From: <lookaround360@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> RE: OT questions , was vista I have a current Norton's on the sick machine and an out of subscription Norton's on the well one - go figure. Also I ran FixIt Pro and it didn't show any improvement. I am going to install a firewall - not sure if I'll stick with Norton's. Installing Adaware, grisoft avg (free AV) and spybot are all good starts, then on the odd occasion go here: http://support.f-secure.com/enu/home/ols.shtml and run the free java based 'online' web scan which can detect things the installed software may miss. One of the reasons AV software may fail to detect and prevent viruses is that the program it's self often can be damaged by viruses which tunnel under the antiviral software, damage it but leave enough of it intact so as to make it *look* like it's working when it isn't. Norton was the AV program I have used in the past that's been most frequently damaged by viruses too :( A shame. it's the one I first started with, the one I'm most familiar with, the one I most hated to let go of.. Then again. NONE of the major AV companies detected the Sony root kit (or if they did they let it install anyway!) I had AVG running, as always, yesterday while installing some dubious freeware that announced during the install in the ELUA that it was going to install 2 searchbars in IE, and gave instructions in the ELUA how to remove them once the install concluded.. part way through the install AVG snared the offending loads and popped up a virus warning, disposed of the 2 searchbars mid install but let the program continue to install he bits I wanted originally :) Nice service =) The trick is to not put all your eggs in one basket and don't rely on just one program to do it all for you. Other than that, the *best* thing you could do though is download yourself a free copy of Opera and install and use that as your browser - and email program to if you wish (it can do that too ;) AVG free AV: http://free.grisoft.com/doc/avg-anti-virus-free/lng/us/tpl/v5 Adaware: http://www.lavasoft.de/software/adaware/ SPybot: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html As to firewalls, a true hardware firewall is a good thing, a router which provides NAT services is more than half way there and software based firewalls are largely a waste of time, alerting you at every stray packet that hits your computer that it 'blocked an incoming probe' (smugly) and once you realise they're pestering you for nothing you'll probably do better with it gone. Have a peek here for a roundup of personal firewalls: http://www.matousec.com/projects/windows-personal-firewall-analysis/leak-te sts-results.php telling stuff.. not the false positives but the deliberate FAKE protection encountered in testing! good luck :) Karl
