My laptop has very recently been wiped and restored to its default everything and I was just unsure whether I had antivirus software or not. I'm not completely fluent in the language that my computer is set in, which adds to the difficulty! My sister told me that she spent a great deal of time this morning installing the Norton antivirus CD. However, when I look for Norton antivirus on my 'all programs' in start, the bar at the botttom-right corner (apologies for my computer-illiteracy) or in the add/remove programs window - there is no Norton Antivirus! However, if I'm correct in thinking that Norton and Symantec are affiliated, this adds to my confusion as there is something called 'livereg (symantec corporation)' in the add/remove programs. On top of this, I think my security centre indicates that I don't have it (red shield logo with white cross). I don't know whether I've got an a/v program, and if so, is it working etc? I think that I can get an antivirus program that my university supplies if I don't, but I am very apprehensive to download it now, in case I end up with two a/v programs.

Don't you believe your sister? Can't she answer your questions?

Yes, Symantec is the parent company for Norton (which shouldn't have been hard to unearth online) and you can likely see it on the start menu, under 'All Programs' 'Symantec' if it's there

I'm not one of those who think Bill Gates is the devil. I simply suspect that if Microsoft ever met up with the devil, it wouldn't need an interpreter.

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Thank you for your reply.

It's less so a matter of lack of trust between me and my sister, more so between me and my foreign laptop.

Symantec does not appear to currently be on my all programs menu.

I realise the question I was asking was whether the fact that 'livereg (symantec corporations)' being on my add/remove programs window means I have an antivirus program or not.

I have to say (for a student) you show a marked disinclination toward researching some of these questions for yourself - that is (or should be) the main purpose of having a machine for school in the first place

"It's less so a matter of lack of trust between me and my sister"

It's not so much a question of trust, but of communication - since she appears to be the computer savvy member of the family, one might think that she could readily tell you exactly what was installed and how to use it - - call me crazy, but to me that makes more sense than beseeching strangers for help (not to mention speedier)

While livereg is a part of Norton AV, it's presence alone does not necessarily indicate Norton is still installed on a system - just that it was at one time

There are many Norton products, and many versions. While it does perform as advertised, some find it to be an enormous resource hog - as well, uninstalling the product can prove difficult, and may require the use of a dedicated cleanup tool or uninstaller

So, as you might imagine, I'm not their biggest fan either, however I do have a version installed on an inherited machine, and it can be found under 'All Programs' 'Symantec Client Security' 'Symantec AnitVirus Client' - other versions or products might well be situated elsewhere

Also, an AV should be running in 'real time' in order top provide protection - you might invoke the XP Task Manager and examine all running processes for a hint - msconfig's startups would be another area to inspect

I'm not one of those who think Bill Gates is the devil. I simply suspect that if Microsoft ever met up with the devil, it wouldn't need an interpreter.

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In addition to the above...

My laptop has very recently been wiped and restored to its default everything and I was just unsure whether I had antivirus software or not

The so-called 3 or 6 month free subscription that came with the PC no longer applies. It is a one-time offer. I think your sister knew it which is why she used NAV disc.

i_XpUser