Non-computer expert here. I recently got Norton Internet Security and have been having nothing but trouble. I installed the spyware killers spybot and adaware as suggested here, and had a computer guy come over and really clean things up and show me how to use them. (I’m running Windows ME.) I’m having a new problem that is driving me clinically insane. It is so insidious that I am typing this message right now in Word for importation later into the SDMB.
What happens is that any time I type, in any online forum, message board or e-mail program, for a longer time than what the machine now deems appropriate, it halts me in my tracks with a very large, horizontal white box. The box always covers about 50% or more of the screen and is pure white except for the small word “Close” in about 10 or 12 pt. at the bottom of the box, in the middle. It has the familiar dotted line around it so that hitting Enter closes the program. At this point there is no operation that can be performed except clicking Close, which it does, erasing my many minutes of erudite composition. There is no keystroke or mouse click whatsoever that has any effect, nor does any amount of high-volume, obscenity-encrusted shrieking.
Since installing Norton Internet Security, I’ve never had so many problems of varying types with my computer. Is this to be expected, and is this maddening new problem related to it? Lastly, any ideas on how to make it stop doing this?
Well, I’m no expert, and I haven’t encountered the problem you describe, but here’s what I’d do. By hitting ctrl+alt+del, bring up your Windows Task Manager, and select “Processes”. Try to become familiar with what’s normally running, if you aren’t already*. Then, when said offending box appears, bring up the “Processes” tab again and try to identify what may be running it. If you find a new file running, Google it up and find out what it is. If it’s malicious, there should be sites on the net explaining how to get rid of it.
Unfortunately, there is no such tab in Win9x/ME systems - they only get a list of programs running, not all processes and services.
It sounds like the box that’s coming up is a Win 3.x error box (you get them occasionally in Win9x/ME systems - I think if the application is using legacy Win 3.x libraries) - just no error message is getting to the window. It almost sounds like there is some IE add-in (or spyware hooked into IE) that is causing an error after a set time of inactivity (composing a long message can be construed as inactivity by some programs).
First rule in troubleshooting (actually second after "Is it plugged in? ) is “What’s changed?” - if the problem didn’t start until Norton was installed, remove it and see what happens. If the problem doesn’t recur, that was the issue :). If it still happens, then you have to start looking elsewhere.
However, it could also be an ad pop-up in which the window is being generated, but the ad content has been blocked or generates some other error.
Thanks for the advice. I do suspect Norton. If I remove Norton, am I not leaving my computer vulnerable to worse attacks than this? How do I test this hypothesis safely?
If you find it is indeed Norton’s causing it. You might want to consider using AVG instead.
Before I removed Norton’s however, I’d do one more UPDATED scan with both Spybot and Adaware. Let it rid you of what it finds.
Go about your surfing, and should the box appear again… do a ctrl/alt/del and list for us what you have running. We may be able to help identify the problem.
) is “What’s changed?” - if the problem didn’t start until Norton was installed, remove it and see what happens. If the problem doesn’t recur, that was the issue :). If it still happens, then you have to start looking elsewhere.