I am pretty sure something got through. With the way I set the firewall, only Mozilla is allowed access to the internet. If anything else tries to access the net, the firewall will ask me if I want to give it net access, or block it completely. After the that crap link I followed, there were two new programs that tried to get access to the net. I had the both blocked, terminated, then found the source and deleted them. But there were other programs that kept putting crap into my IE favorites folder, goofy things poppin up upon startup, which prompted me to reformat. Been fine ever since. I will try this AVG program, sounds like a winner.

 

Check out what I found. Click here. It is a comparison between anti virus programs. So I want to try the AVG but it does not offer script blocking. Do I need to worry about script blocking?

 

Your computer is infected with spyware and NO antivirus is going to help it. In fact, you'll probably need to use more than just one antispy/adware program because none gets rid of all the malware out there. Usually it takes several scans and reboots to finally get rid some stuff, especially anything embedded in the registry. On badly infected systems sometimes the junk has to be picked out by hand by an expert.

The are dozens of antispyware programs to choose from. Ad-Aware SE Pro does the best overall job of getting rid of spyware of the many products I've tried, but I like the realtime protection of SpySweeper better. I use both products. As with antivirus's, definitions of antispyware have to be updated constantly.

I don't personally use any antivirus programs because I don't do file or music sharing, and more importantly I watch my email closely. A virus is much easier to defend against than spyware. For customers who don't have the expertise to watch out for virus's I usually recommend NAV, but it is geting more expensive and harder to pirate as time goes on.

Using alternative OS's and browsers will take care of the problem, but not because they're any better written software. Hackers, and in the case of spyware, marketers, go where the action is, and the that happens to be Windows and IE. Also, whenever you see more integration between your OS, software, and the internet, there will be new holes opening up for anyone wanting to take advantage of it..

 

My first unit was a Mac Performa and it was great. Not a lot of power, but it was great for graphics. Then I had an iMac. Again, not a lot of power, BUT it never got hammered with spyware or viruses. Leanring more about 'puters, I dumped it for a pc. HUGE MISTAKE on my part. Mac's are so superior in just about every way. Next week the pc goes to the happy hunting ground and a new Mac laptop takes it's place.

 

Well I certainly don't feel that Macs are superior in almost every way over the PC, but in a few. It depends on the software needed, and job the computer does, as to which platorm is better.

There's a vast amount of "vertical" software out there which doesn't even run on a Mac. Which system is the best to use in those cases? Macs aren't even a consideration. In general, software is more difficult to write and develope for a Mac than for a PC, so apps aren't as avialable.

For everyday computing they're probably more stable than Windows but there's reasons for that. When was the last time you ever saw a Mac clone? Apple controlls everything when it comes to the OS and the hardware it runs on.

They're just as vulnerable to virus and malware but don't get attacked because of their lower numbers. Very few hackers target them because ther's no market for it, otherwise the story would be very different.

One reason OS X is an improvement is because it's built on a Unix core, which is hardly an Apple development.

 

AVG has worked great for me too..... and the price is right. Never had any problems.....but you need to install the latest updates every ten days, only takes seconds though.

 

I figured I had something, be it a virus or spyware. I fixed that problem quick, a reformat of my hard drives, which wipes out everything. I can't stand IE anymore, hence the switch to Mozilla.