Extra files in Norton Internet Security 2002

[polik]

Hello to all,

I am wondering if anyone can help me with an annoying problem that i am currently having with NIS 2002?
The problem is that i keep finding some extra files being added to the main C:Program Files\Norton Internet Security folder.

This has been happening on and off for about the last 6 months, and it always seems to happen whenever i have used the internet.
And in the last two weeks i have found 26 of these files.
The names of some of them are:

0Ix_4HZH8wqb2aiojUZLCHhcYgrOdCVl.!!!
TsQXaE18y6sow8xi_tCSCyT_fqQnW5Yj.!!!
nihu4UZbWh98wRz05ESVh2CA_Ck3j29a.!!!
70_GsWUbiBhGcutqu8GWFG3aWZ9WH1rU.!!!

Whenever i open the files with Notepad, most of them have nothing but lines and lines of ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ.
But the folder above named 70_GsWUbiBhGcutqu8GWFG3aWZ9WH1rU.!!!
Has this content:

ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ— ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ–’ T  –ÁÞj¦Ã
Administrator _ 
User-Agent: LiveUpdate Engine COM Module http://customer.symantec.com/mysite.txt ’ ® p  ¶1o¦Ã
Administrator _ 
User-Agent: Symantec LiveUpdate http://liveupdate.symantecliveupdate...sh_livetri.zip ® – X  ª‚o¦Ã
Administrator _ 
User-Agent: Symantec LiveUpdate http://liveupdate.symantecliveupdate.com/minitri.flg – ¬ n  Xa¯o¦Ã
Administrator _ 
User-Agent: Symantec LiveUpdate http://liveupdate.symantecliveupdate...sh_livetri.zip ¬ ® o ž$Óo¦Ã
Administrator _ 
User-Agent: Symantec LiveUpdate http://liveupdate.symantecliveupdate...sh_livetri.zip ® º |
äçöo¦Ã
Administrator _ 
User-Agent: Symantec LiveUpdate http://liveupdate.symantecliveupdate.com/symantec$20redirector_4.5.2_english_livetri.zip º Ä …  T 0p¦Ã
Administrator _ 
User-Agent: Symantec LiveUpdate

I have been in touch with Symantec about this problem, and the person who wrote back said for me to check some files and virus scan my computer with Norton. And if it still don't work un-install and then re-install the program, i have done all of that and when i went on the internet after doing that and getting all the latest updates.
I found 7 new files like the one's above in the Norton folder.

I also have submitted to their Anti-Virus department two of the files, they have written back saying that the files contained 'No malicious code found'.

Out of desperation, i have scanned my computer (all files, folders and drives) with the following:

Ad-Aware 6.0
Norton Anti-Virus 2002
AVG Anti-Virus
Gladiator Anti-Virus
SpyBot 1.2
MRU-Cleaner
SpywareBlaster installed

Nothing found, and nothing found wrong with the 33 bogus files i have put into a seperate folder.
All this was done after re-installing Norton, and going on the internet, this was when i found the 7 new files.
I suspect it is related to NIS itself, but i can't find out how or why?
Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

[reboot]

As much as I hate NIS, I'll take a guess, and say that they are Norton's stupid LiveUpdate files, and are not being deleted when the updates are done.
Thanks again Norton...NOT!

[polik]

Hi Reboot,

Thanks for the reply, and at the moment i can understand you hating NIS! But, the idea about the files coming from updates, although very good, did not give me an answer.

Because i had cleared out the bogus files from the Norton folder last night. But, after being on the internet for 2 hours today, i have found another 7 files have been added to the folder. This is really starting to **** me off, because i have had another e-mail from Symantec, saying that they cannot reproduce this problem, and they reckon it is a new problem.
And it has been reported to their Research team, so much for help from them!

Any new ideas?

[glc]

I know you really don't want to hear this, but I'd uninstall NIS and replace it with Zone Alarm or Sygate. I use Norton Antivirus, but I won't touch NIS.

I don't know my way around the NIS options, but is there a setting in there for logging? If so, turn logging off and see what happens, I'm guessing that these might just be log files. I know Zone Alarm log files can get pretty big quickly so I don't log, as long as I know the firewall is doing its job that's all I care about.

[polik]

Hi glc,

Thanks for the reply, don't think it is the log files. As i can't find anything to do with log files in the help text.
I am am waiting for an update to just NIS, because i think it has something to do with this. As i have updated Norton Anti-Virus, and i didn't get any extra files added.

So i am waiting on the NIS update to see if any files do get added to the folder.
I will let you know what happens.

Thanks