Too Many Firewalls?

It is recommended to only use one antivirus software, but I have a firewall in my router as well as using the windows firewall and it works fine. I don't know about with norton security, but it is always recommended to have the windows firewall on unless there is a problem with it.

Check the instructions from the programs. I've read that you should only have one firewall, but the kind with a router may be a hardware one and so that is somewhat different, but read the instructions.

If running Norton and using their firewall, it says you should disable the one in XP since Norton's is more robust.

Norton's usually works well, but sometimes it can mess up. I've had it get messed up a couple of times at least when I used live update to update the various programs in Norton Internet security (not the automatic virus definitions updates--they seem to usually work fine).

One at least 2 ocasions when I ran live update or something else the firewall got messed up and I either couldn't access the internet at all or I could only access the web, but not my email.

And finding the solution wasn't easy. I finally wrote it up and saved the file for the next time it happens since I don't like being off email for a whole day and more and spending hours trying to get answers.

If that ever happens that you can't get to the internet or email, if you go into Norton and turn off the firewall and then check email and it works, then you know it is the firewall that has gotten messed up. That is a first step to solving the problem.

Then the solution was to select Firewall, then click the configure button, then the programs tab at the top. Then I think you make sure turn on automatic program control and then select the programs in the list and select all and then remove and then close. It then rebuilt the list. I think that's the way it worked, but it took hours to find it and even on their live chat which was hard to find, I spent close to an hour with one guy and just when we got to what was the actual solution we got disconnected. Then I had to start all over with another guy who refused to start where I told him we had left off. So an hour later I finally told him I had to go to bed. I then figured it out the next day.

But that's another story and it doesn't happen too often but it has happened to me at least twice and it took a long time to solve.

Well, Norton did it again. Since there was that Windows security alert, I read that in addition to running the windows update, that we should update our virus and other protective software. So I ran Symantec/Norton Life update. Then when I tried to check email it just kept trying with no results. I stopped it and tried several times with the same results. So then I turned of the Norton Firewall for the default 5 minutes and tried checking email and it worked.

So then I followed what I had mentioned in the previous post. Then after a bit, I tried restarting the computer, but Norton's ccApp program was messed up and it didn't shut down. I had to tell it to restart 2 separate times and it finally did but it hung for quite awhile.

But when it finally did, it started prompting me or telling me that rules were being set up for the different programs.

I think next time around I will look for a different internet security program. I've used Symantec/Norton for quite a few years for anti-virus software but they seem to have bugs in their live update program which is kind of ridiculous. I mean, updating to the latest version of software isn't supposed to mess up your computer but it often does. And it is a known problem. One of the live chat people said something about it sometimes changing settings (the kind that it shouldn't change like all of a sudden blocking email program access to the internet).

It does seem to be working ok again since I remembered what to do from last time, but otherwise I might be off email for another day or longer until I figured out how to fix it.

As far as spam blocking, I'd check out what Earthlink has. I used to be with Earthlink and they were the best dial up isp that I had. But our local cable co made us an offer we couldn't refuse and now I'd hate to go back to dialup.

I turned off the spam blocker in Norton since it wasn't doing much to stop spam it seemed but it did seem to really be slowing down my email. I also turned off parental controls and privacy controls since I thought they might be slowing things down as well and I'm the only one who uses my computer.

There may be some other spam blockers out there that are good and free, but I would look into Earthlink's. But if you download and use it, then I think you should turn off the one in Norton. Or if the one in Norton seems to be letting a lot through anyway, try just turning it off for awhile and see what happens. That was what I did and it had started to really get bad, and especially with a lot of really gross, explicit stuff addressed to males.

I don't normally download new programs either. What gave me problems is the live update which is recommended taht we use to update to their with their latest program updates. Those are supposed to make the program work better, but theirs seems to be buggy when it is known to sometimes change firewall rules which it shouldn't.

The ccApp (in case you ever see an error or other message about it) is an important part of Norton that I think kind of works with the different components or something. It seems to get messed up sometimes and cause abnormal behavior affecting shut down of the computer.

I did download Firefox earlier than I usually would for newer software, but that was only after multiple strong recommendations from many trusted sources and a lot of frustration with IE and with things MS in general.

Also, like so much tech support, it can be really difficult to get answers unless you want to pay for them.