6 replies to this topic

[steveo]

I was downloading PC-cillin 2006 and I got an error message the says "unsupported platform". the reason I have found is that since I have never install sp-1 or sp-2 that PC-cillin 2006 won't install. since I never seen a real reason for them in the first place I'm not going to install them now even though I think PC-cillin is pretty darn good.
Since I don't have the sp's installed is this going to be a recurring theme for anti-virus software?
I think I will install the AVG anti-virus as a stopgap measure or is it good enough to be used as a primary anti-virus?


thanks

steveo

[Broni]

I've been using AVG for last 6-7 months, and I didn't have any problems with it.

[dobhar]

Hi steveo...

I echo Broni's words...I have used AVG on my test PC as my Primary AV for quite a bit now without any problems.

Just to let you know that there is going to be more and more software out there that you will not be able to install because you not "patched" up to SP2.

At work I take care of over 600+ computers and we are about 2% Win 98SE, 45% NT 4.0, and 50% WinXP SP2. I have been directed to get all our PC's up to WinXP SP2 and I have yet to have any major problem with any PC other than reinstalling a Video driver after a patch update.

IMHO there are more and more reasons to have WinXP fully patched to SP2.

[steveo]

dobhar

I remember that sp-1 caused a lot of problems and was mainly the world's way of getting back at microsoft. that is the reason I never went to sp-1.
I didn't go to sp-2 because I had a good anti-virus along with Adaware , spybot and spywareblaster.
did you have any problems going to sp-2 or did microsoft solve most of those problems?
I just did a scan with AVG and it found 4 virus's.

thanks

steveo

[dobhar]

Hi steveo...

To be totally honest I have never had any issues at home or at work whether I installed WinXP, or WinXP with SP1, or WinXP with SP2.

Back when SP1 came out there was lots of issues because there were software makers out there that had yet to get their software SP1 compliant. Even Symantec had a problem...the Security Center was not recognizing it but Symantec ame out with a patch asap and bingo no problem. MS even put out a Web page that listed all the software that was not SP1 compliant.

I truely believe that everybody who has WinXP NEEDS to be at SP2. As a "HijackThis Helper" if we found a poster who had an infected WinXP system we will ask them to upgrade their PC's to at least SP1 before we would help. The reason being that they will get infected again. If you posted a HijackThis log here on this forum in our HijackThis section I would request that you upgrade your system to SP1 minimum. Now there are those out there that are infected and cannot get the updates to load so we will help them clean out their system then request that they update asap because we don't want them back again. Last year I helped clean out close to a 1000 PC's (through the various forums I helpded out at) infected with all sorts of Nasty's...1/3 of those systems were because they did not have a "patched" system.

I'm not going to tell you that you will not or cannot get infected if your a WinXP SP2 system because I would be lying. But by being fully patched you will not be infected by those "Nasty's" that are exploiting those numerous holes that WinXP has.

steveo said:

I just did a scan with AVG and it found 4 virus's.

I wonder if you would have gotten those Virii if you were WinXP SP2.

These are just my opinions...

[steveo]

for a period of a couple of days I was without any anti-virus at all dealing with the PC-cillin problems so I think that is where the virus's came from although I can't prove it. I put AVG on as I thought that it would be at least a stopgap measure until I found something better. from what I'm hearing is that I don't have to look any further than AVG. I think I will look for some anti-spam stuff and that will cover everything. any idea's on anti-spam stuff?
I guess I will also look at getting sp-2

thanks

steveo

[dobhar]

I use a program called "Mailwasher" to look at all my mail before it makes it to my mailbox. Anything I don't want I just delete from the server using Mailwasher. It allows me to "Blacklist" the addresses I consider "SPAM".

It's free to try for 30 days (fully functionable) => http://www.mailwasher.net/

You could also use a"throwaway" Internet Mail account from Google, Yahoo, or Hotmail. When the spam gets to bad just throw it away and create a new one.