Tom:
I keep my security settings set relatively high, and I was able to get in
the chat room. You should try to resolve the issue, because the few of us who
were there had a nice time talking. (At least I did!)
I think you may be reaching the point of confusing your machine by having
all of those security programs. I run McAfee antivirus software, and a McAfee
firewall, both of which are offered by AOL, at no extra charge to their
customers. AOL also includes antispyware with their service. I know a lot of
people
consider AOL to be outdated, but they are death on spam, and do a great job
of weeding out viruses. I also use Ad-Aware and SpywareBlaster.
I have played around with a lot of spyware programs. I haven't tried all of
them, but it has been my experience that if Ad-Aware and SpywareBlaster don't
stop something, the other programs probably won't either. If they do catch
something those two programs miss, it is probably something relatively
innocuous.
I know we have to be careful, with identity theft, and access to personal
information becoming more of a problem every day, but don't let that ruin your
online experience. Pick a couple of good programs, run them and update them
regularly, and you should be okay.
One tip; I no longer use credit cards, or personal checks when I buy things
online, I use USPS money orders, because I don't want anyone knowing my
banking information. I don't want anyone seeing how little is actually there!.
Randy
