MadMonkey: okay this might be a total coninsdence and i know that isnt spelt right..lol

but ever since i downloaded the http://free.avg.com/download-file-stb-afe this morning
firefox has frozen solid twice so far very annoying has ive got to reboot every time

i should add its only happening on firefox i can use google with 3 windows open and its fine

MadMonkey: I'm using McAffe but am thinking of getting rid of it for another.  I've heard good things about Avast and Avg. 

Artful Dodger:  The three free ones I'm considering

AVG

AVAST

AVIRA

Any thoughts on theses?

Artful Dodger: I haven't tried Avast. What I found annoying about Avira was the advertisement window that popped up on every update. I like my AVG, but I am only really happy with it since I have more than one CPU core.

Artful Dodger:
I have been using Avast and I like it. I did try AVG but it seemed to slow down my computer to much.

Gordon Shumway:  I've been a happy avast! Home Edition user for many years.  Not sure why you get ads, though.  I never see any.  I do get notifications of updated versions of the software or definitions, but those don't seem at all obtrusive to me.

wetware:  Am currently using Avira.  I've read good reviews on it but have also read good reviews on Avast.  I am considering buying the pro version of the one I like the best. 

wetware: I never used Avast, the ads appeared in Avira :)

alexlee: For me too, but only during the update checking and updating, and only when I had a single core CPU, it felt like it stalled the whole system shortly after startup. But once that was done, everything was fine. Now that I have my new computer, I basically don't notice ever that AVG is running.

Gordon Shumway: Oops...I misread that.  Glad to hear that avast! was running ad-free.    :-)

I had AVG for a while, in the beginning it was perfect After several weeks my computer worked like a snail () and I was desperate looking for someyhing else
Since I installed Avast!, my computer is working like an airplane and everything is really ok Already for over a year I'm complete satisfied....well, with this part on my computer lol

Gouwe gozer: Hmmm
Come to think of it, an anti virus that does absolutely nothing would also feel perfectly OK
How sure are we that the Avast is really doing something?

I didn't say it doesn't do anything
But you can see it is available, the icon is always present while it's turning around

rabbitoid:  avast! has intercepted and warned against a number (I'll say about a dozen over the years) of trojans and other threats against my system.  In some cases that's involved particular files being quarantined, or strong recommendations to immediately disconnect from particular web sites.  I'm afraid I can't PROVE to you that these threats really existed, but I take these warnings at face value.

If necessary, I could probably dig up a log for you.  I'm pretty sure the software keeps some kind of record of such incidents.

wetware: I was just kidding. I was about to suggest that a good test would be to download a virus from the web, try to run it and see if the antivirus screams. But I wouldn't want people to actually try that

rabbitoid:why not test a virus? on a virtual system???    ;-)

By the way: any recomendations for the following task:
after installing a fresh system (xp pro sp3), all the drivers and a couple of daily used programs i want to save the whole thing in order to make it easy to re-install the complete thing.

I found "paragon hard disk manager" but even the trial-version does not allow me to do this. Are there other recommended programs?

diogenysos: Well i have Driver Max running on my XP system. It checks for Driver updates daily.
Also it keeps a copy of all your drivers on there system, which you can set to download if you do a fresh install as you say, THOUGH i have never tried to do that.
As for programs, surely you can just download the most up to date version ?
Funny enough, i am just about to do a fresh install of XP on here, and the one great pain is re-installing or the great software, maybe some bodkin should come up with a way of cloning the Program Files folder

diogenysos Norton Ghost can be used to make a clone image of the drive. And later on you can return the image back to the drive. Company i used to work for years back used Ghost all the time..

diogenysos: I haven't tried it, but Macrium released a free version of their "Reflect" tool http://www.macrium.com/ReflectFree.asp

On first glance it looks like it would do what you are looking for. Full version comes with more features and extended support, but it seems like the Free edition is pretty usable. I would just try it out on a non productive machine.

I was given 2 IBM base units and a laptop. They were ex-company stuff, and all worked fine when they were networked in the enviroment.
I have installed new opertaing systems on them (just XP Pro, which they were using before).
Now the problem...... none of them will recognise the onboard Ethernet.
I have tried everything i can think of.
It knows the Ethernet is there, but thats it. In the device manager is showing as a problem along with the Vidoe Controller & Multimedia Audo Controller. I have been onto the IBM sites, found the correct drivers etc... downloaded them to a usb stick, and installed them. Still nothing.

Ideas anyone ?

MadMonkey: Check to see if the drivers and utilities is working correctly.

MadMonkey: ethernet cable itself... dry joints... the IBM's used a weird install disc?? Have you plugged in an alternative ethernet card?

With all those problems, it sounds like a common problem rather then a specific hardware bug. Can you get an original disk for the machines.. it does sound like the install wasn't correct.

(V): Its most confusing

I use the same Ethernet cable for this PC so i know thats ok.
Dry joints......seems doubtful to be on all 3 units. (i know all 3 were working networkly before the company sold them off)
The Ethernet card is on board, as in fixed straight to the mother board.
I used the same XP Pro instal disk as i put on here (and on my LapTop Sunday) so thats fine.

It is most perplexing, it does sort of say the disk......but

Universal Eyes: I have downloaded the up to date drivers for that pc onto a USB stick, and installed them from there, so they should be ok.

I had that same problem before unzipping and extracting drives.oh i whish i could recall all of it but it's extremely frustrating and switching back and forth from USB to ethernet.Are you trying to set up three at the same time or have you tried them individually?I do remember something about a network card but can't recall if i replaced it or not.

MadMonkey: It does sound like the original IBM install disk that the company used are quirky and are a little different from a straight forward windows XP disk. I'd try and get hold of them if you can.

(V): Now that you refreshed my memory that did also happen when i installed Windows XP pro.

Universal Eyes: The disk that came with me PC was as such made for the machine.. All the drivers to get the PC going are on that disk as well as windows xp.

I don't know why some pc manufacturers have to make things so awkward but they do. It maybe that microsoft are/ have played silly games on 'copyright'. As I know they can!!

Magnifying the screen in
Windows 95,98,2000,Me

This page gives you step-by-step instructions on how to launch Magnifier in earlier versions of Windows
Instructions

Open the Window's Magnifier using the following steps:

1. Open the ' Start ' menu by clicking on the ' Start ' button or by pressing the ' Windows ' logo key (located between the ' Ctrl ' + ' Alt ' keys on most keyboards) alternatively press ' Ctrl ' + ' Esc ' .
2. Click on ' Programs ' or alternatively press ' P ' on the keyboard until ' Programs ' is highlighted and then press ' Enter ' .
3. Click on ' Accessories ' or press ' A ' on the keyboard until ' Accessories ' is highlighted and then press ' Enter ' .
4. Click on ' Accessibility ' or if you are using the keyboard, it will already be highlighted so just press ' Enter ' .
5. Click on ' Magnifier ' or press ' M ' and when ' Magnifier ' is highlighted, press ' Enter ' on the keyboard.
6. The magnifier is now turned on and the settings box appears.
7. You can click in the magnification level box (as highlighted in Fig 1 ) to change the level of magnification, or use the up and down arrow keys.
8. You can minimise the magnifier settings box by clicking the minimise button or by pressing ' Alt ' + ' Spacebar ' and then press ' N ' .

Universal Eyes: Damn! The screen is all over the room now!

Pedro Martínez:

Over the last day, Firefox users may have seen a Add-on related message telling them Firefox is blocking certain Microsoft Plugins.

DO NOT PANIC... It has been caused because of Microsoft releasing more software with a serious security vulnerability. Microsoft released many new updates on Tuesday, and thanks to Windows Update (if you have ii switched on) you would of been given this dodgy update.

"While the vulnerability is in an IE component, there is an attack vector for Firefox users as well," admitted Microsoft engineers in a post to the company's Security Research & Defense blog on Tuesday. "The reason is that .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 installs a 'Windows Presentation Foundation' plug-in in Firefox."

"This update adds to Firefox one of the most dangerous vulnerabilities present in all versions of Internet Explorer: the ability for Web sites to easily and quietly install software on your PC," said the hints and tips site. "Since this design flaw is one of the reasons [why] you may have originally chosen to abandon IE in favor of a safer browser like Firefox, you may wish to remove this extension with all due haste."

According to Microsoft, the vulnerability is "critical," and also can be exploited against users running any version of IE, including IE8.

MadMonkey:

"The reason is that .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 installs a 'Windows Presentation Foundation' plug-in in Firefox."

MS is such a joke...Thanks for reminding me why I only run their stuff virtually, if at all, nowadays

Dear Microsoft, please keep your lousy mitts off my Firefox install - This isn't the first time Microsoft has taken liberties with Firefox users. There's that whole .Net thing that happened back in May of this year.

IMPORTANT

This goes out ALL to Firefox users.

Most of you know what Add-ons & Plug-ins are i hope. In short, they are other programs attached to Firefox to enable it do other things.

Most of the time Add-ons will update themselves as Firefox checks them.

Plug-ins can take ages to update which can lead to security issues & cause crashes.

Firefox are building a Plug-in checker into the upcoming versions of Firefox.

For now, visit THIS PAGE and allow it to do a check for you, and install any updates it finds.

Bookmark that page and check regularly until the new Firefox is released

MadMonkey:

Thanks, that's a nice feature ,but can I add that after you do your plug-in updates, you may ask yourself why is my computer running slower then normal?

it's because after you do these updates (ie: itunes does it) a lot of these updates will reinstall the automatic to "run on start-up"... you will be running programs that you can start manually.. I like to go to CCleaner.com and check my registry integrity and disable uneeded programs that "run on start-up"....

I found this through trying to find an intro for the Freespace2 Babylon 5 mod for my profile on youtube..

It's free... and available for PC amd Mac...

http://ifh.babylonfive.ru/

If you are fan of B5 or space sims give it a try. It beats the Freespace version Flying through hyperspace can be cReepy

For those that have got or are thinking about Windows 7, a nice little article by the people at Download Squad, on what to do once you got it

How to replace the crappy pre-installed software on your new Windows 7 PC with great free apps

loads of great articles daily......


(hmmm should work now lol)

MadMonkey: the link goes nowhere :)

Artful Dodger: yes it does....it goes here
http://brainking.com/en/InvalidRequest?fwa=-

Bernice:  I googled it  :)

Artful Dodger: Thanks chap lol , should of checked it i guess

MadMonkey:  check your fs link too :)

Artful Dodger: Mended lol ................... silly Chimp

MadMonkey:  Wish I had a quarter for everytime I did that    I keep wondering: If Microsoft puts out such an inferrior product, how come more aren't flocking to Apple?  What can a PC do that a Mac can't?

Artful Dodger: No idea I have no Mac

Gouwe gozer:   It's a mystery to me! 

Don't you just hate paying for websites and program downloads
Well have a look through this lot

Free Software News

oh...and while i am here........

Got a new computer ? OR just re-installed Windows...now you have the process of searching and installing ALL your most used programs

Well, i have got something to help you all...... try Ninite

In short, it will let you choose your favourite Web Browser, Messaging program, Media player etc..etc.. and then creates ONE Install for them all....now THATS USEFUL

For this and MANY more useful little ditties, come and join Monkeys Cyber Cafe

MadMonkey: Whenever I need some new software to do something, I always take a look at OSALT (Open Source ALTernative) first: http://www.osalt.com/

pauloaguia: I shall have a look

Ninite is there so you can set up the basics that many of us use daily, not really for new software. It just saves going to each site separately and downloading each one, it does it all for you