> Anyway, it is my intent to audition yet another antivirus program. My > first program was compromised--Zone Alarm, and now my second > one--Shield Deluxe Pro--went down as well.
Zone Alarm is not strictly an antivirus program. It does not look for virus signatures in files you download, etc. What it does is block unauthorized network connections to/from your computer. > Any suggestions out there? I seem to get 6 months to a year out of a > security suite before it gets penetrated. I'd take a hard look at the sites you are visiting, what you are downloading, and be extra cautions with email attachments. Also be sure your Windows Firewall is active. Getting a virus every 6 months seems quite extreme to me if you are running defensive programs. I think I've gotten one in about the last 10 years. I have been running Avast! as my real-time anti-virus for the last few years, and it seemed to do a good job. I've since switched to Windows Security Essentials since it's free (Avast! has a free version too, but you have to re-register every so often). I also periodically scan the system with Malwarebytes and Ad-Aware, and remove whatever it suggests. I find that all these programs will find a few things that the others did not, so it seems that having several different defenses in place is better than relying on just one. Another good idea is to replace your local "hosts" file with the one from http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm This will block most ad tracking you as you browse; it also blocks a number of domains that are known to contain malware. Note, if you do this you will find that the "paid links" in Google search results no longer function, but I never click those anyway so it's not an issue for me. You will need to manually update this every few months as it's constantly updated. Finally, it's a good idea to put a router between your cable/dsl modem and your computer. Even if you aren't using wireless or multiple computers at home, the router gives you a private network between your computer and the internet, almost like another firewall. Allan -- 1983 300D _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
