security centre

[oshodibio]

I recently installed Symantec antivirus. My security centre in the control panel reads' The security center is currently unavailable because the 'security center' service has not started or was stopped. Please close this window, restart the computer (or start the 'security center service', and then open the security center control again.


I have restarted my computer but the same message appears, could somebody please help me with the security center.

 

[taimur]

i m havin the same problem can any1 help me out

how to resolve that problem

 

[caravel]

Simple solution to that one:

1) Go to start -> settings -> control panel -> add/remove programs: Completely uninstall anything Symantec/Norton (crapware) and reboot.

2) Go to start -> run -> type: "services.msc". When the services console opens, scroll down and find "Security Centre", disable from starting and stop. (useless informational gimmick)

3) Go to http://free.grisoft.com and download and install AVG Antivirus.

4) Enjoy non-crapware, non-bloatware virus protection that doesn't want to take over your entire system.

 

[Surkitz]

Simple solution to that one:

1) Go to start -> settings -> control panel -> add/remove programs: Completely uninstall anything Symantec/Norton (crapware) and reboot.

2) Go to start -> run -> type: "services.msc". When the services console opens, scroll down and find "Security Centre", disable from starting and stop. (useless informational gimmick)

3) Go to http://free.grisoft.com and download and install AVG Antivirus.

4) Enjoy non-crapware, non-bloatware virus protection that doesn't want to take over your entire system.

that answer doesnt help their current delima.....they have norton, therefore, provide advice involving norton.

to the users having this problem, try this first.. file< click load service. For many reasons, norton provides a sort of "on/off" switch to make the virus protection work. So you either load the service, or unload the service. Now in theory, every time you turn your computer off or reset it, it WILL reload the service automatically. The norton program is designed to work the way you want it to but sometimes it can be a hassle if you do something to it and you cant remember what you did; it can be finicky but it will work provided you know what you mess with.

 

[Sjbrand99]

Erm no Caravel was right actually. I took some advice like his a long time ago and am feeling better since. Norton slows your computer by running over 10 of its processes all the time. AVG and Zone Alarm find on average over 33% more threats. Get rid of Norton.

Oh and don't reply with the ol "err but this doesn't answer my question its just an alternative blah blah blah". Well actually this is the best way to solve your problem. Heed the advice of people who know what they are on about!

 

[Surkitz]

Erm no Caravel was right actually. I took some advice like his a long time ago and am feeling better since. Norton slows your computer by running over 10 of its processes all the time. AVG and Zone Alarm find on average over 33% more threats. Get rid of Norton.

Oh and don't reply with the ol "err but this doesn't answer my question its just an alternative blah blah blah". Well actually this is the best way to solve your problem. Heed the advice of people who know what they are on about!

and you have no clue either....wtf? I KNOW about AVG and how great it is, but they were seeking NORTON advice not some punksh*t answer he gave and what you are parading either. Thats like me asking whats wrong with my windows not working in my car. Are you going to go tell me to get a new car????????? =( stupid kids

 

[Sjbrand99]

You seriously don't get us do you? If we knew, or cared. We probably would tell you but what you are not seeing is that we are looking at the long run for these Norton users. If you really want to know the solution to your problem nobody here will no it because we are sensible enough not to use Norton and all its crapware. So You see if you want the answer to your problem, then drop Symantec a line, because they are the only people who care.

 

[Surkitz]

If the only people who cared were symantec, then why did they seek advice on here first? Thats what this forum is for. I provided guidance for them, that had SOMETHING to do with their question. Oh and btw, not everyone on here raves about AVG, so you're response is moot at this point. You provided no help so why did you post? you talked about heeding advice? maybe you should stick to the meeting and greeting forum

 

[Sjbrand99]

You really do not understand that this IS advice. Personally AVG 'aint my thing but I use Zone Alarm with all Techspot's recommended tools e.g: SpyBot and Ad-Aware. I also use Ewido which works like a dream. Please, heed the advice of somebody who KNOWS what they are talking about! This forum is not for amateurs.

 

[Surkitz]

Sjbrand99: "You really do not understand that this IS advice."

K, im going to help you on this one. What maybe you and dude should have said was, if you find that norton is still giving you trouble, then perhaps you may find avg, avast, etc as an alternative and computer friendly programs. Sounds much better huh? =) Otherwise you are telling the posters to "take right hand like so, and smack face." A little insulting.


Sjbrand99: "Personally AVG 'aint my thing but I use Zone Alarm with all Techspot's recommended tools e.g: SpyBot and Ad-Aware."

See you did good here. you provided honest, informative feedback.


Sjbrand99: "This forum is not for amateurs."

WRONG. this forum is for amateurs and vets alike. thats why we all come here. Calling them amateurs only makes you look bad

 

[caravel]

Surkitz, you seem to be overreacting somewhat? My post was aimed at assisting that person in the best way possible. You have used an automotive analogy, let me now use a similar analogy:

I am your gas engineer, I visit your house and inspect your boiler, I realise on this inspection that your boiler is not very economical, faulty, unreliable and also potentially dangerous. I also note that it will require a lot of ongoing maintenance and many new parts to keep it in good order. I really have two options open to me:

a) I tell you the truth, your boiler is good for nothing, needs ripping out and replacing with a decent unit that will give you no further trouble.

b) I hold back and advise you of a workaround and a list of parts necessary to make the boiler safe and usable, knowing that in the near future you will run into trouble again and call me out again.

In this thread I have cut to the chase and gone for an "a". Instead of faffing the OP around with other solutions I have delivered to them the most expedient and, IMHO, best method to begin solving the issues they are having. Instead of standing by and watching someone struggling with crapware, I have dutifully informed them of the presence of said crapware on their PC and advised immediate removal.

 

[Sjbrand99]

You say that by me saying that this forum is not for immatures was incorrect was very foolish.
Agreed that beginners com here to LEARN and HEED ADVICE, but that is NOT what you are doing. You are trying to "tell me off" for agreeing with the advice of removing norton. This is you trying to be a "veteran" and telling ME what to do?

HYPOCRITICAL!

Please, leave the ADVICE to those who know what they are doing!

 

[caravel]

Sjbrand99, in my experience there is little to be gained from such inflammatory posting on a messageboard such as this, or anywhere for that matter. This entire thing is clearly a big misunderstanding. Tit for tat insults will achieve little.

Regards


caravel

 

[Surkitz]

CARAVEL, excuse me if i seemed to overreact. actually im pretty laid back and never get heated on this topic (nor any topic i feel needs my imput). its a forum for goodness sake. sometimes you can never tell how a person reacts on these things, especially when emoticons arent used. and i appreciate you're tact response to what seemed from the start, a flame from me. wish i could say the same for the other sjbrand, but he's a kid, lots to learn.




CARAVEL:In this thread I have cut to the chase and gone for an "a". Instead of faffing the OP around with other solutions I have delivered to them the most expedient and, IMHO, best method to begin solving the issues they are having. Instead of standing by and watching someone struggling with crapware, I have dutifully informed them of the presence of said crapware on their PC and advised immediate removal.
[/QUOTE]

Caravel, the purpose of my response was more analytical to the situation. If i felt he/she posted a problem concerning "what should i use to remove viruses from my system?" then by all means, give him your response, which ultimately is fine, just ill-timed in my opinion. afterall, he/she more than likely has paid money to use nortons monthly/yearly services. so there is an investment involved (even if it is, in yours and my opinion, a bad investment).

I leave you with this: If i go to the drive thru at wendy's and order a combo meal and ask for COKE as my drink, and instead the cashier gives me DIET COKE, do you think i want the diet coke? no. but its better for me right? less sugar and calories etc?? just because the second option is a wise choice for my well being isnt necessarily the option im interested in at that particular time. If norton's what im used to, then thats what im using. see?

 

[Surkitz]

You say that by me saying that this forum is not for immatures was incorrect was very foolish.
Agreed that beginners com here to LEARN and HEED ADVICE, but that is NOT what you are doing. You are trying to "tell me off" for agreeing with the advice of removing norton. This is you trying to be a "veteran" and telling ME what to do?

HYPOCRITICAL!

Please, leave the ADVICE to those who know what they are doing!

and you dont know what you are doing so GROW UP... oh, hows the meeting and greeting forums =D

 

[kitty500cat]

Careful what you say...a moderator will be by here soon deleting posts.

Have you guys tried reinstalling the program? It sounds as if you have Symantec Antivirus; I have Norton Antivirus, which is different. But for my Norton, there is a little icon in the system tray (beside the clock, bottom right corner) that says whether Norton's protection is on or not. I right click on that and click "enable," and it works. I don't know if there are any system tray icons involved with Symantec AV or not, but ensure that all protection is enabled. You might have to reinstall.

I recommend switching over to AVG or Avast (both free; links in this thread) after your Symantec subscription expires, but hey, it's up to you.

Regards

 

[caravel]

Caravel, the purpose of my response was more analytical to the situation. If i felt he/she posted a problem concerning "what should i use to remove viruses from my system?" then by all means, give him your response, which ultimately is fine, just ill-timed in my opinion. afterall, he/she more than likely has paid money to use nortons monthly/yearly services. so there is an investment involved (even if it is, in yours and my opinion, a bad investment).

Yes, Sjbrand99 did jump on your response and seemingly attack your post, though your response of this...

and you have no clue either....wtf? I KNOW about AVG and how great it is, but they were seeking NORTON advice not some punksh*t answer he gave and what you are parading either. Thats like me asking whats wrong with my windows not working in my car. Are you going to go tell me to get a new car????????? =( stupid kids

...is where the whole problem really started. If he is such a "stupid kid" (you used that in the plural but since I know myself not to be a "kid" then I'm not sure if / don't think that applies to me) and my answer is such a "punksh*t" one, then you could have shown your greater maturity. Instead you delivered a personal attack.

I leave you with this: If i go to the drive thru at wendy's and order a combo meal and ask for COKE as my drink, and instead the cashier gives me DIET COKE, do you think i want the diet coke? no. but its better for me right? less sugar and calories etc?? just because the second option is a wise choice for my well being isnt necessarily the option im interested in at that particular time. If norton's what im used to, then thats what im using. see?

Well I still disagree. Your above analogy is the equivalent to me going to a shop to buy Norton/Symantec and the person there telling me: "no don't waste your money on that crapware, go home and download AVG for FREE". Would I appreciate that? Of course I would! To use the coke/diet coke analogy, IMHO, correctly:

The OP was on the regular coke and feeling very bloated, though he/she still has 13 crates at home that he/she's already paid for, I've made him/her aware of the diet coke, now before they go out and buy even more of the regular in the future. The regular was making the OP sick and overweight. I could have said "finish the regular stuff up first, as you've already paid for it", but that could make them sicker and more overweight.

To use another analogy: It's kind of like a drugs counsellor telling a junkie: "well you've paid for that dope, so you may as well use all of that up, then we'll begin your treatment"

:grinthumb

 

[DelJo63]

Solutions Vs. Advice

It is well known that T.S. is anti-Norton. To assist the users seeking our help,
we would be far more professional to prioritize our comments:
1) help the user with the current problem and then
2) offer advice on a better solution or product choice.

Using terms like crapware has too many emotional overtones and actually
detracts from the credibility of the comments wherein these terms many be found.

This thread went spinning into left field almost immediately when the clear
self-evident solution was readily available -- SHAME SHAME.

 

[caravel]

It is well known that T.S. is anti-Norton.

Sorry jobeard, but anyone that has even half an understanding of Antivirus programs and Personal Firewalls knows that Norton is a "crapware" product.

To assist the users seeking our help,
we would be far more professional to prioritize our comments:
1) help the user with the current problem and then
2) offer advice on a better solution or product choice.

The current problem was caused by having the crapware installed in the first place - the Norton Software trying to replace the XP Security Centre - neither of which are actually necessary. If I had posted at length as to how to fix it, then told the user they'd be better off uninstalling it, that would be contradictory.

Using terms like crapware has too many emotional overtones and actually
detracts from the credibility of the comments wherein these terms many be found.

It is wise to call a spade a spade. When dealing with malware we have no hesitation calling it as such, with crapware there is no difference. In fact anything else simply serves to perpetuate said crapware as well as ensuring a regular flow of users coming here with the same Norton/Symantec issues. The word crapware is used frequently on this board when referring to Norton, Symantec and other products. The administration haven't closed or edited threads where the 'crapware' term is used, in fact in some cases they've stickied them.

This thread went spinning into left field almost immediately when the clear
self-evident solution was readily available -- SHAME SHAME.

It went bad when personal insults were used, and not before.

 

[DelJo63]

It went bad when personal insults were used, and not before.

sorry, chill out, take a break, kick the dog, but read more slowly my comments -- they were NOT a personal attack as you have just done again. :knock:

I wish I were the moderator -- I would close this thread immediately.

 

[howard_hopkinso]

I think this thread has gone as far as it should.

Thread closed.

Regards Howard