For quite some time, I've been aggravated by Ant's 'force-ware' auto-updater which recently resulted in issues with Norton's AV, ie; basically Norton hijacks my browser until I drill thru Norton's file trust pop-ups (just to be able to use the browser). Ant support (non-existent) doesn't reply back and Norton refuses to escalate the issue and provide a fix (other than turning off their/my 'download intelligence' safety feature). Norton's 1st level support merely offers 2nd level support's phone number (as opposed to escalating the issue as repeatedly requested and otherwise at least initiating recommendations for 2nd level support investigate by re-creating the conditions involving the bug (by installing Ant's software, etc.).
The issue is mostly Norton's inability to 'trust' Ant's "uninstaller.exe" file (when using the Norton's download intelligence and file insight features) and that results in repeatedly being forced to (uselessly) configure 'file insight' to trust the issuesome file as every single time I open my IE8 browser, Norton's downloader intelligence pop-up squalks Ant's uninstaller.exe file (apparently a result of some change that Ant Downloader's forced auto-updating skism , eg; seemingly phones home, checks the install for outdated version, then prompts their offer to update Ant Downloader).
As only until recently NAV never once squalked any of Ant's files, apparently Ant's somehow updated something in their software such that now NAV is squalking the subject file. Likely Ant packages their 'force-ware' auto-update checking into their uninstaller.exe file (such that the uninstaller.exe probably is re-newed every time a browser is opened).
The issue is seen on both my Windows 7 NAV2011 and my XPH SP3 NAV2010 machines, and regardless that Norton owes it's customer's a fix (other than turning off the download intelligence feature) if only to stop download intelligence from basically hijacking the browser every time it's opened which otherwise needlessly forces users to uselessly try and get file insight to trust the uninstaller.exe file simply to proceed with the use of the browser (every time it's opened).
Has anyone else bee plagued by this and have 'you' figured out how to perhaps use Norton's firewall to block Ant's phoning home, ie; what Ant Downloader file does this )so I might be able to list it in Norton's firewall) or would/does doing that also thereafter prevent Ant's Downloader from working, eg; downloading vids?
Great downloader program, but seems like the developer is 'selling' out as he/she seems suspiciously ignore the usual 'opt out' for the program's updating and it seems Ant's deviously designed uninstaller.exe contains more than what it implies.
