Re: switching

From: Sadie (anonymous_at_discussions.microsoft.com)
Date: 05/07/04 

Date: Fri, 7 May 2004 11:55:54 -0700

Well,we could all pull our hair out over "holes in the
O.S" and ditch our AV programmes,but,that'd just lead to
premature greying and high blood pressure.

In my experience,common sense,self restraint and
discipline are the secrets to keeping a computer clean.

If you've paid for Norton,supplement it for the time
being til the license runs out.Try one of the many
speciffic anti-trojan programmes out there,such as a2(a
squared).Just ensure that the supplementary scanner is on-
demand so it wont conflict with your main real-time A.V
programme.
Steer clear of P2P applications,don't download "free"
tracks from MP3 sites.Follow Black Vipers guide to
shutting down unneccessary services.If it ain't
running,it can't be exploited.
Take the time to learn how to configure your chosen
firewall properly.Set security in I.E to the highest
level when surfing.Surfing,by its very nature means you
are bound to stray into unknown territory.Sites
that "cannot be displayed properly" because active
scripting is disabled,or a £1300 phonebill as the result
of a dialer landing on you?-you decide.
Don't open spam,however innocuous it may look.In all
honesty,the majority of Trojan dialers I see thesedays
are "dropped".Fatal links on dodgy websites,one click is
all it takes.Sometimes,not even that!

Keep bang up to date with security patches.

Good luck with the re-install.Have to say,it does sound a
nightmare-I'd probably re-image the harddrive if mine
ever got in that state.
>-----Original Message-----
>thebigTE wrote:
>> I have Norton/Symantec antivirus, fire wall and
Internet
>> Security ver 2004 installed and running on my XP
computer.
>>
>> Still, certain worms have invaded my computer,
including a
>> hyperactive dialer and one which has taken over as
home
>> page and which often flashes its window open even when
I
>> have unplugged the satellite ethernet cable. Sometimes
one
>> of these will try to open a window for them to dial
home
>> or whatever so fast and repetitively that the sound
>> repetition sounds like a gatling gun.
>>
>> Two antivirus, antitrojan programs (including SpyBot)
have
>> done complete system scans including in the registry,
but
>> cannot detect or cannot delete these criminal files.
>>
>> At this time I have had it. In a day or so I will wipe
the
>> harddrive and reinstall something else
>> ..
>> Bottom line: I don't know what better security systems
are
>> out there. I keep my Norton updated with the latest
>> definitions, etc, but the vermin keep coming.
>>
>> Question: Seeing that I have heard that Microsoft for
>> whatever reason has written Windows with wide open
back
>> doors, and that my experience proves this to me (or
>> whatever cause amounts to this same result)...
>>
>> Is Linux or some other system or perhaps just browser,
>> though perhaps less inclusive and "handy", any less
likely
>> to be invaded? As of this point, I am about ready to
throw
>> away my Microsoft products and switch to their
>> competition. This is not the first computer of mine
which
>> the internet pestilence has destroyed.
>>
>>
>> Any better systems?
>>
>> Thanks
>
>You might want to take a look at this website before you
start
>reformatting your hard drive:
>"Dealing with Unwanted Spyware and Parasites"
>http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
>
>--
>Jurren Bouman
>MVP Windows - Security
>.
>

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