Did I have a virus?

August 12, 2006 4:54 PM

Why was my system clock reset for the year 2075 when I got home today? I have it set daily and automatically to an atomic clock somewhere. Also, my Norton said I had "2 problems". more...

I ran the antivirus software and it seems to have gotten rid of it. Can i be pretty certain that the virus is gone, assuming it is a virus? Why did it set my clock forward by 69 years?

posted by zorro astor to computers & internet (3 comments total)

I'd change the clock battery. It's a button cell, costs like 1.25$, and a good place to start. If it does it after that, then I'd worry about deeper explanations.
posted by unrepentanthippie at 5:55 PM on August 12, 2006

I don't want to sound too judgmental about software that is very popular, but in my experience, though Norton says you have "2 problems," you may just have one problem: Norton.

If you use it for all those system tweaking tools that it has, constantly letting it tinker with your registry and other settings, and not just for virus protection, I'd say you're taking an unnecessary risk.

In the many years and several computers I've had, I never had any of my systems more thoroughly fouled-up than when I put Norton on my computer (this very computer, back in 2003), and it decided to to something stupid. It so completely messed up my computer that I ended up reformatting my HD and reinstalling everything from the ground up.
posted by chimaera at 9:24 PM on August 12, 2006

Zager and Evans came to visit?

I semi-second chimaera: Some parts of Norton's suite can be pretty flaky at times, and also difficult to remove (Symantec has manual uninstaller for when you get stuck, at their website).

But the battery's good to replace, too.
posted by baylink at 7:00 PM on August 13, 2006