I just wanted to give you an update.

1 - What's happening is that the uninstaller is not removing a file, "SymIPS.kext" - which is located here:/System/Library/Extensions

2 - So, if you are trying to Uninstall the product, it will not uninstall that file, which the system think it needs in order to boot, hence the "do not enter" sign.

3 - The reason this is happening is that we had to delay our IPS update because we needed to do a bunch of work to make sure the protection it dealt with worked for PowerPC and on 10.4 machine and a few other issues. That update is now finished and we are going to post it either today or tomorrow.

What this means is that when users run LiveUpdate, this "SymIPS.kext" file will be updated correctly and then the uninstaller will be able to remove it without problems. This means that the issue will have been resolved.

If you are reading this before that update goes out (I am writing this at 3:42pm PST on March 24) and you have uninstalled NIS and your machine is hosted with the "do not enter" sign:

Boot with the <shift> key down to enter safe mode
Open the Terminal in /Applications/Utilities
In the Terminal type cd /System/Library/Extensions
Type sudo rm -r SymIPS.kext and press Return/Enter

Restart your Macintosh normally


---
I cannot stress enough that this issue will be resolved as soon as users update their vulnerability protection via LiveUpdate. This update will be available tomorrow. The IPS engine updates automatically every Friday, but if users run LiveUpdate manually, they'll get the update fine.

Obviously this is really frustrating for users who want to uninstall their software only to have their machine hosed. I apologize for this and the fix will be out tomorrow.

thanks,
mike
mike_romo@symantec.com