PC help: Security conflicts

Q I have Norton 360 installed on my Vista computer, but the Security Center still says that my computer has no anti-virus program installed.

I have Windows Defender switched on, but the Windows Security Alerts icon is still coming up in the notification area. The Norton 360 program says that I am protected, so clearly there is a conflict going on here.
David Hughson

A Norton 360 appears not to be talking correctly to the Windows Security Center. ­ This relies on each program telling it whether or not it’s working properly.

If you’re sure that Norton 360 is working (for instance, if the Norton 360 control centre confirms that it’s fully active and up to date), you can switch off the notifications. Click Start, then Control Panel (or Start, Settings, Control Panel) and select Security Center.

If you can’t see Security Center, click ‘Switch to Classic mode’ in the top-left, then double-click Security Center. Under Resources in the dialogue box that appears, click ‘Change the way Security Center alerts me’.

In the Alert Settings dialogue box, remove the tick from the Virus Protection box and click OK. If you’re using Norton 360 as your firewall, remove the tick box from this, too. The presence of Windows Defender is not relevant as it is an anti-spyware application.