off topic

[jackpilot]

Guys
I use McAfee for antivirus, Firewall+ and God knows what...

Fedup with constant messages, updates, warnings, analysis , invoices...etc..

Any simple alternative.
Jack

[Bob Reed]

Yes Jack... AVAST.... Simple to use and free!!

[Boeing Skunk Works]

I've been using Zone Alarm for years, both paid and free versions. Never a problem.

[usafgadget]

I second Bob on using Avast.  I've been using them for several years.

[mpl330]

Avast for me too...
Cheers
Mike

[XOrionFE]

Eset Nod or Kasperski

[matta757]

Jack,

I too have been using Avast for a couple of years... that is until I spoke with a VERY VERY computer literate friend just recently, who suggested using, of all things, the new Microsoft Security Essentials program. I KNOW! Microsoft? No way...

Well I switched to it and just as my friend told me, it has been protecting my computer nicely AND it uses VERY little of the CPU. I highly recommend it!

Matt

[Bob Reed]

Jack,

I too have been using Avast for a couple of years... that is until I spoke with a VERY VERY computer literate friend just recently, who suggested using, of all things, the new Microsoft Security Essentials program. I KNOW! Microsoft? No way...

Well I switched to it and just as my friend told me, it has been protecting my computer nicely AND it uses VERY little of the CPU. I highly recommend it!

Matt

Thats what I like about Avast... Very low CPU usage.. By the way... I make my living at this.......

[jackpilot]

Thanks Guys...one thing 4 sure, I will not renew and send  Mr McA  fees.

Bob which version do you use, they have 3 levels...
Jack

[Bob Reed]

The free one!! LOL

[Bob Reed]

And they update the definitions file every day!!!

[jackpilot]

I guess I have to remove McAfee first

[Bob Reed]

I guess I have to remove McAfee first

Oh man I should have mentioned that ... Yes.......

[jackpilot]

Ok wilco ....tomorrow
If you think about anything I should do or not just PM me
Over out
Good night guys.

[ETomlin]

I guess this is as good as thread as any to mention to you guys that my hotmail account got hacked last night. Hopefully it's resolved now- please overlook any spam some of you may have gotten from me.

thanks

[Bob Reed]

I guess this is as good as thread as any to mention to you guys that my hotmail account got hacked last night. Hopefully it's resolved now- please overlook any spam some of you may have gotten from me.

thanks

Yes I saw that (in my in box) LOL

[jackpilot]

I got the free version of Avast.

Put it o my laptop..no prob
Put  it on my PC....says that one component(mail and internet) is not activated, partial protection only. Tried the activate button...no good, removed  Windows firewall after and beforeinstall/reinstall...same thing... McAfee was uninstalled before that.
Any idea??
JP

[Bob Reed]

So it won't let you activate it? If not I would uninstall it and reinstall it..... Never ran into this and I have been using it for a while...

[ETomlin]

I just had a nightmare that nearly had me reformatting my FS Server. I believe the issue is fixed, but before I describe the fix, I will detail the issues.

1) I kept having issues where XP home would take forever to respond and even sometime not shutdown. Sometimes, it'd be rebooted and would hang on a blue blank screen. Pressing Ctrl-Alt-Delete would reveal that it was running, just hung somewhere.

2) I determined that 2 things were part and parcel of slowing or preventing a shutdown.

a) Avast was tying up the machine somehow and needed to be disabled and would usually shut down sometime.
b) I discovered a trick in that you should go to Explorer/Tools/Folder Options/View/ and insure that "Launch folder windows in seperate process" is NOT checked. It ties up resources. Mine was checked, so I unchecked it.

After running McAfee Stinger (and nothing else of theirs) I found a bug that NOTHING else found. I also ran Avast, SpyBot, Malware Bytes and CC Cleaner. Things started acting better immediately but I had uninstalled Avast thinking it was buggy. Turns out that I installed the newest free Zone Alarm and then reinstalled Avast. My system is running much better now. Seems like I ran Hitman Pro and it found something previously unfound too and that likely contributed to the better system.

One thing too- I kept having the ICS/Windows Firewall being fooled with by whatever was on my system. If you ever run into Squawk Box not connecting, that should be a place you check first.

[Bob Reed]

Understand most of the crap we are getting today is not viri.... It is mailware and spyware.. Some of the most "reputable" sites out there use it and it can be loaded from ANY webpage that has had the script in bedded in it. If you surf, you are going to get it period. Another thing to be careful of is using a lot of scanners they will fight each other and flag things one has done as bad.. Trust me I do this for a living and this is where I make most of my money. The internet is fast becoming a a trash land where it is almost impossible to get around.  Just try doing a Google search for anything without porn showing up in the search? Protect your kids on the internet?? How,  only way I see is hit the power button.
   Ok off my soap box.......

[Joe Lavery]

Hi Guys,

Not wishing to hijack this thread, I think it's sort of relevant. 

I've had two phone calls over the past month with a guy claiming to be Microsoft and insisting I have a problem with thousands of emails being sent from my system.
This is a SCAM and all they want is for you to give them acces to your computer.  I understand they are trying to get passwords etc.

Microsoft will never call like this, particularly on an individual basis.

Just thought I'd warn you all.

Cheers
Joe.... (Also from Wales)