Member Avatar for hat2000

I am running Win2000 SP4 on an HP Pavilion system. I have over 300MB of RAM and over 10GB free HD space.

I have Norton Anti-Virus 2001 installed and have used live update to get the latest exe and dat file updates.

Recently (I cannot recall what preceded this problem) I have been encountering the following error as Windows completes loading and NAV loads into the system tray: "Unable to get virus definition data"

When I click "ok" I get the message: "Unable to start the definition monitor"

I am also running the free version of ZoneAlarm 3.7.202

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

  • 3 Contributors
  • 3 Replies
  • 220 Views
  • 22 Hours Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by TallCool1

Dani AI

Generated

Quick summary and first checks. The behavior you described indicates the antivirus client cannot read or apply its definition files at startup. Start with LiveUpdate (run it in Interactive mode and choose only the virus-definition items), reboot, and try LiveUpdate again. If LiveUpdate fails, download and run Symantec’s Intelligent Updater (manual definition installer) to push the DATs without relying on the LiveUpdate engine. (support.norton.com)

Firewall interference is a common, easy-to-test cause — personal firewalls sometimes block LiveUpdate helper processes and then the client reports missing/invalid definition data. Temporarily disable or uninstall the firewall, run LiveUpdate (or the Intelligent Updater), confirm definitions install, then reinstall/configure the firewall. Community reports show blocking a LiveUpdate helper can stop updates from completing. (community.norton.com)

If manual updates don’t help, the product installation or its config/definition files are probably damaged. A full clean removal followed by a fresh install usually fixes the “definition monitor”/missing-definition condition; use the official Norton Remove and Reinstall tool to remove the product cleanly, then reinstall and re-run updates. Forum reports from the NAV 2001/SystemWorks era also show reinstalling resolved the same messages. (support.norton.com)

If switching AVs as suggested, uninstall the existing product completely first — do not run two real‑time antivirus engines at once (that causes conflicts and instability). Make a restore point or backup before major removals/reinstalls so you can roll back if needed. (learn.microsoft.com)

Recommended Answers

All 3 Replies

Member Avatar for unb0und

have you tried doing a fresh install of norton?

i recently stopped using norton and used the free edition of AVG.

Member Avatar for hat2000

Yes I had. I will take a look at AVG!

Member Avatar for TallCool1

I am also running the free version of ZoneAlarm 3.7.202!

The latest free version of ZoneAlarm Free is 4.5.580 (just released). You should upgrade...

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.