A bug in an update of Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1 (including the small-business edition) and Norton antivirus software for businesses has caused some PCs running Microsoft Windows XP to crash repeatedly.

The company confirmed the problem and blamed it on software compatibility issues from the update, released Wednesday night. People who updated the enterprise security software between 9:25 p.m. EST on July 11 and 5:51 a.m. on July 12 are affected. You can fix the computer yourself by manually removing the software from each disabled computer, the company says. . . .

So far, Symantec does not appear to be winning points in the customer service department with this one, either.

Customers complained that the removal process was time-consuming, and that the company itself was not especially helpful in the wake of its error.

“Phoning Symantec support this morning was the start of the hell we went through,” wrote one customer in a support forum on Symantec's website.“The support is a joke, the quality control is a joke and the software is not much better.”
A Common Issue

Symantec isn't the first to goof in the antivirus department—and it probably won't be the last. Two years ago, a McAfee error that mistakenly classified an important Windows system file as a virus crippled PCs around the world. Observed one tech commentator: "Cleaning up that problem involved a lot of work, and McAfee’s reputation was seriously damaged, possibly helping to soften it up for eventual take-over by Intel."

He noted that problems are bound to happen: "The whole business of antivirus is based on users handing power to a third party. We ask those companies to set traps against intruders. When those traps snap on the wrong ankles, we can switch the vendor to one that is less trigger-happy or more careful."

Symantec Software is Crashing PCs Worldwide