[Windows SIG] Update re: Microsoft Service Pack 3

Fri May 30 11:20:05 CDT 2008

This article from Windows Secrets (formerly Woody's) which
is very reliable, may be of use to some of you.  Personally
I no longer allow a thing from Norton on my machines.  They
think they own your machine and demand how everything else
functions, if at all, thanks to them.

Craig

Norton software conflicts with Windows XP SP3 

 Susan Bradley
<http://windowssecrets.com/images/wsn/Susan-Bradley-1.jpg>
By Susan Bradley

Antivirus software from Symantec Corp. may cause the
installation of Service Pack 3 for XP to corrupt the Windows
Registry by adding unnecessary keys.

Symantec advises users to disable the SymProtect security
feature of its products before applying XP SP3.

A Registry fix is needed by the latest XP patch 

The latest in the continuing series of problems related to
Windows XP Service Pack 3 involves Symantec's Norton
AntiVirus. The company recommends that users disable the
program's self-protection feature before installing XP SP3.

In a
<http://windowssecrets.com/links/is4uzinugheud/c17a8ch/?url=
norton.lithium.com%2Fnorton%2Fboard%2Fmessage%3Fboard.id%3Dn
is_feedback%26thread.id%3D967%26view%3Dby_date_ascending%26p
age%3D2> post to Norton's support forum, Symantec senior SQA
manager Reese Anschultz suggests that customers disable the
SymProtect feature found in various Symantec security
products:

. To do this in Norton Internet Security 2008 and Norton
AntiVirus 2008, uncheck Turn on protection for Norton
products on the Options pages of these programs prior to
installing XP SP3. Once the service pack is in place, return
to the Options page and re-enable this setting.

. In Norton SystemWorks 2008, open the Advanced Options
under Settings, click Next, choose Norton SystemWorks
Options, and select the General tab. Uncheck Turn on
protection for my Symantec product.

For other Norton products, read Anschultz's post, which
comments that other third-party security products may also
cause problems unless some functions are disabled before SP3
is installed.

Some Windows Secrets readers have had to remove Norton
AntiVirus completely before deploying XP SP3. While taking
this step may sound extreme, reader Bert Smith from
Australia was told by a Symantec engineer that he should "
<http://windowssecrets.com/links/is4uzinugheud/ad4f84h/?url=
service1.symantec.com%2FSupport%2Ftsgeninfo.nsf%2Fdocid%2F20
05033108162039> follow these instructions" to use the Norton
Removal Tool to uninstall Norton Internet Security 2008
before he deployed Vista SP1!

Given what we now know, it may actually be wise for you to
uninstall Norton antivirus products prior to deploying SP3,
which is XP's latest - and last - service pack. Thanks to
reader Jan Levine for identifying this issue in the
<http://windowssecrets.com/links/is4uzinugheud/1b25ddh/?url=
forums.microsoft.com%2Ftechnet%2Fshowpost.aspx%3Fpostid%3D33
02530%26siteid%3D17%26sb%3D0%26d%3D1%26at%3D7%26ft%3D11%26tf
%3D0%26pageid%3D0> Microsoft TechNet Forums.

If you find that installing XP SP3 has corrupted your
Symantec security product, my fellow MVP Bill Castner has
devised a downloadable
<http://windowssecrets.com/links/is4uzinugheud/c4bd69h/?url=
aumha.net%2Fviewtopic.php%3Ff%3D62%26t%3D33522%26start%3D0%2
6st%3D0%26sk%3Dt%26sd%3Da> Registry fix (scroll down the
page until you see My "Fix"). Castner first identified this
issue along with Jesper Johansson, who's been tracking the
XP SP3 problem in his
<http://windowssecrets.com/links/is4uzinugheud/109dbah/?url=
msinfluentials.com%2Fblogs%2Fjesper%2Farchive%2F2008%2F05%2F
08%2Fdoes-your-amd-based-computer-boot-after-installing-xp-s
p3.aspx> blog.

Johansson also provides a patch for AMD computers that XP
SP3 causes to reboot constantly. I described this problem in
my
<http://windowssecrets.com/links/is4uzinugheud/649125h/?url=
windowssecrets.com%2F2008%2F05%2F22%2F07-HP-recommends-again
st-installing-Windows-XP-SP3> May 22 column. For more
information, see the following item.

A cure for XP SP3's never-ending reboots 

If you're one of the folks whose AMD-based PCs constantly
reboot after applying XP SP3, here's how you can recover.

When the system is first booting, press F8 to enter Windows'
Safe Mode. Log into the Administrator acccount, click Start,
Run, type cmd, and press Enter. When the command window
opens, type the following command (don't forget the space
after the equals sign, which is required):

sc config intelppm start= disabled

The problem is caused by the presence of Intel drivers on
AMD-based systems. Follow the above steps only if you know
your PC uses an AMD processor; doing so on an Intel-based
machine could render the system unusable.

To determine which processor your system uses, open the
Control Panel's System applet and click the General tab.
(See Figure 1.)

 Windows XP's System Control Panel applet
<http://windowssecrets.com/images/wsn/W080529-XPSP3.gif> 
Figure 1. Open the System applet in Control Panel to verify
the type of processor your PC uses.

If the processor listed in the window is "Intel," do not
enter the command shown above. An Intel-based system that
constantly reboots may be having an unrelated problem. It
might be caused by conflicts with antivirus products, as
described in my previous item, or something else entirely
that no one has yet identified.

As I wrote in my
<http://windowssecrets.com/links/is4uzinugheud/649125h/?url=
windowssecrets.com%2F2008%2F05%2F22%2F07-HP-recommends-again
st-installing-Windows-XP-SP3> May 22 column, there's no rush
to install XP SP3. Wait until we know more about these kinds
of conflicts.

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