FULL Scan Lists "Risks" as numbering 5 (but does not say which programs affected)

Hello to all, I am new to using Norton Security Suite 5 which came to me FREE of charge from my internet provider. Prior to this I have used AVG, Avira and AVAST (freeware editions) but was mostly partial to AVG Free.

After running a Norton Security Suite "Full System Scan" I was impressed to learn that the program results listed having Total Security Risks Detected (viruses I guess) numbering 5 in all; but did not indicate whether this was either malware or virus infections. Additionally the results did not indicate exactly which programs were affected by these so-called "risks" - only that Total Risks Resolved numbered 5 in total.

While it was somewhat troubling to learn that the program found and then listed these risks (numbering 5 in total); it was even more troubling to be given absolutely no indication exactly what these Total Risks Detected were (the name of the suspected viruses, etc) nor given any suggestion or warning as to which exactly programs were infected as well as no choice as to removal or not.

While I'm grateful that the Norton program came up with results, it would be much more helpful to have been given at least some indication of the names of the threats involved, the names of the exact programs affected by the virus and/or malware threats as well as the opportunity to review the threats prior to removal.

So what exactly does all of this mean? I have literally dozens of programs installed on my computer. Does this mean that the affected programs were cleaned or disabled or perhaps even removed? Must I wait until the programs are consequentially either missing in action, do not work anymore or are somehow disabled in order to uncover the mystery of which programs/utilities were actually detected/involved here?

Any help here would be greatly appreciated…
Thank you in advance,
COMPUABLE

 

Greetings, COMPUABLE.

For ease of mind, you might consider going through the Malware Forum's Read & Run Me First thread, perform all of the suggested steps, and attach the requested logs to a new thread in that forum - I'm sure the gurus there wouldn't mind looking at your machine, making sure everything's kosher.

IMO, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Are you experiencing anything obviously out of whack? These 5 hits ("Total Security Risks Detected") could very easily be what are sometimes termed "false positives", especially if your machine is running well.

 

>> IMO, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Are you experiencing anything obviously out of whack? These 5 hits ("Total Security Risks Detected") could very easily be what are sometimes termed "false positives", especially if your machine is running well. <<

Thanks for your post. My feelings exactly (re: if it ain't broke, don't fix it). Thus far (crossing my fingers here) I have not been experiencing any problems with my programs.

Unfortunately however I actually have approximately 150+ programs as well as numerous utilities currently installed. So it would therefore be very difficult to open (and then test) every one of them individually in order to uncover if whether any one of them were adversely affected or not by the Norton program. Another problem I discovered was that the program only lists the latest scan results, immediately erasing any results from previous scans.

As to whether or not they were actually "false positives" or not, my primary concern is the fact that they were summarily removed/cleaned as in Total Risks Resolved without even a clue as to their names, the affected program names or allowing me to choose any options to pick from the results. As an example of this the NirSoft web site provides a unique collection of small and useful freeware utilities, all of them developed by Nir Sofer. Many of these utilities come up on AV programs and malware utilities as viral or as malware but are in truth are actually false positives.

Additionally, I’m at present working with two home computers with Windows 7 which are brand spanking new therefore I recently spent many days/hours reinstalling the entire programs as well as setting up their preferences, options, etc. Therefore the very last thing I need is to have any potentially major problems or even minor interruptions caused by Norton. In any case, I might just go back to using AVG 2012 Free which took far longer to fully scan my PCs than Norton Security Suite; but consequently listed the results far more thoroughly as well as giving the options to scan, remove or ignore the possibly infected program(s) which were listed.

Thanks again!

COMP

 

>> Not to take this off track, but I would personally uninstall Norton and go with MSE. I hate when something is reported and you can't find out what the file was or the location. <<

Thanks for the tip Tim

I've always had good luck with Zone alarm freeware as my firewall as well as the AVG freeware version for virus detection and removal. I usually avoid any standard Microsoft programs like the plague, but I've also heard some good things recently about Microsoft Security Essentials particularly from those who are using Windows 7. The only reason I recently switched to Norton was because when I installed the updated version of the AVG FREE 2012, I found that the newer version used far more memory during its operation; even when it was running 'idle.'

I also found the full AVG 2012 scans took well over an hour and I could not use the internet while it was scanning (even though my new computer has a whopping 4MG of memory). On the positive side of things regarding AVG use, this program always gives the user the opportunity to quarantine, ignore or remove any potentially infected suspect program.

Additionally, on a related note I also use Malwarebytes Antimalware for spyware/adware which is an excellent utility that runs in the background using virtually no memory during scans as well as when it is running idle. They offer free version as well as a shareware version with some extra features. But the best thing was unlike many ‘subscription’ programs (which must be paid for annually) Malwarebytes shareware edition charges one-time fee of $24.95 for a lifetime subscription and the program updates automatically in the background. On the whole, although I'm usually partial to freeware programs and utilities but also do not mind paying for a superior product in order to support its development, particularly when the company is not greedy about it.

Thanks again...

COMP

 

>> When MSE is running its scheduled scan, I have no issues with surfing or doing any other tasks. Given the enormous amount of programs you have installed, I again would recommend MSE along with your Pro version of MBAM. <<

The only reason I have thus far been so reluctant to trust any Microsoft utilities at all is because of the atrocious lack of support from that company whenever something went wrong in the past and I desperately needed their assistance. And I've been burnt several times by them as well – not just once. The worst incident happened one time I was using the default windows defragmenter tool and something went haywire during the scan. For those who might not know this; the disk defragmentation utility is a built-in utility in the Windows operating system that enables users to rearrange the contents of their hard drive for optimal access speed. Anyway, the computer was DOA and could not boot back into windows afterwards.

Since at that time I only had one computer in the house I called the Microsoft via phone support. Although it took about 30-45 minutes to get through to someone at Microsoft support; the tech guy was (surprisingly) initially very polite when I called. He told me that repairing the disk defrag utility is often necessary after an unanticipated system change renders the files suddenly broken. And that I could accomplish this by (1) Undoing the underlying cause by subsequently using the Windows System Restore utility and (2) Selecting a restore point prior to the time the defrag program stopped working. When that I tried that option and it did not work; the tech actually sighed loudly and then bluntly stated that my only alternative would be to bring the computer back to wherever I bought it from. He then abruptly said goodbye and disconnected the line.

When I tried to call back it took over an hour (maybe even two) to finally get through to another human bring who said that reformatting the hard drive was a possible option. Unfortunately this was also unsuccessful because whenever I re-started the computer up to reformat; an error came up; stating something like: Cannot Locate the Hard Drive. Press Enter to Continue. Finally I called the store I bought the computer from. Luckily I was just barely still under warrantee expiration date and the store manager called the manufacturer who sent someone over to replace the hard drive and reinstall Windows.

Thanks again for the suggestions Tim.

COMP