Potential NOD32/ZA/SP2 issue?

I just installed NOD32 version 2.12.0 as a result of my recent bluescreen on shutdown problem. The new version is looking good so far, and I'm hoping that it has resolved the issue... but I can't really be sure. Anyway, in going through the uninstall of 2.000.11b and the install of 2.12.0, I think that I may have identified another potential issue that I had occassionally experienced over the past week with SP2, but wasn't precisely sure of the cause.

I am running WinXP Pro SP2 with NOD32 2.12.0 and Zone Alarm 5.1.011.000. Those are basically the only two non-hardware-driver, 3rd party background startups. Anyway, the scenario is this: occassionally when I boot up the system, I progress through the graphical logon sequence, the desktop begins to appear, the NOD32 icon loads in the task tray, and then... wham... the ZA icon never appears in the tray and if I try to click on Start in the lower left of the desktop nothing happens and Ctrl-Alt-Del doesn't even bring up taskmgr. The system is hung. It only happened occassionally. I was baffled by this at first, but I think that I have determined the cause this morning as I reinstalled NOD32. I originally thought that it may have been some conflict between ZA and the newly improved SP2 Windows Firewall, but that doesn't look to be the case in this instance because I have set the "Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)" service to "Manual" and I have verified that it is indeed in the stopped state.

I believe that it is occurring because NOD32 loads up, goes out for an automatic update, and then something is happening during the startup of the ZA client or Windows Security or something that interrupts and hangs the NOD32 update process. When I reinstalled NOD32 and my new 2.12.0 install went for its first set of updates, it hung my machine on first reboot. I actually could click on the NOD32 UI icon and bring up the console, and it did show that an update had initiated but was not progressing. Again, even though I could bring up the NOD32 console, no other program would apparently start. This is all new behavior, post SP2 install. I have never had a conflict with ZA before. Has anyone else had something similar occur?

 

This is a ZA 5.1.011 issue, roll back to 4.5 and the problem dissapears, see the following thread for more info:

https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=44118

Hope this helps...

Good to see your BSOD's have gone with the latest Beta...

Cheers

 

Yeah, I guess I should finally now go and roll back to 4.5. Looks like everyone was right about ZA 5.1 after all. I had replied in that other thread and thought all of my issues were resolved when I disabled the Windows Firewall/ICS service. Silly me!

Thanks... as always...

 

No worries Alec, my pleasure...

Cheers