Vivaldi will not open after updating to 2.10 (Symantec/Norton)

Andoheb

@iAN-CooG ... strange, I tried that and it didn't work for me. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love this Browser but I also love Norton. Been using it since '92 and I'd like to get some of the 'so called' problems with it as others here seemingly having.

Pathduck

@Andoheb Whoever is to blame for this - until Norton/Symantec and Vivaldi sort this issue out, why don't you guys just add the Vivaldi install folder to the exclusions list in the AV?

Another thing to try; instead of renaming Vivaldi to Chrome is to create a hard link named chrome.exe linking to vivaldi.exe, like below (in elevated cmd shell):

mklink /h chrome.exe vivaldi.exe

This will let any AV think we're running chrome.exe

Andoheb

@Pathduck Thanks for the suggestion. I might add, I just got an update and a patch from Norton but it did nothing for Vivaldi. In other words, clicking from the Vivaldi icon on my Taskbar did nothing. I've taken the first 'workaround' suggested, put it on my Taskbar and boot it up from there.

Pathduck

@Andoheb Did you try adding Vivaldi to the AV exclusion list?

Andoheb

I've looked around in the Settings but have no clue what, where or how to do that. Thus, I'll simply wait for Norton or Vivaldi to do their thing. As stated earlier (I think) the last time this problem cropped up, I was made aware by Vivaldi they themselves had made a fix and not Norton. All was well till this latest update.

Pathduck

A quick search found me this:
https://www.lifewire.com/exclude-files-from-norton-antivirus-scans-153348
Not sure if that's the version you have but it's worth a try

rustyjarz

Yep, same same here won't load/open post upgrade to 2.10!

rustyjarz

@Gwen-Dragon Google Chrome still seems to work.

Pathduck

@rustyjarz Any did you try any of the many workarounds posted in the many threads as well as the help page for this issue?

Andoheb

@Pathduck Got to where I can exclude Vivaldi but nothing changed. I excluded just the vivaldi.exe and that changed nothing so I excluded the whole Vivaldi directory and still nothing different. When I booted it back up from the icon (fix) on the taskbar, I did manage to lose all my tabs. Great joy!

Pathduck

@Andoheb Have you been in contact with Symantec/Norton about this?

Did you try the mklink workaround?

rustyjarz

@Pathduck It's not that easy to add an exclusion to Symantec, some of us including myself are on managed devices and are locked out of the Symantec configuration applet.

On a side note, it's been well know that Symantec is shit software, WTF are people and corporations still using it.

Andoheb

@Ayespy I don't think so. Last time around this problem cropped up, it sure wasn't Norton who fixed it but Vivaldi.

Andoheb

@rustyjarz I've had no problem with Chrome or any other Browser working. For some weird and wonderful reason, it's only Vivaldi.

Andoheb

@Pathduck I'm not sure what the mklink workaround is but the one I'm using presently is the one given me the last time this problem came up. It works flawlessly.

Ayespy

@Andoheb Vivaldi has a different "fingerprint" from Chrome, etc. as Norton sees it. Since it is not a "recognized and approved browser"as far as Norton knows, and yet it wants to connect to the internet, Norton treats it as a threat and blocks it.

RammsteinAM

Wow, Symantec and Norton still exist?
For a long time, I remember their products as the most crappy "antivirus" ever which cannot even identify the latest malware and that even many free antiviruses like Avast or AVG are way better than Symantec.

Andoheb

This post is deleted!

Andoheb

@RammsteinAM I don't find Norton to be garbage. Actually amongst the lot of them, Norton far exceeds!

Blackbird

@Andoheb said in Vivaldi will not open after updating to 2.10:

@Ayespy Still strange why it accepts it for months and then after a particular update (and no way with every update) it goes haywire. I also find it strange, that last time this happened, Vivaldi told me there was an update, their update and after downloading it, no problem. If this is in Norton's field, I find it weird after several updates over the weekend there is no fix. Finally, if it is Norton, why aren't they listening to you folks regarding this? Wouldn't you find that to be a bit out in left field?

Given that none of us here really understand the intricacies of just how Norton's AV works or incorporates something onto a blacklist (either in a local installation or via signature updates) and given that we as posters don't fully understand the intricacies of Vivaldi's browser and/or it's installer, it's not surprising that seeing a consistent pattern to Norton's interference can be difficult.

What many of us take as compelling evidence of Norton's primary fault here is that this same problem has been openly reported for some time with multiple chromium browsers and that Vivaldi technical contact with Symantec (not merely with some "support" script reader) has developed an admission that the problem is their fault. Why Symantec hasn't yet found (or bothered to find) a solution is for them to say. The inconsistency of the problem may well lie within evolving technical intricacies noted earlier that cause the basic issue to come and go with various releases.