John,

I know the difference between a Windows Update and a Norton Update. I run the Norton LiveUpdate check first thing every day when I turn on the computer. And I am saying again that Norton SYSTEM WORKS 2006 (a suite that included NAV and Norton Utilities, Norton Cleanup and a few other utes) nags me about turning on Windows Automatic Update.

When the computer first boots up, the Norton Protection Center checks out the status of the computer, and checks whether my Windows Automatic Update is turned off (i.e. not set to the recommended AUTOMATIC setting). If it is set to anything other than Automatic, I get a naggy yellow exclamation mark in my system tray and a yellow-headered popup window informing me there is a problem (says"!Attention Required - 1 item is affecting your status) and provides a FIX NOW button to fix the problem. Clicking that button resets the Windows update to Automatic. Then, the popup is green with a nice green check mark and an announcement: "Norton Status: Good". No more yellow flashing (I forgot to say it flashes, just to be more naggy) exclamation point. Now Norton is happy.

At that point, I go to Control Panel > Security Center > Automatic Updates and see that it's set to Automatic (recommended). I reset it to the next level down--"Download updates for me but let me choose when to install them"-- and then the yellow naggy is back in my system tray and Norton Protection Center gets all pissy with me again until I reset Windows Update to Automatic again.

So I know it's Norton that's bugging me, but it IS bugging me about Windows Automatic Updates, believe me. And I've searched all through every option and menu in Norton Protection Center (the main boss of the suite) to try and turn off that nag, but there's no way.

I bought the Norton System Works suite because it included NAV and was cheaper than renewing my subscription for another year of updates/virus def files. But when the renewal dates comes around again, I'm uninstalling the whole shittin' match and switching to AVG. Norton used to be a good program, but I'm sick of the yearly bite and the finickyness of the software messing with everything else on the computer. A software update (which LiveUpdate sometimes downloads and installs) messes up my files associations every time too. It's caused me to have to shut off my spellchecker in my Outlook Express; instead of running the spellcheck, it prompts me to insert a Microsoft Works Suite disk to install Microsoft Picture-It (which is already installed) instead. I click cancel and the popup window prompts me 3 more times before it quits... spell checker is never run.

I've found if Norton isn't installed BEFORE everything else on the computer, it doesn't play nice. So, consequently, a software update to it at any later time wreaks hell with things. Norton's just not worth it anymore. The main thing I wanted was the Norton Utilities, especially for the defrag ute. But that doesn't even work so well anymore either.