Norton - N360_Backup folder

[britechguy]

I have not dealt with a computer with Norton on it in ages, and a new client presented today with a machine that was completely "constipated" and a 500GB drive was full for no apparent reason (initially).

I ended up using TreeSize to determine that there was a folder under C: named N360_backup that was sucking up around 460K. I have not encountered this before, and I cannot imagine why any backup utility would back up to the same drive it's backing up. The client has no recollection of setting anything up for this.

I recommended they ditch Norton (and their subscription is up for renewal in 27 days), and they agreed, so that machine is back to Windows Security. Nuked that folder and am setting up backup to an external USB backup drive.

Just wondering if anyone's encountered this precise thing before?

 

[britechguy]

Just curious if your experience (or the report of the client) is that they didn't set anything up themselves to do these backups.

It's the most insane thing I've ever encountered, and the space taken up by that folder and all its subfolders was astronomical compared to the real user data on the machine.

 

[HCHTech]

I've seen this very thing. When you go through the setup, there is a place to select the backup target, and it presents you with a list of all the disks it can currently see, which would be only the OS drive unless you plugged in an external. Norton stupidly lets you continue without question or explanation. Also, the setup undoubtedly got started because of a popup saying "Hey! You are not taking advantage of the great backup product included with your purchase! Click here to continue!"

 

[britechguy]

Well, in addition to that bit of Norton idiocy, it also must retain backup images "forever." This laptop is "old" and it has taken it a very long time to get to the state it was in.

Norton's gone now, and I'll have EaseUS To Do set up on the next visit. The machine was taking forever to dispose of that N360_backup folder (not helped by the fact that it's a conventional HDD in the computer) but was also downloading Win10 Version 20H2 for update, which I wanted to allow to complete first.

 

[Larry Sabo]

there was a folder under C: named N360_backup that was sucking up around 460K.

460K? I assume you meant 460GB?

 

[fincoder]

I assume you deleted the backup files from within Norton before uninstalling it, otherwise it can be really difficult removing that huge folder if Norton is no longer installed.

I've seen it too. I think the reason people activate it is that some versions used to display a red cross for overall Norton status if the backup wasn't configured, and clicking Fix Now then accepting defaults would activate the backup to the C: drive! This was improved in later versions but if previoiusly setup the backup continued, slowly filling up the C: drive.

Several years later, most users don't remember doing it.

 

[britechguy]

I assume you meant 460GB?

Yes. A slip of the fingers.

 

[britechguy]

I assume you deleted the backup files from within Norton before uninstalling it, otherwise it can be really difficult removing that huge folder if Norton is no longer installed.

No, and no (other than the time Windows required before deciding it was "too large for the recycle bin," which I'd anticipated).

 

[fincoder]

No, and no

Good to know. A slight improvement from earlier times then.