Uechi-Ryu.com

1) Something in the system shuts down Norton at what is perceived as random times. Probably something on the internet getting through that does it. This goes unnoticed until the thoughts "Hey, there's no Norton in my system tray!" How long it's been absent before that's discovered may have been enough to let in a few viruses or more -- and it has.

2) Two of the PCs I build this summer I returned [major parts like motherboard and bare-bones assemblies] because they were defective, as in the driver software would not load propperly or not at all. Scanning with Norton on another machine revealed absolutely nothing, so it Had to be the hardware, just HAD to be the hardware.

3) Approximately something just under 50 of my regular backup CDs were infested with several types of virulent viruses, etc. This was discovered when one of the new machines started shutting down again at the strangest of times.

Just to try something different, I picked up a copy of MacAffee's full suite at the local computer rip-off store and was absolutely horrified to discover what existed on those CDs as outlined in 3) above.

MacAffee also caught the culprit of 2) above when I tested, on a hunch, the driver CD I forgot to return with the hardware, and THAT CD, FROM THE DISTRIBUTOR, WAS LOADED!!!

When there was a severe rash of viruses going around on the IUKF mailings, I caught a Klez. Actual several varieties of Klez from one person in particular. I know this because I traced this one back through the list of CDs to an earlier time.

Fortunately for my friends in email-land, I don't resave old mailing lists when I rebuild a PC, rather keep old stuff stored off.

But Norton, yoo hoo -- NORTON -- NEVER NIXED NONE of the above.

I put my money where my mouth is and am remaining in the secure camp of the McAffee.

In my leisure as I reconstruct my backup system weeding out those viruses and Trojan horses, one-at-the-time, I wonder why I hadn't previously considered McAffee before. Probably because the name Norton is a trustes household name in PC-land. Just don't ask I'f I'm enjoying my leisure time as I do my internet and email thing on a 300MHz laptop with a low-resolution video card until I get this mess all cleaned up! Just don't ask.

Remember. The word is pronounced Mac'-Uh-Fee!.

_________________
Always with an even keel.
-- Allen

I was using Norton 2000, then 2002, but still getting viruses sneaking in. I had to re-format my computer twice in less than a year.

McAffee is expensive, but has everything needed to keep my computer virus free and running.

I also use "Mailwash", a free program that screens your mail for viruses and spam, before you actually load it into your computer. You see a list of everything it marks as viruses and spam. You can also override their recommendation and can build a list of "friends", based on their email addresses. Mailwash remembers addresses you mark.

This morning, Mailwash identified and deleted 8 virus email!

The viruses are so sophisticated today that I believe some of them are able to activate themselves when loaded into your email program. Once in awhile I forget to use mailwash and thankfully, McAffee stops them.

_________________
GEM
"Do or do not. there is no try!"

I'm not surprised to read that about Norton.

Geo-orge... Time is money, man.

Had anyone told you how much time you would have lost due to using Norton/not having McAffee before you got your first Norton, would you have thought it expensive then?

It's like someone [reputable and trustworthy] saying "Give me $100.00 and I'm going to save you $10,000.00." About the right ratio of time-dollars saved over a relatively short period of time. The other guy [approximately the same reputation] says "Give me $50.00 for the same thing." Who you're gonna call?

Going the cheap route, more often than not, all too frequently turns out to be the expensive route. I'm not scolding you, George, because like yourself I took the cheap route as well. Listen, I've had Norton's since the days before Windows. It was the best [and only] then, and has been living off his reputation. I now think of N to Netscrape as M relates to IE.

Some like to laugh at others when they express certain things that did not work out for them, and at a costly expense. I trust, however, that most of this readership is way beyond that adolescent, immature stage and can learn from others' tribulations. Remember, George, you can tell the seasoning of the pioneers by counting the arrow-holes.

You are right about "smart-viruses," George. They come in Java and dll flavors and can take over a machine. There are others which are difficult to detect that reside in memory. There are warnings, horror stories, and visions of what to come postes on some of the anti-virus websites.

The results of my striving to separate my workhorse computers from the internet and email did not come soon enough.

_________________
Always with an even keel.
-- Allen

now you tell me!

I switched to Norton 2 years ago.

Actually norton has stoped Klez 6 times in two months on my system. 4 different varriants. The scourge of spam email viruses.

Maybe the key is keeping the definition files current, then again maybe I've just be lucky.

One thing was for sure, MacAffee was tough to get rid of before I installed Norton. Might be a good feature as viruses get smarter .

Laird

I've used NAV on three computers so far since 1997. So far, there have been no problems. Norton Firewall is stopping a lot of hacking attacks on my system now as well. The OEM version af McAfee AV on Mom's Compaq also works well.

I used McAfee Utilities once in 1999. What a nightmare! The damn thing took over my hard disk, filled an entire 2Gb partition with bloatware and re-wrote the registries so Win 95 became all but unusable. Cost over $100 for a local computer repair shop to fix everything, and to uninstall McAfee.

Current McAfee versions are getting good reviews, however. But NAV still has stopped every virus testers and reviewers have thrown at it. Also, Symantec was the first one to develop a defense vs. Klez.

Just for the record, I've been using computers since 1984, and have never been infected with a virus. Must be lucky.

For people who are worrying about cost: Check out http://www.softwareoutlet.com for some decent deals on OEM and full retail software.

Gene

Sorry folks to interrupt the program, but......

Gene,

Please email me today if you get a chance?

Thanks,

Mike (aka sensei)

Now back to your regularly scheduled program!