TeeJay3800

Wow, this went from being very helpful to being very insulting very suddenly. First of all, this is only a backup machine I keep in my bedroom that I use for basic web browsing once in a while. I am well aware of common security risks, that is why I use all the common security software on my main (Athlon 62 X2, 1GB RAM, etc) XP machine...AntiVir, software firewall, hosts file, Spyware Blaster, etc. Running real-time anti-virus really slows the older machine down, and makes it essentially unusable. Even the older computer is behind my NAT router and passes the GRC ShieldsUp! test with a 100% rating, so its not as if it is exposed to the internet completely unprotected. I appreciate all the help here, but there is a difference between offering sincere computer advice, and nearly insulting someone's intelligence...

Nope, not on this machine. I run AntiVir on my XP machine, but I've never encountered a virus on either computer. On-demand virus scans always turn up nothing. Thanks all, for the help and suggestions. - MBAM seems like a great program. However, the first time I did a scan with it, it found a registry hijack related to the start menu. When I fixed it, it simply removed the "logoff" item from the start menu. I'd call that a false positive. - Dr. Web CureIt! also seems like a good app. I haven't done a full scan with it yet, but I will soon. I take it an app like this is better than the online scanners like BitDefender's and others? - Thanks for the info about WWDC, Andavari.

Is that a full on-demand virus scanner? I'd like to avoid installing more software on this machine because of limited HDD space. That's why I like the online scanners like BitDefender and others offer. This is a really old system that I've kept running pretty well and is still great for web browsing. K6-2, 160MB RAM, 5GB HDD, 2000 SP4, and no memory optimizers.

I have disabled all 5 items in WWDC without any problems...on both my 2000 and XP machines. I believe if you have file and printer sharing enabled (via your LAN), that will not work. I'm basing that on the descriptions I've read of the ports and services that WWDC disables. However, everything that I use still works. If you something you need doesn't work after using WWDC, its very easy to go back and undue the changes.

When I start the Windows Worms Doors Cleaner, I get this warning: I have done a virus scan using BitDefender Online Scanner and it found nothing. I'm not sure if I have an actual virus that BitDefender missed, or if this is a false alarm. Can anyone give me any insight on this?

If this app replaces the standard Windows Explorer, how safe is it to install/uninstall? I tried O&O Disk Defrag once which is a snap-in replacement for the standard windows defragger in Computer Management. When I uninstalled it, it took the standard Windows Defrag with it. Apparently the defrag API is still as there, as I'm able to use other apps like Auslogics Defrag, but I'd rather avoid problems like this with Explorer.

Got it, thanks. Thank goodness for HostsMan!

I've tried both methods of uninstalling. First I tried the built-in uninstaller in Control Panel, and then the Adobe uninstaller app you linked to. Still no luck. I will try the software inspector, but I just can't figure out why all of a sudden I am getting this error, when I never did before. Nothing has changed on this system that I am aware of. The error I posted in my first post does not occur in regular IE, but in both Maxthon and IE, I get the "xxxxx program has generated errors will need to be closed" error.

Thanks, but that's it? I'm just SOL? Windows 2000 still has two more years of extended support...I would think basic apps like Flash would continue to work fine. I've had no problems at all on my Athlon 64 X2 with XP machine, but still. I was hoping for some sort of fix, but I guess I just won't be able to visit some sites on this machine.

I've been getting this error lately on some sites that contain Flash: I currently have Flash version 10 Beta 2 installed, but I was getting the same error with the latest stable release of version 9. This is a new problem as sites that now cause this error, never did before. Other Flash sites work fine however, like www.flashearth.com for example. Having uninstalled and reinstalled Flash and tried multiple versions, I'm at a loss at this point. I'm hoping some of the very knowledgeable folks here will be able to help me out. Thanks! System: Windows 2000 SP4, IE 6 engine, using Maxthon browser

I too am interested in WOT, but don't see anything compatible with Maxthon. SiteAdvisor seems to be back up now.

After some serious Windows kernel errors encountered while booting after uninstalling ZoneAlarm, I am now not using a software firewall for the first time since I got broadband internet back in 2000. I'm behind my LinkSys EtherFast BEFSR41 NAT router, and still pass the GRC ShieldsUP! test with flying colors. I know I don't have any outbound protection, but since spyware and virus scans never find anything, my version of Windows is completely patched and up-to-date, and I don't visit questionable sites or download dangerous material, I think I'll be fine.

I'm using the unofficial SiteAdvisor button for Maxthon, and it too isn't working right now.

Good point, but I thought that was only for installing it onto a cell phone/PDA from your PC. I didn't think ActiveSync was necessary just for installation on a desktop PC, but I could be wrong.

I just came across something interesting: AntiVir Mobile. It works on smart-phones (Windows Mobile and Symbian), but is also compatible with Windows 2000/XP. This looks like it would be perfect for lesser-powered computers like my Win2k machine. I'd like some opinions before installing it...has anyone tried it?

Good 'ole SysInternals! Thanks, that's exactly what I was looking for. Does that port being open seem like a warning sign, or is it not something I should not be concerned about? EDIT: n/m, TCPView tells me its only my IM client (Miranda) that is listening on that port. Thanks for the help on this.

WWDC is telling me that TCP port 2278 is open, and as you can tell by that link, there is no specific information available on that port. I'm concerned that a malicious program of some time (virus or other) is using that port, and I know there are software apps that allow you to see the endpoint that a process is connecting to. I've seen this feature on various firewalls, but I'm not running a software firewall anymore, so I don't have access to such a feature. Can anyone recommend an app that can tell me what server that process is connecting to via 2278?

While extracting the contents of the ZIP file for the "Webserver" app to Program Files, I got a virus alert from AntiVir telling me that app's main EXE file contains trojan "TR/VB/Small.2564096." Does this program contain a real virus, or is this one of those false positives?

I have used it before and it works great, but I would definitely create an account separate from your primary Gmail account, in case you are booted for a terms of service violation.

Sorry, I don't know how I missed the other thread in Software.

This is a pretty important announcement from the author of the hpHosts HOSTS file. abelhadigital.com Forum Announcement Why in the world you need to check up updates every second, I have no idea...

Me too! I don't know why so many are so stuck on IrfanView when such a better alternative exists. I hardly ever see someone mention a favorite photo editor/organizer other than IrfanView.

FastStone Image Viewer offers single and batch file conversion. Far better than the extremely basic IrfanView IMO.

I definitely would not use the "compress old files" function. When I did that, it freed up a lot of disk space, but really seemed to slow my system down. It's just not worth the added disk space.

Yeah same here. Its a slick little program. Without it, I might not even have been aware of Java updates or wouldn't have bothered because of how inconvenient it is. I'd still like to know why Java leaves old versions of it's software on your machine instead of replacing them with the new version.