486776267


Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali has entered room.

We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

Anne has entered room.

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:23:36 UTC+0300 2007)>Hello Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali. My name is Anne.

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:23:43 UTC+0300 2007)>Welcome to Symantec Virus & Spyware Solutions.

Is this the first time you are contacting us or do you have a Priority ID?

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:20:35 UTC+0300 2007)>nope !

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:20:38 UTC+0300 2007)>first time !

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:24:15 UTC+0300 2007)>May I verify your name as Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali for our records?

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:21:09 UTC+0300 2007)>yup !

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:21:59 UTC+0300 2007)>say my issue is really simple.. whenever i open the browser... it goes directly to [Website Removed]

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:25:18 UTC+0300 2007)>May I confirm your email address as [Email Removed] and direct phone number as [Telephone Number Removed] , am I right?

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:22:07 UTC+0300 2007)>and gives me an error message

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:22:08 UTC+0300 2007)>yupp

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:25:44 UTC+0300 2007)>May I know which country you are connected from?

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:22:31 UTC+0300 2007)>bahrain

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:26:11 UTC+0300 2007)>Please let me know which Symantec product you are using and its version/year.

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:23:20 UTC+0300 2007)>i dont really know to tell you he truth.. where is it written?!

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:27:36 UTC+0300 2007)>Please double click on the Norton Icon on your desktop.
You can find the Product name and version/year specified,
to the right bottom corner of the Norton Window.

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:28:06 UTC+0300 2007)>i dont see it there.

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:28:12 UTC+0300 2007)>i double clicked the icon...

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:28:26 UTC+0300 2007)>dont you have a help/about... like the other software !

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:31:46 UTC+0300 2007)>Alright.

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:31:48 UTC+0300 2007)>May I know which Operating System do you have on the computer? (Operating System would mean Windows Vista, Windows XP, Mac OS, etc.)

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:28:39 UTC+0300 2007)>XP

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:32:19 UTC+0300 2007)>Please provide me your alternate phone number or mobile number.

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:29:06 UTC+0300 2007)>alternate!?

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:29:12 UTC+0300 2007)>why?

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:32:54 UTC+0300 2007)>we need to create a case number for you. It is for future reference. So I need some in formations from you. Shall we proceed?

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:29:54 UTC+0300 2007)>yess

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:34:02 UTC+0300 2007)>Please provide me your alternate phone number or mobile number.

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:30:56 UTC+0300 2007)>00973 17 874748

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:31:03 UTC+0300 2007)>thats the home phone number

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:34:34 UTC+0300 2007)>Are you connected from the computer, which is facing this particular issue?

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:31:23 UTC+0300 2007)>yes...

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:31:43 UTC+0300 2007)>i dont know how but it just allowed me... after fiddling with it for an hour.. it just let me through to the net

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:31:52 UTC+0300 2007)>before this.. even norton wasnt updating..

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:32:05 UTC+0300 2007)>but now i just updated and ran a scan again.. nothing

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:36:03 UTC+0300 2007)>Is your computer connected to a network?

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:38:34 UTC+0300 2007)>Are you with me?

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:35:20 UTC+0300 2007)>yess

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:35:23 UTC+0300 2007)>sorry..

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:35:33 UTC+0300 2007)>yes its connected to an ADSL gateway

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:35:56 UTC+0300 2007)>SMC Barricade 7904wbra

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:39:14 UTC+0300 2007)>Are there any other computers connected to this computer?

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:36:06 UTC+0300 2007)>not now no

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:39:37 UTC+0300 2007)>Thank You for all the information. I would now create a Priority ID for you. In the meanwhile could you please give me a short description about the issue you are facing on your computer.

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:37:27 UTC+0300 2007)>internet has been highjacked by miscellaneous software

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:37:33 UTC+0300 2007)>is that enough?

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:41:12 UTC+0300 2007)>Thank You for your patience. Your Priority ID is 486776267. Please make a note of it for future reference.

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:38:29 UTC+0300 2007)>oky... the thing kept taking me to [Website Removed]

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:38:37 UTC+0300 2007)>so maybe thats the source of the problem..

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:41:55 UTC+0300 2007)>As I understand from your issue description,your computer is infected with and hijacked . Am I correct?

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:38:57 UTC+0300 2007)>yess... and i dont know whats going to happen the next time i log in..

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:42:13 UTC+0300 2007)>Are you getting popup, asking you to download some software?

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:39:03 UTC+0300 2007)>yess

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:39:20 UTC+0300 2007)>can you please email me the virus definition..

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:39:38 UTC+0300 2007)>so that even if this computer is offline.. i can use another one and jkust update norton and get rid of this thing

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:43:17 UTC+0300 2007)>Does your browser gets re directed to web sites like Spy Locked, Viruses protect pro, Antivirgear, ultimate defender, SecurePCCleaner?

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:40:27 UTC+0300 2007)>yes

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:40:43 UTC+0300 2007)>it gets redirected to [Website Removed]

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:44:13 UTC+0300 2007)>May I know whether you have downloaded any free software’s, animations, free music, movies etc from the internet recently? Or did you accept any ActiveX controls or video codec’s when prompted from unreliable websites?

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:41:32 UTC+0300 2007)>not that i can think of... but its a family computer you see !

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:45:17 UTC+0300 2007)>Alright.

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:45:21 UTC+0300 2007)>Do you see any yellow triangle icon blinking on the right hand corner of your task bar with an “! “ Mark or a “? “ Mark on it or any unusual icons on your task bar or system tray?

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:42:35 UTC+0300 2007)>nope.. but there was somthing in the exporer...

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:42:42 UTC+0300 2007)>search the web toolbar..

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:46:37 UTC+0300 2007)>
It seems like your system is infected with spy wares. Spy ware give you lot of misleading pop ups and try to redirect your computer. To some insecure web sites and prompt you to buy their malicious programs to remove these infections from your system

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:46:43 UTC+0300 2007)>Spy ware are capable of taking your personal information, including your password to the hackers who created them because, you know, when ever you open any executable files they'll spread to other files also.

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:46:47 UTC+0300 2007)>Spyware is any malware or software used to spy or track your computer activity. While some spyware is not malicious and is intentionally installed by parents or employers to monitor Internet activity, spyware may be installed maliciously. Often spyware can come bundled with downloads of free software, and may track your Internet activity or may steal usernames and passwords, credit card numbers, and other personal financial information.

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:44:07 UTC+0300 2007)>i know that and thats why we have norton !!

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:44:35 UTC+0300 2007)>so now how can you sort this out?

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:48:21 UTC+0300 2007)>In your case we need a complete diagnose of your system, We need to find out the infected files and their locations, and this is going to be a tough task, since the infections might be in the name of a system file.

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:48:24 UTC+0300 2007)>So in this situation we need to manually detect the threat and remove it from the locations manually. It needs an expert virus removal technician to do it.

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:50:09 UTC+0300 2007)>Khaled, if you wish our expert consultants will do a complete diagnosis of your system, and troubleshoot any malware present on your computer. If required and if your system permits they can connect to your computer remotely and do all this for you directly

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:47:39 UTC+0300 2007)>go ahead !! there is no way i can sort this out myself i know

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:48:14 UTC+0300 2007)>and i dont know whats going to happen next time i log in ! really !! i was lucky even contacting you !! you know how this stuff woks !! ill get redirected !

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:52:14 UTC+0300 2007)>Khaled, so shall we proceed with the consultation, and let one of our expert's diagnose
and remove any malware identified, to make your computer safe and secured?

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:49:22 UTC+0300 2007)>yes please !

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:52:59 UTC+0300 2007)>I would like to inform you that this is a paid consultation service.

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:49:44 UTC+0300 2007)>paid !

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:53:02 UTC+0300 2007)>The Consultation fee would be €99.95.

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:49:47 UTC+0300 2007)>what !

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:53:09 UTC+0300 2007)>This fee includes, a full system diagnosis, virus removal service, and protection from
future threats which will be done by a Symantec's virus removal technician directly on your
computer.

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:53:11 UTC+0300 2007)>Our well-trained & experienced Consultants have dealt with similar issues in the past, and are dealing with them even as we chat. They are well experienced in removing them without harm to your computer or to your personal data files. If we diagnose and do find a threat on your computer, then we will ensure that is removed.

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:50:00 UTC+0300 2007)>what use is you anivirus if it didnt catch the thing in the first place !!

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:50:11 UTC+0300 2007)>what good is it !!! and now i need to pay more !

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:50:29 UTC+0300 2007)>that is redicilous !!

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:53:46 UTC+0300 2007)>Norton is protecting you from tens of thousands of existing malwares and from the hundreds of new threats released every single day. It provides among the best security that is available for your computer.

This particular infection could have been caused while subscribing or downloading from free websites or when you download/transfer files such as movies, songs, screensavers, games, etc. from other computers, such as in a P2P system, or from insecure websites.

Normally when you download something, it would ask for your permission to open/install, and accept the license agreement such as EULA.

When you do so, being the administrator/final authority of the computer you are potentially authorizing an override of the security restrictions in place.

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:50:40 UTC+0300 2007)>dont cut and paste that for me !!

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:50:44 UTC+0300 2007)>i know that already !!

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:50:49 UTC+0300 2007)>what im saying is sort it out !

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:51:29 UTC+0300 2007)>dont give me your marketing and sales pitch.. im not upfor it !! norton costs alot of money.. i have avg on the other computer and its not infected

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:51:39 UTC+0300 2007)>and i send files between the two computers all the time

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:51:47 UTC+0300 2007)>so please spare me!

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:55:48 UTC+0300 2007)>Khaled, There can be several possible reasons for this infection:-

1. The infected file is active on your computer;
2. It is sort of "embedded" into your browser (such as an Add-on) or into some other running softwares/applications;
3. The infected has "assumed" system file status/rights and hence it cannot be simply deleted.

These are possible reasons, but we can only know the actual reason once a detailed diagnosis is complete.

Your Norton software attempts to override these; however it is not always possible, since we need to adhere to various software conventions/standards, some of which could be set by the Operating System.

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:52:47 UTC+0300 2007)>i know that !!

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:53:20 UTC+0300 2007)>the last time i had somthing like this.. AVG sorted it out for me by just giving them the name of the site i was being redirected to !

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:56:38 UTC+0300 2007)>As per the company policy, I will not be able to connect you to the technicians without the payment.

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:53:33 UTC+0300 2007)>this is redicilous !

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:53:55 UTC+0300 2007)>so shall i just disable norton and download AVG on this computer as well !!

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:57:14 UTC+0300 2007)>For your computer’s safety, I would suggest you to let one of our experts to handle this
delicate issue at the earliest, as we provide 100% guarantee for the virus removal.

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:54:06 UTC+0300 2007)>i never faced this issue with them for a paid service

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:57:26 UTC+0300 2007)>Any way, the choice is yours.

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:54:27 UTC+0300 2007)>you know ill write this on every user forum in the net !

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:54:53 UTC+0300 2007)>i will format my pc..

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:54:57 UTC+0300 2007)>thats cheaper init !

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:58:26 UTC+0300 2007)>That certainly is an option. However it would mean a loss of all your personal settings & data files. Backing up the data would take a lot of time. You will have to literally start from scratch; put back the backed up files, customize the computer & all your softwares, and even reconfigure your Internet connection settings. All this would cause a loss of your time and energy.

Also if the infected files are also backed up, and you put back the data on the computer, it can lead to a repeat of the malware infection.

However if you proceed with this Consultation, our expert Consultants will troubleshoot the malware on your computer without any potential loss of personal files or undue risk to the Operating System.

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:55:15 UTC+0300 2007)>this is the worst servie !

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:55:40 UTC+0300 2007)>you are just telling me what i alrady know !!

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:55:51 UTC+0300 2007)>why dont the get the expert in the first place instead of you !>??!!?

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:56:00 UTC+0300 2007)>this is a waste of time if you ask me !

Anne(Fri Dec 28 23:59:44 UTC+0300 2007)>The money you pay is worth the efforts put forth by our Consultants in resolving the issue on your computer. You would have one of the experts in this field to assist you in resolving the issue. Once they are able to remotely connect to your computer, you just need to sit back and relax while they do the necessary steps to resolve the issue. Your presence is only required if we need to restart the computer and to ensure an active Internet connection.

We do not charge you on an hourly basis like certain other similar support services, and we offer you a 15 days support which is a great value for the money you pay and you could get back to us during that time if the issue persists.

Moreover once the infection is removed our technicians would provide you expert advice, based on the specific configuration/settings of your computer, on how to stay protected in the future from similar threats.

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:56:56 UTC+0300 2007)>are you still trying to sell me your service?! which i already paid for by buying you software !!

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:58:56 UTC+0300 2007)>norton is a waste of money ! a rip of from what i see now !

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 10:59:51 UTC+0300 2007)>can you imagine if i run AVG free and it catches the virus.. what an embaressment it will be for you .. i will mke sure !

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 11:00:27 UTC+0300 2007)>great service .. thank you very much for assuring me.. that not a penny is wasted with norton.. i only pay.. to pay more !

Anne(Sat Dec 29 00:05:21 UTC+0300 2007)>Khaled, sorry. As per the company policy, I will not be able to connect you to the technicians without the payment.

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 11:02:40 UTC+0300 2007)>am i talking to a computer?

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 11:03:43 UTC+0300 2007)>are you human really!? do you have common sence ! this is just bad service !! every tech review site will know about htis conversationi !! that i can assure you !! all im going to do is cut and paste !

Mr. Khaled Mahmood Ali(Sat Dec 29 11:03:50 UTC+0300 2007)>in the forums !

this is the conversation i had with norton when i told them i had virus on my pc.. they said they want an additional 99 GBP for them to get a technician to scan my computer !!!

norton antivirus is garbage ! DO not Buy !

Hey synthetic ,

Don't have time to read all of this but please don't post email addresses or telephone number on the forums. I have removed them to save you from spam.

"Anne" sounds automated to me - way to go Norton

Sales reps, that actually know nothing about virus's. they'd rather give they're tech support a script instead of training them properly. go AVG Woot

I would second that comment - Don't give Norton your $$'s - Grisoft AVG Free is perfectly adequate and recommended by many people on this forum.

I, too, am done with Norton. They ignore my requests and then send an e-mail saying they consider the case closed without ever answering my question. Now I am wrestling with a problem that has prevented IE from accessing the symantec site (among other problems) - I'm getting some excellent help from PCHELPFORUM!!!!

So, I explain to symantec "technical support" that their product has let something into my machine that is blocking IE from getting to the symantec site and if there is any way of getting live update to work with firefox and their answer was to make IE my default browser.