slymongoose

[hide=pyromancer & Nadril wrote...] The Wii is novel, but it lacks good games. Like, a serious lack. [/hide] Oh, ok fair enough. It makes sense though. Being a (Nintendo) Wii owner myself, I know that it has nowhere near the game potential as the xbox360 or PS3. But as I said, for casual, fun-loving "gamers" like myself, its alright. :mrgreen: But as for fubol, he doesn't want a PS3 or a Wii, so I guess by process of elimination...that leaves...? You figure it out :mrgreen:

Please do forgive me for not following the flow of the in-thread discussion, but... With reference to Nadril's original post and the thread overall... Why get so excited about Windows 7...isn't it just an upgraded version of Vista? and I could write a book about all the complaints people seems to have about Vista. I mean, its like saying IE8 will be fantastic compared to IE7 just because its an upgraded version, but at the end of the day, it still is...and will always be Internext Explorer... and it still is...and will always be Microsoft... I accept Microsoft...and all its "baggage". They make great OS's, in my humble opinion of course, but they obviously fall down in other areas. If you have a problem with Vista, which is a great OS, in my humble opinion once more, whats to say you (and I'm speaking generally) won't have a dislike for Windows 7?

With the risk of being laughed at... I couldn't help but notice how no one has mentioned the (Nintendo) Wii thus far, or is that not considered a console? :mrgreen: I mean I have a (Nintendo) Wii, and its fairly alright...although I'm not a "gamer"...really...I keep things relatively simple, like "Mario" type games. Or...just maybe...lol you guys consider the Wii a console, just as much as Internext Explorer is a browser? :lol: Please do enlighten. :D

-Thanks for your input rwinner16, but I think we already established that McAfee isn't good :mrgreen: -Your bad experience from using McAfee though, serves as another reason not to use it, and I thank you for sharing. =D> I sincerely hope that other users of this forum who read this will now see that we in the tech forum, know what we're talking about when we say that McAfee is not a good anti-virus. -However, I am very alarmed that you're using AVG, because frankly, in my humble opinion, AVG is just as bad as McAfee is. Also, as you rightly said, there are alot of better anti-virus programs out there, both free and paid versions. If by chance you haven't seen the other threads in the forum about this, then you should know that, in my humble opinion of course, I highly recommend Avast! HOME as a free anti-virus and NOD32 as a paid anti-virus. Avast! found here: http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html NOD32: found here: http://www.eset.com/ -Also, you say that you don't have Windows Defender or Spybot S&D. I sincerely hope you still have some sort of spyware-removal program. Ad-Aware 2008 is a good (FREE) option to try, found here: http://www.lavasoft.com/products/ad_aware_free.php

-I can't help with with solving the problem you're having. -What I can do is recommend a better anti-virus program. I'd recommend Avast! anti-virus, found here : http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html It's free and in my humble opinion, it's easily the best FREE anti-virus out there, at the moment.

[hide=Previous posts from Clare and urbestfreind] Speak for yourself...I'm spending my weekend cleaning out 2 malware-infested computers (XP Antispyware 2009 anybody?), and setting up one as a test server so I can learn PHP and whatnot easier. Which is also why I'm glad this topic is around, because it will help me with cleaning up these computers. Although, I will thank you for hopefully straightening out some of the feuding going on in these forums (it's getting pretty tiresome to read). [/hide] Also, @D V Devnull & sbridea2000: First-off, let me say upfront, that I don't consider this spam, I think its just a case of the discussion going in a different direction...all under the same broad topic of good security software, yes? But, its all good though, guys (and gal? I think). Just a case of misunderstanding I suppose? But we can all learn from this and move on, yes? After all we're all working towards the same goal, yes? i.e. Helping others and sharing useful information, and learning at the same time :thumbsup: ---------------------------------------------------------------- As an aside though, When Clare mentioned that bit about mods for this forum...it got me to thinking: -I remember back when I first ever knew about tip.it forums...around like early 2005, and I came to the tech forum for the first time, I remember certain users use to have some sort of um..."tech wiz banner" under their usernames, which indicated they were persons designated to help with problems. Obviously though, that system is no longer in use...anyone was around back then, or anyone knows why tip.it stopped using it? The reason I say this is because, when you look through most of the threads, you find many users offering to help, which is a good thing, don't get me wrong...but when it comes to serious issues like say a Trojan or something like that...I think it may be more re-assuring to the person who is asking for help to see some sort of accreditation from the persons who may be helping them...so that they would at least have an idea that the information/help they are receiving is coming for a credible source and not just some random person, who despite their good intentions, could actually do more harm than helping...due to inaccuracy. Just some food for thought :mrgreen:

[hide=Previous posts from D V Devnull and sbrideau2000, which, if I may add, were quite unnecessary...] Isn't it like that for All Windows OSes? :P Too true, sbrideau... LOL! :lol:[/hide] Umm, you two gentleman (I'm assuming you're both male) do know that logic and common sense are your best friends right? :shame: If you didn't know that...then I suggest you befriend them quickly... :lol: Now obviously, for those of us who browse the Tech forums often, or who are experienced as it relates to Information Technology...information such as this is basic and is a given. However, I did not post this for your benefit...but rather for the benefit of those who are not regular users of this forum, or who may not be very adept at dealing with problems on their PC. It's called being CRYSTAL CLEAR...So therefore, your comments are completely out of place, yes? Now I'm willing to bet, that say 2 weeks or maybe even a couple months down the road, someone else is going to come here, asking questions about this same very thing...even though it has already been resolved in another thread, like say this one. Need I say more? :lol: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Moving on brilliantly... :) On the topic of what urbestfreind and ClareJonsson were discussing: I am willing to go out on a limb and say that Avast! HOME is probably the best free anti-virus software out there right now...I've never even heard of that Avira thing...so as Clare said, go with Avast! :thumbup:

...sigh, is the green really that bad? If I was helpful...thats all that counts really... However...the last thing I would want to do is post illegible content, so I guess this will have to do.

@ D.V. : -Well, I've heard (ok...so I'm reading but you get the point lol) what you said and taken it into consideration. -However, I have re-installed Spybot and turned off real-time protection as you recommended, and surprisingly, it works just fine. I also still have Windows Defender on, and its still working great. I guess Comodo is just better for me then ZA...which is something you probably don't wanna hear lol...but hey...it is what it is, yeh? -If anything stirs up...I'll be sure to let ya know. -->But alas, the lessons learnt are: -If you're running Vista...don't make any changes to Spybot without clicking "Run as Administrator". -Don't have too many real-time protection software running at the same time. -Only use Spybot, if you know what you're doing...or after getting some serious advice/consultation from advanced users. I deemed this case SOLVED! =D>

[hide=D_V_Devnull's previous post] slymongoose, Joey said it. BTW, the only program whose resident protection system that you should be using is that of the AntiVirus. (In this case, NOD32.) Well, that and the one of a firewall. :geek: As for Windows Defender and Spybot S&D, do have them installed and waiting, but DO NOT use their realtime protection systems, as those WILL interfere with the AV/FireWall... Further, try to toss back in ZoneAlarm WITHOUT having those realtime protections running. (Do, however, install that as an Admin.) I have this feeling it may start working if it only has to worry about the AV alongside, and not anything else. :thumbup: ~D. V. "Late to the ball game..." Devnull [/hide] -Ah!, just the guy (I'm assuming) I was looking to hear from. -I had actually resolved the issue. I uninstalled both Spybot and ZA. I then re-installed Ad-Aware and installed Comodo Firewall Pro. Now I'm problem free and Firefox is happy again...which makes me happy :mrgreen: -Only thing is, I actually liked Spybot, and really would like to have it, I think I will try your suggestion of turning off real-time. Is it really necessary to turn off Windows Defender real-time as well though? As for as I can tell it isn't causing any problems and its actually useful to me. Comodo has its real-time going as well with its "DEFNESE+" feature, so right now my real-time consists of NOD32, Comodo and Windows Defender, and as I said, everything's working great. For now though, I'm gonna retry Spybot, without real-time and see if it works ok.

[hide=From previous posts.] I'm not concerned about security or anything, I haven't had a security problem in years. I just want to know how and why some anti-virus software are better than others. Most of the things I hear are things that never happened to me ("My systme crashed after I installed {Software}!!) or resource usage. Better Virus Definitions (means that it can spot more viruses, and the trickier ones) and being less of a system resource hog are usually the two main reasons. [/hide] -As Nadril rightly said, your "internet intelligence", is just as important as having good software. -The reason I said Norton, AVG and McAfee are not good software, was because their reputation is very, very bad: Norton: 1. Norton, from what I've been told (and from very reliable sources, mind you) is a real "resource hog". In other words, it burdens your system...I compare it to the average man trying to hold two bags of cement for say...three (3) hours straight....without putting them down. 2. As Nadril said again, Norton is lacking in virus definition quality...which is the core of any anti-virus software, as compared to say good software like NOD32, Avast! or Kaspersky. AVG: 1. AVG, while it must be commended for giving us the option of "decent" free software, is infamous for its false-positives, and for its sub-par detection rates (poor quality virus definitions) McAfee: 1. This one seems to a popular choice to include with software packages or new systems. Infact, my Dell Inspiron came with a subcription of McAfee but I got rid of it faster than you would drop a hot frying pan. I installed KIS from day 1 and I loved it. I would say its virus definitions are also sub-par and this is a reason why it should be avoided. -Now let me also say, right, that you could have great software like NOD32, Kaspersky, Avast!, Comdo...etc, BUT if your "internet intelligence" is lacking...then you're no better off. You could have a look at this (safe) website, it has alot of useful information : http://windowssecrets.com/

off topic: jesus christ dude....of course its gonna work on ur pc....look at the hardware >_> thats godly....and about 3k+ worth of stuff on topic: kk i suppose ill get a lappy (<-- dont ask) and 2 gigs of ram...thx guys =P $1050, actually. My 1100$ lappy runs vista like a dream. I threw the SSD in it once just for fun, and it beat the pants off almost any computer I've ever used, except for my 'work' desktop with an SSD. ->As it relates to the topic of the thread: Vista works fine, provided you have the appropriate hardware and specs, as has been said so far. I'm typing this right now on my Vista Home Edition. I have 2 gigs RAM, and it works just fine, so the others were spot on where that is concerned. Compatibility is hardly an issue now, because any company/program manufacturer who is worth something, would have made their programs/products Vista compatible by now, yes? ->Off-topic though: I'm intrigued by your system specs, compfreak847. Just curious though, what exactly does "SSD" mean? and also what part of the system is "Corsair TX750"? [/hide] Yahoo or Google is your friend. SSD=Solid State Drive. For more information - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid-state_drive Corsair 750=A 750W power supply unit from Corsair. More info - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Supp ... _(Computer) (add the ) after the r... weird link) Green text... Why? First-off, don't tell me Google is my friend...this forum is for asking computer related questions, which I am doing, yes? You easily replied and told me what I wanted to know...I'm sure it didn't disadvantage you in anyway... Second, I like my text in green...and it will stay in green. It's unfortunate that the grey background of this forum...doesn't exactly blend well with green...but I've been trying to find a lighter shade...that is more legible... Thanks though, for the quick reply, much appreciated.

--*Let me state up front that I'm not in anyway a "recognized" tech, around these forums, my views only represent my opinion as someone who has a fond passion/interest in computers.--* Continuing... You're in the right place. For starters, if you refer to the "How-to Guide" in the Announcements section of this forum, you would see that computer security has four main software aspects: 1. firewall, 2.anti-virus, 3. spyware-remover, 4.browser However, that thread could use some updating/adjustments. However, this is an area I'm really passionate about...and may even choose as a career one day :mrgreen: . In my humble opinion, 1. Firewall: One of the best out there is easily Comodo Firewall Pro (and it's free). I personally use it and I have absolutely no complaints thus far...although, mind you I've been using it for approximately a week now. If you want to spend some money, there's Comodo Firewall Pro PLUS which you could buy. ->Another option out there is Zone Alarm...and up to literally a few days ago...before I installed Comodo...I had Zone Alarm, which I thought was amazing...until I was informed otherwise. I then tried Comodo...and...the rest as they say is history. So basically try Comodo, yes? 2. Anti virus: ==>First off, let me make this clear. AVG, Norton and McAfee ARE NOT antivirus programs...they are just garbage, that take up precious hard drive space, yes? I mean...sure, they call themselves "anti virus software", but there are those of us out there who know better. Saying AVG, Norton and McAfee are good "anti virus software" is like saying IE7 is the best browser ever, or Windows Firewall is the best firewall ever...need I say more? :lol: --If you want good free anti virus software, you could try Avast Home Edition. Again, if you want to spend money, you could try Kaspersky Anti virus. The best bet though, for paid software, is NOD32...which I currently use, and which is simply amazing. Scanning speed alone...is just...wow. 3. Spyware Remover: A good free product worth trying is Ad-Aware 2008. It's simple to use and effective. I wouldn't recommend Spybot S&D, because I had it and it caused Firefox serious problems...for some reason...and I couldn't have that, now could I? If you're gonna try Spybot, then use with extreme caution. 4. Browser: As for the browser...well, you're already using Firefox - nuff said. Just make sure you get some good add-ons like CS Lite, NoScript, Adblock Plus, WOT and Flashblock, keep them up-to-date, and you should be fine. Oh, and also keep Firefox itself, up-to-date as well. --> One more thing though, it's good to get the individual products, but you do have the option of getting the all-in-one packages, (meaning a firewall and a spyware/virus/malware scanner and remover, in one product) as well. Kaspersky Internet Security (KIS) and ESET Smart Security, are good examples of such software. (I have only used KIS though, and it was very nice). These would be paid products however. One important caution about all-in-one packages though is that you run the risk of lacking in one area and excelling in the other. For example, Kaspersky is widely recognized for having very good antivirus software, however the firewall in their KIS may be lacking as compared to a specialized firewall program like Comodo Firewall Pro. Oh and one last important thing, regardless of what program/software you use, you MUST keep it up-to-date as much as is humanly possible. The same goes for you're operating system, particularly if you're using Windows, make sure you keep Windows up-to-date, with Windows Update. ~~This website, gives some information about this same topic area. It was recommended to me by another person in this forum, who helped me out when I had a problem, and you should probably have a look as well: http://windowssecrets.com/

[hide=From previous posts...] off topic: jesus christ dude....of course its gonna work on ur pc....look at the hardware >_> thats godly....and about 3k+ worth of stuff on topic: kk i suppose ill get a lappy (<-- dont ask) and 2 gigs of ram...thx guys =P $1050, actually. My 1100$ lappy runs vista like a dream. I threw the SSD in it once just for fun, and it beat the pants off almost any computer I've ever used, except for my 'work' desktop with an SSD. [/hide] ->As it relates to the topic of the thread: Vista works fine, provided you have the appropriate hardware and specs, as has been said so far. I'm typing this right now on my Vista Home Edition. I have 2 gigs RAM, and it works just fine, so the others were spot on where that is concerned. Compatibility is hardly an issue now, because any company/program manufacturer who is worth something, would have made their programs/products Vista compatible by now, yes? ->Off-topic though: I'm intrigued by your system specs, compfreak847. Just curious though, what exactly does "SSD" mean? and also what part of the system is "Corsair TX750"?

-->Ok, I appreciate the help :thumbup: I think I have been convinced though...I'm gonna get Comodo, I want the best of everything...and if ZA isn't that...well then so be it, yes? -->About the Firefox problem though....its getting really annoying, and now I know for sure that it is a firefox problem, because I had to use *GASP* IE7 to download the ad-aware installer...I feel tormented even to say that :ohnoes: I hope some sorta fix/update is coming soon :wall:

Ok, thank you sloter and Errdoth, I think I got it all understood now. I think what I'll do is recommend that we get the laptop with Vista...so it has all the nice specs and is powerful enough, and then use Vbox to run XP :mrgreen: Or...even just forget about XP and just run Vista. Thanks again to all who responded, I know I came to the right place for help :thumbsup:

Thanks alot, guys (and gals, if it applies). I feel enlightened now :mrgreen: Just a few more questions though: -->Is it a bad idea to run Vista and Xp using such methods (like Vbox, bootloader, etc)? The reasoning behind it all is that the laptop its suppose to go on is gonna be "public" use...and we all know how there are still alot of people out there who fear Vista...so it was decided that it should have XP on it...then the idea was brought up of having both Vista and XP. -->@Errdoth, or someone who knows about this kinda thing: I see you used the term virtual machine to describe Vbox. Am I correct in saying then that bootloader IS NOT a virtual machine?...and if this is the case, then can you recommend or give me some info about a bootloader I could use. (I'm sure Vbox is as good as you say it is, I'm just trying to examine all options so I can make an informed decision :) )

Hmm, Ok thanks alot to everyone who's replied so far. I just want to be clear on a few things though... --This "bootloader"...is this a piece of hardware or is this a software program? --Also dsavi_x4 mentioned the programs Virtualbox and Vmware...could you guys give me a link for these programs or some more info on them? --And if the bootloader is a program, and not a hardware adjustment, I'm guessing there's still a way to have dual OS's by doing something with the hardware, yeh? --Finally, if the above question is true, what would be better, to use a program or to make the adjustment via the hardware? Oh and btw, the two OS's system I want to have are Vista and XP, and its suppose to be on a laptop, with a dual core. --Oh and since dual core supposedly would work, I'm guessing Core 2 Duo or a quad core would work even better, yes? Thanks in advance :thumbup:

Hmm, ok thanks for the recommendation, I'll look into that program. But just as a general update, I think I've resolved the problem. What I did: -I took off the immunizations off Firefox, and left them on IE only. -I reset all my original Spybot settings and used the Run as Administrator option to run Spybot when changing any settings. I think this is important for us Vista users. So, after doing that I've been ok...my only concern though, was a few process problems...as in I would close firefox via alt+F4 and then when I check the processes in the task manager, I'd see firefox[Caution: Executable File] still running and then when I tried to end process, it wouldn't move. But as I said that was a lil' earlier...so I think I'm pretty ok now. I'll definitely check out that program you mentioned though. -One more thing though...if I don't use ZA, what other options I have for free firewall software? Only Comodo? and as for Spybot...I actually like it...I think the trick is you just gotta know what you're doing...as in its not for the novice, yeh? Novices should try more user-friendly stuff like Ad-Aware. Thanks again to all :thumbsup: EDIT --> I started having the same problems even after tweaking these settings :wall: So I uninstalled Spybot...I'm going back to my old friend Ad-Aware...lol. Now to see if similar problems still arise. Although, I was starting to wonder if the problem might be with Firefox...but then *gasp* IE7, failed to work as well. I have a suspicion though that the problem may have been caused by Windows Defender, Spybot and NOD32 all having a "resident protection" thing going...of sorts --> Also, the question still stands about free firewall options. In the Annoucnements part of this forum...ZA and Outpost firewall are mentioned...but from browsing the forum, I've seen the name Comdo come up as well...can anyone give me a reason(s) to use one of these other two rather than ZA, or should I just stick with ZA...which I do like...and haven't to my knowledge, had any problems with? -->Oh and N0D32 stays, yes? I think you'll have a hard time convincing me to do otherwise, welcome to try though :mrgreen:

Ok, so I was speaking with a friend of mine who works in the IT field, and he was telling me that with dual core processors, you can have two operating systems on 1 PC. I was just wondering if anyone in the forum could give me some info on how this works exactly? Just for my curiosity :mrgreen: -Oh and I know someone will probably tell me to google it or w/e...but I trust you nice people in the forum to give me the right info, yeh? :thumbsup:

I don't think you need to reboot. Just open the task manager and terminate Internet Explore or FireFox process, like iexplore[Caution: Executable File] and start again? -Hmm, well I figured it might be Spybot...I had been using ad-aware for a while and wanted to try something new...plus I had always heard about Spybot. -About the task manager thing, I do know about terminating processes and I have tried that...I went and click terminate firefox[Caution: Executable File] and iexplore[Caution: Executable File] many times but they never move off the list of processes while the problem was occuring. Thanks though, I might just go back to my old friend Ad-aware. As for ZA, I have confidence in ZA, so I don't plan to remove that. -Hmm, well I have heard about Comdo, but as I said in a few lines up...I have confidence in ZA. I have a suspicion though that Spybot and NOD32 may not be getting along...as from what I can tell, both have some sorta...um "real-time protection", for lack of a better word. -I wonder though if the problem may have anything to do with the "Immunize" tool in Spybot, which it says basically, and I quote "allows you to immunize your computer against spyware"...and some other stuff about tweaking settings and holes in IE, and other browsers. And since my problem starts with the browsers...this just might be it. Thanks alot to you both, I'm gonna tweak a few things, and see how it turns out. I'll be sure to reply back here and give and update.

-->Let me say upfront that I'm running Vista Home Premium 6 Service Pack 1, 32-bit OS, Dell System. Ok, here's the situation...my subscription for Kaspersky Internet Security 9.0 was about to end, and I was unable to renew so I decided to look for new security programs to protect my system. As you may/may not know, KIS was one of those all-in-one package type of software, so in choosing my replacements I had to look at each section specifically. -The browser isn't a problem as I'm a Firefox addict :) -For my firewall, I chose and installed Zone Alarm (free) -For the antivirus, I chose and installed the trial version of NOD32 AV, with plans to purchase it very soon -For spyware, I chose and installed Spybot S&D. Now I must admit, I do spend quite a bit of time browsing in the tech forums...and I'm also into Computers, Computer Science...and all that...so I'm not in anyway, a novice. However, since I installed these programs, I have been having a...minor (I hope) issue with my internet. Basically what happens is that I'd be browsing in Firefox for a decent while, at least 30 mins or so...and then all of a sudden when I try to load new pages, it doesn't work. I don't get any error, it just seems to freeze at the point where it normally is, when its about to load a new page. Then I close firefox via alt+F4, and try to start it again and then it gives me the error saying that Firefox is already running. Or it just doesn't start up at all. This has happened on three(3) occasions now and on the first one, it actually totally messed up my msn messenger...which I had running at the time...so much so that I had to get out if it via turning off the power... Now this has only started to happen since I installed these programs...so I have the suspicion that one of them...or *gasp* all of them have something to do with this. I also tried opening *gasp* IE7...but that was the same...it froze at the loading bar when I tried to load a page. Then also, when I try to restart/shut down, it takes like 3-5 mins before it actually responds and restarts/shuts down. So I'm wondering, am I having some sorta clash? I don't believe these programs have any compatibility issues... If anyone has any input or could help in anyway I'd greatly appreciate it, thanks in advance.

I am no expert or tech wiz...but I have had a similar problem before, which I was able to resolve. My PC also came with a free trial of Mcafee...I deleted it the normal way, through add/remove programs. However, I'm using Vista...and in the Windows Security Center it still said I had it installed. Apparently it was a problem with some process in Services, but basically its through that, that I resolved it. So basically...I would suggest just deleting it the normal way, and if your using XP or Vista...see if you have that same occurrence with the Security Center. But again I am no expert or tech wiz...just speaking as someone who's been there, done that.

Ok, I'm satisfied. Thanks for your help everyone!

Firefox: I was wondering...in my task manager in the processes tab, firefox[Caution: Executable File] has an approx. memory of 97000k-102000k. This is way higher than any other memory value and I was wondering if this is considered normal...of if I should be worried? Graphics card: I used the dxdiag tool and it said my graphics card is : Intel® G33/G31 Express Chipset Family, with about 286 MB of memory. I browse the tech forum fairly regularly and I've found that when you guys speak about graphics cards the name Nivida (sp?) comes up alot. I was wondering how my card compares to that and other cards on a whole? Thanks in advance.