NIS 2005 Definitions 11/28/07

I went to the Live Update tonight to download the new virus definitions. However, I notice the size to be 19 MB. Did anyone else see the same thing. Is it correct? As long as I have been using NIS I have never seen a Virus Definitions download that large.
Does anyone have any comments?
What to do?
Please advise and thank you.

 

Thank you.

I am still a bit confused. As I said, I usually download the definitions via the Live Update once a week for our Norton Internet Security 2005 and it is usually around 500 KB or so, but never 19 MB, as I see for the definiitions on 11/28/07.

My husband checked his laptop and he sees the same thing (19MB) for the definitions download. We both did definitions download last week and it was 730KB.

Should we download the 19MB? If we may download the 19MB, will it over-write previous definitions? (We don't know that much about computers and this is quite upsetting as it is the first time this has happened.)

 

Are you sure it's only virus definitions, or are they also including a software patch? Even AVG will sometimes require the occasional software upgrade, but it will attach critical updates in with the virus definition stream. I was paying attention one day and caught it in the act!

 

When I click on the Live Update (NIS 2005), I see two updates:

First is: Norton AntiVirus Definitions. When I click on the + sign, it opens anothers line that says: Virus definitions (2 updates) 19345kb

Second line is: Symantec Intrusion Detection Signatures. When I click on the + sign, another line opens which reads: Signature updates 388.8kb

 

Hello, my name is Mike and I am from the Norton Authorized Support team. In response to alicez's posting about Norton Internet Security 2005 updates, the current update does encompass some application updates as well, which is why the file is larger than normal. The best way to keep up to date is to ensure that you have a LiveUpdate schedule set, so that you do not have to remembr to update the files. You can access this feature by going to Start->All Programs Norton Internet Security. Then click on the LiveUpdate tab and create a schedule, say once a week for it to check and run any needed updates.

Another question I have for you alicez, is , are you currently running "Norton Internet Security with "Spyware Protection?" There are two versions of the Norton IS 2005 product. Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

Thank You,

Michael

 

It's likely the entire virus database ( possibly even a software patch) as well as the Virus update ( SID Signatures). But it is confusing to the end user when they do it like this.

 

Thank you.
As I said, we are 'very' new to all of this and it is all so confusing.
#1- Is is okay to download the 19MB Virus Definitions update?
#2- You mention "state>All Programs Norton Internet Security. Then click on the LiveUpdate tab " There is no "LiveUpdate tab" there.
We ALWAYS look for download updates EVERY day!
#3- You also mention: "are you currently running "Norton Internet Security with "Spyware Protection?"" I really don't know what you mean, or how I can check. I don't think I have the "Spyware Protection" edition. This NIS 2005 came with our desktop.

 

Hi Alicez,

I'm so sorry if I confused you. Most likely you have Norton Internet Security 2005 which does not have a scheduling feature. I understand how daunting software can be sometimes, and I will do my best to help you.

First choose "Norton Internet Security" from the Start Menu. There should be a tab that is labeled "LiveUpdate at the Top portion of the window that appears. Once you have the LiveUpdate screen up, you should then click the "Next" button and the update will begin.

To answer your question about the 19 MB file, yes, please let LiveUpdate automatically download and run the updates. This will ensure that you have all of the latest software patches, as well as updated definition files.

Please let me know if this helps.

Thanks,

Mike

 

We just downloaded the 19MB the definitions.
We always open NIS 2005 and then click on the Live Update at the top whenever there is a download. This update/download was quite considereably larger than normal. The usual Definition download is 1MB or less, but this one was 19MB!
I looked at the Major Geeks download page and I notice they also have a Anti Virus definitions download with size of about 20MB for 11/28/07. I wonder if that is the 'same' Definitions I just downloaded. Would you know?

Do ALL the Norton products use (download) the same Definitions? So, the 19MB I downloaded - would all other Norton products - NAV, NIS, (2005, 2006, 2007, etc.) have the same download? (Hope I have made myself clear.)

Norton/Symantec should really have some way to explain such a "large" download. Very confusing indeed.

I have broadband and it took about 4 minutes, but it is time consuming for dial-up users downloading 19MB if they didn't know what it was or what it contained.

My husband sent a message to symantec help but they told us to delete files (Update files, I think) and then reinstall new files. They really made us nervous. It was so confusing and that is why we decided to post to this board.
Thanks for your help.

 

Hi Alicez,

Thanks for your response, and I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. I'm glad to help you out and I can explain to you why this update was larger than normal.

The reason why the update from the LiveUpdate feature was larger this time is because it included not only virus definition updates but also program updates to better handle adware and spyware in the older versions of Norton Internet Security. Since this product was released in 2005, there has been an increase in the number of potential threats that exist, as well as the complexity in which they can infect a computer.

Due to the number of and complexity of these potential threats, the 2008 version of Norton Internet Security has been enhanced with a newer technology called Heuristics. Heuristics technology examines the internal commands and processes to alert your Norton product to potential threats, thereby increasing the application's ability to catch these threats.

I hope that this explanation helps in clearing up any confusion.

Thank you,

Mike

 

Are these "Heuristics" (now) included in our NIS 2005, after the 20MB download?

 

Hi Alicez,

The quick answer to your question is "No."

As I had stated in my previous response to you, the LiveUpdate that contained the larger than usual file did contain updates to Norton Internet Security 2005, which enables the software to better handle certain types of possible security risks. The "Heuristics" capabilities are a new feature that is part of the Norton Internet Security 2008 version. Another feature of the 2008 version that may interest you is the Automatic LiveUpdate feature, which automatically checks for updates 2-3 times per day (as long as you are connected to the internet).

Thanks,
Mike