Spyware: IT's public enemy No. 1

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RE: "Oh, really?"

Honestly speaking, Microsoft needs to throw out Internet Explorer and start a new one from Scartch. If you ever wondered why pretty much all versions of the Windows operating system have the same bugs it's because it's a re-use of code not creating new code.

Microsoft needs to start Internet Explorer from scratch completely, they have been re-carrying the same code since Windows 3.1 and 3.11 all the way back to 1993 and here it is 2005.

The reason why Firefox seems so much better is because it's a brand new browser software that has learned from a lot of the mistakes of Internet Explorer. It's not as robust as Internet explorer but for the home user use it works very very well.

On a personal note, if you'd like to cut down on the virus's and spyware on your PC you just need to following some simple steps:

1) Have 2 email accounts, 1 with your internet provider and one with yahoo, hotmail, something webmail that scans all attachments and removes viruses. Have most of your mail sent to your webmail account and only real email to your personal account with your ISP. This dramatically cuts down on virus emails and junkmail in your personal mail account

2) For spyware you must have 2 things: 1) Hijackthis (if you don't know how to use it, post a log and have someone help you out, you can email your log to me ajapierce@yahoo.com and i'll give you adivse about it), 2) You need a decent spyware scanner: Ad-Aware, Spy-Bot S&B or Spyware Doctor (a personal favorite).

3) To keep spyware off your computer you need to avoid the following habits:
1) Going to PORNO sites, that right is a major NO NO, most of these sites are ad-revenue based, meaning spyware a plenty
2) Going to web-sites for Free Software, Free cracking software (for cracking legit software) to the biggest culprit Free Game downloads (these are the worst)
3) Stay away from long web-links for web-sites, most of the free websites also need to install spyware to pay for them

4) What should you do to help cut down on the amount of arrgavation involved with spy-ware? Here's a good solution that requires very little thought:

1) On a clean installion (like when you first get your computer) buy an external hard-drive and a copy of Norton Ghost. Use the external hard-drive with Norton Ghost to backup your entire computer regularly about once a week.

2) Store your important files either on the external hard drive or another means like a Zip Drive. This way if you need Norton Ghost to restore your hard drive to an earlier point in time your data files will be safe because they won't be on your hard drive. Plus you get a crude form of a backup of it as well

3) Following the web-surfing habits listed above and you should be ok.

There is no full proof way to protect yourself, but armed with good habits and good Antivirus / Spyware removal software helps quite a bit.

Despite what other people will say, i still have a Windows '98 computer from 1999 that i still use today for a lot of what I do. So far, a hanful of emails with virus's that Norton A/V catches and removed to about 1 piece of spyware software.



"" "The problem has become so serious that Microsoft is working to combat it at the OS level."

They can't (or won't) even plug the security holes in IE that allow for drive-by installs.

I don't have a lot of faith at this point in Microsoft's abitlity, or willingness, to even fix IE.""

Posted by: ajapierce   Posted on: 01/20/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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