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Thread ID: 139780	2015-06-27 14:19:00	Should I return my PC?	jag28 (17376)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1403728	2015-06-27 14:19:00	I bought a brand new gaming PC four days ago . Since then it's been a roller-coaster . I've mostly been caught up in the flawless frame rates and crisp graphics but these moments have been punctuated by extended periods of utter hair-pulling frustration . Here's a brief recount of events: First night I install the essentials: steam, firefox, spotify, battle . net Next morning Norton tells me it has failed to install required updates and the computer must be restarted . I restart but monitor goes black and PC continues running . I force shut down . When I turn on the computer the monitor tells me there is no signal and the lights are off on keyboard and mouse . I force shut down and restart a further 3 times . I finally manage to log in . This lasts about 10 seconds before the computer restarts itself again . After the next restart I am greeted by a Windows 8 'please wait' screen . I wait for about 10 minutes, nothing happens . I leave to work, return 6 hours later and nothing has changed . I force shut down once more and this time it Windows loads up normally . When I attempt to play any video game the computer restarts itself about 3 seconds in . Distraught, I take the computer in to be fixed . Three hours later I'm told that the 'memory has been replaced', and I assume it has been fixed . Everything is hunky dory . Games are running beautifully . Then I decide to reinstall Norton from the disc . I select to install, the mouse is replaced by a spinning 'processing stuff' wheel . It stops processing and the menu disappears . A few minutes later it asks to uninstall Avast! (which I had forgotten to do myself) . I allowed it to do so . Then I decided to give it a restart . After the BIOS screen I was told Windows couldn't start up . I restarted and was greeted by the same message again and again . I tried refreshing the system but was told I couldn't . My partner who is more tech-literate decided after extensively looking into the problem that there was only one option we had available and that was to reinstall Windows . That's finished, and now I'm here on this forum . Is it the hardware? Is it related to Norton? Both major issues seem to have Norton suspiciously close to their inception . I feel like none of this should have ever happened with a new PC . I've really lost confidence in the system, and I worry that there could be more problems down the line . I've owned several gaming PCs in the past and have never encountered these issues right out of the box . Should I just get a refund? I'd appreciate your comments .	jag28 (17376)
1403729	2015-06-27 14:24:00	Dump Nortons :)	Zippity (58)
1403730	2015-06-27 21:03:00	You should never run two antivirus products at the same time, bound to end in tears. If you really want to establish if the machine is at fault I would recommend booting a live Linux either from CD or USB flash drive, no need to install the Linux, this is merely to establish if the fault is hardware related. If the Linux boots and runs OK then reinstall the windows and take Zippitys advice and dump Nortons It is a notorious POS and not worthy of space on anyones PC in my opinion.	KarameaDave (15222)
1403731	2015-06-27 21:38:00	Next morning Norton tells me it has failed to install required updates and the computer must be restarted. Everything is hunky dory. Games are running beautifully. Then I decide to reinstall Norton from the disc. My partner who is more tech-literate decided after extensively looking into the problem that there was only one option we had available and that was to reinstall Windows. . A reinstall is NEVER the best fix. In fact it's like replacing your car engine because the car needed a tune up. Nortons is your problem, which you have already figured out. Ditch it. NOD32 is a far better anti virus product. Nortons has always been a piece of ****, as has already been pointed out	pctek (84)
1403732	2015-06-27 23:03:00	Totally agree with all the others, Norton is a POS, causes more problems than you may think. Couple of things you need to do BEFORE installing any games or other programs, run windows updates and get them ALL, you may have to run it several times. A fresh install will ALWAYS have a truck load of updates. Make sure you have also installed all the drivers that came with the hardware, windows can put in some but the manufactures drivers are better. Secondly - while its to late now, the logs on the original install will have told you what was going on, but since its been reinstalled they will have been wiped now. Thirdly-- Depending how the original install was done, if it was via the shop they may have used a sysprepped image, these while save a lot of time installing can, if they are not done right cause all sorts of problems. Question: 1.Has this been overclocked as well ? 2. Do you know if the system has been Benchmarked / Stress tested ?	wainuitech (129)
1403733	2015-06-27 23:16:00	Seems like a step was missed some where between taking it back and the 'memory has been replaced' statement. Did they uninstall Norton and put Avast on?, did you? or did they restore it to the condition it was originally supplied in and that included Avast? I'm surprised if they replaced the memory without some kind of evidence it was faulty (and 3 hours is not long enough for a proper memory test unless it fails quickly) but it seems like the software changes made might be what made it work again. I'd suggest simply running without Nortons this time and see if it stays good as everyone thinks it will. Avast is good enough for now. Another good Idea is to create a system image now while it's working right so you can restore it to this condition without reinstalling everything. Windows 8 also has restore and refresh options that can work quite well if it comes to the point where you are considering starting over. You can decide later if you want to invest in Nod32, stick with Avast, or bite the bullet and try Nortons again (you won't get much support for that last one round here) Do a search for file history, run it, and look at the bottom left corner where the system image option hides. Ideally make the image on a removable disk. More instructions and some explanations here www.winhelp.us You could also use one of the many other imaging tools, I have Active@ myself. As for reinstalling NEVER being the best fix pctek I can't agree with that one. Sometimes windows gets so screwed up you can spend days trying to root out all the problems or you can just start over. Also it's the only way to be completely sure all traces of unwanted software and bloat are gone. To use your car analogy sometimes the engine is so broken it's better to replace it than try to repair it. However I do agree it should never be needed on a new PC.	dugimodo (138)
1403734	2015-06-27 23:22:00	However I do agree it should never be needed on a new PC. I reinstall on new PCs to get rid of all the junk (like Norton). Easier than uninstalling everything because there's nothing to loose.	pcuser42 (130)
1403735	2015-06-28 02:41:00	Couple of things you need to do BEFORE installing any games or other programs, run windows updates and get them ALL ? Why? never done this ever.	pctek (84)
1403736	2015-06-28 02:56:00	Why? never done this ever.Easy -- With Windows these days it automatically starts downloading and installing updates the moment its reinstalled and connected to the internet. If updates are doing this it WILL cause all sorts of problems including stopping programs from working, and or Installing. Had it happen on Friday, thought all the updates were in, went to install a customers program and it wouldn't install. After rebooting and the other updates that were waiting for a reboot went in then it installed fine.	wainuitech (129)
1403737	2015-06-28 21:23:00	Easy -- With Windows these days it automatically starts downloading and installing updates the moment its reinstalled and connected to the internet. Whenever I have built one, I install all, tweak windows (In the case of mine, disable updates, among other things) and then hook up to the net.	pctek (84)
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