Tom AZ

When the AntiVir "Guard" is active, what is the best option for files to be "Guarded:" "all files", "smart extensions" or the "extension list?"

Hazel . . . it appears that you might have been a GENIUS!!! I disabled the VSS Service, rebooted, re-enabled the service, rebooted again and . . . VOILA -- it worked. I suppose I should be a little guarded in my exuberance, however, I've only tried it once with each program, but so far, so good. Thanks a million, Hazel.

All very confusing to me too. Not even 100% sure I've properly identified the culprit -- but I'm relatively sure. I'll try your suggestion. Do you think there would be any value in trying to use one of these apps in Safe Mode?

Not what I wanted to hear!!! How did you like WinRAR? Looks like I might have to be looking for options.

Hi Hazel. No messages/errors in Event Viewer. Both of my backup programs launch OK -- go through the preparations phases -- but when they start the actual backup process, they just stall -- nothing happens. VSS is started in Services -- but I have it set to manual -- not automatic (which, by the way, is how it's always been). That's about all I can tell you.

I'm currently using Windows XP Home. Two days ago, I upgraded from SP2 to SP3 and thought everything was fine. However, because two different backup programs I use are no longer working, it appears that my Microsoft Volume Shadow copy Service (VSS) might have been damaged or corrupted in the process. I have no idea what to do about it -- or how to repair it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Is it possible (or advisable) to run the "Active Protection" of two different Spyware/Malware programs (not Anti-Virus) concurrently? Or could this cause some possible conflicts? Just curious. Edit: Topic Title should have been "Anti-Malware" -- not "Malware" -- sorry.

"SpinRite" . . . a program I remember (and used) years and years ago -- probably the mid to late 1980s. I didn't even know it was still around. At that time, it was an excellent and highly respected utility. What's the scoop on it now?

Outpost Firewall Pro, here.

I just started using Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (Free) a few days ago and have done a couple of Quick Scans. So far, it seems to have a little higher detection rate than some other anti-malware apps I've used (SAS, AVG, etc.). Is this just my imagine, or is MBAM a tad better at doing what it's supposed to do? Because I'm currently using the freeware version, the Active Protection is not included, so I don't really know how well that part performs. One other thing for those familiar with this MBAM . . . does it include anti-virus as well as other anti-malware detection?

Does Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware's Active Protection module include e-mail scanning? It appears that it does not, but I'm not sure.

In the Revo Uninstaller "Tools" menu, there's a "Junk Files Cleaner" option. Can you pretty much just delete what that option finds?

You know, Andavari, I think I will start using ZSoft Uninstaller as it was designed to be used. But I am curious . . . which do you think does a better job: ZSoft Uninstaller or Total Uninstall? Also, with any of the installation monitoring uninstallers, is the uninstall itself fairly safe? Or, is there still a risk that the snapshot will allow for uninstalling something that possibly shouldn't be uninstalled (e.g., common or shared files, etc.)? In other words, is the installation system snapshot rock-solid -- or can it lead you astray and remove something it shouldn't?

Is it safe to delete all *.gid files -- or should they be retained?

I use both Revo and ZSoft, but have never used them to monitor an installation. (Come to think of it, I'm not sure you can "monitor" an install with Revo -- but maybe you can??). Your approach is certainly a new and interesting one. So, with ZSoft Uninstaller (or Total Uninstall), how would you scan for leftovers once the app has been uninstalled the traditional way?

From what I know, all of these are pretty good -- actually, I've used two of the three. But, which one do find most useful, Andavari?

I think that was it, Dennis. Have you by chance tried it?

Not too long ago, someone mentioned an alternative to SiteAdvisor, but I can't remember what it was. Can anyone refresh my tired, old memory ?

I'm not sure -- not paying attention, I guess. However, I did acknowledge that mistake in my "quote."

Don't get confused by this . . . PDFs are not at all limited to images. In fact, many large text documents have been converted into pdf formats. It's the "universality" of the format that gives PDF its appeal. By the way, the problem with Notepad (and the like) is that they're not really full featured apps -- they just don't have the "muscle." Therefore, if you're planning on doing a lot of writing, IMO you'd be far better off with a traditional word processor such as MS Word or Word Perfect (and may others as well). You could even try OpenOffice. I've never used it, but it's free.

For some reason, I thought it wasn't too long ago that you had pretty good vibes about AVG 8.0 -- am I mistaken about that? By the way, is eTrust now CA? _________________ Oops!! Guess I'm a few years behind in responding to rridgely on this one .

Of course, version 8 is now out, but I'm curious . . . what do you prefer about version 6 over version 7?

I do use a PDF editor, but they don't do the kind of checking and editing you're looking for. Think of a pdf file as akin to an image rather than a document -- it's basically a picture. With a good editor, you can change certain things depending on the uniqure characteristics of the particular pdf file, but it all needs to be done manually -- and it's pretty slow going. It's more like using an image editor than a document editor. My suggestion would be to get yourself a word processor that really works for you -- that's what you need to do what you want.

You absolutely DO NOT have to use the "bounce" feature in MailWasher -- totally at your discretion. I've never used PopPeeper, but from the screenshots, I'm wondering if it does any signifcant filtering??? Maybe it does, just can't tell for sure. In addition to the Mailwasher base program, I use some pretty good add-on filters. It works really well for me and it has a high accuracy coding rate. And, just like what was said about PopPeeper, the e-mail itself never hits your computer until you're ready to process it. A side note . . . I'm not sure that either one of these programs is compatible with online e-mail account such as Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo. If I'm not mistaken, they work with a POP3 account with an e-mail client only.

I agree . . . Word is your friend. Let it do the work for you -- then when you're all done -- convert to pdf.