"Don White" wrote in message
news
RCE wrote:
"Reggie Smithers" wrote in message
...


"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"

--
Reggie



Because I am currently bored, I tried that Microsoft SafetyLine link that
someone (JimH?) provided (thanks). I did the full scan doober (took a
while) and it reported my computer was fine, no viruses, no screwed up
files, no de-frag required. Everything is just hunky-dorey.

What's interesting to me is I have never, in all the years I've had a
computer and been on-line used any kind of anti-virus, anti-spyware,
anti-anything software. The only thing protecting this computer from the
cold, hard world is whatever firewall Microsoft uses in XP and whatever
my ISP firewall is. I tell people this and they are horrified - and
they advise me I am going to get hacked, mutilated, screwed and all kinds
of horrible things.
To date (knocking on wood) nothing has ever happened. In fact, the only
problem I encountered with this computer was after Microsoft did one of
those automatic updates, which I didn't know it was going to do until I
shut the computer off one day and it told me to wait while some updates
where installed. The next day I could not connect to our house Wireless
router. I did a "recover" back to a date just prior to the update
installation and everything has been fine ever since. After that
experience, I shut off the automatic update option as well.

My wife, the worry wart, has all kinds of anti-bad stuff installed on her
computer and she is constantly having crashes and problems. Norton seems
to be the biggest culprit.

The way I figure it, I just can't allow myself to worry and get paranoid
about a stupid computer. If I get a virus and it breaks - I'll take it
to a computer repair place and let them clean it up. If, in the unlikely
event the computer is totally trashed - I'll decide if I really want a
new one. I am very careful not to store anything of any importance on
the computer.

So, has all this hacking and virus stuff been over emphasized to sell
protection software, or have I just been lucky for the last 15 years?

RCE
It is a racket... *but* I ran a year or two without protection and got
infected by a friend. Cost me about $ 125.00 to have it cleaned and Norton
installed.

Of the $125 bucks, how much of it was for Norton? This is timely. Since I
posted the above, Mrs.E, who just returned from a week trip, called me
complaining that she could not get on-line. I checked the wireless setup -
fine. My computer using the same router is working fine. So --- I clicked
on the Norton thing ... WOOAAAHHH! Big red alerts, updates required,
impeding critical mass - everything but the sky is falling. I disabled
Norton. Clicked to connect on-line. Bang. There's her homepage.
Everything is fine.

Told her to leave Norton sleeping.

RCE