Not quite such a simple fix. Most of my customers do not want log on user names on their computer. The few that do still had the same problem. Resetting the password did not work. It appears the only way to solve the corruption was to delete the scheduled task and recreate. It really is not alot of work. I could have done it with less steps, but I am trying to make it very clear for my users that are not computer friendly.

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@wv Billy Bob wrote:
I have been battling this problem on over 10 brand new Dell computers (different models, different locations, different customers....)

I have finally figured out how to correct the problem, although I am not sure what is causing it.

Summary: Liveupdate does not run on its own, you have to manually run liveupdate to get the latest definition files.

Solutions: It appears as if the problem is due to the user name / password combination set in the Windows Scheduled Task Manager, even if you are not using a user name and password.

The way I have fixed the problem for my customers is by doing the following:

1. Open Norton AntiVirus
2. Click on Options
3. Click the live Live Update link to the left.
4. Untick (uncheck / disable) the Automatic Live Update box.
5. Okay / Finish out of Norton and back to Desktop

6. Start
7. Control Panel
8. Scheduled Tasks
9. Right click on the logo with the line reading Symantec NetDetect
10. Delete Symantec NetDetect
11. Exit Scheduled Task and Control Panel (if still open)

12. Open Norton Antivirus
13. Click on Options
14. Click the live Live Update link to the left.
15. Tick (check / enable) the Automatic Live Update box.
16. Finish /OK / Close Norton and get back to desktop.

This should set up a new task in the Scheduler for you.

You can check to see if it is working:
1A. Start
2A. Control Panel
3A. Scheduled Tasks
4A. Right click on the logo with the line reading Symantec NetDetect
5A. Click Run
6A. In the column showing last result you should see "0x65"

I am not sure what is causing the problem but it appears as if when you name your computer during the first time setup process, the way Dell, XP and Norton sets up the Task Scheduler on a Dell somehow causes the NetDetect password field to become corrupted even if you are not using a password.

Also note, that after you fix this, you may fail a few times as NetDetect sometimes encounters a busy server from Norton, hence the reason it will try a few times (every 5 minutes) before jumping a few hours to the next interval.

If you have found this helpful and it works, please post a reply so I know as I am thinking of starting a help desk of my own and am wondering out well I am writing the solutions and how well they work.

Good Luck!

There is a much easier way.  Simply set a password for the user, and then put the password on the task. 

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@wv Billy Bob wrote:
Not quite such a simple fix. Most of my customers do not want log on user names on their computer. The few that do still had the same problem. Resetting the password did not work. It appears the only way to solve the corruption was to delete the scheduled task and recreate. It really is not alot of work. I could have done it with less steps, but I am trying to make it very clear for my users that are not computer friendly.

Sorry, should have clarified things.  Yes, you need to delete the task, then set it up with a password.  I have clients that don't like the password either, but not having one tends to cause issues with other automatic tasks too, so it's easier.