A while back we told you about Symantec accidentally crippling upwards of 50,000 Chinese Windows machines when the anti-virus software deleted two critical system files in the Simplified Chinese edition of Windows XP which left those systems inoperable.
In an attempt to return to its users good graces Symantec is offering affected users a free copy of Norton Save & Restore 2.0 backup software (enterprise users can get Symantec Ghost Solution Suite) along with a 12 month extension to the Norton Anti-Virus subscription services.
Symantec calls the offer a “gesture of goodwill,” however given that Norton is in fact the source of the original problem, many users may think twice about installing it again. Or as the Register so drolly puts it: “cockroach in your salad, sir? Have some free salad.”
Symantec had previously hinted that was considering a compensation package of some kind for affected users, but an extension of the same service that caused the problem is dubious at best; especially given that some Chinese enterprise companies are rumored to be demanding up to $130,000 for lost productivity.
