I'm so glad somebody opened this post
I am very careful with my computers, and put in restore points frequently.
But there is one mistake that I have made twice now, and I regret it thorougly. I use Norton anti virus.
Let me tell you what a horrible product this is, only to be eclipsed by the rotten support symantec gives.
2 years ago i bought a suscription update from symantec.
I loaded the disk into my drive, and it went through a very long chug, chug, chug. installation. It then said. "re-starting"
And that was the last time my computer worked normally.
When it powered back on, I had no internet, plus it was slower than a catamaran downwind. (sorry, just had to throw that in).
As I had just bought the update for approx $100, i dialed the support number, which connected me to syamtec support in india.
The lady, (and all subsequent symantec people for the next 2 days), always started off the conversation with "I am so dreadfully sorry to hear of your problem" Dealing with support in countries that are reading from a translated script, is just awful.
The lady asked, 'do you mind if i take over your desktop?" I half-figured they would know what they were doing, and very, very, very, mistakely said "OK"
I watched as this supposed expert dove into my registry, and started erasing registry keys.
About 3 hours later, my computer was absolutley and totally pooched.
So she gave me a 'dreadfully sorry speech", and said a second-level tech would call me.
He did. That was the only good news.
he then took over my desktop, and spent 4-5 hours trying to hand-rebuild my registry.
he finally asked me, (are you ready for this??), is your computer still under warranty?
I just wanted to kill him.
he said the only thing I could do was format my drive.
So I went to Best Buy where I bought it. No way they could get it to work without a compete OS reinstall.
$200 later, and 5 days of program re-installl, I had my computer back.
Four weeks ago, I was typing away, and my Norton 2011 spashed up an "error" message, saying I had to click on the repair button to fix whatever was detected.
Up came a splash screen saying, "update to Norton 2012". As i still had 300 days of subsciption left, I thought, OK, why not?
So I downloaded the file to my desktop, clicked OK, and symantec started to install.
And then it re-booted.
Of course you know what comes next... the same crap I went thorugh last time. No internet, slow as molasses, plus alll sorts of Norton Did Not Install correctly messages that would not go away.
So, I called tech support.
And then I did the dumbest thing I've ever done in my life... I let them take over my desktop.
And this bozo does the same nonsense again... hacks my registry.
But it gets worse.
For some reason he downloads some drivers from a web site, and brings in a virus!!!!!!
right there and then. Big message on the screen . I said "what's this?"
he said, Oh, that shouldn't have happened.
And then said I had to be transfered to the virus speciaists that would remove what he did.
So I waited on phone hold for 1.5 hours, and finally someone in the phillipines picks up.
I explained that the previous norton tech just downloaded a driver form somewhere, and I now have a virus.
We will fix that, he said................ for $99.
I just about had a fit. Actually I did.
I spent the next 4 hours talking to Shameel, Narish, Bateesh, etc., etc., telling them that there was no way I wa going to pay $99 for them to fix what they broke.
At 1:00 AM, I went to bed.
The next day, I went to the local computer shop.
Reinstall of OS required.
$225.
So, our worst enemies are not the Russian or chinese hackers. they are companies like Syamatec that put out faulty software, have untrained support techs, and then try to rob you of $99 to allegedly fix what they most defiinitely broke.
I am fairly computer literate, as my background is electronics.
I am very careful with my computers, and put in restore points frequently.
But there is one mistake that I have made twice now, and I regret it thorougly. I use Norton anti virus.
Let me tell you what a horrible product this is, only to be eclipsed by the rotten support symantec gives.
2 years ago i bought a suscription update from symantec.
I loaded the disk into my drive, and it went through a very long chug, chug, chug. installation. It then said. "re-starting"
And that was the last time my computer worked normally.
When it powered back on, I had no internet, plus it was slower than a catamaran downwind. (sorry, just had to throw that in).
As I had just bought the update for approx $100, i dialed the support number, which connected me to syamtec support in india.
The lady, (and all subsequent symantec people for the next 2 days), always started off the conversation with "I am so dreadfully sorry to hear of your problem" Dealing with support in countries that are reading from a translated script, is just awful.
The lady asked, 'do you mind if i take over your desktop?" I half-figured they would know what they were doing, and very, very, very, mistakely said "OK"
I watched as this supposed expert dove into my registry, and started erasing registry keys.
About 3 hours later, my computer was absolutley and totally pooched.
So she gave me a 'dreadfully sorry speech", and said a second-level tech would call me.
He did. That was the only good news.
he then took over my desktop, and spent 4-5 hours trying to hand-rebuild my registry.
he finally asked me, (are you ready for this??), is your computer still under warranty?
I just wanted to kill him.
he said the only thing I could do was format my drive.
So I went to Best Buy where I bought it. No way they could get it to work without a compete OS reinstall.
$200 later, and 5 days of program re-installl, I had my computer back.
Four weeks ago, I was typing away, and my Norton 2011 spashed up an "error" message, saying I had to click on the repair button to fix whatever was detected.
Up came a splash screen saying, "update to Norton 2012". As i still had 300 days of subsciption left, I thought, OK, why not?
So I downloaded the file to my desktop, clicked OK, and symantec started to install.
And then it re-booted.
Of course you know what comes next... the same crap I went thorugh last time. No internet, slow as molasses, plus alll sorts of Norton Did Not Install correctly messages that would not go away.
So, I called tech support.
And then I did the dumbest thing I've ever done in my life... I let them take over my desktop.
And this bozo does the same nonsense again... hacks my registry.
But it gets worse.
For some reason he downloads some drivers from a web site, and brings in a virus!!!!!!
right there and then. Big message on the screen . I said "what's this?"
he said, Oh, that shouldn't have happened.
And then said I had to be transfered to the virus speciaists that would remove what he did.
So I waited on phone hold for 1.5 hours, and finally someone in the phillipines picks up.
I explained that the previous norton tech just downloaded a driver form somewhere, and I now have a virus.
We will fix that, he said................ for $99.
I just about had a fit. Actually I did.
I spent the next 4 hours talking to Shameel, Narish, Bateesh, etc., etc., telling them that there was no way I wa going to pay $99 for them to fix what they broke.
At 1:00 AM, I went to bed.
The next day, I went to the local computer shop.
Reinstall of OS required.
$225.
So, our worst enemies are not the Russian or chinese hackers. they are companies like Syamatec that put out faulty software, have untrained support techs, and then try to rob you of $99 to allegedly fix what they most defiinitely broke.
