help with SHOW NOT UPLOADING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[HunnyB Profile Private message]

I downloaded the spyware that Jan uses.
Is that the best place to get the anti-virus?
What else do I need?I am going to get rid of my Norton tomorrow!!!!!!!!!
Just need my computer to be protected.

This could be most of my problems!!! I hope so.

HunnyB

[cherub Profile Private messageWebsite]

HunnyB,
If you care to follow this advice, by yourself or with your computer guy, I think you'll be more than OK. Up to you.
This is what I have been using for about 5 years, on my XP computer.

Uninstall Norton, and never use it again.
In order to clean your computer of Norton, follow the procedures given by Symantec here:
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/ts ... 3108162039

Anti-Virus: AVG free for personal use
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/2/

Firewall: Instead of Windows firewall:
Sunbelt-Kerio Personal firewall: http://www.sunbelt-software.com/Home-Ho ... -Firewall/

Anti-Spyware:
Spyware Blaster: http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
SpyBot Search & Distroy: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html
Lavasoft AdAware: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad_aware_free.php
WinPatrol: http://www.winpatrol.com/

Anti-Trojan:
EMSI Software ASquare free: http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/

The only programs that need to run on your computer at ALL TIME are your anti-virus and your firewall.
All the rest that are given above need to be run just once a week, or if you have a specific problem.
Needless to say, they need to be kept constantly updated because new malicious things are found all the time.

Up to you if you wish to take my advice.

[gpsmikey Profile Private message]

I downloaded the spyware that Jan uses.
Is that the best place to get the anti-virus?
What else do I need?I am going to get rid of my Norton tomorrow!!!!!!!!!
Just need my computer to be protected.

This could be most of my problems!!! I hope so.

HunnyB

Jan uses spyware ???

I use F-Prot on my systems - it is a bit geeky and has a couple of quirks,
but it takes fairly minimal resources and seems to behave pretty well.
I actually never even turn it off when installing things and have yet to
have it screw up something. The one Jan suggested also seems to get
good comments from people as well as the free AVG antivirus out there.
I do run Zone Alarm on the living room computer that most people use,
but I don't run it on mine (and I have windows firewall turned off HOWEVER,
I am behind a router which, while not the total solution stops the outside
probes from making it in (it doesn't protect me from something on my
machine trying to get out).

In addition to an antivirus, you should also run both ad-aware and spybot
(both are free). Antivirus software watches and stomps on various
viri, however, there is other malware out there also that does things
like tracking what you are doing, keyloggers etc. Periodically scan with
the above two utilities as well to pick up a lot of that junk. Here are a couple
of links that I have found very helpful in the past ---

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Viruses
(the woman who runs "elephantboy computers" is very active in the
Microsoft XP support groups).

http://www.grisoft.com/ AVG -- look near the bottom of the "Products" page
for info on the free versions.

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html Spy-bot page

http://www.lavasoftusa.com/ Ad-Aware anti malware

http://bertk.mvps.org/html/spyware.html <-- some excellent information
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE/com ... sting.mspx

http://www.f-prot.com/products/ <-- this is the one I use, but there are a
number of good ones that don't start with Sym*

There is NO single utility that can protect you from everything and all of
the utilities you do run for protection have the potential for causing problems.
The only way to be safe is to NEVER connect to any network and never load
any programs that have not been scanned for any form of malware. There have
been a number of articles out there talking about infection time -- they all
say about the same thing -- an unprotected (no AV, no firewall etc) xp machine
connected to the internet will last 10-15 minutes before it is infected with
some form of malware. I always suggest that anyone with a broadband
connection should have a router in between them and the internet (they are
under $50 typically) -- it really is amazing how much cr*p they block from
your side of the network !!!

[edit]
couple of additional comments -- adaware and spybot are not run all the
time - you just want to run them every couple of weeks or month or so.
As far as removing Norton, based on my experience and comments from
others, that can be along the same lines as trying to completely remove
a weeping willow tree from your yard where you have a septic system -- you
will find more roots left behind in more places than you know what to do
with

Hope this helps

mikey

[cherub Profile Private messageWebsite]

Hey Mikey, we posted at the same time! and quite similar posts!

[HunnyB Profile Private message]

I REALLY CANNOT THANK YOU GUYS ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What about a program that will do what Norton does with fixing problems with WINDOCTOR
and when I run the "one button checkup" it seems to always find stuff.....

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP

CHAT IS SUNDAY NIGHT AT 7 CST.

HunnyB

[andy]

I REALLY CANNOT THANK YOU GUYS ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HunnyB

Me toooo....as I have oftern wondered what's best etc!!!!

So......... just as big a "thank you" goes to you tooooooo HunnyB, for asking the question in the first place.
andy

[gpsmikey Profile Private message]

I REALLY CANNOT THANK YOU GUYS ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What about a program that will do what Norton does with fixing problems with WINDOCTOR
and when I run the "one button checkup" it seems to always find stuff.....

HunnyB

I had not noticed that Cherub and I posted at the same time
( and we are on opposite sides of the planet too ! )

You'll notice we both had very similar information and comments.
There really is no one single "program" that fixes everything when
you "click a button". If you try to create such a program, you end
up with an elephant at a fast dance contest. The only thing a
"do everything with the click of a button" does well is take up system
resources (aka Norton). Do your own research using the links
we provided or others. Check out what the experts in news groups like
microsoft.public.windowsxp.security_admin or
microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
have to say there. If you normally read internet news groups, the
Microsoft news server provides a whole list of groups including the
two I listed above available for FREE - spend some time reading them,
there are some very experienced people there (Kelly from Kelleys corner,
Malke from Elephant Boy Computers, Bert Kinney etc. I will say it again:

There is NO single simple answer !!

If you are going to "play" in the internet, you need to spend some time
learning what the risks and rules are and how to deal with them. It is
like driving a car "I don't have time to learn to drive" is NOT sufficient
excuse for not bothering to learn before you take the car on the freeway
It is unfortunate it is that complex, but that is the way it is. An EXTREMELY
large percentage of the spam and other junk floating around out there is
being sent out by unsuspecting people who's systems are unprotected,
connected to a broadband connection and have become infected.
The person actually behind the malware may only have 1 computer,
but manages to infect thousands (or more) of unsuspecting users
systems that simply sit around all day and flood the internet with the junk.
I have had to clean off a couple of those machines - one had 500+ flavors of
malware on it and 70+ viruses on it when I scanned it (no wonder the thing
was so slow )

mikey

[cherub Profile Private messageWebsite]

I REALLY CANNOT THANK YOU GUYS ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What about a program that will do what Norton does with fixing problems with WINDOCTOR
and when I run the "one button checkup" it seems to always find stuff.....

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP
CHAT IS SUNDAY NIGHT AT 7 CST.
HunnyB

You are very welcome HunnyB. I'm afraid the chat schedule is not in my range of time. It's 3 or 4 in the morning I think. So, I won't make it, sorry. Moreover, I'm taking a short holiday, and will be back the next weekend.

As to your question about WinDoctor.
I believe this is the last remnant of the original and legendary Norton program, and the only thing that Symantec haven't destroyed yet. But, essentially, what this program is doing is a cleaning of the registry.
There are many other good programs that do this, but I do not wish to recommend any of them. None of them does a 100% job in "automatic" mode. One must have a certain knowledge of what he is doing in order to use these programs.
It is a wrong to assume that the more entries a program cleans, the better it is. Eventually you will discover that certain things stop working on your computer, and will ask yourself why.
I do not recommend any novice to use such programs.
As Mikey pointed out, there is no such thing as "pushing a single button" to fix a computer.
Many have wondered why computers are not more like a washing machine or a TV. Maybe in the future they will be.
For the time being they are not.

[HunnyB Profile Private message]

Okay guys, I have removed Norton (completely)
Added other recommended programs, cleaned up my computer of all the "junk",
and things seem to be working good right now.
And, I was finally able to upload some shows to the forum.
So, hopefully I am on the right track.
I could not have done it without all of ya'll.
THANKS!!

HunnyB