Norton Internet Security …
This product is one of the new breed which combines antivirus, firewall, antispam and hacking protection. It comes in a big box, but only contains one CD-ROM with all the files needed to do its job. When installed the hard drive space is 35 MB.
Installation went uneventfully for me. There were a few messages I didn’t completely understand, which would come back to haunt me later. I had to reboot to complete installation, then update the various signature files needed for the product to be up to date. I again had to reboot and do update again; it wasn’t clear why update had to be done twice, much less two reboots.
I had been using separate virus, spam and adware programs, which I disabled before installation. I also had a hardware firewall associated with my router, which I did not disable.
I tried out several applications to make sure I could access the Internet and that each of the apps worked properly. I could and they did. No problems!
Next, I did what every user should do, I started a complete scan of my system. It completed with no problems found. That’s when the trouble started!
After the scan, I again tried several apps to be sure I could access the Internet and that the apps worked properly. I rebooted, to see if that had any beneficial effect – nope. This time, no Internet access and none of the apps worked (because none could access the Internet) Hmmm!
The Help file suggests using Symantec’s troubleshooter on their Support page. I couldn’t access the Internet, so I couldn’t do that directly, but there is an option in the program to disable NIS temporarily. I was concerned about removing all the protection, even if only temporarily, but did so in order to get to the troubleshooter.
The troubleshooter on Symantec’s site is very good. It has detailed instructions of how to proceed step by step, which I did. Incidentally, the troubleshooter is free, which is good.
The steps involved in the troubleshooter were:
| | Check Internet access when NIS disabled. OK.
Restore default firewall settings. You download a small program to do this.
Do program scan for Internet-enabled applications
Configure each one
Check Firewall setting
Check Privacy setting
Check NIS program. You have to download and install an ActiveX program to do this. Program files found to be OK
|
Each of these test produced nothing helpful. As far as the troubleshooter was concerned, everything checked out OK.
The only other recourse was talking to Support by phone, with a potential charge of $29.95 per incident. My experience with such calls is that considerable wait time is involved to reach a support person and considerable time is involved going through the steps of checking everything out and to find the problem. The web site says that if the problem is found to be with NIS, the fee will be waived.
I did not call support. I had already spent considerable time trying to solve the problem and I wasn’t interested in paying any money for help. In fact, I had already installed NIS before, had the same problems, uninstalled and then reinstalled. I decided that I would go back to my individual protection apps, which have been working quite successfully.
It may be that one of the installation messages indicated the source of the trouble, although I didn’t realize it at the time. I think the source of my problems was the existence of the router’s firewall, although nothing in Symantec’s troubleshooter talked about such a possibility or identified that as a possible problem. It may be that telephone support would have picked up on this as a conflict which made NIS inoperative.
The NIS box has a section titled, Rave Reviews for NIS. I wonder how many others had experiences like mine. None, apparently!
Peter Norton hasn’t been associated with Symantec (other than the use of his name) for many years. His name used to connote high quality and utility and Symantec appears to think it still does. I suspect many people today do not know who Peter Norton is and wonder about the name!
Norton Internet Security by Symantec
Price about $70, but rebates are available
One year subscription to updates included
Price to renew unknown
Echo …
This Adventure Company game has some of the most beautiful scenery of any game! This is an adventure, which you explore as Arok, a young boy (if only!). You start out hunting for prey; this is the Paleolithic age. Although you’ve been raised in a hunting tribe, what you really want to do is paint. You come across a deer, which scoots off before you can kill it.
You find a cave with some mysterious symbols and begin to explore. You try to leave the cave, but there is a lioness just waiting for you to come out. You solve this by throwing some burning sticks outside the cave, which scares the lioness off, at least temporarily.
This begins a series of puzzles to be solved, some of which you find difficult, some easy. Each is time-consuming, though. After following a path through the mountains, you come to another cave.
but you find that a bear is guarding the path you must take. He’s sleeping now, but will wake when you try to pass. How to disable him? Just one of the many things you have to figure out.
Another cave has a set of handholds for you to move to the next section, but you have to rearrange them properly in order to use them. Figure, figure, figure!
Once in the next section, you must light the lamps in order to reposition the stags on the wall. Some of the lamps, however, go out when you light another. Have to get it just right!
Once the stage are repositioned properly, you can escape the pool in the cave. Next you collect stuff, meet Thor and cook a meal. That sets you off on the next phase of your search for the painter Klem.
You go to Tika’s dwelling. She insists you introduce yourself by telling about your background. To do this, you must collect nine object lying about her dwelling and associate each with the proper symbol on the wall. That done, you proceed to a small area of her dwelling with a broken tablet. It must be reassembled to proceed further
This is as far as I got in the game, because I couldn’t figure out how to reassemble the tablet. You eventually meet up with Klem and participate in a special ceremony.
This game is typical of those that the Adventure Company distributes. Fantastic graphics, challenging puzzles and an interesting story line.
Echo by The Adventure Company adventurecompanygames.com
Price about $20
Requires WIN 98 or higher, P III 800 MHz, 64 MB RAM, 1 GB hard disk space
Cable Zen …
If you have electronic appliances (computer, printer, scanner, home theater, etc.) you know the agony of cable confusion!
It’s hard to hide the jumble of wires that go from one piece of hardware to another. I think the wires jumble themselves up when we aren’t looking, which is most of the imte!
Worse, when you are trying to trace a cable from its source to termination, you have to wrestle the quagmire of wires. Sometimes it’s impossible!
Cable Zen to the rescue! StarTech has come up with a kit of cables that solves these problems. First, the kit includes clips and ties that avoid the tangled mess that usually results. Labels are included, too, to make easy any reconnection needed.
Second, the cables are color-coded, making it easy to identify which cable goes to or from each device.
Third, the cables are silver colored, to be more in line with the hardware environment.
Cables are available for Component, Composite, Coaxial, Digital, S-Video and Toslink, something for every need!
Cable Zen by StarTech startech.com Prices $27 and up, depending on cable length
