Re: AdAware, SpyBot S &D, etc. + leave PC connected to Internet

From: curious (heyimjustcurious_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 01/31/04 

Date: 30 Jan 2004 18:50:39 -0800

yosponge@yahoo.com (sponge) wrote in message news:<8d76ec03.0401301159.638e56a5@posting.google.com>...
> heyimjustcurious@yahoo.com (curious) wrote in message news:<ca3e516b.0401300047.53ba0d08@posting.google.com>...

 <snip for brevity>

> >
> > Would you recommend a name. I don't mine the cost. I want to make
> > sure about the secuirty.
>
> Make sure it is a router and FIREWALL. Some are just routers and are
> numbered similarly to the firewalls. While those will still offer a
> lot of protection, the firewall-ish features only cost a few bucks
> more and can offer some nice stuff like ActiveX blocking, etc.

It will be a while I get the router and do that.

About ActiveX, I have a webhosting account given permanently from
school where I planned to put a couple of my small school project that
uses a little bit of asp, a bit of jsp, a bit of perl (registration
system) when i took a course for web developing. Will blocking
ActiveX prevent me from looking at my website after loading the files
(need to locate those files anyway)? The comcast guy - when came for
installation - had disabled JavaScript and ActiveX but I have enable
them recently.

> Dlink
> has the 704P which is nice. The ever-popular Linksys BEFSX41 is
> another popular choice (it can overload and glitch though, under
> extended, heavy periods of running). All are about the same. Likewise,
> the Netgear FR114P is another good choice, and I'd probably take it
> over the others. SMC reportedly makes some good router/firewalls too.
> Just don't get wireless if you can avoid it and be sure to check the
> labelling on the box to be sure it has firewall features.

Thanks. I did read somewhere to avoid wireless router.

>
> > >
> > > >Or is it better to disconnect my PC from the modem (to Internet) when
> > > >not using it? Just that I have Windows Update scheduled everyday and
> > > >Norton Anti-virus scheduled everyweek.
> > >
> > > Since I assume you are not running a server,
> >
> > No I am not.
> >
> > > I'd disconnect it
> > > whenever it's not in use. You generally do not ISP software (which
> > > often contains spyware and other junk) to connect to the net; if you
> > > have a high-speed connection, use IPCONFIG /RELEASE to disconnect and
> > > IPCONFIG /RENEW to connect.
 
> > I have highspeed (comcast). I need to learn how to disconnect and
> > connect as you suggested above. IPCONFIG /RELEASE and IPCONFIG /RENEW
> > the commands I need to use for disconnecting and reconnecting? I
> > shall try immediately.
>
> > > You generally have to run this from a DOS
> > > window,
> >
> > In my case, command prompt. I have XP prof.
>
> Just type CMD from the run menu, and enter those commands in.
> IPCOFNIG\ /RELEASE and test your connection, then try IPCONFIG /RENEW
> Adapter #. Run IPCOFNFIG | MORE to find out the adapter number and
> just see what's going on, and you can jjust use that in the future.
> Once you've got that down, creating shortcuts is easy.
>
   I have started using IPCONFIG /RELEASE and IPCONFIG / RENEW since
last night. I don't understand what you ean by creating and placing
shortcuts. I am not too familiar with DOS commands. Need to learn ...

> > > You can create shortcuts and place them wherever you want.
>
> > > Windows Update and Norton LiveUpdate are of no consequence; if they
> > > cannot connect to the net at a certain time, they will wait until a
> > > connection IS available.
> >
> > Well..Norton LiveUpdate has been doing that, i.e prompting me to
> > download whenever i connect to internet but Windows Update hasn't been
> > doing that since I had my PC disconnected from internet. Something
> > wrong?
>
> I don't think so. It shouldn't be a problem. Just run WU and see if
> anything is amiss. IIRC, WU can operate silently in the background,
> and is smart enough to back off on updating when you're busy so as to
> not clog your connection.

 I went to microsfot website and noticed that 'Critical Updates and
Service Packs' showed 0, i.e none available. I checked "view
installtion history" and saw that the last time Windows Update was
done automatically was in November, 2003.

Since I had been keeping my PC physically disconnected from modem when
i wasn't online, it seems that it may just have been that there was no
critical update since then, i.e in December and January BUT...
  .. ....more possibly, I may have removed the scheduled tasks for
Windows Update after seeing 'Never' under "Last Run Time" in
"schedule task" list. I must have removed Windows Update scheduled
after seeing "Never" there too. The thing is I moved here from another
state and the PC was not set up or connected to Internet for about 3-4
weeks. So, I was seeing weird thing and hence went and bought Norton
AV 2003 and put it and scheduled it. When scheduling, the password was
issue got me to raed the user guide...

The schedule task Symantic NetDetect runs fine and infact, it was the
only one sceduled until 2 days ago when I added the scheduling for
 Norton AntiVirus 2003 Professional (everyday 3am) and
 Windows Upadte (Every Sat 800AM).

What I noticed - just looked at it again 1 min ago - was that "Never"
is displayed for Norton AntiVirus 2003 with 'Status' saying 'couldn't
run because of incorrect password'. (I have no idea what password it
is talking about; in the past, I looked in the user guide and saw
none. I did registered the software. The one I bought (last August)
is good for 2 PC and not sharing it with anyone though I plan to put
it in my sister's PC).

This reminds me that the password was the same reason I removed it
before. I don't remember about the Windows Update, i.e why I removed
it. Just now, I had scheduled it again without putting a password
starting tomorrow. Let's see whether it will scan. So far, I manually
scaned the hard drive.

Anyway, I downloaded and installed other Windows Updates (not critical
ones). The last time I did that was in April 2003 or so. Is that what
people called patches? And, under "Windows Security", I saw other such
as

Blaster Worm Removal Tool for Windows XP and Windows 2000 (KB833330)
Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1
Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1
(KB824145)

 Should I put those? I read somewhere that "patches" cause more
problems...

> Sponge
> Sponge's Secure Solutions
> www.geocities.com/yosponge
> My new email: yosponge2 att yahoo dott com

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